"Deng Kai is obviously not a naturally talented player. There are plenty of kids like him in Brazil, and many are better than him."
"But their common weakness is poor physical talent."
"After a year or two, most players grow to over 1.7 meters, but they remain at 1.4 or 1.5 meters. At that point, their initially decent skills are completely hampered by their lack of speed."
"Besides his impressive arm strength, Deng Kai hasn't shown any other talent that makes him stand out in a game. But that kind of arm strength alone isn't enough to support him for grenade-style throw-ins in a real stadium."
"He should play basketball instead of football—but basketball has higher height requirements, which he can't meet… Maybe weightlifting would suit him better."
"His assists, own goals, and regular goals have no technical content. His luck outweighs his skill."
"In my opinion, the most talented player in this game is Almeida. He has the potential to become a top striker like me, scoring many goals in the future."
"Second is Cristiano Ronaldo, but he needs to adjust his habits. He should focus on passing. His speed makes him capable of becoming a reliable playmaker."
Jardel, the Portuguese Super League Golden Boot winner, made these remarks on TV.
Though his influence in international football is limited, Jardel commands great respect in the Portuguese Super League.
Porto fans even consider Jardel better than Figo and Rui Costa.
Figo used to play for Sporting Lisbon, and Rui Costa for Benfica, and neither scored more goals than Jardel in any season—not even half of Jardel's tally.
Therefore, Jardel's evaluation of Deng Kai almost completely discouraged all Portuguese Super League clubs from pursuing him.
While clubs in Portugal hesitated, clubs in other leagues naturally wouldn't act quickly either.
Whether a player is valuable depends on how the local club evaluates him; otherwise, it's easy to be misled by hype.
For example, how many Bundesliga players who Bayern didn't buy were actually worthless?
Of course, major clubs still had hidden worries: the list of special scholarships announced by the University of Lisbon this year.
And Kai's name was on it.
The scholarship amount? $15,000!
A huge sum, considering Portugal's per capita GDP at the time was about $12,000.
As everyone knows, GDP per capita is far higher than the actual average income—just like Jack Ma versus most people.
This scholarship was far more than what clubs typically provide to youth players.
Youth training subsidies are fixed; no club could afford to give Kai two or three times more than other young players.
Doing so would create dissatisfaction and deviate from the purpose of youth development.
But without offering Kai a generous deal, why would he give up the chance for a prestigious school and scholarship to play football?
This partially explains why clubs hesitated—they were practicing a bit of self-restraint.
"Football Caesar's next club hasn't been decided yet. What's the problem?"
"University of Lisbon: Students can't miss most courses; current students must focus on academics!"
"Medical experts: Kai's physical development lags behind European and American children his age; it's unlikely he'll surpass 1.7 meters!"
"Kai suffers from dwarfism? He's only grown three centimeters in three years. Unless he has Maradona-level talent, no team will take him!"
"A youth player stuck in U12–13 forever is worthless! No team will invite Kai!"
News after news kept appearing, cooling Kai's market value.
No one believed he would choose football.
No one was optimistic about his future.
Except Trigla.
He called Kai, asking him to wait for news.
Triguera was trying to sign Kai with the senior management, but the higher-ups were busy negotiating Barcelona's transfer of Simao Sabrosa and had no time for a youth player.
Kai had missed the previous signings of Ronaldo and Moutinho, so he had to wait.
So far, Barcelona's negotiations with Sporting Lisbon were not going smoothly.
Sporting wanted $10 million, but Barcelona offered only $6 million—after all, Simao had only played one season in the Portuguese Super League.
But the funny thing? It was Barcelona that temporarily made everyone forget about Kai, and yet also the one that kept him in the public eye.
During the World Cup, some media caught a quarrel between Barcelona star Guardiola and coach Louis van Gaal in the VIP seats.
Guardiola walked away.
Through later media reports, everyone learned the story.
"I have no conflict with Pep, but I really don't understand what he's thinking. He's too obsessed with that youth player," Van Gaal admitted openly.
Reporter: "Which youth player?"
Van Gaal: "The kid known as Football Caesar. I mentioned him to the youth department, but they don't recruit—so they must have their reasons. I'm the first-team coach, not the youth team coach!"
The reporter then asked Barcelona's youth department staff.
The reply: "The kid performed well, but hasn't yet met the standard to sign with Barcelona."
"We have strict standards for midfielders. For example, Xavi Hernandez from the B team just entered the first team. He's only 18, but we already know he could be the next Pirlo."
"Another example: Andres Iniesta. He's only a year older than Kai, but his level is over ten times higher."
"That's the kind of player we want."
"Besides… Barcelona never makes a second offer to a player who has rejected us."
This interview allowed Guardiola to reconcile with Van Gaal, whom he had thought hadn't informed the youth department.
But it also caused Kai's market value to drop further.
Iniesta's youth performance, which leaked afterward, overshadowed Kai.
His passing, control, and shooting convinced people he might become the next "Big Laudrup" or "Zidane."
And Barcelona's statement—"We are a football giant and won't make a second offer to a player who rejected us"—made other top clubs cautious.
After all, three years ago, Kai had rejected all the football giants.
So…
If you gave Kai a chance now, it's like slapping your own prestige in the face.
Was it worth it?
Some wealthy clubs hesitated.
In Portugal, media asked Kai if he'd try to join Barcelona's youth team—maybe by apologizing for refusing them three years ago.
Kai: "It's a pity I didn't get an invitation from Barcelona. They're an amazing team, but I won't take the initiative to join them."
Reporter: "Why not?"
Kai: "From what I know, most stars who proactively join Barcelona don't end well."
This angered Barcelona fans.
This was the most vicious curse on Barcelona!
Why was this kid so sharp-tongued?
Barcelona's media outlets updated more than ten articles criticizing and insulting Kai.
Soon, fans saw Sporting Lisbon's assistant coach Triguera visiting Kai's home, hinting Sporting was signing him.
Barcelona was negotiating Simao Sabrosa's transfer with Sporting.
Fans tried to pressure Sporting to refuse Kai—but Sporting Lisbon, true to its reputation, stood firm.
Especially with Figo, whom they had sold to Barcelona three years ago, performing well—Sporting had the upper hand.
By the end of July, Sporting Lisbon officially announced Kai's signing.
Football Caesar, welcome to Alcochete training base!
The next day, Barcelona announced they would suspend matters related to Simao's transfer.
Both sides closed the trading window.
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