"Dad, Mom, this is a good friend I met in the echelon. You can just call him Chris."
"Oh? Why do you look like this? Covered in mud… and are those injuries?"
"It's okay. Some other kids in the echelon bullied me, but Chris helped me out. Don't worry, we're fine—they're the ones in trouble now! I'm starving. Let's get something to eat. The whole specialty menu is here!"
Father Deng and Mother Deng knew their child was independent and would say what he wanted. There was no point in asking about things he didn't want to talk about.
After dinner, everyone felt much better.
During this time, Trigla also called Father Deng, explained what had happened during the day, and apologized many times, admitting he had failed to protect Kai.
Finally, Trigla assured him that he was already in contact with the director of the youth training department, and the young players who had attacked Kai would definitely be severely punished.
Father and Mother Deng did not embarrass Trigla, nor did they make a fuss.
Later, Mother Deng hid in the kitchen and secretly wiped away tears, feeling a little regretful about sending Kai to play football.
Although Father Deng was distressed too, he still expressed his support.
"As a man, this will happen to you," he said, taking out his Erguotou and insisting on sharing two drinks with Ronaldo.
Ronaldo, of course, was knocked out after just one sip.
The next day, Kai was surprised to see that his familiarity with Ronaldo had soared to over 20%!
Sure enough, nothing strengthens understanding like living together.
Kai looked at Ronaldo lying on the floor thoughtfully.
How about… leaving Ronaldo at home?
"Mom, can we have a richer breakfast? Not Western-style—steamed lamb, steamed bear paws, steamed deer tail… Oh, don't hit anyone. Let's go to the twice-cooked pork branch instead…"
On the bus.
Cristiano Ronaldo never stopped praising the outrageous breakfast served by a Chinese family, telling Kai repeatedly that it was the best food he had ever eaten.
He even hinted whether Kai could bring some to the training ground in the future.
Kai looked at the lunch box his mother had prepared for him and Ronaldo and said:
"Chris, how about coming to live at my house?"
"Ah?" Ronaldo was stunned.
Kai continued seriously:
"We fought Andoa yesterday. He's a local. I heard my brother has connections with the Lisbon mafia—this is how Andoa became the boss of the U14 team."
"If he wants to retaliate against you… the players' dorms aren't as safe as my home."
"We're in a Chinese community there. Chinese people don't fight Chinese people. Any foreigner who enters will be questioned by Uncle Wang and Aunt Huang."
"And don't you like our food?"
"You can give my parents the room and board fees you pay the school every month. They'll make delicious food for you every day. Maybe I can even refund you a hundred or two hundred yuan, and you can send it home to your family."
"And I noticed you have a problem with football theory. I'm good at cultural studies and tactical thinking on paper. I'll teach you tactics and positioning while we practice dribbling, passing, and shooting together. We'll both improve faster."
"I know a shortcut from my house to the training ground. We can run there together with the ball—it'll be fun!"
Kai's proposal clearly moved Ronaldo.
A boy is a boy until he dies. Some behaviors, seemingly childish, always touch the heart.
"But the echelon rules…" Ronaldo hesitated. He wasn't used to bending the rules. Young players—could they even manage it?
"I'll handle it. I'll tell Mr. Trigla, and he'll agree," Kai said.
Although Western systems have many rules and contracts, once you understand them, you realize you can negotiate almost anything. Football is as much about being worldly as it is about skill.
After arriving at the training base, Maxa brought them to the U15 echelon of Sporting Lisbon.
In fact, they were in the same club, but the teammates had changed.
The team welcomed Ronaldo and Kai—but the real reason for the welcome ceremony was the new coach: Maxa.
He had been promoted from U14 to U15, step by step.
Kai had every reason to believe Maxa had a mission: to cultivate Ronaldo. Trigla had likely assigned this task, possibly with support from top management as part of Sporting Lisbon's strategy.
Perhaps it also involved nurturing Kai… but maybe that was just Trigla exaggerating for effect.
After a training session, Ronaldo quickly impressed the team. Most recognized his strength immediately.
Kai… still needed time to adapt. Being over two years younger and smaller, he was currently at the bottom in terms of strength.
During lunch, Kai noticed fewer U14 players next door.
After asking, he learned that the seven U14 players who had fought him yesterday had been expelled from the youth training team!
Ronaldo worried hearing the news, fearing the club might settle scores with him and Kai as well.
Being labeled a "thorn in the youth system" could make finding a new team difficult.
In reality, tough players rarely get expelled. Even if they fail early, their talents are often wasted on nightclubs and drinking in their early twenties.
Compared to Ronaldo's worry, Kai felt relieved.
Dealing with Andoa and the others meant they wouldn't target Kai and his allies. Only a fool offends both sides.
Trigla was smart: strike quickly and decisively. The seven youth players had thrown themselves away.
Such decisiveness would be valuable in the future.
Kai already believed he would one day lead Sporting Lisbon.
Three days later, Kai successfully shared Ronaldo's talent bonus.
After that day's training, his speed and dribbling improved noticeably. He was now worthy of being called a "peerless genius."
Compared to him, "unparalleled talent" seemed mediocre.
After checking the youth team's talent ratings, Kai understood the system.
For example, Joao Moutinho, who jumped from U13 to U14, had the same talent rating as Kai—peerless talent.
If a player of this level reaches their potential, they can become the main midfielder in a secondary or tertiary football nation—or even help a club become competitive in one of Europe's top five leagues.
Anyone in the top five leagues must, by definition, be talented.
"Unparalleled talent" often refers to stars everyone knows, but it's not always as extraordinary as it seems.
Future Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is a prime example: his running, attitude, and defensive work made him a starter, though his talent was "unparalleled" despite being overlooked.
Many other talented players, even peerless geniuses, fail mid-career.
Football has never lacked talent.
But the success rate? Extremely low.
Media tracking top 20 youth prospects from major European leagues found that, years later, fewer than five out of twenty make it to secondary leagues, and only a handful reach the top five leagues.
No superstars are born; ceilings are often set by club hierarchy, not raw talent.
Even the best youth players have a high failure rate.
In the football world, talent alone is nearly worthless.
Kai: ???
Kai: Who the hell are you scolding?
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