4–0!
After two months and eight games, Sporting Lisbon U15 was finally about to taste victory!
But Ronaldo didn't celebrate after scoring. Instead, he ran straight toward Kai, who hadn't even gotten up yet.
The referee passed by, confirmed the goal, and flashed Andoua a yellow card.
Andoua complained loudly on the field, thinking that since the opponent had scored, he shouldn't be punished for a foul.
Andoua's friends in the stands also protested.
They had lost a lot of money, and all of it was instigated by brother Andoua.
Eventually, a fight broke out in the stands.
Andoua was severely beaten by his own companions.
These gang members often talk about "brotherhood," but in reality, they'd attack their so-called brothers whenever they didn't like them. Full of piss, unworthy of any deep loyalty.
Stadium security kicked them out, but they raged around the perimeter, venting their frustration. Later, the police escorted them back to the station.
Inside the stadium, the game wasn't affected.
Kai was lucky—he wasn't injured.
72nd minute.
Maxa made a major move and substituted Kai, who had been constantly knocked around by Qatar Sports.
Kai had become a thorn in their side.
No one enjoys losing.
They didn't dare touch the tall, strong Cristiano Ronaldo, so they targeted the soft, smaller player—Kai—with ruthless defensive pressure.
Kai had already made two assists and two shots in this game. Maxa knew that this kid had a huge influence on the match's outcome.
He was the team's savior.
"Don't get hurt!"
"Substitute quickly!"
After leaving the field, Maxa personally handed Kai a towel and mineral water.
Once Kai sat on the bench, Maxa even used his ancestral massage techniques to relieve Kai's muscle fatigue and check for injuries.
There were a few scrapes on Kai's leg—minor injuries, nothing serious.
In fact, youth matches were brutal. People often underestimate the intensity.
Young players lack full body control, so movements sometimes spiral beyond reason. Imagine this at the adult level—the chaos would be amplified.
87th minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo evaded two tackles in a row and scored a superstar goal in one fluid motion—his first official hat trick for Lisbon's Youth Academy!
5–0!
Sporting Lisbon turned the game into a showcase!
As a youth team from a wealthy club, Sporting Lisbon's performance rekindled people's faith in the academy.
After the game, media outlets exploded with coverage:
"Lightning goal! Super long shot! Football Caesar breaks fastest goal record in Portuguese U15 League!"
"Two goals, two assists! Football Caesar is back!"
"Two world-class strikes—who dares say he can't play?"
"The Return of the King! Kai and Chris combine for nine points and five assists—game MVPs!"
"Veni, vidi, vici! Kai is Julius Caesar incarnate!"
"I come, I see, I conquer! After scoring, Kai declared he intended to dominate the Portuguese U15 league!"
"Hat-trick rockets him into the top three scorers! Chris, his best friend, assisted him—Sporting Lisbon bottomed out!"
"Andoua's performance is pathetic. Kai isn't as bad as he said. Andoua himself isn't as good as he claimed!"
"Kai completely destroyed Andoua! No wonder he was abandoned by Sporting Lisbon's youth system!"
Maxa, whose coaching position had been shaky before the match, got an exclusive interview with the prestigious Portuguese football paper, Record:
Reporter: "The team looks very different from previous games. Can you explain?"
Maxa: "We had issues before and weren't getting results. Our core players are young and need special training to adapt to U15 football."
Reporter: "Is the core player you're referring to Kai?"
Maxa: "Of course. He's undoubtedly our core. I had a lot of plans for this match, but the most important thing was to make other players treat him as the team's core. Ask our squad—I firmly believe Kai has that talent!"
Reporter: "But his touch and passing stats weren't excellent."
Maxa: "That's the genius. He uses his own way to integrate and lead the team."
Reporter: "Won't that make other players uncomfortable?"
Maxa: "No—it's the truth."
Reporter: "And what about Chris? He's the team's top superstar."
Maxa: "No one disputes that. But Chris is happy Kai has become the team's core. Their friendship is stronger than people realize."
"Chris lives with Kai. They help each other out. I'm confident I can train them into Lisbon's twin stars!"
This interview sparked controversy.
Critics argued: Kai's passing and receiving stats are middle-tier among midfielders. Two goals and two assists don't make him the best player. You can't define performance by highlights alone.
Maxa was a relatively inexperienced youth coach. His praise for Kai came from the heart.
He hadn't even made tactical adjustments—he just told the kids to feed Kai the ball, and the team won.
Couldn't he like the kid?
When interviewed, he restrained himself. But exaggerating Kai's importance also proved his own ability as a coach to cultivate young talent.
People who didn't understand accused Maxa of favoritism.
Just because the team won when Kai played?
"Bola" questioned Maxa's behavior and criticized it heavily.
They argued that youth coaches should evaluate players objectively—on skills and performance—not obsess over wins or superstitiously elevate certain players.
Youth academies differ from first teams. Maxa's pragmatic approach may explain why Sporting Lisbon's academy had declined recently.
Most media agreed: the academy's quality was declining.
The U15 team, with Ronaldo, had ranked last among comparable teams—a grim reality.
Most Portuguese newspapers shared the same view.
However, Jiang Yunzhu, a foreign correspondent from China's Sports Weekly, offered a different perspective in Portugal's Global News.
Her article: "The Miracle of Lisbon Sets Sail."
She wrote:
"Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenal talent. No one in Lisbon U15 could keep up with Chris… except Kai."
"Against Qatar Sports, Chris delivered the most passes in the attacking third—all aimed at Kai."
"Whoever makes the arrogant Chris recognize them on the pitch is clearly a football genius. Kai's two goals and two assists show his thinking is far beyond ordinary players."
"As long as his physical development continues, Kai has the potential to play midfield in Europe's top five leagues."
"Sporting Lisbon U15, with Chris and Kai, may create miracles in the coming years."
Unfortunately, because the reporter wasn't famous, the story barely made waves—mostly circulating among the Chinese community in Lisbon.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 40+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[Naruto: I Don't Want Recognition]