Although Veloso came this time and cracked a small joke,
it also made many people realize that his height development didn't meet expectations because he started too early and did it too frequently.
But as the saying goes, it's never too late for a prodigal to turn back.
Veloso's blunt and sincere advice earned him Kai's friendship.
The two also exchanged social media accounts.
Veloso was currently at the absolute lowest point of his life.
Even in Kai's previous life, he had never seen someone sink this low.
Because in that previous life, this youth derby was nowhere near this scale, nor did it end with such a scoreline.
Although Kai's butterfly effect hadn't caused a storm thousands of miles away, the breeze he stirred had already affected the little bees around him.
So that very day, Kai found Triguera and introduced Veloso to him.
"You want the youth team to sign Veloso?" Triguera looked at Kai in disbelief.
"Do you know how disastrous his performance was? Such a tragedy happened in the youth team purely because of his height. How could the first team possibly want him?"
"The average height and physical confrontation of first-team players are only higher!"
"He's different from you. He doesn't have your kind of talent that can transcend height limits. And even for you, Kai, it'll be hard to win the favor of the first team in the future—especially the rich clubs."
Kai nodded. He knew this very well.
"Veloso is indeed not suitable for the center-back position. But what about midfield?"
"His defensive ability is excellent, and his positional awareness is very good."
"He also has decent passing ability, and his speed is enough for midfield play. His physical disadvantage—originally a weakness—actually becomes an advantage in midfield."
Triguera frowned.
To be honest, changing positions at this age was already quite late.
It's like people who should have fallen in love earlier but stayed single until thirty—there's usually something off, or at least some strange habits.
Veloso had been playing defense for so long. Could he really wait until now to change?
"But this would give Benfica something to talk about," Triguera said.
"We've signed players discarded by them the year before last, last year, and again this summer."
"Veloso has drawn too much attention this time. Do you know why no team has taken him yet? It's because no one wants their youth academy labeled as Benfica's trash can."
Kai immediately retorted,
"Fortune comes from danger, sir. To be honest, Sporting Lisbon's youth intake over the past two or three years has been terrible. Aside from Chris, most of our group won't even make it to the Portuguese top flight in the future."
"Before that, apart from Simão and Quaresma, we barely produced anyone. Even Fonte made it reluctantly."
"After us, except for Moutinho, the rest are mediocre at best."
"Haven't you noticed that Portuguese youth talent born between 1981 and 1987 is extremely weak?"
"In at most two or three years, Portuguese youth training will enter an ice age. Forget competing with the Netherlands—even maintaining the current level will be difficult."
"After Figo, Portugal will barely be able to produce first-class stars!"
In this environment, Veloso was already a first-rate talent.
He might not be strong enough yet, but within Portugal—and in the future Portuguese league—he would absolutely be good enough.
He was a highly promising future midfielder for Sporting Lisbon.
Kai almost said it outright:
If not for Cristiano Ronaldo, this period would have been Portugal's darkest era.
Triguera didn't understand why Kai was so certain—almost alarmist.
But that was exactly what shocked him.
As a veteran in youth development, Triguera was painfully aware of the major mistakes Portuguese youth training had made over the past five years.
And the timing Kai mentioned—when Portuguese youth talent would dry up—matched perfectly.
Every profession is like a mountain apart.
No one understood the problems of Portuguese youth training better than Triguera.
Kai wasn't the first person to reach this conclusion.
The last one to do so… was Triguera himself.
That was precisely why he had left his comfort zone—transitioning from a beloved gold-medal youth coach to a first-team assistant who took all the blame, was hated by fans, and doubted by upper management.
He had to climb into head coaching.
Because Portuguese youth training would be bleak for a long time, and it was no place for ambitious people.
"Let him come for a trial tomorrow," Triguera finally said.
Watching Kai walk away, Triguera found it harder and harder to see through this boy.
Veloso's trial training could be described as a complete success.
…
"Breaking news! Sporting Lisbon U15 signs Veloso—after the winter window, he may take revenge on his old club!"
"Traitor! Benfica fans display banners during first-team matches, mocking the captain Antonio's son for joining Sporting Lisbon!"
"Marquesa: We've tested Veloso. He's a very good player. If it weren't for registration issues, we'd let him play immediately!"
In response, Benfica—whose first-team title ambitions had already been disrupted—reacted fiercely.
"Benfica Youth Director: Veloso has no talent at all. If it weren't for his father, he should've been kicked out last year!"
"Benfica Sporting Director: Veloso joining Sporting Lisbon will have zero impact on us. Sporting Lisbon always picks up the garbage we don't want. Honestly, we should even pay them—since they're basically our garbage truck!"
Sporting Lisbon responded just as quickly.
Triguera:
"There is no absolute gap in strength among most young players. They all have their own characteristics. The key to youth training is developing those characteristics correctly."
"Some players look like center-backs, but their traits determine that their true position lies elsewhere."
"Benfica's youth system isn't as good as ours. Although they have a better talent pool, they fail to maximize player potential. As a youth coach, watching so many talented kids get discarded breaks my heart."
"These kids all have star potential!"
"Veloso is a typical example. We've found the position that suits him best, and once the winter registration is complete, we'll show everyone."
"We also welcome parents with real vision to send their talented children to Sporting Lisbon. We might not turn them into stars—but if we can't, Benfica definitely won't!"
This explosive topic further ignited the already boiling Portuguese football media.
Everyone was eagerly waiting for the winter transfer window.
Because only then would it become clear whose youth system was stronger—Sporting Lisbon's or Benfica's.
This was the first true confrontation between the two academies.
Its impact was far greater than a single U15 match.
Everyone knew it was a black shop.
You say my player development sucks? That's cutting off my livelihood.
Cutting off someone's money is no different from cutting off their parents.
This hatred was irreconcilable.
One side was bound to get hurt.
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