The scout spoke up: "Kai's talent will definitely overshadow Sérgio. That goes without saying. As long as his body keeps developing, he can even reach Serie A level as a midfielder."
"What I mean is that Sérgio is no longer suitable for Sporting Lisbon. He must already feel the shackles here."
"We're both core players. If one core is clearly weaker than the other, leaving is the best option. The most miserable people in football aren't substitutes — they're substitute core players."
"Turning into a utility worker isn't the best solution for Sérgio. Not every core player can become an engineer. And honestly, in midfield support, Sérgio isn't even as talented as his defensive skills. Semedo is better."
"We should take Sérgio away. This could be a very profitable deal in the future, and the difficulty isn't high."
Boavista's executives nodded, meaning it was worth considering.
Why could Sporting Lisbon constantly poach youth players from Benfica?
Was it because Benfica didn't value those players?
No.
It was because Benfica already had better players in those positions and couldn't keep the average ones, so those players left on their own.
Other teams might lack depth in those exact positions.
So after transferring, these players could become starters or even core players.
Training and match time are the most important things for development.
Even Messi or Ronaldo would decline if they didn't play for three years.
Kai?
Don't even talk about Kai.
He's an exception.
He really didn't play for three years… and yet he's still skyrocketing.
That's just ridiculous.
…
The game had just restarted.
Kai once again staged an interception masterclass.
Today, Ronaldo's lightning-fast hat trick and four goals were already eye-catching.
Now Kai showed terrifying dominance on both offense and defense.
He was just as fired up.
The reason was simple…
Who says two players can't both have masterpieces in the same match?
Pulling the ball behind his back, Kai slipped past an incoming opponent and drove forward.
Ronaldo knew Kai's running habits well.
Kai exploded quickly over short distances, but he couldn't sustain long sprints.
After just winning the ball in midfield, there was no way Kai could carry it all the way up alone.
So unusually, Ronaldo didn't sprint down the wing.
Instead, he slowed down early and cut inside without the ball.
They completed a positional swap.
Ronaldo's movement instantly dragged several defenders with him.
Everyone thought Kai would play a through ball to Ronaldo.
Instead, Kai pushed the ball left and charged straight into the left channel completely unmarked.
Boom!
He adjusted and crossed immediately.
After switching positions, Cristiano Ronaldo also surged forward.
He knew the pass was coming.
Sure enough.
The ball whipped into the box from the wing.
Ronaldo burst into the penalty area—
But just as he jumped, the centre-back dragged him down.
There were obvious hands involved.
The referee immediately blew the whistle and pointed to the spot.
Penalty kick!
Casa Pia's goalkeeper rushed out to argue, but the referee didn't budge.
Yellow card plus penalty.
Honestly, it could've been a red.
Kai looked at Ronaldo.
Ronaldo quietly shook his head.
He didn't want to take it.
His performance today was perfect. He didn't want to risk screwing it up with a missed penalty.
So, in front of everyone, Ronaldo picked up the ball and tossed it to Kai.
The Chinese commentators instantly got excited.
"Viewers! Now we bring you Kai live!" Huang Jianxiang said with an awkward laugh.
In truth, CCTV had only just secured the broadcast feed.
Thanks to Jiang Yunzhu from Sports Weekly in Portugal.
Otherwise they might've been airing a Go match instead.
"Alright, we can see the handsome Portuguese player handing the ball to a Chinese player. Yes, he's Chinese — our focus today, the Portuguese-Chinese midfield prodigy, Kai!"
Huang Jianxiang had clearly done his homework.
"Obviously, Kai is the team's first penalty taker."
"That represents status."
"The young man who handed him the ball is Cristiano Ronaldo, known as Portugal's future Alien. Kai just calls him Ronaldo — simple and direct."
"Oh! Ronaldo won the penalty himself and still gave it away. That shows Kai's position in the team… and their great relationship. Probably drinking buddies too, haha…"
With the commentator rambling away, Kai calmly slotted the penalty home.
Seven–one.
Huang Jianxiang almost choked.
"Oh! Seven–one! This is a massacre!"
"Don't think the opponent is weak. They're second in the league!"
"Sporting Lisbon is exploding today!"
"Wow! Kai already has two goals and two assists? Incredible!"
"His position as assist leader just got even safer!"
…
"What are you watching? Some old drama rerun? Switch to Channel 5 — there's football!"
"What game? Frankfurt and Crystal Palace aren't playing today."
"It's not Yang Chen or Fan Zhiyi."
"Then who?"
"Kai! Sporting Lisbon's Football Caesar! The most talented Chinese youth player in Portugal! The pride of China!"
"Stop bragging."
"He was invited to the Ballon d'Or ceremony! Zidane praised him!"
Scenes like this were happening all across the country.
Kai, who had only been slightly known before, suddenly exploded in popularity after CCTV aired the match.
Many people tuned in just in time to hear:
"Alright, 73rd minute. Kai and his teammates are combining… oh, they're playing a trick on Duarte. Duarte sends it back to Kai, who's free…"
"Cross! Great ball!"
"In again!"
"Semedo scores! Redemption! He scored an own goal earlier!"
"Not easy to recover mentally after that. Respect!"
"What are the fans shouting? Hat trick? Hahaha — Kai assisted a hat trick! His passing is like Hu Weidong, but in football!"
This assist hat trick became many domestic fans' first impression of Kai.
But soon, that impression got even crazier.
81st minute.
Kai completed another high press steal and blasted a long shot.
Clang!
The ball smashed off the post.
Boom!
Cristiano Ronaldo rushed into the six-yard box and tapped in the rebound.
Nine–one!
"Holy shit! Is this really U15 level?"
"That long shot from Kai — can any domestic player his age even attempt that?"
"Ronaldo's positioning is so smart. His finishing is deadly!"
"Five goals already? That's brutal!"
"This score is insane."
"I'm starting to think football overseas is a different species…"
"Your wording is very accurate."
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