Over the next few days, the teammates started feeling like Ronaldo was under too much pressure… or maybe possessed by a demon?
He trained nonstop, muttering things like, "one, two, three… three, two, one… one, two, two, one…" but somehow still couldn't beat anyone cleanly.
Especially the defenders—Serafim, Alex, Kirop, and Fonte—who had to face him in training every day.
One day, Alex couldn't take it anymore and went to Kai.
"Kai, why does Cristiano Ronaldo keep counting numbers?"
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How does he say it?"
Alex scratched his head. "When he faces Serafim, he keeps saying something like 'one one one three, three one one one.'"
Kai nodded seriously. "That means Serafim's defense isn't very good. Ronaldo can outplay him easily."
Alex's eyes widened. "Damn! Mr. Kai, you understand Romanian? That's insane! What about Fonte and Kirop? He keeps saying 'three three three one, one three three three' against them."
Kai replied calmly, "That means their defense is solid. Ronaldo struggles more, so he relies on simple speed to beat them. The flashy moves are just to confuse, not to actually break through."
Alex was stunned. "Then… what about me? Mr. Kai, Ronaldo barely makes any sound when he plays against me. Does that mean I'm special?"
Kai looked at him like he was looking at an idiot.
"You are special. Your defense is so bad he doesn't even need a formula. He just does whatever the hell he wants. Did he use a rainbow flick on you?"
Alex froze like he'd been struck by lightning. "Ah… that… yeah… I think… the ball went over my head like a rainbow… God, how could he do that? That's so disrespectful, I—"
Kai patted his shoulder. "Relax. Don't feel too bad. Same thing happens to me."
Alex immediately felt better. "Well… you're an attacking midfielder, so your defense being weaker is understandable. But for me—"
Kai cut him off.
"No, you misunderstood. I meant if I had to dribble past you, I'd also consider using a rainbow flick. Your defense makes people feel… at home."
By the time Alex processed that, Kai had already jogged away.
February 15th, Round 18 of the Portuguese Liga.
Moreirense vs Freimud, at home.
Emerson was still injured, so Cordeiro started, forming a double defensive midfield alongside Kai, who played as the sole attacking midfielder.
The formation shifted from 4-3-3 to 4-2-1-3.
Right from kickoff, the commentators noticed something different—
Cristiano Ronaldo looked… relaxed.
7th minute.
After receiving the ball, Ronaldo didn't rush forward. Instead, he pulled the ball back, feinted, and tried to engage physically with the defender.
His right foot hovered over the ball repeatedly, doing stepovers—
—and then he passed it back.
Freimud's right-back looked confused as hell.
You hyped all that up… for this?
Just decoration?
Still the 7th minute.
Kai sent another ball to Ronaldo, who was very active on the left side early on.
Ronaldo accelerated, realized he couldn't beat the defender cleanly, slowed down, did a few stepovers—
—and passed it back again.
Freimud weren't strong overall.
But their defenders were tough.
14th minute.
Kai passed to Ronaldo again.
The commentators started complaining.
"The left side isn't working, but Kai keeps feeding Ronaldo—just because they're close?"
"That's not how a core midfielder should play!"
Boom!
This time—
Ronaldo didn't mess around.
He knocked the ball forward and sprinted—no tricks, no bullshit.
Freimud's right-back thought he had him figured out—
—but Ronaldo just ate him alive with pure pace.
"He's through! Cristiano Ronaldo beats him with raw speed!"
"He turns Kai's average pass into a golden chance!"
"Cross coming in—!"
"Anderson's header… just over! A bit too high!"
"But that attack from Ronaldo was brilliant!"
Anderson gave Ronaldo a thumbs-up for the cross.
Then he turned and saw Kai's face—
slightly dark.
Oh shit.
Did Mr. Kai feel ignored?
Quickly, Anderson gave Kai a thumbs-up too.
Kai's face turned even darker.
Anderson… why copy Romelu Lukaku of all people?
Trying to become a "praise-type striker"?
Dangerous mindset, brother. Very dangerous.
23rd minute.
Still the left side. Still Ronaldo.
He was demanding the ball constantly—way more active now.
After receiving it, Ronaldo made a fake move that forced the defender into a rushed stance.
Then two quick flashy moves—
A defender rushed in—
Ronaldo cut inside, then instantly pushed the ball outward.
Clean move.
The defender panicked—
—and took him down.
Blatant foul.
Beep!
Even the referee couldn't ignore that.
Yellow card.
Dangerous free kick in the attacking third—basically corner-level threat.
Players flooded into the box.
Kai raised five fingers.
Teammates understood immediately.
Boom!
Kai took the free kick low and fast.
Near post!
Ronaldo, originally positioned centrally, had already anticipated it and made an early run.
Boom!
Without even jumping properly, he flicked a header backward.
The ball drilled into the far corner.
"GOAL! One–zero!"
"That header was insanely technical! That back-flick is not easy!"
"This is what Triguera has brought—set-piece variation! It's crucial for weaker teams!"
"The previous coach had no creativity—just aim for the tallest guy in the middle every time!"
"No matter how strong you are, if you're predictable, you're easy to defend!"
"And don't forget—Ronaldo created this chance himself! His performance today is completely different—more confident, more decisive!"
After the goal, Moreirense tried hard to fight their "weak team syndrome."
But the match still tilted slightly toward Freimud.
36th minute.
Kirop made a crucial interception.
Without him, it would've been a clean breakthrough.
39th minute.
Fonte blocked a shot with his shoulder.
Freimud players immediately started screaming for a penalty, claiming handball.
But the referee wasn't fooled.
Shoulder = legal contact.
Arm = handball.
Basic football rules.
Nice try though.
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