Chapter 13

Rongguang and Ruike stood on the training ground of the first team, looking around with the same curiosity as Liu Laolao touring the Grand View Garden.

The training ground of the first team was much more lively than that of the youth team, despite being separated by only a row of trees.

But the situation was completely different, almost like night and day.

Because outside the first team's training ground, there were many fans, countless fans almost filling both sides of the training ground.

In the youth team, there were at most a hundred fans, and it was very rare, only happening at the beginning of the season when everyone wanted to see if there were any new talents in the new season's youth team.

When Rongguang came to São Paulo for a trial, he happened to encounter such a scene.

Later, the youth team's training ground became increasingly deserted, with only a dozen or twenty fans there every day, which was completely different from the bustling atmosphere outside the first team's training ground.

"Really amazing..." Rongguang looked at the dense crowd of fans and exclaimed, "The first team is indeed impressive!"

Ruike, however, did not have such a good mood. Coming out of the locker room, his expression was somewhat solemn.

Although Captain Chini had given his assurance, after introducing the first team players one by one, he still found that many people did not seem to be very friendly towards Rongguang...

Even though those people were not unfriendly to him, Ruike was still very worried.

Because he and Rongguang could be considered friends.

He was kind-hearted and did not want Rongguang to struggle in the first team because of such matters.

The first team players gradually appeared on the training ground, and their appearances were met with cheers. Rongguang and Ruike, however, received no reaction at all, as the fans here did not recognize these two young players from the youth team.

But the cheers for the first team players were nothing compared to those for the person who came out next.

When a slender, clean-cut young man walked into the training ground accompanied by head coach Osvaldo, the entire area around the training ground erupted.

Countless women's screams rose up.

There were even many men's cheers.

But whether it was the women's screams or the men's cheers, they were all shouting one name.

"Kaka! Kaka! Kaka—!"

Birds flew up from the nearby woods, startled by the sudden cheers...

The person Rongguang aimed to surpass appeared.

He was Kaka.

When Rongguang heard these cheers, he stopped looking around and quickly focused his gaze on Kaka.

Like himself, Kaka had black hair, but it was a bit longer. He had fair skin, handsome features, and a slender build, taller than Rongguang.

Just looking at his appearance and skin, one would not think he was a player, but rather a movie star, specifically one who plays the role of a pretty boy...

He was walking into the training ground with head coach Osvaldo, chatting and laughing. The morning sun was bright, shining on his face, and the fine down on his face reflected the sunlight, creating a golden glow around his face, making his smile seem as bright as the sun.

He was startled by the sudden cheers and did not wave his arms to respond to his fans like a true star. Instead, his fair face quickly turned red, and he lowered his head, looking somewhat at a loss amidst the cheers.

This legendary, extremely popular, and especially beloved by female fans, genius player, to Rongguang's surprise, was actually very shy...

Before ever meeting Kaka, based on others' descriptions, Rongguang always thought Kaka should be an outstanding player with a strong and dominant personality, or perhaps a cold, rebellious, and proud one.

But he never thought his opponent would be a shy big boy!

The contrast with what he had imagined was quite significant...

"That's Kaka..." Rongguang muttered, still somewhat disbelieving.

Ruike, standing beside him, said, "Yes, that's Kaka. Rong, you've chosen a very, very strong opponent..." He was somewhat worried.

※※※

Along with the cheers and screams, there were also the sounds of journalists pressing their camera shutters.

When Kaka appeared on the training ground, the journalists waiting outside knew they had a big story!

What was the hottest topic in São Paulo football recently?

It was the upcoming "Derby Paulista."

In the "Derby Paulista," São Paulo's biggest asset was Kaka.

Whether Kaka could recover in time for the "Derby Paulista" was very important.

Given São Paulo's current predicament, if Kaka could not return before the match, São Paulo would have almost no chance of beating Corinthians, even at home.

In the last four matches, São Paulo lost all of them. One match was contributed by the former head coach Nelson Baptista, two matches were the "achievements" of Valdir de Oliveira, and one match was the result of the current head coach Osvaldo de Oliveira.

In the last Rio-São Paulo Championship, São Paulo lost to the underdog Bangu, creating a minor upset.

But everyone knew this was not Osvaldo's fault. He had just taken over the team, and it was already hit by a wave of injuries.

Many players were unable to play, and taking a weakened team to an away match, losing to Bangu was not an unimaginable outcome.

Losing to Bangu was not a big deal, but the upcoming "Derby Paulista" against Corinthians was the most important.

Corinthians and São Paulo are a pair of arch-rivals in São Paulo City, and every match is very intense.

This great match never lacks controversy, grand scenes, beautiful goals, and fierce competition.

According to the latest club supporter statistics, this is the most popular derby in São Paulo State.

São Paulo fans and the club take this match very seriously, so it is the biggest test for Osvaldo.

If Osvaldo cannot win this match, he is very likely to follow in Valdir's footsteps, being dismissed after just two matches...

Now that Kaka has appeared on the training ground, what does this mean?

It means he has recovered in time for the "Derby Paulista"!

This is a huge piece of good news for São Paulo!

After the midfield playmaker Ricardinho was injured, São Paulo could only rely on Kaka.

Kaka's return will make the "Derby Paulista" much more exciting and worth looking forward to!

※※※

To assess Kaka's condition, Osvaldo temporarily changed the training content, directly organizing an internal match to see how Kaka was doing after more than two weeks of recovery.

This match was not held directly on the training ground but was moved to the adjacent stadium, which could accommodate 4,000 people.

Osvaldo's arrangement naturally delighted the fans and journalists.

Of course, Osvaldo had his own plans.

São Paulo had lost four consecutive matches in the Rio-São Paulo Championship, which was a heavy blow to the team's morale. Since there were so many fans here today, he wanted to use Kaka's return and the enthusiastic fans to boost the team's morale. Therefore, holding an internal match in a place where fans could watch was intended to help the players regain their confidence through the fans' enthusiastic cheers.

Additionally, he wanted to use the media in the stands to spread the news of Kaka's recovery, to intimidate Corinthians.

Of course, he could choose to keep Kaka's recovery a secret and reveal it at the last moment, but with so many passionate Kaka fans present, this plan was completely unfeasible... These fervent fans, especially the female fans, would spread the news of Kaka's return throughout São Paulo City in no time.

So it was better to openly display it, which would not only boost the confidence of his team but also intimidate Corinthians.

The stands, which could accommodate 4,000 people, quickly filled up. A rough estimate suggested that about 500 to 600 São Paulo fans came to the training ground to watch the training today.

"There are so many people!" Rongguang shaded his eyes and looked at the stands, exclaiming.

This was the most people he had ever seen at a match.

In the past, if 100 people watched a youth team's internal training match, it was considered a rare occurrence, enough to get the youth team players excited.

Now, with 500 to 600 people watching the match, Rongguang was both amazed and more excited—performing well in front of so many people would surely help him establish himself in the first team.

Rongguang looked forward to it.

※※※

Korel Choi and her companions sat in the front row of the stands, closest to the field. They insisted on coming to the training ground every day to watch the training, hoping to see Kaka return to the training ground.

Finally, their persistence paid off, and today they got to see it!

A group of young girls were so excited they didn't know what to say. When they saw Kaka on the training ground, the sun shining on him, it seemed to them as if a beam of holy light descended from the sky, enveloping Kaka. The light on Kaka was sacred and warm, and they heard the sound of angels singing, with white doves flying in the sky and flowers blooming on the ground...

They hugged each other and cried, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

But no one thought they were embarrassing, as many female fans around them were the same.

Now that Korel and her companions were sitting in the stands, they were still very excited, and their eyes were almost always on Kaka, who was warming up.

Kaka was jogging, Kaka was stretching, Kaka was juggling the ball, Kaka was passing, Kaka was shooting!

So great!

The shot was so accurate!

His condition is very good!

We will definitely see him in the "Derby Paulista"! He will lead São Paulo to victory!

Just as she was thinking this, someone else appeared in Korel's field of vision besides Kaka.

When she saw this person, she was taken aback.

Then she blinked hard and rubbed her eyes—she was worried she was seeing things.

But no matter what she did, the person in her field of vision did not change.

Slightly dark yellow skin, black hair, slender build... Yes, even if he were turned to ashes, Korel would recognize him!

It was Rongguang!

The bastard who dared to say "Who is Kaka?" in front of her!

Korel never thought she would see him at the first team's training.

A beginner from the youth team, Korel thought she would never see Rongguang again in her life, but here he was, just over a month later... he was already in the first team!

Wasn't he a beginner?

Wasn't he a rookie?

What beginner can rise from the youth team to the first team in just over a month?

Although Korel was a loyal fan of Kaka, she was not a superficial fan; she knew a lot about football.

In Brazil... this was not unusual.

She just couldn't figure out why Rongguang was on the first team's training ground.

She kept staring at Rongguang, following him with her eyes wherever he went, as if this would help her understand why he was there.

She was so focused on Rongguang that she even forgot to pay attention to Kaka...

※※※

This internal match of the first team was not a standard 11-a-side match, as the first team could not even gather 22 players for a match.

Mainly due to injuries, plus the two reinforcements from the youth team, Rongguang and Ruike, the first team had a total of 18 players.

Just enough for a match roster.

The 18 players were unevenly distributed in terms of positions, with some positions having too many players and others not enough.

So this match was very informal, to the point where even the team's third goalkeeper had to play as a center-back...

But no one expected this 9-a-side match to be very formal.

This match was arranged on the spur of the moment by Osvaldo specifically to assess Kaka's condition. The purpose of everyone in this match was to support Kaka.

Not just the excited fans in the stands and the enthusiastic journalists with their cameras, but even the head coach of the team, Osvaldo, was only interested in Kaka.

Kaka was the brightest star of the team, the undisputed core, and everyone revolved around him. He was the pride of heaven.

Rongguang, an unknown rookie, was like a common stone in the face of Kaka's brilliance.

But even a common stone has the ambition of a stone.

A stone on the ground is a stone, but in the sky, it is a star.

Rongguang kept his eyes fixed on Kaka, his gaze sharp.

He was determined to defeat Kaka in this internal match and prove to everyone that he was not joking!

Page break for AD start

Page break for AD end