Chapter 25

Despite Rong Guang stepping out of his house without being recognized by anyone, this did not mean that people were not paying attention to him. It was just that, in the eyes of Brazilians, all East Asians looked the same, so no one could distinguish Rong Guang from the 250,000 Chinese people in São Paulo.

However, as Godo had said, almost all the newspapers the next day focused on Rong Guang when reporting on this "Derby of Dignity."

In yesterday's match, Rong Guang emerged as a star, helping São Paulo defeat Corinthians, a strong team, under extremely unfavorable conditions.

His goal was replayed over and over, astonishing everyone with his speed.

Some even believed he orchestrated the comeback.

"... When Kaká was injured, the Morumbi Stadium seemed to die. But Rong's lightning-fast sprint instantly ignited the Morumbi! This is the most thrilling match I've seen this year!"

The media's hype greatly increased people's interest in Rong Guang.

On the front page of the *Lance* newspaper, there was a large photo.

In the photo, Rong Guang's back was shown, with his number and surname prominently displayed.

The headline of the *Lance* was large: "Who is he?!"

In the following article, the *Lance* published information about Rong Guang that they had gathered from his agent Godo and other sources.

As a media outlet with significant influence in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, they were the first to publish such detailed information. While other media were still speculating about Rong Guang's identity, they had already provided the answer.

However, they did not receive the response they had imagined...

Every reader who opened the newspaper was stunned by Rong Guang's background.

"How is this possible?!"

"A rookie who has only been playing football for a little over a month?!"

"What is the *Lance* up to? Why would such a ridiculous story be published so prominently?!"

This was everyone's first impression.

Just like Yek Kafu and Galvão Bueno had initially thought.

The vast majority of people did not believe it was true.

This is professional football! How could such an absurd thing happen?

A rookie who has only been playing football for a little over a month probably hasn't even learned how to juggle the ball. How could he perform so well in a match? Looking at his performance, where does he seem like a rookie?

No one with normal intelligence would believe such a claim.

The *Lance* headquarters' phones were flooded with complaints from readers...

***

Other media also commented on the *Lance* report, with no shortage of sarcastic and mocking voices.

Because those professional football journalists also did not believe that a person who had only been playing football for a little over a month could perform so outstandingly in the "Derby of Dignity" and become the key player.

Rong Guang is indeed a youth team player, and it is true that he joined the São Paulo youth team a little over a month ago, but perhaps he had received systematic football training elsewhere before?

Even if not in Brazil, it could have been in China, in some place they didn't know. In any case, he must have received football training.

Because no one believed that a person who had only received a little over a month of formal training could achieve this!

The *Lance*'s competitor, the *Placar*, wrote an article criticizing the *Lance*'s attitude.

"... In handling such news that has captured public attention, some media outlets are not rigorous enough, publishing such absurd and laughable reports without thorough and detailed investigations. This is a disgrace to Brazilian sports reporting! Such practices treat all readers as fools! In the history of human football, no one has ever played such a great match after only learning football for a little over a month!"

***

Faced with the mudslinging from their competitors, the *Lance* was very angry and decided to present convincing evidence—a special interview with Rong Guang and Godo!

The day after the match, the team had a rest day, so Rong Guang did not need to attend training. He and Godo went to the *Lance* São Paulo editorial office for the interview.

Godo took this interview very seriously, getting a new hairstyle, and in the morning, while Rong Guang was practicing his signature, he was ironing his suit.

Of course, it wasn't just about his own appearance; he also took Rong Guang out to buy a new set of clothes.

Rong Guang, as an important player under his management, needed to look good. Otherwise, if the journalists saw him in tattered clothes, they would likely doubt his abilities.

Thus, the two of them came to the *Lance* headquarters in their best state for the interview.

The person responsible for interviewing Rong Guang was Coelho Alexandre Costa, the sports editor of the *Lance*. He had 25 years of experience reporting on football, having interviewed countless world-class stars like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Pelé, Zico, and Romário.

Originally, a nobody like Rong Guang would not have been worth his time.

However, the *Placar*'s smear campaign made the *Lance* very unhappy, and they decided to counter with a major scoop, thus elevating the treatment of Rong Guang. In the sports media of São Paulo State, and even Brazil, Coelho Alexandre Costa's name was a golden brand, very influential.

Having Coelho conduct this interview would also increase the credibility of the piece.

Because of the rivalry between the two media outlets, Rong Guang inadvertently benefited.

When Godo saw Coelho, he knew how seriously the *Lance* was taking this interview.

He was even more delighted—Rong Guang was about to soar to new heights!

Impressive!

Rong Guang's performance in yesterday's match was indeed spectacular, attracting such a prominent journalist.

While Rong Guang and Godo were being photographed by the newspaper's photographer, Coelho Costa stood nearby, sizing up the young man with a youthful face.

The teenager seemed very curious, looking around even while being photographed.

Godo had to remind him, "It's time for the photo, look at the camera!"

Rong Guang then focused on the camera, but as soon as the flash went off, his gaze wandered again.

What a lively child...

This was Coelho's first impression of Rong Guang.

It was really hard to associate this image with the one who had caused chaos for the entire Corinthians team on the field yesterday.

After the photographer finished, he approached Rong Guang and Godo.

"Do you know, Rong? You've already set a record."

"Learning football for a little over a month and then scoring against Corinthians?" Rong Guang replied.

Coelho was taken aback; he hadn't expected Rong Guang to answer like that.

But then he burst out laughing—this kid was really interesting!

He laughed, "The answer I had in mind was that you are the first Chinese player to appear and score in a Brazilian professional match... but now I think your answer is even better!"

The *Placar* had criticized the *Lance* by saying it was impossible for Rong Guang to be a rookie who had only been playing football for a little over a month.

This statement was the best rebuttal!

Rong Guang's words set the tone for the interview.

When Coelho discovered that Rong Guang was unexpectedly lively and outgoing, the interview went smoothly.

He had been worried that a Chinese child like Rong Guang might have language and cultural barriers.

He had never interviewed a Chinese player and didn't know how to approach it.

But this interview gave him a very pleasant experience.

During the interview, he was repeatedly amused by Rong Guang's seemingly silly but actually insightful remarks.

However, he didn't forget the key question of the interview.

"Someone doubts that you could perform so well in the 'Derby of Dignity' after only learning football for a little over a month. What do you have to say about that, Rong?" Coelho Costa asked.

Just as Rong Guang was about to speak, Godo took over.

"Rong is someone I brought from China. I have photos of him in China, and I have friends who can testify that he had not learned football before. But that's not important... What's most important is that in the little over a month since he joined the São Paulo youth team, he has been learning the basics, from juggling to passing and receiving drills, and he hasn't even practiced shooting yet. These are facts that can be verified by interviewing the youth team and the first team. I don't see what there is to argue about." Godo spread his hands, "Of course, I can understand people's reactions when they encounter a true genius—when they encounter a genius they don't know, they tend to think, 'This is impossible.' They always like to explain what they see with common sense, rules, and common knowledge, but a genius! cannot be explained by common sense! They think it's impossible for someone who has only been playing football for a little over a month to score in the 'Derby of Dignity,' but it happened. Are you not convinced?"

Godo's words were forceful, challenging the doubters.

The *Lance* executives watching the interview nodded in approval—this agent really knew his stuff... They had specifically invited this young player and his agent for the interview, making a big deal out of it, precisely for this effect!

Coelho turned to Rong Guang, seemingly wanting to hear his thoughts.

"Godo is right," Rong Guang pointed to his agent. He had nothing more to say.

"Do you have nothing to add, Rong?" Coelho still looked at him.

Rong Guang thought carefully and then shook his head, "No."

Coelho was not satisfied; he felt that ending the interview like this would be too bland. He wanted to add some spice.

So he took the initiative.

"Your agent speaks very highly of you. Don't you feel any pressure? You know, when this interview is published, everyone will see your agent's evaluation. I won't lie to you, but we will highlight this part in bold. He calls you a true genius. What do you think about that?"

"Godo is right," Rong Guang said again.

Coelho was a bit surprised; this kid showed no sign of humility...

"Do you also consider yourself a genius, a true genius?"

Rong Guang rubbed his chin, looked up at the ceiling, and pretended to think.

Coelho Costa stared at him, waiting for his answer.

After a long while, Rong Guang finally lowered his head and scratched the back of his head, "If I'm not, how do you explain my performance after only training for a little over a month? I think the first-team coach must have his reasons for letting me play. He's not an idiot..."

"Cough, cough." Godo coughed loudly, "Watch your words, Rong!"

Although he meant that the coach was not an idiot, the media's integrity... well, don't expect too much. If the journalists twisted his words and used a sensational headline like "Rong says the coach is an idiot"... the player would be the one to suffer.

Coelho smiled, understanding the agent's sensitivity. The relationship between players and the media is like this: on one hand, players need the media to hype them and make them famous, but on the other hand, they must be wary of the media...

He didn't pay much attention to this small incident and continued, "But some people attribute it to luck."

Afraid that Rong Guang would say something inappropriate, Godo answered before Rong Guang could, "Luck favors the prepared. If Rong was someone who knew nothing, he wouldn't even have the chance to be in the first team, let alone play in a match, score a goal, and assist in a goal to help the team come back and defeat Corinthians."

Coelho nodded; this was a reasonable point.

Even if Rong Guang's performance in the match had an element of luck, the more important factor was his hard training.

If people only focused on the luck... perhaps even more teams would fall to this young man's feet...