Chapter 154: Cristiano: You play great, come play professionally with me!
After the match, there was neither discouragement nor sadness on the faces of Tahiti's players. The score didn't concern them as much as the jersey exchange after the match. Usually, they only see these Spanish stars on TV, now they were in front of them! When else would be the time to ask for autographs and jerseys? So after the match, they crowded around, hoping to exchange jerseys with the Spanish players.
Winning the match by more than ten goals made the Spanish players feel a bit uncomfortable. But they accepted willingly! As a young player on the team, Lin Quan thought there wouldn't be many people wanting to exchange jerseys with him. It turned out he was the most popular player, apart from Iniesta.
Three people wanted to exchange jerseys with him, one jersey wasn't enough! Usually, only jerseys are exchanged, but these guys didn't stop at jerseys; they also wanted their shorts, socks, and shoes. Lin Quan was puzzled, were these guys really football players? They were like a group of obsessed fans! But seeing Iniesta being stripped equally, and Xavi, who hadn't even left the bench but was equally clean, made him feel better.
"How come nobody wants to exchange jerseys with me?" Morata was upset; he thought being a star trained at Real Madrid, people should recognize him.
Even if he couldn't get the same treatment as Lin Quan and Iniesta, exchanging jerseys with someone would be fine.
"When you establish yourself as a starter at Real Madrid and reach Ronaldo's level, then you'll more or less be on par." Morata frowned. Reach Ronaldo's level? It wasn't that easy; after working with that guy, he knew how terrifying he was.
He was light-years away from him! And besides, it was rumored that the club was in contact with a very fast Welsh winger.
If that guy joined the team, he would have even fewer chances to play at Real Madrid. Just thinking about it, Morata felt depressed. He was a product of Real Madrid's youth academy and felt a deep affection for the club. That's why he preferred to make a name for himself at Real Madrid and prove his worth rather than leave. But if that Welsh winger was really that good, then he would have to consider leaving.
After the match against Tahiti, Spain was already through. And as long as they didn't lose by thirteen goals in the next match against Nigeria, they would secure first place in the group. With Spain's strength, there was no team in the world that could beat them by thirteen goals.
So, although theoretically possible, when they secured qualification, they also secured first place in the group. Considering this, Del Bosque gave them a day off so they could enjoy the sun and beaches of Brazil.
The players, of course, received the coach's decision with enthusiasm and applause. So, after praising the coach, everyone quickly packed up and left. Rio de Janeiro is a famous tourist city with the best beach and sun in Brazil. Of course, what attracted the Spanish players the most, besides the beach and sun, were the voluptuous women of all shapes and colors.
Due to the poor security in Brazil, Del Bosque warned the players not to go out alone but to go out in groups when they went out. So Lin Quan, Morata, Isco, and some other young players agreed to go out together. "I give her a 9, perfect body, 8 for her face.
" Morata and the others were lounging on the deck chairs, evaluating the passing women. "Not her, look at that one, she's the best!" "Stay, she's the most charming, look, she's giving me flirtatious looks!" Morata swaggered as if he were an expert; he could almost put "I have experience" on his forehead. Chelsea's defender, Azpilicueta, looked at him admiringly: "Martin, you're an expert!"
"Haha, it's natural, I'm a recognized figure in Madrid's clubs, how could I not be?"
"Come on, I'll take you out to pick up girls, what's the use of staying here looking? We have to go out and attack!" Azpilicueta nodded repeatedly, Isco was a little reluctant. He thought being with Morata was a bit embarrassing; their real leader was Lin Quan.
But unfortunately, Lin Quan wasn't interested in the beach women; he had gone to play beach soccer with others! Was beach soccer that fun? Isco approached with curiosity to see what was going on.
After taking a look, his eyes couldn't look away. Who was that guy in front of Lin? So fat and yet with such impressive dribbling skills! This makes no sense. And there was another guy, with a protruding tooth, wearing a black plush hat, a scruffy beard, and such an ugly smile it was frightening. His use of the bull's tail was so elegant, simply stunning.
Isco felt like he was seeing something completely new! No wonder it's the kingdom of football; Brazil's beach soccer skill is incredible! Lin is so good, but his team is still one goal behind! Wait a minute, Isco looked again and finally recognized these two disheveled guys.
Aren't they Ronaldo and Ronaldinho? He hadn't seen them for a while; how come each of them has lost their shape like this? Ronaldinho is okay, after all, he's been retired for over two years. South American players tend to lack discipline, and after retiring, it's understandable that they quickly become fat.
But Ronaldo... Isco remembered he hadn't retired yet, although he no longer played in the major leagues as he used to, he was still an active player. How is it possible that he has such poor image management? All that beard, along with that greasy hat that surely hasn't been washed in days. Isco shook his head; he didn't want to think about that nonsense.
He focused his attention on the game. The rules of beach soccer are a bit different from regular soccer; this kind of game is somewhat similar to basketball. The match is divided into three periods, each of 12 minutes. Also, in beach soccer, just like in basketball, continuous substitutions can be made, and substituted players can re-enter unless they are sent off with a red card. Unlike real soccer, in beach soccer, wearing shoes is not allowed; both teams must play barefoot.
This tests the players' skills, for those used to playing with soccer shoes, suddenly playing barefoot can be very uncomfortable. That's Lin Quan! In the first period, Lin Quan's team was one goal behind.
Ronaldinho passed to Ronaldo, and Ronaldo used his characteristic dribble to dodge the goalkeeper and score into the empty net.
In the second half, Lin Quan adapted a bit more and, along with his teammates, equalized the game.
But Ronaldo, with a magnificent feint, scored another goal and put his team ahead 2-1.
Due to the excitement of the match, and because many people recognized Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, the crowd of spectators increased rapidly.
"Who is this guy? Neither Ronaldo nor Ronaldinho can stop him!"
"He seems to be Asian, maybe Japanese?"
Brazil has a large population of Japanese descendants, with more than 2 million people.
"No, I remember seeing him on TV before, he seems to be a Spanish player?"
"Now that you mention it, he seems quite talented, he scored two goals in the match against Uruguay!"
"Really? Is Uruguay that bad?"
Since the Confederations Cup was taking place in Brazil, and Spain was the main rival in the hearts of Brazilians, many people had watched Spain's matches, so they quickly recognized Lin Quan.
Realizing that the opponent was a Spanish international player, the crowd's curiosity peaked: Can the combination of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have the last laugh, or will this mysterious Spanish guy be able to turn the game around?
Soon, the third half began.
Lin Quan, who had already fully accustomed to playing barefoot, performed much better in this time than in the previous two.
This made Ronaldo and Ronaldinho frowned: Does this kid still have room for improvement? No, we have to contain him, we can't let him gain momentum! Ronaldo ran towards Lin Quan and marked him personally.
Having gained a lot of weight, his weight was approaching 100 kilograms.
This gave him a great advantage in physical confrontations.
Lin Quan felt like he was crashing into a wall every time he touched him, it was hard to move him.
So, he quickly changed strategy and avoided physical confrontations with Ronaldo.
He made a slight turn to the left with the ball and then shifted his weight to that side, giving the impression that he was going to dribble to the left.
Ronaldo also adjusted his weight and tried to keep up with Lin Quan.
But when he saw that Lin Quan had changed his weight, Lin Quan changed his weight back to the right leg.
At that moment, although Ronaldo was trying to adjust his own weight, his movements were already a bit out of sync.
But while adjusting his weight, Lin Quan changed his weight again to the left leg and then quickly moved back, using his right leg to deflect the ball.
Leaving Ronaldo in shock in his place! Wait a moment! A pendulum dribble? Even those accustomed to being outplayed with their own move are astonished! Was that a pendulum dribble? It feels like it, but it doesn't look like it!
It looks very similar in movement, but the pendulum dribble doesn't touch the ball before the last step.
But this guy, as his body swings, makes the ball also swing from side to side, making it even more deceptive and difficult to achieve.
What kind of supernatural skill is needed to achieve this move?
He was distracted for a moment and, unable to use foul tactics to stop Lin Quan, he could only watch as Lin Quan passed his teammates and scored.
The score was equalized!
"How about that? How do you feel?"
Ronaldo ran towards him, tapping Ronaldo on the shoulder, looking at Lin Quan celebrating with his teammates, and asked.
"Very strong, he has a better feel for the ball than me, and he's more flexible!"
Ronaldo responded humbly.
Ronaldo glanced at his big belly, thinking, "In your state, isn't it normal to be outplayed?"
"I'm talking about my best moment! "Exactly my best moment!"
Apparently, seeing through Ronaldo's thoughts, Ronaldo emphasized.
Now it was Ronaldo's turn to be surprised: Really? Even in your best moment, you can't beat him?
"Let me defend him!"
Ronaldo didn't believe in this nonsense; he thought Ronaldo couldn't stop him because he had been retired for a long time, and his condition had declined. And he himself hadn't retired, shouldn't he be able to compete with this kid? Facing Ronaldo, Lin Quan made another move to divert the ball to the left.
But Ronaldo was more agile than Ronaldo; he kept up with Lin Quan. Haha, are you trying to trick me with this trick? I won't fall for it! Just when he felt proud, he discovered that after deflecting the ball outward with the outside of the foot, Lin Quan touched the ball again with the inside of the same foot, changing the direction of the ball's trajectory from left to right.
This was a process of continuously touching the ball, not like the double contact of a fried meatball. And this way of outplaying him was Ronaldo's specialty: the bull's tail! The change was very sudden; although Ronaldo was prepared, he was still cleanly outplayed. Seeing how Lin Quan crossed his team's defensive line again and scored another goal to reverse the game.
Ronaldo stood with his hands on his waist, looking helplessly at Lin Quan's back. Did this guy do it on purpose or was it an accident? Ronaldo arrived in time and nudged him with his elbow, jokingly: "How does it feel to be outplayed with your own signature move?" Ronaldo gave Ronaldo a mocking look and said solemnly: "I admit what you said before is true, this guy is strong!" "But surely he can't compare to me in my prime!" In that, Ronaldo still had confidence. Others' bull's tail and his weren't the same.
Although Lin Quan did a great job with the bull's tail, Ronaldo felt that he probably didn't use this technique frequently; it wasn't perfect in the connection of movements; it had its flaws. If this guy were willing to ask for advice, he would be willing to help. But with his ball sense and ability to combine with others, it seems he doesn't need this technique much. Using the bull's tail too often puts a lot of pressure on the ankles.
Try not to use it if you can! Finally, under Lin Quan's leadership, his team managed to reverse the game with a score of 3-2 against the team led by Ronaldo and Ronaldo. "Kid, you played really well, how old are you this year?" After the match, Ronaldo showed a lot of cordiality, after fulfilling fans' requests for photos and autographs on the spot.
He approached Lin Quan and struck up a conversation with him. "Lin Laoda is seventeen years and five months old this year." Seeing his childhood idol actively asking, Isco was excited and answered for Lin Quan. "You're only seventeen? Wow, I wouldn't have guessed!" Ronaldo was very surprised to learn Lin Quan's age; he seemed not to have imagined that a seventeen-year-old would have such impressive football skills.
This made him appreciate the talent, and he said: "I have good contacts in Brazil, do you want me to introduce you to a professional club?" Isco and Lin Quan heard each other's words, both were astonished. Oh, wow! Seeing that neither of them seemed to believe what he said, Ronaldo, worried, grabbed Ronaldo and led him to them: "This kid is currently playing for Minero Atlético in Brazil; I can introduce you!" Ronaldo covered his face with his hand: "Ahem, this kid is the starting forward for Spain, a player for Barcelona!" Ronaldo: "..."
"Ahem, I'm sorry, I haven't been watching many La Liga matches lately, but since you're a player for Spain, I'll definitely go to the stadium to watch you play!" Ronaldo hesitated whether to remind Ronaldo that the other wasn't in La Liga but in the Bundesliga. After thinking about it, he decided to let it go; this guy barely watched La Liga matches, let alone the Bundesliga.
"Alright, alright, don't make a fool of yourself here!" He gave Lin Quan a farewell gesture and quickly left with Ronaldo. Still, Ronaldo was excited to see how Lin Quan performed on the field, so the two of them returned and checked Spain's match schedule, especially buying two tickets for the match against Nigeria.
(End of chapter)