The perfect midfield: It starts with never passing the ball to Ronaldo.

Chapter 68 Is the water in this fish tank bad? Ugh, Ronaldo's holding us back!!

On March 2, 2013, Sporting CP, the unlucky team that couldn't even figure out how to play in the Europa League, was about to be ridiculed again.

Being ranked fifth in the league is one thing, but the most ridiculous thing is that they angrily gave Porto a super talent.

Mario, whose transfer value has reached 6000 million euros, has become a nightmare that the team's youth academy is reluctant to mention.

Why did he suddenly rise to prominence after switching clubs, playing so well in the Portuguese league and the Champions League, when his previous performances were mediocre?

Is it that the water in Sporting Lisbon's fish tank is no good?

Mario was still quite excited to be back at the Alvalade Stadium.

Nine months ago, right here, I stumbled upon the perfect midfield system and successfully activated it.

Now, not only is one module fully utilized, but new capabilities are about to be unlocked.

Mario felt incredibly energetic upon arriving at his lucky place.

I'm so sorry, former employer!

The Portuguese league champions are determined to win the points, and nothing can stop them!

Time quickly passed to six o'clock in the evening, and the area around the stadium had become a sea of ​​green and white and blue and white.

Although they were ridiculed by many netizens online because of Mario, the Portuguese fans still showed the domineering spirit of lions offline.

They occupied the main road leading to the stadium's main entrance, waving scarves with the lion logo and singing cheering tunes adapted from Fado folk songs, the lyrics of which were utterly sarcastic in their greetings to their arch-rivals from the north.

So what if our opponent is ranked number one?

So what if our opponents are undefeated in the league!

The players of Sporting CP will not be afraid. As one of the top three teams in the Portuguese league, they will not let their opponents leave the Alvalade Stadium easily!

"Sky Sports, Sky Sports, good evening, viewers."

"You are now watching a key match in the 21st round of the 2012-13 Portuguese Super League, broadcast live from the Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon."

"Sporting CP hosts league leaders Porto at home, and the camera is now panning to José Mário!"

"This 18-year-old joined Porto on a free transfer from Sporting Lisbon this summer, and in less than a season, he has become a rising star in European football, currently valued at €60 million by Transfermarkt!!!"

—【Heartbreaking, Mario should have belonged to Sporting Lisbon!!!】

—【It's all the club's fault for wanting to curry favor with Ronaldo, causing the team to miss out on a future core player!】

—【What's even more frustrating is that the two parties involved actually have a good relationship; Ronaldo even sent his congratulations when Mario scored his hat-trick a few days ago!】

—【You fans brought this on yourselves, okay? Who told you to be so easily swayed by clickbait headlines? Mario's post-match interview was completely accurate!!】

—【Haha, thanks to Sporting CP for the €6000 million! We'll keep dominating you guys next season!】

The camera zooms out, looking down over the entire stadium. The Alvalade Stadium, which can hold more than 50,000 people, is packed to capacity tonight, and the green and white sea seems to be swallowing everything.

For Sporting Lisbon, tonight there is no situation where the enemy of the enemy is a friend.

Unlike some La Liga teams that love to target Barcelona or Real Madrid, this season Sporting CP would rather let Benfica catch up than let Mario know the true strength of the Lions!

"The players from both sides have entered the field, and the pre-match ceremony is underway. Let's take a look at the starting lineups for this match."

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"For Sporting CP, Patricio guards the goal, with young Dier starting alongside Ilori in central defense; Adrian Silva leads the midfield; and Van Wolfswinkel partners with Capel and Labyad up front."

"For Porto, Pereira also fielded a 4-3-3 formation, with Elton in goal, Maicon and Otamendi as the center-backs, and Alexandre Sandro and Danilo as the full-backs."

"The midfield trio consists of Super Mario, Fernando, and Defor; the attacking trident is Jackson Martinez, Varela, and Ismailov!"

With the referee's whistle, an all-out attacking battle erupted instantly, without any probing or hesitation; the game seemed to be fast-forwarded.

Possession changed hands quickly, and both sides engaged in high-intensity pressing in midfield.

Porto tried to control the tempo using Fernando's interceptions and Defort's passes, but Sporting Lisbon's strategy today was very clear: they wanted to seize the initiative from the start!

In the fifth minute, Sporting CP launched the first attack. Capel used his magical feet to get past Sandro on the wing and crossed the ball to the far post, where Van Wolfswinkel leaped high.

"Otamendi's defense against high balls is still lacking!"

"A header shot!!"

"Elton!!"

"A world-class save!"

"He made an incredible tip on the crossbar, Porto escaped a close call!"

"Let's see how Sporting Lisbon handles a corner kick opportunity!"

The away team's penalty area was crowded with players. Eighteen-year-old Dier ignored Mario, who was far from the goal. He also had an attacking heart and wanted to stage a wonderful script of becoming famous with a single goal.

[Those energy bars and bananas before the game weren't for nothing, watch out for my rocket header!]

The most memorable moment of this future Tottenham Hotspur England defender was when he took a dump in the middle of the game and was urged to hurry up by then-manager Mourinho.

However, such incidents are not uncommon in the long history of football.

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler recounted Ruddock's legendary stint at the goalpost in his autobiography.

The description also highlights the details, such as the jersey turning from red to black while steam is rising.

It directly scared away the recognized old-school tough guys like Adams, Lee-Dixon, and Boulder.

Besides the teammates' revelations, there's also the ruthless goalkeeper Barthez, known for his butterfingers.

One instance was during the 2004 UEFA Cup, when Barthez, wearing a Marseille jersey, was photographed urinating in public while playing against Inter Milan.

Another incident occurred during a friendly match before the 2006 World Cup in Germany, when France's number one goalkeeper was filmed urinating in public during a game against South Korea.

Throughout the long history of football, it seems that only Barthez could urinate in public with a clear conscience.

In addition, there's the shy Ronaldo, the superstitious Argentine goalkeeper Goycochea, and Lineker who wipes his butt on the grass.

On the field, the night breeze of Lisbon swept by, and Dale leaped high, finding the perfect landing spot.

Although they exposed their navels to the cold wind, the Englishmen's digestive systems were still in pretty good shape at this stage.

He used all his strength from his waist and abdomen to deliver a headbutt, but unfortunately the direction was too straight and it was caught by Elton!

The Porto goalkeeper didn't let the ball stay in his hands for even a second longer.

His eyes swept across the frontcourt like radar, where the blue and white figure of number 22, who was the most aggressive in fast breaks, was moving forward at high speed.

"Now!"

Elton's arm swung out like a catapult, and the ball drew a flat, fast arc, passing over the Lisbon midfielders who hadn't had time to recover, and landed precisely on Mario's running path.

The dragon's counterattack came in an instant!

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