Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

"Actually, your situation is quite similar to Deschamps'," Deng Kai said. "Of course, I'm not talking about this European Championship. Deschamps helped France win the title... What I mean is, Deschamps also hopes to transition into coaching."

"I just spoke with Maxija for a bit, and he seems a bit interested in Sporting Lisbon. In my opinion, you'd also be a good fit for our team."

Matthäus almost couldn't help but laugh, "Sporting Lisbon? The Portuguese league? Are you sure?"

The implication is that the Portuguese league is of a very low standard.

"That's probably much higher than the level of Major League Soccer," Deng Kai said with a smile, adding, "Both Triglar and Maxa are excellent head coaches, and their team records are incredible."

"Besides, Bayern and Germany have both said you're not good enough, right? Even if you join a big team now, they'll still say you're not good enough. Besides, no big team wants you right now."

"If you join a smaller team and lead a group of rookies to achieve something, then you will be the biggest contributor to the team's success."

Matthäus still didn't take it seriously: "What if it wasn't played?"

Deng Kai shrugged: "That just means this batch of rookies isn't good enough! And who knows, the head coach might get fired too, and you'll just be the one taking over, right?"

Matthäus's eyes lit up, but he quickly concealed it.

"Stop acting. Don't tell me you didn't go to America to coach the New York Subway All-Stars in the first place?" Deng Kai exposed Matthäus's ulterior motives. "With your reputation, as long as you really have the coaching talent and have worked for a team for a period of time, it's absolutely possible for you to become the head coach when the time is right."

"Sporting Lisbon is a big platform for any rookie coach."

Matthäus was enlightened.

Joining Sporting Lisbon is a win-win situation.

One escape route after another.

First, prove yourself, and incidentally learn how to become a head coach.

The team's success proves itself. The head coach will likely go to a bigger club, so wouldn't that position naturally fall to the team's renowned legend, Matthäus?

The team failed to perform, and the head coach was dismissed. Could Lothar Matthäus, a superstar with a deep understanding of the team and coaching staff, also have a chance to become the team's new head coach?

When he was a superstar, Sporting Lisbon was indeed a less than ideal platform.

But for a new coach, the position of head coach of a top Portuguese club is at least a third-tier level, right?

It was still incredibly fun!

Matthäus glanced at Maxa not far away and sighed, "Kid, isn't this all stuff Maxa taught you?"

Deng Kai was taken aback.

Well... you almost got it right.

The one about Maxi and Deschamps, I did teach him to say it.

"No wonder Sporting Lisbon dared to rebuild so cleanly and decisively this summer. It seems Triguera is the one with the guts, but perhaps Maxa is the real decision-maker?" Matthäus smiled. "Young, promising, courageous, capable, willing to be subordinate, respectful of elders and kind to children—it seems he'll be my future rival for the title of world's best coach!"

"Alright, then let me get to know my future nemesis, Maxa, in advance!"

clap clap clap!

Deng Kai could only applaud.

As expected of people who both start with the character "horse," the world's brainless are all of one stone, and Marcos and you, Matthäus, together account for one stone and two!

The world still owes you two brainless idiots!

"This transfer will not only be the biggest transfer news in Portugal, but it will also cause a huge stir in the entire European football world," Deng Kai boasted. "Neither German fans nor Bayern Munich fans would have expected you to return with such a spectacular turnaround. At least in Germany, your transfer will be the most talked-about transfer!"

Matthäus asked, "This... can't be that bad, can it? Figo's betrayal is something few will surpass anytime soon. It's even more impressive than Luis Enrique's transfer from Real Madrid to Barcelona. After all, Enrique is nowhere near Figo's level!"

Deng Kai said, "But you deserve it. Whether it's your status in the football world or the drama of your move to Sporting Lisbon. Don't forget, two years ago, besides Manchester United, it was also me directing Bayern from the sidelines that caused their defeat in the Champions League final!"

"Your defection is a blow to Bayern fans no less than the blow Figo dealt to Barcelona fans!"

sizzle!

If Deng Kai hadn't mentioned it, Matthäus wouldn't have thought of it.

This is... honestly pretty awesome.

Who told so many people in the Bayern team to be unhappy with me, and so are the fans? If they're unhappy, then I, Matthäus, am very happy.

But something seems off.

Matthäus watched Deng Kai's departing figure and suddenly burst out cursing, "Damn it! If it weren't for your terrible coaching back then, I'd have won the Champions League trophy by now!"

What trophy did Lothar Matthäus never win in his lifetime?

Hey, no Champions League trophy.

This is Deng Kai, the one who chops off heads.

……

With the summer transfer window open, European players are moving around very frequently.

After losing Figo, Barcelona tried to do something in the transfer market to salvage the situation.

So they previously signed Overmars from Arsenal for 40 million.

But not enough.

They added another 15 million euros to bring Emmanuel Petit, the key midfielder who just won the Henri Delaunay Trophy with the French national team this year, back to Camp Nou.

Of course, the deal did not go through.

Petit tried every means to transfer to Chelsea in the Premier League after only half a season, and said that Barcelona was the worst place in his career. There were too many things that were not football there. The locals, the Dutch, and others were in a three-way standoff, and there was no team at all.

Furthermore, Real Madrid's acquisition of Figo dealt a heavy blow to the Barcelona flag.

But it's not over yet.

Real Madrid is still negotiating with Valencia about the future of another player besides Gerard Lopez.

This is a player who came through Barcelona's youth academy. Last season, he was a key player and helped Valencia reach the Champions League final. He will also become the head coach of Barcelona B team in the future.

If Real Madrid were to buy such a Catalan DNA player, Barcelona would lose all face. They would have given their present and past to Real Madrid. Would Barcelona still have a future?

As a result, Barcelona joined the transfer bid for Gerard Lopez and ultimately signed him for a significantly higher price of 21.6 million euros.

This is a lose-lose deal.

Barcelona's acquisition of Gerrard didn't suit his playing style, and Gerrard ultimately failed to thrive at the club. His only contribution to Barcelona was that his frequent injuries created opportunities for Iniesta to rise to prominence; his role as a stepping stone was truly remarkable.

I like playing football on the ground: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him.