Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

However, to everyone's surprise, Deng Kai staggered and... used both hands and feet to maintain his balance.

At that moment, Zidane, who had accepted the invitation from the club's sporting director Moggi and was discussing contract renewals with Moggi in the office while watching a game, lost focus.

Moji called him several times before he came to his senses.

Because of the broadcast delay, he had just seen the footage of Deng Kai being kicked in the left foot and staggering, about to fall.

"Oh, damn it! Get down there already!" Mogi slapped his thigh in exasperation. "Every time he falls, it's a penalty kick! Is this kid brainless? Idiot!"

Zidane shrank back.

In the footage, Deng Kai used all his strength to prevent himself from falling, and just as the Kaiserslautern goalkeeper lunged out, he completed the shot, then rolled to the ground.

The football slipped between the goalkeeper's legs and rolled smoothly into the goal.

For almost ten seconds, there was no sound on the television.

Fans, players, commentators... everyone was stunned.

"One, two, three..." the narrator began counting.

"Four, five, six..." Zidane had already calculated it. "He dribbled past six players, then scored a nutmeg shot against the goalkeeper. That's absolutely the most talented goal of the year, bar none!"

"Inter Milan fans said that Deng Kai lacked talent, that he played primarily by passing, and wasn't as dazzling as Viana. But now it seems that Deng Kai's playing style is far more than just as dazzling as Viana's; he's practically a combination of Ronaldinho and Maradona!"

Moggi was somewhat surprised. Was Zidane sure he hadn't used the wrong comparison?

Everyone knows Maradona.

Driven by the South American football and political circles, he has even been called the second generation of football king after Pelé.

His ball control and dribbling skills were absolutely superb.

During his seven years in Naples, he even garnered cheers from the city's fans when the Italian national team faced Argentina in the World Cup.

Ronaldinho, although fans around the world may still be somewhat unfamiliar with him.

But how could someone like Moggi not know Ronaldinho?

In 1997, Ronaldinho led his team to victory at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Egypt, and won both the Golden Boot and Golden Player awards with seven goals.

In 1998, 18-year-old Ronaldinho was called up to the Brazilian national team and became a Brazilian international.

In 1999, Ronaldinho helped Brazil win the Copa America with six goals. He also scored six goals in the FIFA Confederations Cup, becoming the tournament's top scorer.

His talent is even more astonishing than his achievements to date.

Few players in today's football world can play more elegantly than Ronaldinho.

Just a few days ago, French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain signed Ronaldinho from Grêmio for €4.5 million. However, the deal is reportedly fraught with problems. Ownership of South American players is notoriously complicated, and Grêmio's inconsistent actions have delayed Ronaldinho's move to France.

This deal sparked discussion in French football circles.

Zidane himself spoke out about this deal, so he knows it very well.

"That kid was really lucky. But he let the opponent escape a red card!" Moggi watched the referee on TV pull out a yellow card for the center-back who made the final tackle on Deng Kai, seemingly disapproving of Deng Kai's decision.

"The success rate of penalties is only 70%, and a real goal is definitely safer than a penalty." Zidane agreed with Deng Kai's approach, saying, "A player who prioritizes giving his all to the ball at his feet, regardless of the time or the referee's decision, will not be a bad player."

Moggi laughed heartily: "This team is very popular throughout Europe right now, and a lot of people are talking about Sporting Lisbon. They have quite a few talented players. I'm very interested in that player named Imbasimovic, what do you think?"

"If we were to take some players from this team, who do you think would be a good fit?"

Zidane pointed to Deng Kai, who was surrounded by his teammates on the screen, and said in surprise, "Need I say more? Any team's first target should be Deng Kai."

"His performance just now surpassed anyone else's; he demonstrated just how brilliant he can be. And normally, he's the midfield maestro of this team, the brain of Sporting Lisbon. Buying him is like buying a cornerstone of the team's prosperity!"

Zidane has a very high opinion of Deng Kai.

"Heh... Deng Kai... We're not interested in other midfielders right now, he's too young." Moggi casually brushed it off, clearly disagreeing with Zidane's assessment of Deng Kai.

Zidane, however, gleaned some meaning from Moggi's cryptic words.

There was no point in arguing, so Zidane made up an excuse and left Moggi's office.

He dialed the phone and whispered to his agent, "I've made up my mind. I'll agree to Real Madrid!"

Yes!

Zidane has decided to transfer from Juventus to Real Madrid.

One reason is that Real Madrid has a greater influence in awards, and they have great respect for Zidane.

On the other hand, there's the issue between Juventus and Serie A; Zidane doesn't want his honor to be tarnished.

Furthermore, Moji's words just now have already explained the situation quite well.

Deng Kai is too young, and we are not interested in other midfielders right now.

A less astute person might think that Moggi meant, "We have Zidane, that's enough."

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But what Zidane implied was, "We have already found a successor for Zidane."

That's where Zidane's brilliance lies.

He said he was optimistic about Deng Kai, and on the one hand, he genuinely was optimistic.

On the other hand, Deng Kai's age makes him a very suitable successor to Zidane.

Zidane is 29 years old this year. If he signs a new contract with Juventus, it will definitely be a super contract with a five-year maximum salary.

This is precisely where Juventus hesitated.

And five years later... let alone five years, if we buy Deng Kai in three years, wouldn't the 18 or 19-year-old Deng Kai be the team's rising star?

If he can be developed after being coached by Zidane for two years, shouldn't he be able to take charge at the age of 21 or 22?

Many top superstars start to shine and become independent at this age.

This is very appropriate.

However, Moji didn't think highly of Deng Kai, mainly because of his age.

That means they don't want this orderly succession, but rather to replace one peak player with another.

They will only give Zidane two years at most.

Two years later, they will find a star player in his prime to replace Zidane.

Under these circumstances, it's impossible for them to offer Zidane a five-year maximum salary contract.

In this round, everything has been settled.

Considering Moggi's praise for Nedved after Juventus' loss to Lazio earlier this month.

It is self-evident who will succeed Zidane.

Zidane wanted to leave, but Moggi had already made plans for it.

Zidane left this year, and Juventus signed Nedved this year.

If Zidane leaves in two years, Juventus will likely look for other midfield superstars who are in their prime.

In short, they will not become Zidane's retirement home.

After finishing the phone call, Zidane looked up at the sky over Turin.

This place was once a gathering place for many stars and the center of the world football scene.

But they are about to lose one of the world's best midfielders.

And they have just turned down the opportunity to welcome one of the best midfielders in the world in the future.

The skies of Serie A... twilight has fallen!

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