"Ajax have announced the medical diagnosis: the U15 goalkeeper suffered a fractured palm!"
"Death Cannon! Portuguese Caesar's three consecutive long-range strikes rival the power of professional adult players!"
"From Football Emperor to Mighty Cannon—From Franz Beckenbauer to Lothar Matthäus—has Deng Kai evolved again?"
"The Ajax midfield duo scored from free kicks, but they couldn't stop the Sporting Lisbon duo's aerial onslaught!"
"Master Kai is born! There's no suspense about the best midfielder of the 1985 generation. How many from the 1983 generation can even compare?"
"Ajax center-back John Heitinga: 'After I blocked his shot with my calf, I was terrified. My knee hurt so badly I thought my leg was broken!'"
"From 0–3 to 4–3! Sporting Lisbon U15 coach Marques reveals how they did it!"
"Marques: 'The heroes are the players—especially Deng Kai. He designed the tactical adjustments. All I did was let my thoroughbreds run free on the grass!'"
"Character Chronicles: The story of Portugal's rising coach and his thousand-li horses!"
"The Eredivisie youth academies swept aside—Is Sporting Lisbon the new king of European youth development?"
"Feyenoord, Groningen, Ajax… Deng Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo have become the Netherlands' nightmare!"
"European Junior Championship Preview! Portugal qualified late—very likely to share a group with the Netherlands. Will Cristiano Ronaldo and Deng Kai be called up?"
"Sporting Lisbon reach the Champions League final—chasing glory! The UEFA Youth League is the Champions League too!"
The post-match coverage far exceeded the pre-match hype.
Finals are always magnetic—especially when the tournament carries UEFA's official stamp.
Among all the reports, two stood out the most.
The first came from page three of The Sun.
As everyone knows, page three traditionally features glamorous photos of models.
But this time, The Sun got creative with photo editing.
On the left was their usual page-three model, posed dramatically as if struck by something.
On the right was a high-definition freeze-frame of Deng Kai's explosive volley.
The implication was obvious—the model's exaggerated pose was "caused" by Deng Kai's cannon shot.
In the past, English readers only got a one-person show. Now they had a male lead added to the spectacle.
Sales of that issue reportedly broke records for the same period.
The second widely discussed piece came from the "Jiang Yunzhu" column of Record.
The article documented Deng Kai's visit to the hospital after the match to see the injured Ajax U15 goalkeeper.
With photos included, it showed Deng Kai apologizing sincerely.
The goalkeeper accepted the apology, expressed understanding, and wished Deng Kai good luck in the UEFA Youth League final.
There was no bad blood between them.
Many praised Deng Kai's behavior.
He could have chosen silence.
No one would have blamed him—everyone saw it wasn't intentional.
The injury came from a football, not malice.
Some fans even admired him more because of the "death strike," calling it a defining highlight.
But Deng Kai said in both the post-match interview and Jiang Yunzhu's exclusive:
"I don't want to talk about that shot again. It was important for me and the team, but I don't want something like that to happen again."
"I believe nobody wants to see accidents involving personal safety on the pitch."
"I can't use someone else's pain as proof of my achievement."
"I hope the media will avoid replaying that goal excessively, at least for the next few years. Young players' psychology needs protection. I hope the media and UEFA will take this seriously and give me a clear answer."
His words were sincere.
But he also concealed part of his motive.
He didn't want to be labeled as a "heavy artillery" player yet.
Under normal circumstances, he couldn't produce that kind of monstrous shot.
That situation had been freakishly rare.
His speech sounded mature—far beyond his age.
The praise only grew louder.
Even the defeated Ajax midfield twins had to acknowledge him publicly.
Rafael van der Vaart said:
"You wouldn't believe how much energy he has. He's an excellent midfielder. His character is admirable too. I hope we face each other again someday."
It was clear Van der Vaart wasn't fully convinced.
Calling someone "excellent" is polite—but Van der Vaart sees himself as a top-tier midfield maestro, a genius. In his hierarchy, "excellent" sits below that.
In contrast, Wesley Sneijder offered a very different perspective.
Sneijder had been the only Ajax U15 player who truly read Deng Kai's tactical intentions during the match.
He understood Deng Kai's greatness went beyond dribbling.
Sneijder said:
"Deng Kai may not be the strongest individual player I've ever faced. In pure ball control, Van der Vaart is better. In speed and direct dribbling, Arjen Robben is superior. In finishing and goal threat, Robin van Persie pushes it to the limit."
"Even his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo carries a higher danger rating in pre-match simulations."
"But Deng Kai has an uncanny ability to change a game."
"His intelligence, character, resilience, and skill combine into something rare. Usually, that only happens in players who've reached the golden stage of their careers."
"I hope to face him again—but only after I become stronger."
April 21st.
An earth-shaking clash took place.
The real Champions League semi-final, second leg:
Manchester United vs Juventus.
Within eleven minutes, Filippo Inzaghi scored twice, giving Juventus a 2–0 lead at home.
One foot was already in the final.
But just before halftime, David Beckham changed everything.
First, a corner kick—his trademark curling delivery assisted Roy Keane for a powerful header.
Then Beckham headed the ball back into play, Andy Cole delivered a perfect cross, and Dwight Yorke equalized with a header.
In the second half, Yorke and Cole combined again to score the winner.
3–2.
A stunning comeback.
Juventus were eliminated.
Manchester United advanced.
After the match, Alex Ferguson boldly declared:
"As Deng Kai said, we are becoming the first treble winners in the five major leagues!"
The quote ignited Manchester United fans worldwide.
In the other semi-final, Dynamo Kyiv, led by Andriy Shevchenko, drew 3–3 with Bayern Munich in the first leg.
But they lost 0–1 in the second.
Despite elimination, Shevchenko had already scored ten goals in the tournament and was almost certain to win the Golden Boot.
And so—
The Champions League final would be:
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich.
Exactly as Deng Kai had predicted months ago.
"Five months ago, when that kid said Manchester United and Bayern would reach the final, I laughed."
"The Great Prophet Deng Kai! He gave you the Champions League answer five months in advance!"
"The Premier League returns to the final stage—the level of football keeps rising!"
"Attention, European bettors—we owe Deng Kai an apology!"
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