"But after all, football is played by the players themselves. No matter how good the head coach is, there are still things the players have to face on their own."
"In some tough matches, once Rio Ave takes the lead, their players will take the initiative to drop back."
"That's actually one of the reasons their defense is so solid."
Kai nodded. He understood what Triguera meant.
It sounded a bit absurd, but in reality, you see this everywhere.
When many celebrities or top figures from different industries are interviewed deeply, they often say things like, "I'm not actually confident. Sometimes I even feel inferior."
And most of the time, that's true.
Because the closer you get to the top in any field, the more clearly you realize that the gap between you and other top experts—no matter how small it looks—might not be something you can bridge with just effort. Sometimes, it requires even more effort than everything you've already put in.
At the same time, once you reach that level, the people around you are all top-tier in their own fields.
You start to truly understand how insanely good others are, and how irreplaceable they can be.
For assists, you rely on Kai. For goals, you rely on Cristiano Ronaldo. For defense, you rely on Kirop and Fonte. For medical treatment, you rely on Wolfart. And for picking up girls… well, maybe you ask Lothar Matthäus for advice… alright, maybe not that last one.
If you're just an average person, you'll often feel like the people around you aren't anything special—you could do what they do too.
So when players reach their "upper limit bottleneck," they usually have a pretty clear understanding of their real level.
Ronaldo was still far from that stage. Right now, he could confidently imagine himself becoming the best player in the world without any mental burden.
Kirop, on the other hand, was already 22. He'd been watched by multiple clubs for two straight seasons. Not just the three giants of Portugal, but scouts from the Eredivisie, the Russian Premier League, and Ligue 1 were all paying attention to him. His future was still bright.
So Kirop dreamed of joining a Serie A giant one day, becoming a starter for ten years, wearing the captain's armband, becoming the soul of the team—and when he retired, having an entire stadium of fans bid him farewell.
But he no longer dreamed of becoming the best center-back in the world.
Because deep down, he knew… that wasn't happening.
His goal now was simpler: become world-class, and indispensable at one club.
The team's backup goalkeeper, Sergio Gómez, was only 21, but he had already tasted the cruelty of professional football. His dream was just to get minutes in less important matches, build experience, and eventually become a starting keeper in a lower-tier league.
Emerson, at 26, dared to imagine getting a call from a Serie A club within the next few years—even if it was just to sit on the bench.
Orlando, the backup center-back at 29, hoped to return to Brazil, play a couple more seasons, then transition into scouting or youth coaching.
Altino, at 33, had an even simpler dream—experience one season in the top Portuguese league after promotion, even if he never played a single minute, and then retire without regrets.
Almost all the players at Rio Ave were in a similar situation to Kirop.
Regardless of age, they had all more or less felt the ceiling of their abilities.
So when a team like this takes the lead—especially in a tough or crucial match—they instinctively become conservative. They might even completely give up midfield control and retreat into defense.
They didn't choose conservatism.
Conservatism chose them.
Their ability simply doesn't support taking risks.
Kai couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
His poor performance in the last match came from not understanding himself well enough.
But the conservatism of most Rio Ave and Moreirense players came from understanding themselves too well.
There are always two sides to everything.
If you want someone like Ronaldo—or even someone like Kobe Bryant—to have that insane, almost obsessive belief that they can win no matter what, then you also have to accept their stubbornness… that even when they're surrounded and struggling, they still won't pass the ball.
"Many people don't understand what a team's 'upper limit' really means. Rio Ave's performances are a perfect example of a team hitting that limit," Triguera said.
"So even though they've already secured promotion to the top league, there's a high chance they'll get relegated next season."
"Then the coach resigns, the team rebuilds, and maybe they come back up again… If they want to stay up, they'd have to tear down almost the entire current squad."
"But no one will understand that. People will just say—why not sign three or four stars instead? Why dismantle everything?"
Triguera sounded like he was talking about Rio Ave.
But Kai's pupils shrank.
"You're going back?" he asked.
Triguera was slightly surprised. He hadn't said anything directly—so how did Kai figure it out?
"…Yeah," Triguera nodded.
It had been some time since the man backing him had been released.
It looked quiet on the surface—but in reality, something big was being prepared.
If nothing unexpected happened, Sporting Lisbon's management would face a massive shake-up this summer.
A lot of hidden problems were about to explode.
And when Triguera returned, he intended to rebuild the entire club.
Because right now, Sporting Lisbon's structure was barely third- or fourth-tier within the league. No matter how many players you signed on top of that, the team wouldn't win titles.
"Ah? You're going back? But… we're not done discussing yet," Ronaldo said, completely confused.
It had clearly been a four-person conversation.
So why did it suddenly feel like only two people understood what was going on?
"Not every discussion needs a conclusion," Jiang Yunzhu said calmly. "That part isn't important."
She didn't just understand—she held a lot of key information.
Some of the clues Triguera's backer had were actually provided by her.
As for the purpose…
At the dawn of a new era, Sporting Lisbon was preparing to launch an unprecedented cooperation with China.
A completely different kind of partnership.
And the idea behind it… came from Kai.
When he had discussed domestic football development with Jiang Yunzhu, she initially thought his ideas were complete nonsense.
But after deeper analysis—and consultations with experts—they realized something shocking.
This might actually be the real path forward.
It overturned almost every traditional model.
Provincial teams? No.
Sports schools? No.
Campus football? No.
Nationwide youth training expansion? No.
Massive infrastructure investment? No.
Naturalizing foreign players? Hell no.
In Kai's words:
"Football shouldn't be forced into becoming a national obsession in China. The foundation and tradition just aren't there."
"Treat it as a niche sport for middle- and upper-class families. With China's population, that's already enough to find talent."
"If you try to force it into a national movement, people will resent it. It'll backfire."
"A niche can survive. It can even thrive. But if you push too hard… you'll just create resistance."
The cooperation between Sporting Lisbon and China would be the first real test of this idea.
If it worked, it could reshape the entire direction of football development.
"Damn…" Ronaldo muttered.
Now he felt even more out of place.
Out of the four people in the room…
He was the only one not in their "private chat."
So… should he just get up and leave?
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