Chapter 45: What More Do We Need Strikers For?

Kaka rose to fame on Argentine soil during the Youth World Cup. Almost everyone associated with the tournament knew that the Brazilian team captain was a skilled football player. In fact, it was an obvious statement, just like everyone knowing that the president of the Harvard student council is brilliant. Even people who didn't follow football were aware that the Brazilian captain was a prominent figure.

However, "being known as talented" and "actually being talented" are two different things. Kaka's skills with the ball quickly became the talk of the town during the first round of matches, with many people already trying to copy his tricks and moves.

No one expected that a young lad who appeared so sunny and upright would dominate the atmosphere of this Youth World Cup. The truly talented Kaka became a prized target for scouts and agents, and other teams also began to closely study him and his playing style.

While many were scrutinizing Kaka's abilities, he was studying the Dutch team. Why did a star-studded lineup featuring players like Hitzinga, Huntelaar, Van der Vaart, and Robben lose 3-1 to Costa Rica? Was Costa Rica the surprise powerhouse of this Youth World Cup? It was confusing for Kaka.

Kaka was perplexed, while the seasoned Barcelona scout Bosio was conflicted. Kaka was undoubtedly talented, but if he were to join a giant club like Real Madrid or Barcelona now at only 19 years old, he might only make the reserve team or warm the bench as an unknown youngster. However, if he were among a group of teenagers who might not even be regular starters in lower leagues, his talents would shine like the biggest stars. Crucially, he was still only nineteen, and with a season or two of development, he could become a dominant midfield force. If he maintained his current level and continued to improve his physical abilities and gain match experience over the next three or four years, he could even become a world-class midfielder.

However, Bosio felt Kaka's unique, flamboyant style didn't quite fit Barcelona's more artistic approach. Strictly speaking, Kaka seemed more suited to the extravagant style of Real Madrid. 

But Bosio knew Real Madrid would never sign Kaka because his transfer fee would be too inexpensive for such a big club. After just one match, Bosio couldn't make a definitive judgement on Kaka, but he had already made up his mind about his potential fit at Barcelona.

As for whether Kaka would even be interested in joining Barcelona, Bosio didn't consider that a factor in his evaluation.

The second round of group matches started three days later, but the winter weather in Argentina hadn't improved. The players from the participating teams joked that they weren't being defeated by the opposition but by the freezing temperatures.

Fortunately, it didn't rain in Cordoba on this day, so the Iraqi lads only had to endure the relentless attack from the Brazilian youth team, and not icy rain slapping their faces.

The war in Iraq was still two years away, so the Iraqis were in the mood to play football, but they were powerless against Brazil's attacking force.

In Group B, Brazil had beaten Germany 3-0 and Iraq had defeated Canada 3-0 in the first round. If things went as expected, Germany should beat Canada this time. If Iraq lost to Brazil, they would be level on points with Germany, forcing them to fight for the remaining qualification spot.

So, the Iraqis had plans for this match against Brazil. It wasn't that they thought Germany was better than Brazil, but they hoped to at least draw against the Brazilians. With both teams on four points, they would only need to draw against Germany in the final match to advance.

However, it remained a mere hope. They knew Brazil was formidable, but they didn't expect this level of dominance.

Currently, the popularity ranking of the Brazilian youth team players should be: Kaka = Adriano > Baptista > Others. However, in this match, or at least the first half, it was the "Others" who shone brightest.

As the famous writer once said, a trolling author's favorite thing is to exhaust all possibilities for mockery, leaving readers with no room for criticism. Similarly, a rampaging defender's most common act is to score a goal, leaving no goals for the striker to score.

And some coaches would still start the defender, even if they knew that when their defender like Maicon went on an attack, the defensive chaos could drown the entire team.

Dribbling, assisting, shooting – Maicon could do it all in the first half. The forwards Adriano and Kaka were initially idle spectators.

This is how defenders are: beloved by fans, a headache for opponents, and loathed by their own teammates.

Believe me, every striker loves it when a defender tracks back to help defend, but not many strikers enjoy defenders charging forward to take shots on goal. The former is called sharing defensive responsibilities, while the latter is called poaching goals. Maicon was clearly a skilled poacher in this match.

Iraq received a yellow card in their efforts to curb Maicon's rampant runs down the right wing, and they nearly scored after exploiting the space he left behind before he finally settled down a bit.

But by then, the scoreline was already 2-0 to Brazil.

The first goal was scored by Robert, assisted by Maicon, and the second was a thunderous strike from Maicon himself after cutting inside from the right wing. 

This was only the 20th minute of the match.

Brazil's Globo TV broadcasted this match, with the renowned Galvão Bueno providing commentary.

Brazilian sports commentators are generally passionate, often able to infuse a single "Goal" call with the emotion and intensity of a woman giving birth to a child.

What's it like for a woman to give birth? Painful, strong, anticipatory, hopeful...

And these commentators strive for fairness and objectivity, never shying away from criticizing their own team's players, even former stars like Neymar who they previously praised before his infamous diving antics. As one of the most prominent commentators, Bueno didn't hold back when criticizing his countrymen.

"The terrifying Maicon. It seems we no longer need to worry about finding a replacement for Cafu at right-back after his retirement. The Iraqis are focused on Kaka and Adriano, but their efforts are futile. To defeat Brazil, we need just one Maicon. To put it bluntly, with a defender like that rampaging forward, what more do we need strikers for?"

Bueno was sitting in the studio, so Kaka and Adriano couldn't hear his jibe, but they soon showed Bueno with their feet what a team needs strikers for on the pitch.

Some websites claim this Dutch team had Robben, while others say Robben skipped this Youth World Cup to take his high school exams in the Netherlands. Following the "make a wild guess when unsure" principle, let's assume this Dutch team had the young Robben in their ranks.

(End of Chapter)