Go Martial Arts, Boy

**Chapter 9: Go Martial Arts, Boy**

On the plane back to Portugal, all the players were feeling a bit down. They knew better than anyone else how they had played the game.

"Although I am also new here, I know what the tough style of Porto is. If we continue to play like this, I'm afraid this season will be over!"

Pepe was sitting next to Quaresma, and he leaned over and whispered to Quaresma, his tone very firm.

Quaresma vaguely remembered that Porto had won the treble before. It seemed that not only would they be eliminated early in the Champions League next season, but they also wouldn't win the league. If his memory was correct, then Del Neri's coaching at Porto was indeed not successful.

But this problem was obviously not something Quaresma should worry about.

Even if he worried, would Club President Da Costa listen to his opinion and invite Mourinho back?

"Instead of wasting time on that, I should think about how to improve my defensive ability. I can't bear to watch how you've been blown up by other strikers in these games!" Quaresma mercilessly teased Pepe.

Pepe's face blushed. Hadn't he been the one getting blown up by the opposing strikers?

Constantly letting his defender face the offense directly indicated the whole team's defense had issues. You couldn't really blame him alone.

Of course, Pepe also wanted to comment on Quaresma's performance. Was he proud of that one assist with the outside of his foot? Did that meet the fans' expectations?

But he kept silent, as he vaguely felt that Quaresma seemed to be deliberately suppressing his offensive desires. If he let go, his destructive power wouldn't stop there.

Quaresma wanted some peace to reflect on the problem, but Pepe seemed to have a verbal tic and kept talking, his words pouring out like bullets from a Gatling gun.

"I'm thinking about how to increase my deterrence on the field. If the opponent's striker is scared to attack when he sees me, wouldn't that be invincible?"

Pepe's daydreams were amusing, and Quaresma was too lazy to argue with him.

He had never heard of a defender being so intimidating that opposing strikers wouldn't attack.

Moreover, did Pepe really think his image was fierce enough? Did he have any self-awareness?

He looked about as intimidating as a lamb.

But to keep Pepe from feeling too embarrassed and to mock him a bit, Quaresma gave him a playful suggestion.

"You could practice martial arts, but don't bother with Sanda, boxing, or Taekwondo; those don't work."

"Have you heard of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? It's similar to what MMA fighters do."

"If you practice hard and persist, you might not be able to leap buildings, but you could certainly take on ten people at once!"

"Imagine it. If you can take on ten by yourself, won't opposing strikers avoid you?"

"So, go practice martial arts, boy!"

Originally, Quaresma was just making a harmless joke, but unexpectedly, after he finished speaking, Pepe's eyes began to shine. He swore, they literally shone.

Quaresma didn't know that his offhand comment had opened the door to a new world for Pepe, a world Pepe wanted to pursue.

"Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?"

"Yeah!"

"When I get back, I'll find a martial arts school and practice hard!"

Pepe had made up his mind. He swore he had never been this determined, not even when practicing football.

Quaresma didn't know the mess he'd unintentionally caused, but it wouldn't matter if he did.

Pepe the Monk was about to descend the mountain early!

Wouldn't that be interesting?

...

Back in Portugal, because the team didn't perform as Del Neri wanted in several games, the first team didn't get a day's vacation and began training directly the next day.

This suited Quaresma just fine, as he had energy with no outlet.

However, due to the poor performance in the series, media opinion was very unfriendly towards Porto. Daily criticism became routine. Every day, there were new harsh criticisms of Porto and their coaches and players. The media had to write what readers wanted to read, even if it meant bending the truth.

One day, they'd criticize Del Neri from a tactical perspective and predict when the Italian would be sacked.

The next, they'd drag Porto's defense through the mud, accusing them of losing the toughness of last season and predicting a defensive collapse.

The day after, they'd devalue Porto's offense entirely, a point universally acknowledged.

If you only read the newspapers, you might conclude—Porto was doomed to be relegated!

Everyone heard the criticisms, and it was important to acknowledge them. But the media often ignored the truth, focusing instead on sales.

What Quaresma didn't expect was that the media, having exhausted all possible angles to criticize Porto, found a new target—him.

"A Bola" was considered the largest mainstream football newspaper in Portugal. Given Quaresma's confusion after being let go by Barcelona and his underwhelming performance in these warm-up matches, it wasn't surprising they went after him.

"A failed La Liga season seems to have proven that Quaresma is incapable of securing a place in a top team. He has dashed all our expectations of him!"

"Compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, who has already established himself at Manchester United and played brilliantly in the European Cup, Quaresma, the other half of the Lisbon sports duo, is not worth our expectations!"

"From Quaresma's performance in a few warm-up games, we cannot see the spirited genius he once was. Mediocrity has become Quaresma's true label."

"The failed journey in Barcelona will become a curse he cannot escape. With his talent exhausted and unable to transform it into strength, Quaresma is, at best, a main player for a Portuguese top team. He might not even be able to maintain his main position in Porto!"

Under the guidance of "A Bola," a wave of criticism against Quaresma surged. If you didn't know Quaresma's background, you might think he had just returned from La Liga to the Portuguese league, ready to retire.

Quaresma couldn't understand how he had become a has-been overnight.

This was the power of public opinion, and it could be lethal!

It seemed he needed to make his own voice heard.