Chapter 9: We Are the Champions (Additional Update, Still Owing One Chapter)

Just as expected.

Deng Kai began to stand up.

He feigned a few painful steps, then signaled that he was fine.

And while walking, he made his way to the penalty spot.

As if the source of gravity was not the earth's core, but the center of the penalty spot.

As he limped, the crowd burst into enthusiastic applause.

It made Feng Te feel somewhat embarrassed.

The team's striker wanted to take the football, but Feng Te stopped him: "Trust him, he's our lucky star! He's also the hero of this match! He can definitely do it!"

"Look at his eyes, so determined!"

The Black Panthers' striker had no choice but to stop.

If it hadn't been for Deng Kai's assist and causing an own goal, he would not have given up this penalty kick.

But now...

In the world of football, strength is king.

With the backing of strength and a bit of skill and strategy, you can get the chance you want.

Frankly, if this striker's free kick earlier had been reliable, Deng Kai wouldn't have needed to fight for the penalty kick.

After all, taking a penalty is indeed difficult.

When Deng Kai truly took his position at the penalty spot, his heart began to race.

He was nervous.

Because penalty kicks are not about probabilities.

Although there's talk about certain players' penalty conversion rates, in truth, for every individual and every penalty kick, the chance of scoring or missing is always fifty-fifty.

This is Schrödinger's football; no one knows what will happen before the kick.

Deng Kai began to back up.

Then he took a run-up.

Lifted his foot.

He shot!

The football flew straight towards the center.

He chose the most reliable shooting method—shooting straight for the center!

It wasn't even a Panenka penalty, because with his shooting technique he couldn't pull it off.

Neither the hardware nor the software supported it!

Shooting straight for the center was the least likely way to miss the penalty for a player with his level of shooting prowess.

And even so, the football was actually a bit off, flying towards the center-left.

The direction Bruno Vale dived was also to the left.

He perfectly...

missed the football.

The football ricocheted off Bruno's instep and into the net.

The score changed, four to three!

The Black Panthers were ahead of Team Figo.

There was no time left in the match!

Deng Kai's kick had finalized the entire match, a penalty decider!

"Beautiful! The center! Deng Kai actually chose to shoot for the center!"

"Big-hearted player! Such courage!"

"Bruno dived too early, he was too nervous!"

"The goalkeeper wanted too much to show off his saving ability; Bruno never thought about staying put, and Deng Kai saw through Bruno's mindset!"

"If Bruno had slowed down just a bit, he would have definitely blocked the ball. The quality of this penalty wasn't high; what was high was the IQ and the football intelligence of the player Deng Kai!"

"Oh! Deng Kai refused the joint celebration with his teammates. He ran alone to the corner flag area, leapt high into the air, performed a one-hundred-eighty-degree spin, and with arms hanging down, he thunderously fell back to earth, like a god descending."

"He displayed his name on the back to everyone."

"With his mouth shouting 'Siuuuuu'... Although no one knew what that meant, the style of celebration was truly special, so passionate!"

"Let's congratulate him! He directed a fantastic comeback! And let's also congratulate all the players of the Black Panthers, they've achieved a difficult victory."

"Eusebio entered the field with joy, hugging Deng Kai and spinning around non-stop."

"Chris cried, he rushed into the player's tunnel, heartbroken because this was the second time he had lost to Deng Kai in a trophy contest."

"Yes, we have found Deng Kai's information, and his resume has surprised us."

"You might not know who Deng Kai is, but in recent years, you must have heard the story about the football Caesar who refused all the elite club trial invitations so as not to get caught."

"I once believed that story was true and mocked that so-called Caesar."

"But now, I must tell everyone that we need to judge the authenticity of that story for ourselves."

"Because we just witnessed that Caesar's performance!"

"Judging from this match alone, Deng Kai is undoubtedly the Caesar on the field!"

"He is not a football charlatan who fears challenges, he's a true football genius! He is the future hope of Portugal's football!"

"Let's shout his name... Caesar!"

"Caesar!"

"Caesar!"

At this moment, Deng Kai shone brilliantly.

The entire stadium was at his feet!

…

The awards stage was being set up, and the players were all being interviewed.

Previously unnoticed, Deng Kai was now completely surrounded by cameras and microphones.

"Take it easy, everyone, don't stick the microphone in my mouth, I'm a player, not an AV actor," Deng Kai kept calming the reporters, getting the interview environment under control.

A person who knows how to be interviewed can keep everything around them in order.

Reporters love working with such subjects.

Reporter: "Hello, we are reporters from the Morning Post, can you introduce yourself?"

Deng Kai: "My name is Deng Kai, and I'm currently a free agent, looking to join a suitable youth team to play football."

Reporter: "What? You're a free agent? Which team do you like then?"

Deng Kai: "Yes, I was doing some other things before, and now I can finally return to the pitch I love. I like many teams, but when it comes to joining, it'll depend on whether it's the right fit."

Reporter: "Hello, I'm a reporter from the College Student Newspaper, are you the prodigy Deng Kai who was accepted early by the University of Lisbon?"

Deng Kai: "Prodigy is too much, but yes, that's me."

Reporter: "So what you mean is, you're not going to study anymore, you want to play football?"

Deng Kai: "It's not that I won't study, I will also pursue my studies slowly. But football will definitely be the focus of my life for the next few decades."

Reporter: "Why not focus on your studies? Is it because you don't like it? The professors at the University of Lisbon said you have the potential to become a world-class scholar!"

Deng Kai: "Compared to studying, I love football more. And I believe that in football, I can also become a world-class player, just like my performance today, I will keep getting better in the future."

Deng Kai didn't refuse to praise himself.

He needed to provide enough information quickly to dispel any doubts the major clubs might have.

Otherwise, once everyone regarded him as an entertainer rather than a serious player, he would struggle to get real opportunities to play.

In more than ten minutes, the awards podium was ready.

The president of the Portugal Football Association personally came forward to present medals to Deng Kai and the others.

After the group photo, Deng Kai, carrying four footballs, sought out Eusebio, Figo, Guardiola, and Rui Costa for their autographs.

Especially since Deng Kai expressed that he wanted them for his parents, as their whole family were fans of these four players.

The four stars found it a bit odd; after all, they were from different teams and leagues across the world, how could someone like all of them at the same time?

But they did not refuse Deng Kai.

A champion has the right to make some impudent requests.

However, Deng Kai's behavior, ignoring Jia De'er, really annoyed Jia De'er.

To this, Deng Kai could only say... sorry brother, but who can tell your autograph isn't valuable?

Valuable?

Leopard: ?

Figo: ?

Guardiola: ?

Costa: ?

Why does this feel off?