Summer of 2018, Russia!
On a certain training ground, Fernandinho angrily kicked the ball away, pointed at Lin Hao, and cursed, "If you can play, play; if you can't, get lost! I really don't understand why the Head Coach recruited a good-for-nothing like you!"
"You're not even a Brazilian, why do you insist on learning Samba Football? You won't become Neymar, you won't become Ronaldinho, and you certainly won't become Pelé. You can only go back to your street football pitch!"
"That's enough, that's enough!" His other teammates quickly held Fernandinho back.
The young man, who was being scolded, kept a cold expression and said nothing. He was indeed not a Brazilian. In terms of bloodline, he was a Dragon Country person, but he was born in Brazil, which is why he could be on the Brazil Team.
He also understood why Fernandinho was so angry. The first point was that it was the 2018 World Cup!
In this summer, dubbed the most unforgettable, the ongoing World Cup had completed all three rounds of the group stage.
The favored Brazil Team had advanced as the group leader.
However, star player Neymar was injured in training and could not participate in the crucial next round of knockout matches. This put everyone in a very bad mood.
The second point was that Lin Hao was not a professional player. In the football kingdom, participating in the World Cup, even if the current Brazil was not as glorious as before, was a coveted spot for all Brazilian children.
So, allowing Lin Hao, who was not a professional player at all, to join meant that someone else couldn't. It was very likely that some of these professional players' friends were among those who couldn't get in.
They certainly wouldn't be convinced!
Lin Hao stood still and thought for a while. As the saying goes, a step back makes you angrier the more you think about it. Lin Hao immediately quickened his pace and stepped forward, speaking to Fernandinho, who was about to calm down.
"You look down on your own culture, no wonder Brazil is getting worse and worse!"
"Why did the Head Coach bring me here? Isn't Samba Football gradually dying out?"
Fernandinho's anger, which was about to subside, flared up again. He shook off his teammates, stood in front of Lin Hao, pointed his finger at Lin Hao's nose, and retorted, "I'm telling you, facts have proven that Samba Football is not suitable for mainstream competitions!"
"Not everyone's Samba Football is Pelé, Ronaldinho, or Neymar. Most of it is flashy but impractical, and you, clearly, are on the side of looking good but being useless."
"Oh, and I'll tell you this: the football you play will never make it to the big stage. You and your football are garbage, I said it!"
Lin Hao spread his hands, "Who cares?"
"Oh, I'll!" Fernandinho was so angry he was about to strike, but his teammates quickly pulled him away and urged Lin Hao to leave.
Lin Hao walked to the side, head bowed, unnoticed. The young man's fists were clenched, his knuckles turning white.
Who cares? I care, damn it! I will definitely make Brazil win the World Cup, I will definitely make the 'Jinga' football technique shock the world again.
July 2nd, 2018. The first match of the day was Brazil against Mexico in the Round of 16.
Before this, Argentina, Portugal, and Spain had all been eliminated. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had both left this World Cup.
Brazil... was also nearing its end.
Favorites to win? Hmph! When was Brazil not a favorite to win? But after winning in 2002, in 2006, they lost to France in the quarterfinals; in 2010, they lost to the Netherlands in the quarterfinals; in 2014, well, that year wasn't bad, playing at home, they reached the semifinals, only to be crushed 7-1 by Germany.
Although only a few words, that was sixteen years! Lin Hao was only two years old when they won the title!
In these sixteen years, Brazil had been moving step by step, further and further away from its sixth star!
Perhaps the strength of their predecessors, crowned with the unique five stars on their chest, made fans, who only paid attention every four years, believe Brazil was strong.
But the reality was that in this match, Mexico led Brazil 2-0 at halftime!
This left the fans of five-star Brazil utterly bewildered. Most of the tens of thousands of people in the stadium were Brazil fans, but now, the young fans were teary-eyed, the female fans' eyes were red, the male fans broke down and cursed, and then, collectively, fell silent.
When did Brazil ever get pushed into such a desperate situation by Mexico?
In the locker room during halftime, Brazil's Head Coach was also cursing loudly.
However, the second half showed no improvement. In the sixtieth minute of the match, Head Coach Tite looked at the bench, hesitated for two minutes, and then, gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, declared, "Lin Hao! Get ready to play!"
Lin Hao looked at the Head Coach in disbelief, "Me... me?"
"Yes, you!"
Lin Hao truly had not expected that he would actually get a chance to play.
He quickly stood up and ran to the sideline, doing a simple warm-up, while also thinking, was the Head Coach really crazy?
Lin Hao could shamelessly say that he was a genius. Even if he was not a professional player and had never attended a professional football school for a day, he was indeed a genius. This was something that even his teammates, who looked down on him, could see.
Even if the Head Coach wanted to remind everyone not to forget Samba Football, and thus found someone from street football.
He was still the best on the street football pitch.
But who on the field wasn't a genius? No matter how much of a genius you, Lin Hao, were, at best you were a hidden gem. And football, a sport that must be practiced from a young age, if you were already a hidden gem, you might never be unearthed.
But, ironically, that's just how fate works. The Head Coach wanted a player with a strong Samba style, and he was chosen.
With Neymar injured and trailing 0-2, with the team in imminent danger, the Head Coach decided to take a gamble. He was actually going to make his debut on the highest stage of football.
Saying he wasn't nervous would be a lie, but Lin Hao saw this more as an opportunity to showcase himself.
When the ball was dead on the field, the assistant referee raised the board, signaling a substitution for the Brazil Team.
Upon seeing the substitution number, Fernandinho immediately spread his hands, looking at the Head Coach with a puzzled expression, "Coach, why are you putting him in? We're behind, but don't just give up!"
"Are you any different from giving up? Letting Mexico score two goals against us?" As a post-2000s kid, Lin Hao wouldn't take any slights and immediately retorted.
"Hurry up, what are you doing? Get on the field!" The assistant coach urged.
Lin Hao came on as a substitute, playing as a left winger.
Fernandinho couldn't stop it, so he just nodded grudgingly and said, "Alright, then let me show you what the World Cup is! What real professional football is!"
"Kid, don't make any mistakes!"
This time, Lin Hao didn't speak. He believed in one principle: once on the field, let your skill do the talking, and remember, like in chess, only speak after you've checkmated your opponent!
In the sixty-fourth minute of the match, Lin Hao came on as a substitute. All the fans in the stadium, including those watching on TV, were stunned.
Not to mention having seen him, this Brazil player, they hadn't even heard of him. The professional material in the hands of the broadcast host only had seven characters