Chapter 7: Punishment
Ronaldo is a myth in world football, and his speed and explosiveness have almost reached perfection. Just like there is only one Pele and one Maradona, Ronaldo is unique. - Mancini
"Who's that?" Osvaldo's eyes rested on Licardo, who was training alone.
"He's Ricardo." Rojas said.
Osvaldo thought for a moment and raised his eyebrows with interest: "Ronaldo's younger brother? β
ββ¦β¦ Yes. β
"How does he train alone?"
Rojas suppressed his anger: "He has missed too many training sessions recently for no reason, and I decided to issue him an intra-team warning with a two-week penalty and a penalty of not being allowed to participate in individual training for a week. β
Osvaldo nodded, uninterested. What he needs is a player with professionalism, not a waste that he can't manage well.
Ricciardo only joined the team after he left the youth team and took a first team role, so he was not familiar with Ricardo. Some time ago, he also heard about the turmoil in Ricardo, after all, those news occupied a lot of the newspaper for a while, but he was at most a little sympathetic to Ricardo, and even more sad and angry.
And he has no intention of interfering with the youth team's penalty decision. "The ball feels good." He commented.
Ricardo was juggling the ball at this time, he was smiling, and the football was like a magnet, firmly attracted by his ankles and thighs. It fully reflects the skill of a Brazilian player. (Ricardo: Am I iron?) οΌ
Rojas accompanied Osvaldo on a stroll along the training ground, watching the young players train. But Osvaldo's gaze was always involuntarily drawn to Ricardo.
Perhaps, because the child is Ronaldo's younger brother, he has some kind of expectation of the child? Or is this child's skillful skills a little touching to him? Or is it the smile on the child's face, the love for football from the bottom of his heart, that he can't help but empathize?
Or is he reminded of another Brazilian player who has made a name for himself, Ronaldinho, who always plays with a smile, the elf who was born for football?
After looking around, Osvaldo said, "You can recommend a few players to me." β
"Where do you want it?"
"Midfielder."
Rojas then began to point: "This is good, Rico, explosive, fast, good technique, a bit reckless in shooting, but it is a very characteristic striker, and he is currently a substitute for the U19 national youth." β
"This little guy, JΓΊnior, is capable of playing anywhere in midfield, with a balanced left and right feet, a little less physical, a little slower, but he does a good job of passing and the crosses are very good.
β¦β¦
He introduced five young players in one go.
Osvaldo pondered for a moment, and then observed for about half an hour.
The head coach of the first team was watching, and the boys were naturally so excited that they couldn't find the north, and they all tried their best to make a good impression in the eyes of the head coach.
But the more impatient you are, the more you want to work hard, the more your shortcomings will be exposed.
Osvaldo watched, his brow furrowed even deeper. These children...... Passable. Kaka was as big as them when he entered the professional arena, but he was much better than them in terms of technique and mentality.
"Just him," Osvaldo pointed to Rico, "and let him report tomorrow." β
With that, he turned and walked out of the training ground. Rojas followed him, smiling and nodding, "Rico is a great guy, you won't be disappointed." β
Osvaldo nodded helplessly, he didn't expect much. I just hope that the team will not lose too many points during this period when the team is full of injuries. This year was his first time taking SΓ£o Paulo to the National Championships, and he couldn't bear to see the fans disappointed.
As he passed by Ricardo's side, he heard a "bang". Osvaldo turned his head to look, and saw several soccer balls in front of Ricardo, and a row of triangular cones 20 meters away, about every 1 meter, one of which had just been kicked down.
Ricardo ran a few steps and fired a shot that flew out like an arrow from a string, knocking down another triangular pyramid.
Osvaldo stopped. He counted 10 triangular pyramids, which were intended for other exercises, and were used by Licardo to practice shooting.
He wanted to see how many shots Ricardo needed to knock all 10 triangular cones down.
Ricardo made his third run, shot at goal, and the triangular cone went down.
Ricardo made his fourth run, shot at goal, and the triangular cone fell again.
β¦β¦
The 10th time, the shot was taken, and the triangular cone fell to the ground.
Osvaldo was finally interested. The shot is of great quality, with close to perfect strength and speed, which is not the average young player, and in terms of shooting alone, Ricardo can barely play in the professional league.
Of course, it also depends on Ricardo's physical confrontation ability, as well as his ability to run. It's not like every game has a penalty!
"How is he doing?" Osvaldo asked.
This time it was Rojas's turn to frown. "It's okay, he was the team's main striker before, the goal rate was not bad, he had a body, he had speed, but the reaction in front of the goal was a little worse, the running position was average, he didn't play with his brain, he always wanted to use speed to pass people, and his team awareness was relatively poor. In the youth team, he can eat well, but if he goes to the professional team, the style of play of a player like him is too monotonous, and it is easy to be prevented to death. β
Rojas did not deliberately belittle, but was factual, making Ricardo's strengths and weaknesses very clear.
Osvaldo was a little distressed. He needs a player with brains who can play more of a screen and pull up front, providing a fulcrum for Kaka and the like.
But Ricardo's marksmanship and physical fitness, as well as the fact that he is Ronaldo's younger brother, made him a little excited.
"Let him come over tomorrow." Osvaldo finally spoke.
Worried that Rojas had an idea, Osvaldo explained: "I've heard about him, I'm afraid he's not having a good time in the youth team lately, it's good to let him change the environment, after all, he is a promising young man, and he can't just be ruined." Rest assured, I'll still let him train alone, and the punishment you announced will not be nullified. β
Promoting an inconsequential little man into the first team will not touch anyone's interests, but it may win Ronaldo's favor.
Although he has nothing to do with Ronaldo, he can't please Ronaldo. However, in football, you can't avoid the name Ronaldo. Ronaldo is a phenomenon, a power, a magic. He didn't need to explain this to Rojas.
Rojas was, of course, dissatisfied. Just announced the punishment and then moved up to the first team, is this a punishment or a reward?
But he can't play against the first team manager. To put it bluntly, he, the head coach of the youth team, is to serve the head coach of the first team, and it is his duty to constantly send qualified talents to the first team.
"Yes, Mr. Osvaldo." Rojas replied reluctantly.