Sao Paulo, Brazil.

"Alright, that's the end of today's training, everyone can go back!" The assistant coach blew the whistle to announce that the day's training session had been completed.

Covered in sweat, Kaka walked from the training ground to the locker room, only to meet an old friend at the door.

"Hey! Kaka! ”

Hearing someone call him, Kaka turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Leonardo? How did you end up here? ”

It was none other than former Brazilian national team player and AC Milan midfielder Leonardo. He winked at Kaka, "I have good news for you, but before that, you have to go and take a shower." It's uncomfortable to sweat all over your body, haha! ”

Kaka embarrassedly took off his training clothes, "Okay, you wait for me outside for a while." With that, he went into the dressing room to bathe and change clothes.

Leonardo and Kaka met in São Paulo, where the retiring Leonardo returned to Brazil for a brief spell at Sao Paulo. Kaka just entered São Paulo at that time, and the two had similar family situations, both belonged to the middle class, believed in Christianity, and both were handsome guys, so the relationship was naturally closer than others. Whether it is in the game or in the usual training, Leonardo has given Kaka a lot of help to the young man, allowing him to avoid a lot of detours.

The water was rattling, and Kaka didn't know what good news Leonardo had to tell him. The senior signed with AC Milan again this season, he should be in Milan, Italy, what is he doing back to Brazil?

Half an hour later, Kaka changed into a clean outfit and sat with Leonardo in a café across the street from the club.

"That's what it looks like." Leonardo stirred the coffee in his cup with a small spoon, and the aroma was overflowing. "You know I'm back in Milan this season and signed a contract with AC Milan.

Kaka nodded: "I saw you on TV with your Milan jersey at the press conference. ”

"Haha! Do you think I'm crazy? Do you want to go back to play in the Italian league when you're old? ”

Kaka didn't answer the question head-on: "To be honest, I was really surprised to hear that you had joined AC Milan. But I think you must have something in mind when you go back. ”

"You're smart." Leonardo took a sip of his coffee, "Huh! I've always thought that Brazilian coffee is the best in the world, and the coffee in this café across the street from the club is the best in all of Brazil! Gee! ”

"That's what you're used to." Kaka laughed.

"Yes! From the beginning of his career, he drank coffee here, until he later transferred to Milan...... Kaka, tell me, what kind of club do you think AC Milan is? ”

Kaka thought for a moment: "A great club. ”

"Great, huh. If you were asked to play for Milan, would you do it? ”

"I ...... Yes? Sir, do you mean ...... "Kaka was a little surprised.

"Hehe, everyone thinks I'm crazy, and I'm so old and embarrassed to go to Italy. But have you seen me play? Actually, my trip to Milan as a player was just a pretense, and the club showed an idea to bring Milan and Brazilian football closer together. My main role is to travel between Milan and Brazil to identify new talent for the club. I showed them the video of you playing at home. Leonardo stopped the spoon that had been churning the coffee, looked at Kaka and said.

"Them?"

"President of the Milan Board of Directors, manager of the club, member of the coaching staff."

Kaka's eyes widened and widened.

'They are unanimously optimistic about you, so this is to send you a message that AC Milan wants to bring you in. Leonardo finally made his trip purpose.

Joining AC Milan? Kaka was stunned, AC Milan actually took the initiative to come to the door! A year and a half ago, when he and his father went door-to-door to try out with the Brazilian team, they could never have imagined that they would be able to do this today: AC Milan wanted to bring him in!

"This ...... Is this news true? Ah, I'm not suspicious of you, it's just so sudden, it's incredible, I can't believe it......" Kaka was a little incoherent.

"I have here a handwritten letter from the President of Milan, Mr. Silvio Berlusconi, to the President of São Paulo, in which he expresses the desire to bring in Kaka, a player from your club. Want to take a look? ”

Kaka hurriedly waved his hand: "I believe in you." ”

"So are there any doubts now? Kaka. ”

"I, I guess I'll have to talk to my parents, it's a big deal. And my agent's side......"

"Your agent, when you say yes, I'll talk to him. I'm sure he wouldn't want to give up this opportunity, right? I'm still waiting for your news at this place tomorrow, and by the way, I will say hello to your family on my behalf. Leonardo lowered his head and took a sip of his coffee.

"Won't you come with me to my house for dinner? My parents, and little Leitch, want to see you again. ”

"Huh!" Leonardo looked around at the small café, "The coffee here is so delicious, I want to drink a few more cups." He stretched and leaned back in his chair very comfortably. Let's go back, it's going to worry your parents if it's late. ”

In fact, Kaka's parents are already worried, usually Kaka goes home after training, and Kaka's place is very close to the Molumbi stadium, and it is only a fifteen-minute walk away. But today, half an hour has passed, and Kaka still hasn't gone home.

Just as his father was about to look for him, Kaka entered the house.

"Huh? You're back? "Mom was about to put her coat on her dad when she heard a knock at the door and saw that it was Kaka.

"Well, I met Mr. Leonardo." Kaka replied as he changed his shoes, "We talked together for a while, so we came back late." ”

The father straightened up to look at Kaka, then turned around and walked back. The mother handed the coat in her hand to the father and walked to the restaurant: "It's good to come back, everyone is worried." The food is cold, I'm going to warm it up......"

"Mom, I want to play in AC Milan."

The mother turned her head and looked at her son in surprise: "Where?" ”

Father, mother, and brother Richie, the family sat around the dinner table, the food was still cold, and Mom had not had time to heat them up.

"You promised Mr. Leonardo?" The father asked Kaka on the other side.

Kaka shook his head, "I said I need to discuss this matter with you. ”

Father nodded approvingly. He is a Chinese, although he married a wife and had children in Brazil and has Brazilian nationality, but he is still very traditional in his bones. It should be up to him, the parent, to make the decisions about the major affairs of the family. "What do you think?"

"I want to go to Milan." Kaka's answer was unequivocal.

"Liny, I know you want to go to bigger and better places. But it wasn't good that São Paulo took you in when you first returned to Brazil, you trained you, and you only played for it for a season and left. You're still young, and I think it's better for you to train in the country for a few years before going out. The father lit a cigarette for himself and said to Kaka. In Brazil, it is normal for a person to have one or even several nicknames, and many people prefer to be called by a nickname rather than their original name. For example, the well-known Bailey is a nickname, but his tuba has long been forgotten...... But Kaka's father didn't like this, believing that the surname was inherited from his father and that the name was part of the bloodline, so he still called his son "Lini" even though the name "Kaka" had become a household name.

"Dad, it's because I'm still young that I want to go out! When you're old, people won't want you! As soon as Kaka heard his father's tone, he knew that he was going to arrange a road for himself again, which was what he hated the most.

"I know you've not played well in the last few games, you're in a bad mood and want to change the environment. But a lot of the time, you have to stick to it......"

"Daddy! My poor performance has nothing to do with my form, it's because the coach has to let me play as a striker. It's okay to make a cameo once in a while, but I play as a striker for five games in a row, and I don't like that! I reported it to the coach, but he said that Fabiano was injured and he thought that only I was the best. But my favorite position is the forward midfielder. Dad, you always like to arrange the path for me, and I need you to teach me every step of the way! But I'm not young, I'm twenty years old, don't I have the right to choose? ”

"You have, but society is sinister, what you choose may not be right, parents naturally have to check for their children."

The two spoke excitedly, and they both used Chinese directly. The younger brother Leitch could only understand simple Chinese, and the speed of the two was too fast, he couldn't hear anything clearly: "Mom, what are my brother and dad talking about?" ”

Mom patted Leitch on the head: "It's nothing, they're discussing whether to have barbecue or Chinese food tonight." ”

"At least I went to China alone, and I will never regret this choice! I have the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and even if there are mistakes, it is a necessary price for my growth! Dad, do you dare to say that you have never made a mistake or made a mistake? ”

Kaka's rhetorical question stopped his father, and he didn't say anything for a long time, and the room was frighteningly quiet for a while. After a long time, the father sighed: "If there is a father, there must be a son!" Simone, go heat up the dishes, let's eat. ”

Kaka saw that his father did not answer his question, nor did he say whether he supported him to go abroad: "Dad......"

His father interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "After eating, accompany me to the garden to admire the moon." ”

Kaka looked at his father suspiciously, and he couldn't say anything more, so he had to wait for the meal to start.

Aside from the fact that Leitch was still mischievous and never had a serious meal, neither Kaka nor his father spoke.

Kaka thought about it in his heart, and he didn't feel anything to eat, so he picked up a few bites of food and got up: "I'm full." Then he went out into the garden and sat on a chair and waited for his father.

Kaka looked up at the sky, the moon today is not round or bright, there is no appreciation value, I really don't understand why Dad said it to admire the moon.

"The weather was good today, and tomorrow will be a good weather as well."

Kaka looked back and saw his father standing behind him, looking up at the sky as well.

"Dad, that thing ......"

"Hehe, let me think about it, when I was eighteen years old, I left my hometown in Shandong and wandered around because I was dissatisfied with my parents who arranged everything for me and imposed their will on me. At the age of twenty-one, I came to Brazil. In this way, you really deserve to be my son, and your temper is exactly the same! Father sat down beside Kaka.

"Then, since that's why you're stopping me?"

"Son, you know what? How much did I suffer after I left my hometown? At that time, the country was not in a good situation, and I didn't want to go home - that would mean that I would admit defeat - hey! Young, how naïve! "Later, I followed a group of people to Brazil, where I planted crops, dug gold mines, and opened a Chinese restaurant for a while, but it was very unsuccessful, so I had to start all over again." Son, you know how difficult it is for a Chinese to make a living in a foreign country if he does not understand the language! It is precisely because of my surname Ren that I have suffered so much that I hope that my children will not repeat the mistakes of the past! ”

"But aren't you successful now? You have your own estate, your own factory. ”

"That's because your dad has a stubborn temper! When the business was losing money, the creditors asked for money every day, and none of the former friends could be found. At that time, it felt like God was against me. I don't believe in evil! So I went back to planting crops, mining, and doing small jobs...... Then I met your mother, and the two of us worked hard together, and after decades of ups and downs, we finally achieved something. My father spoke impassionedly, perhaps recalling the old days of entrepreneurship.

"Have you ever regretted it when you were in the most difficult time?" Kaka also seemed to be fascinated.

"Regrets? That's for sure! Does regret work? Can you go back? No matter how hard and tired you are, you have to carry it alone! So, son, you understand why Daddy has everything for you, right? What parent doesn't want their children to be better off than they are? Do you want your children to stop suffering and suffering? Hope ......"

Kaka smiled: "Dad, I still decided to go to Milan, I won't wait a few more years." It's a path I chose, just like when you left home and came to Brazil. There may be a lot of difficulties, but I'm not going back. ”

"Why?"

"Because I'm your son, Dad! I have the same blood as you. ”

The father looked at Kaka, the son has really grown up, his wings are stiff, and he is about to leave his parents to fly...... "Okay, I don't object, you go!" Remember, though, that you still have a home when you have nothing. Don't be like Dad, I haven't been back since I came out, and now if I want to go back, I'm afraid that the old house is only left with broken bricks and tiles......"

Leonardo learned from Kaka the next day that he had no problems with himself and his family, and all that remained was to contact Kaka's agent and the Sao Paulo club. But Kaka didn't need to worry about it, he just needed to sign the final contract - if Kaka could trust him as a big brother, of course.

However, this process is not as easy as Leonardo thought at the beginning, Sao Paulo club is not willing to let go of the current number one star in the team easily, Fabiano is injured, Sao Paulo can be left to Kaka alone. However, Milan did not want to pay too much for Kaka, and negotiations between the two sides reached an impasse from the beginning.

Kaka's form has inevitably been affected by the situation, and São Paulo's results have also fluctuated with Kaka's inconsistent form. Leonardo found Kaka and told him to keep his mind at peace: "If you continue in such a bad form, then Milan will definitely not want you." Don't think about transfers now, play the ball at your feet and speak with your own strength. ”

Leonardo knows how bumpy the road from Brazil to Europe can be. Kaka has to know this, otherwise he won't develop much. The Brazilian player's journey to Europe is not always accompanied by flowers and beautiful women, and they have to endure terrible loneliness and adapt to unfamiliar environments. Even if you are a genius, the road is not easy to walk.

Leonardo is still running between Sao Paulo and Milan, and he is constantly mediating for the transfer of Kaka. And Kaka began to prove himself on the field. Are the figures of two Brazilians destined to reunite at the San Siro in Milan? At this time, in November 2002, no one knew whether it was Kaka or Leonardo.

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