"He is exactly the same as Messi!"

Rosell and Enrique were engaged in a conversation.

"Guardiola has left, and Vilanova will be taking over the team next season. However, Vilanova's health isn't very good, so he probably won't be able to continue for long," Rosell remarked.

Rosell glanced at the young players training on the youth field and casually spoke to Enrique, the coach of the Barcelona youth team.

"It has become a tradition for Barcelona to promote talents and coaches from the youth training ranks. As the coach of the Barcelona youth team, you have a good chance of eventually becoming the coach of the first team," Rosell explained.

Enrique's eyes lit up upon hearing Rosell's words, and he couldn't contain his excitement.

Barcelona is currently one of the best and most formidable clubs in football.

For a young coach like Enrique, being able to coach such a top-tier team is simply a dream come true.

Moreover, with his strong association with the Barcelona brand, he may not achieve the same level of success if he were to coach elsewhere.

Enrique had previously left Barcelona, seeking coaching experience in Serie A. However, his time there was not smooth.

Following a disappointing season at Roma, he was sacked and forced to return to Barcelona.

Just as he came back, Guardiola resigned, providing Enrique with renewed hope.

He learned that the club was considering him and Martino as potential choices for the coaching role.

Vilanova, on the other hand, was destined to serve as an assistant coach and would not retain the position of head coach for an extended period.

Therefore, as long as he can overcome Martino, the position of Barcelona coach is well within his grasp.

To outshine Martino in the competition, it is crucial for Enrique to secure the unwavering support of the club chairman.

"Chairman, rest assured that I will exert my utmost effort to collaborate with you!"

Enrique swiftly responded, immediately expressing his unwavering loyalty to Rosell, deftly picking up on his subtle hint.

For him, a few years as the Barcelona coach and achieving respectable results are all he needs.

With an impressive coaching portfolio at a prestigious club, Enrique's chances of securing future job opportunities are greatly enhanced.

If he can lead Barcelona to victory in the Champions League, he may even surpass Guardiola and ascend as a legendary young coach of the new generation!

With these thoughts in mind, Enrique glanced eagerly at Rosell.

"Well, Luis, excellent! I always knew I could rely on you!"

Rosell nodded with satisfaction before casually inquiring, "I've heard there's a young player in the squad who has a close connection to Guardiola. What's the story behind that?"

Enrique nodded swiftly, directing his gaze towards Lucas, who was diligently training on the field, and replied, "Indeed, the young player wearing the No. 4 jersey is Guardiola's adopted son!"

"I see, that clarifies it," Rosell nodded approvingly, then issued a directive, "Since Guardiola is no longer with the club, let's part ways with players who were recruited due to his favoritism. We don't need such associations at Barcelona."

Enrique opened his mouth, seemingly poised to speak, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

While he genuinely wished to advocate for Lucas, acknowledging the player's talent and potential, he was acutely aware of the opponent's influence and the fact that Lucas had no direct involvement.

Considering his skills, Lucas should have no trouble establishing himself in the Barcelona youth team.

However, the chairman harbored personal animosity towards him. More accurately, the chairman held a grudge against Guardiola.

Given the adoptive father-son relationship between Enrique and Guardiola, it was unsurprising that he will faced the repercussions.

"Yes, Chairman, I understand what needs to be done."

Rosell nodded, acknowledging the decision.

"Handle it discreetly. I don't want any rumors circulating."

With a comforting pat on Enrique's shoulder, Rosell departed without uttering another word.

Enrique watched the retreating figure, silently muttering curses under his breath.

As soon as Guardiola left, the club seemed determined to push away his adopted son.

If this matter becomes public, the consequences will be severe.

As the person responsible for handling this situation, any mishandling on his part would likely result in blame.

So, how can we fulfill the tasks given by the club chairman without incurring blame and criticism?

He pondered quickly and came up with a solution!

He devised a plan to loan out Lucas to a weaker team and have him play for their first team.

As long as Lucas fails to establish himself in the first team, Barcelona can seize the opportunity to suspend his contract.

During that time, no one would have any grounds to complain. After all, if he can't make it in a small team, how could he make it in a top club like Barcelona?

By doing this, even if he is eventually let go, he won't be subjected to scolding.

Enrique couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his cleverness.

"It's a great idea" he thought to himself.

He then signaled to assistant coach Jordi Branca and said to him,

"Branca, where are the loan applications from other teams?"

"They are in your office!"

"Alright, good. You stay here and keep an eye on things. I'll return shortly!"

Enrique left immediately after speaking.

Just as he was about to depart, Lucas executed a brilliant breakthrough on the wing.

Being on the substitute side, Lucas faced the starting defensive lineup of the youth team.

Since they had played together before, the youth team players were well aware of Lucas's strengths and weaknesses.

His physicality was not formidable, and he lacked fighting ability.

So, when defending against him, they actively sought to restrain his progress through physical confrontation, and even attempted to steal the ball from him.

In the past, when facing opponents who tried to physically confront him, Lucas would quickly distribute the ball to minimize his time in possession and deny the opponent a chance to engage in physical battles.

As an organizing midfielder, his strengths lie in his exceptional passing and ball control abilities, along with his excellent awareness of the game and overall situational view. He also possesses a certain level of interception skills.

It would be unrealistic to expect him to break through like a winger.

However, on this particular day, when he received a pass from his teammate, almost instinctively, he pushed the ball outward with the back of his foot while lowering his right shoulder, indicating his intention to make a breakthrough from the right sideline.

Rafinha, who was defending him, momentarily froze because this is a common move used by wingers to break through from the outside.

Was Lucas planning to outsmart him? In response, Rafinha immediately halted and shifted laterally, intending to hold his position and force Lucas towards the sideline.

But right at that moment, Lucas swiftly flicked the ball, causing it to slide past Rafinha's right side.

Caught off guard by the proximity of the ball to his right foot, Rafinha instinctively extended his foot in an attempt to block it.

However, he forgot that he was already in lateral motion, and as he raised his right foot, his body twisted awkwardly, resulting in a sudden fall to the ground.

Meanwhile, Lucas successfully completed the breakthrough on the sideline.

Wow!

....

...

Lucas left Rafinha behind, all the spectators, including the coaches on the sidelines, were left stunned.

A thought crossed their minds collectively:

Why does Lucas's style of play resemble Messi's so closely?

(End of this chapter)