Chapter 29: A Lifetime's Worth of Shooting

Although the interaction with Burgess wasn't particularly pleasant, Kaka's rapport within the team wasn't bad. In the world of football, it's not just about fighting and killing – there are also matters of interpersonal relations and incidents. The financial circles of the city were filled with all kinds of demons and monsters, and Kaka's ability to rise to the top in his previous life meant that he naturally had exceptional emotional intelligence, wit, cunning, and skill.

So, in Kaka's eyes, this bunch of São Paulo lads, whose every emotion was written on their faces, were as pure as little bunnies. Moreover, popularity has always been directly proportional to wealth, money, and fame. From the moment he joined the first team, Kaka's popularity only grew better alongside his on-field performances.

His salary also rose accordingly.

After winning the championship, São Paulo once again raised Kaka's salary, this time from 6,000 reais per month to 18,000 reais, and his release clause even increased to 30 million reais, which was probably equivalent to around 15 million euros in that era – a terrifying figure for a young man not even 19 years old.

In Brazil, this was an astronomical amount for a teenager.

After the contract was signed, the number of scouts contacting Kaka, openly or discreetly, decreased significantly.

Football is not only a sport but also a business, and the fact proved that it was quite difficult to unearth hidden gems from a powerhouse like São Paulo.

The facts also confirmed Kaka's guess to be correct.

Burgess was frozen out.

He played two more games as a substitute, with unremarkable performances, and then failed to even make the squad. After that, just as Kaka had said, he was sent to report to the reserve team.

This made Burgess Alexander not only become more low-key but also actively join Kaka's extra training sessions, showing a sense of knowing shame and then striving with renewed vigor.

However, just as he began to apply himself, Kaka started to slide.

To be more precise, this future star, who seemed to want to spend every minute on the training ground, suddenly became normal.

The reason was simple – his passion had cooled down, that's all.

No matter who it was, contributing seven goals and five assists in eleven matches in a mature league like the Brazilian Série A was already an outstanding achievement. Kaka's performances during this period did not disappoint the stroke of luck fate had bestowed upon him. However, after losing the initial novelty, he had to face the age-old question of whether one could maintain excitement when a hobby became a profession.

The older generation often warns the younger ones not to be obsessed with their hobbies using the phrase "interests cannot be turned into meals," making it seem all the more fortunate when a hobby can become a source of income.

But luck is always relative.

How many of those kids, who now hate going to school and just want to play games all day, could withstand becoming professional gamers?

Kaka's love for football was sincere and pure enough, but he couldn't possibly be equally enthusiastic about the monotonous training routines.

In fact, as a newcomer just starting his professional career, Kaka should have had a much longer honeymoon period, far from the point of a veteran getting sick of the game. However, his essence was not that of a fresh rookie who had just come of age but rather an old hand well-versed in the thirty-six stratagems, having survived battles like 'bathroom.avi,' 'kitchen.avi,' and 'uniform.avi.'

An old hand who had experienced delicacies, wine, and debauchery was now required to abstain from women, restlessness, and the internet, spending every day with grass, dumbbells, and nutritious meals – it was just too difficult.

Of course, an old hand wasn't just experienced in driving skills but also in experience and attitude. Compared to young people who only knew how to work hard, they clearly understood what stage of life they were in and what attitude to adopt to persevere.

Blindly charging ahead wasn't going to work. To sustain anything, one needed to have fast and slow, deep and shallow – three minutes of passion would never reach the peak.

The old hand was slowly transitioning from a football enthusiast to a football athlete, obtaining his driver's license, gripping the steering wheel, fastening his seatbelt, locking the rear doors, and setting off again into the wind.

The old hand might be oily, mischievous, and unruly, but more than anyone else, he understood that the most precious thing in the world wasn't money but time.

So, his teammates and coaches soon noticed the change in Kaka. Although he was still the first to arrive and the last to leave every day, the air of excitement, as if he was constantly pushing himself to the limit, was gone.

If an ordinary player's training intensity was 5, then Kaka's previous intensity was 7, but now, he had finally dropped to 6.

Apart from occasionally honing his footwork and adjusting his form on the indoor pitch, his main focus was on strength training and weight gain under the guidance of the fitness coach, as well as practicing free kicks on his own after each day's training.

Of course, he was also learning languages. His English was decent, so he mainly needed to improve his conversational skills, while his main focus was on learning Italian.

As for juggling, heading, and reverse-foot drills, he had stopped all of them – partly because he had become a bit lazy and partly because it was difficult to practice alone.

Everything was purposeful.

Playing street football was mainly to hone his skills and optimize his playing style. Once he accumulated enough experience, his "natural football sense" would kick in, and with a foundation of various tricks and techniques, Kaka would instantly transform into a magician on the pitch – a different kind of preparation.

Bulking up and increasing his weight was to enhance his physical strength. At 1.81m tall and weighing only 66kg, he was far too slim. If his memory served him correctly, Kaka's height could reach around 1.85m, so his weight and muscle mass had to catch up. Otherwise, a single robust and ferocious defender could knock him out for the season – this was an area where he couldn't afford to slack off.

As for free kicks, it was to avoid wasting his "bend it like Beckham" talent.

Many people knew about Kaka's long-range shooting prowess, but few realized that he was actually quite skilled at free kicks. During his time at São Paulo, he had scored directly from free kicks, but later on, surrounded by free-kick specialists at AC Milan and the Brazilian national team, his own free-kick abilities paled in comparison. Add to that his unassuming nature, and this skill naturally fell into disuse, because free kicks weren't just about technique but also about mentality and experience.

This was similar to the cases of Henry and Bati – they had the skills but lacked the opportunity to showcase them, only occasionally displaying glimpses. And surveying the world of football, almost all midfield generals were free-kick masters – Ballack of Germany, the two Franks of England, Zidane of France, Pirlo of Italy, Sneijder of the Netherlands, Riquelme of Argentina, and so on – each with their own unique free-kick style.

So, in this life, free kicks would become one of Kaka's most important weapons. At the very least, he couldn't be like in his original timeline, having to rely on penalties to complete his hat-tricks, eventually earning him the nickname "Penaldo."

World Soccer had once done a special feature called "Ten Weapons," comparing ten strikers to ten different weapons – a classic that left an indelible mark in the memories of many veteran fans. But from an individual player's perspective, various shooting techniques could also be likened to different weapons.

Poaching in the box was like a dagger – each strike deadly and unstoppable. Powerful headers were like a sledgehammer – heavy as a thousand pounds and irresistible. Volleys were like a battle-axe, felling everything in their path with an aura like a rainbow. Shots after dribbling were like a sword – progressive, righteous, and proper. Delicate chips were like a whip – unpredictable and subduing force with gentleness. And various trick shots were like magic – formless, lawless, and free-flowing.

As for free kicks, due to differences in individual technique, they exhibited distinct styles. Those emphasizing speed were like arrows – meteoric and arriving before being noticed. Those focused on power were like knives – straightforward and invincible. Those prioritizing angles were like needles – silent and bizarre. And those combining all three elements were like spears.

A hint of cold light arrived first, followed by the spear shooting out like a dragon.

Of course, perfection was only relative.

Many years of compulsory education taught that between two points, a straight line is the shortest. Theoretically, the fastest free kick should be an absolute straight line. So in terms of shooting, emphasizing trajectory means sacrificing speed. To prioritize unconventional angles, it's best to use skill rather than brute force - these aspects are incompatible. The only way is through constant experimentation, selecting the optimal approach that suits one's own style.

Kaka's first model to emulate was naturally Roberto Carlos - a true king's spear possessing speed, power, and curve, combining force and beauty. It preached miracles through sheer might, but Kaka currently lacked the leg strength to recreate those physics-defying thunderbolts, producing only a pale imitation of the powerful arcing shots.

So he had to make do, focusing more on technique. His new learning model became Juninho Pernambucano - another free-kick master one could never avoid mentioning. 

Unlike Carlos's powerfully idiosyncratic cannon, Juninho's free kicks epitomized versatility. If the kicker was obscured, his shots could be mistaken for Pirlo's, Ronaldo's, or Beckham's at first glance. 

Only the trademark banana curve would give away its taker.

Of course, the perfect free kick didn't exist - it was all about finding the right balance. For those gifted at long-range shooting, mastering the free kick was simply a matter of dedicated practice.

Kaka applied the same intensity he once had while preparing for university entrance exams and the patience he employed in his campus flirting days. Through incessant practice and refinement, he finally gained some insights, just about qualifying as a free-kick specialist. But a vast gulf still remained between him and the true masters.

Because marksmanship wasn't something that could be easily developed.

"A month with a club, a year with a knife, a lifetime with a spear." - I don't know who?

(End of chapter)