บท 102: Aliens
Twenty-year-old Kaka stepped onto the highest stage in football, the new idol of the Samba nation being grandly introduced to the world.
He was the youngest player on the Brazilian team, and the youngest player at this World Cup.
He knew that for many young players, their first World Cup journey was just to gain experience and get a taste, with a mediocre performance being considered a success.
But he also knew that Owen at 17, Pele at 18, and Mbappe at 19 were not like that.
So...why should I, at 20 years old, be the mediocre one?
Not content with mediocrity, Kaka launched an extraordinary counterattack with his very first touch on the ball after coming on.
After Gilberto Silva won the ball, his grounded pass found Kaka holding off Turkey's No. 8 Tugay, and he once again performed the ice ballet-esque back-heel nutmeg that even Bergkamp himself would struggle to replicate.
The ball flew past from the right, the young man from the left, a scene of sheer beauty.
Unlike Bergkamp, however, Kaka had even faster acceleration and explosive power. After completing the nutmeg, Tugay couldn't even grab his shirt as Kaka dribbled through the middle, slicing into Turkey's half.
Oliveira, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo made runs, dragging Turkey's defense and reducing the pressure on Kaka, who only encountered his second defender near the edge of the box.
Kaka looked up, but with none of the trio open for a pass, he quickly took two touches, and as the defender shifted his weight, he violently dragged the ball to the outside with his right foot and followed it, striking a shot.
Many were still savoring his back-heel nutmeg when, in the blink of an eye, he had completed a shot on target that looked destined to go in.
Kaka thought it would score too, clearly seeing the trajectory from his angle, with the destination an impossible angle for the keeper.
Unfortunately, the inspired Rüştü completed another near-impossible save.
Just as Kaka was about to shoot, he seemed to have a premonition, taking two steps to his left. When Kaka pulled the trigger, Rüştü leapt and palmed the ball away with his left hand.
Oliveira rushed in for the rebound, but Turkey's captain Korkmaz cleared it off the line.
The fans finally exhaled, showering both Rüştü and Kaka with applause.
This dazzlingly handsome youngster had, within a minute of coming on, left an indelible impression with a move that nearly blew everyone's minds.
A Brazilian corner kick.
Kaka and Ronaldinho walked over to the corner area to take a tactical corner. Tugay hurried over to mark them, with the other Turkish players following suit to defend.
Ronaldinho played the ball to Kaka, who took a touch before slipping it through to Ronaldinho's run.
Ronaldinho had barely controlled the ball when he was confronted by a defender.
Now hugging the byline with little space to maneuver, and with Oliveira and Rivaldo making runs into the box but cut off from passing lanes, it seemed Ronaldinho's only option was to go backwards.
But Kaka knew this guy would never retreat, so he followed into the box, dragging a defender to create space in case Ronaldinho played him the ball.
Ronaldinho used the outside of his right foot to gently nudge the ball infield, looking to change direction as the defender shifted his weight. But with a sudden flick of his ankle, he took the ball back on his instep in one fluid motion.
This was, of course, his trademark 'Snake Flick' skill move, with his footwork so rapid it seemed like he'd changed direction with just a touch of his toes. Maximum entertainment value.
Ronaldinho had successfully beaten the defender, though not cleanly, with the opponent recovering to stick tight to him. But rather than continuing his dribble along the byline, Ronaldinho slipped the ball inside to Kaka.
Kaka cushioned it with the inside of his foot, in an almost identical position to the one Ronaldinho had just vacated at the byline, but now in a much more dangerous area in front of goal.
Tugay cautiously tracked Kaka, shielding the ball.
Kaka took a few shuffling steps, rolling the ball with his right foot, before suddenly replicating Ronaldinho's 'Snake Flick' move to devastating effect.
Tugay was wrongfooted, and Kaka slipped past him.
The two Brazilian tails had whipped the Turkish defense hard across the face, leaving a stinging sensation.
With no passing option, Kaka went for a curling effort towards the top far corner.
The ball traced an almost perfect arc as it arced towards the top left corner of the Turkish goal.
Kaka had already clenched his fist in anticipation of a goal, but his internal "It's in!" quickly turned to "Oh crap!"
Rüştü flew across and incredibly palmed it away with one hand.
Not just the Brazilians, but even the Turkish players looked at their keeper in disbelief.
If they were calling him a 'keeper demigod' before, Rüştü was now transcending to full deity status in this game.
"Unbelievable! Rüştü is just unbelievable! The imaginative play from Ronaldinho and Kaka, that perfect curling effort by Kaka into the top corner, and the miraculous save by Rüştü! That was undoubtedly the most entertaining minute of the World Cup so far. Of course, we have to praise Rüştü's performance again - how many shots has he saved from Brazil now? Ten? Twenty? I've lost count. And Kaka has been so lively, Scolari should have brought him on earlier."
"Rüştü has denied Kaka again, he's the man of the match! But defending isn't just down to the goalkeeper, our defenders need to deal with Ronaldinho and Kaka better! It's unbelievable really, Scolari took off one alien and brought on another two, and with Ronaldinho that's three extraterrestrials in their team. Why do these out-of-this-world talents keep being born in Brazil?"
While the fans were enthralled, the two head coaches were increasingly restless.
Scolari never imagined Turkey would have such an outrageous goalkeeper, while Güneş couldn't fathom that Brazil had such an outrageous young talent on their bench.
Kaka shook his head dejectedly as he retreated to the halfway line.
Ronaldinho approached and patted his shoulder with a carefree grin. "Not bad, but you shouldn't have shot so quickly. You should have rounded the keeper too, then he couldn't have saved it."
It was an obvious statement, akin to saying 'if I had a house, car and money, I could get a mother-in-law', so Kaka couldn't help but roll his eyes.
It was an unbecoming gesture, but he just about got away with it thanks to his good looks.
"Hey? What was that look? Wasn't I right?"
"No, you were absolutely right."
(End of chapter)
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