"Actually, your situation is very similar to Deschamps," Kai said. "Of course, I'm not talking about this European Championship—Deschamps helped France win the title… I mean, he also wants to transition into coaching."
"I just talked with Maxa for a bit. He seems interested in Sporting Lisbon. In my opinion, you'd actually fit our team quite well."
Matthäus almost burst out laughing. "Sporting Lisbon? The Portuguese league? Are you serious?"
The implication was obvious—the level there was too low.
"That's still probably higher than the MLS," Kai replied with a grin, stabbing right where it hurt. "Both Trigueira and Maxa are excellent coaches, and their records speak for themselves."
"And haven't Bayern and Germany both said you're finished? Even if you join a big club now, they'll still say you're finished. Not to mention… no big club wants you at the moment."
"But if you join a smaller team with a group of young players and achieve something, then you become the biggest contributor."
Matthäus still didn't take it too seriously. "And what if it doesn't work out?"
Kai shrugged. "Then it just means this new generation isn't good enough. And maybe the head coach gets sacked… so why not step in and take over yourself?"
Matthäus' eyes lit up—before he quickly hid it.
"Stop pretending," Kai exposed him directly. "Don't tell me you didn't think about becoming head coach of the New York MetroStars when you first went to the U.S."
"With your reputation, as long as you actually have coaching ability and spend some time within a team, it's absolutely possible to become head coach at the right moment."
"Sporting Lisbon isn't a small platform for a beginner coach."
Matthäus suddenly felt enlightened.
Joining Sporting Lisbon was like killing two birds with one stone.
There were backup plans everywhere.
First, prove himself. At the same time, learn how to coach.
If the team improved, he'd already proven himself. Most likely, the head coach would get picked up by a bigger club—wouldn't that position fall to Matthäus, the club's famous veteran?
And if the team failed and the coach got sacked, wouldn't superstar Matthäus—who already understood the squad and staff—also have a chance to step in?
When he was a superstar, Sporting Lisbon might have seemed beneath him.
But as a beginner coach, becoming head coach of a Portuguese giant was basically starting at Tier 3.
Not bad at all!
Matthäus glanced at Maxa in the distance and sighed. "Kid… Maxa taught you all this, didn't he?"
Kai froze.
Well… you almost got that right.
The part about Maxa and Deschamps—yeah, that really was something Kai had told him.
"No wonder Sporting Lisbon dared to tear everything down this summer," Matthäus said with a smile. "Looks like Trigueira has the courage—but in reality, Maxa behind him is probably the real decision-maker."
"Young, talented, bold, capable, willing to play second fiddle, respects elders and cares for juniors… He looks like the guy who'll compete with me for the title of the world's best coach in the future!"
"Alright then—let me get to know my lifelong rival in advance! Maxa!"
Clap clap clap!
Kai could only applaud.
As expected—both names start with "Ma." Looks like all the idiots in the world share one brain cell, and you two split it perfectly!
The world still owes you two geniuses… or idiots, depending on the day.
"This transfer won't just be the biggest news in Portugal—it'll spark massive discussion across all of Europe," Kai boasted. "Whether it's German fans or Bayern fans, no one will expect such a dramatic turnaround. At least in Germany, your transfer will dominate headlines!"
Matthäus frowned. "Really? Figo's betrayal will be hard to top anytime soon. That's even bigger than Luis Enrique moving directly from Real Madrid to Barcelona."
"After all, Enrique isn't on Figo's level."
Kai grinned. "But you are. Whether it's your status in football or the drama of joining Sporting Lisbon this time. Don't forget—besides Manchester United, the team that broke Bayern's heart in the Champions League final two years ago… had me directing things from the sidelines."
"Your 'defection to the enemy' will hit Bayern fans just as hard as Figo's move hit Barcelona fans."
Hiss!
Even without Kai saying it, Matthäus hadn't thought of it that way.
Damn… that actually sounded amazing.
So many people at Bayern hated him—both inside the club and among the fans.
If they were unhappy… then he'd be very happy.
But something suddenly felt off.
Matthäus looked at Kai walking away and suddenly shouted:
"Damn it! If you hadn't been blindly directing things back then, I'd already have a Champions League trophy!"
What trophies doesn't Matthäus have in his career?
Well… except that one.
That damn Kai.
…
The summer transfer window opened, and player movement across Europe became frantic.
After losing Figo, Barcelona tried to salvage something in the market.
They signed Marc Overmars from Arsenal for €40 million.
But that wasn't enough.
They added another €15 million to bring Emmanuel Petit—who had just won the European Championship with France—back to Camp Nou.
Of course… it didn't work out.
Petit struggled badly and tried to move to Chelsea after just half a season. He even called Barcelona the worst stop of his career, saying there were too many non-football issues—local factions, Dutch factions… everyone split into groups with no real unity.
On top of that, Real Madrid's capture of Figo had already dealt a devastating blow to Barcelona's identity.
But it didn't stop there.
Real Madrid were also negotiating with Valencia over another López—Gerard López, not "Little Bug" Claudio López.
A product of Barcelona's youth academy, Gerard López had reached the Champions League final with Valencia as a starter and would later coach Barcelona B.
If even this kind of "Catalan DNA" ended up at Real Madrid, Barcelona would completely lose face.
Their past and present would both belong to Real Madrid… would they even have a future left?
To prevent that, Barcelona raised their offer and eventually brought Gerard López back for €21.6 million—a clear overpay.
It was a lose-lose deal.
Barcelona didn't suit his style, and he failed there.
His only real contribution was getting injured so often that it created an opportunity for Andrés Iniesta to rise.
A true masterclass in "making a wedding dress for someone else."
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