Breaking Kaka's Record

"Anno's coordination, feel for the ball, and explosiveness are simply outstanding." On the coaching bench, assistant coach Milton looked at Ramalho, his tone full of admiration.

"Yes, this is Anno. He was born for football!" Ramalho's gaze at Chen Anno was practically dripping with affection.

Meanwhile, several Vasco da Gama players gathered together. Sandro, who had been chipped by Chen Anno first, seemed as if he still had not recovered, staring at Chen Anno as his teammates lifted him up.

"Who is that kid? He's ridiculously fast. By the time I turned around and tried to grab him, he'd already pulled two or three body lengths ahead."

"From the substitution announcement earlier, I think his name was... Anno? He looks like he's only in his teens, right? He really is impressive. I even think he's better than Neymar was at Santos." Silva, the center-back who had just been sent spinning, spoke up as well.

Defensive midfielder Felipe Bastos curled his lip. "Who cares who he is? When we defend later, we'll give him some special attention. Guys, don't let some brat who hasn't even grown all his hair yet scare you."

He had played for Benfica, one of Portugal's top clubs. Though he had never become a regular starter, he had seen enough of the world. He knew very well what the weaknesses of young players were—turn up the physicality, and no matter how talented they were, they would be shut down.

The match continued. After scoring, Sao Paulo played with even greater composure, while the visiting Vasco da Gama could only respond passively.

In the 57th minute.

Denilson intercepted the ball in the backfield and immediately passed it to Chen Anno.

This time, Chen Anno received the ball with his back to goal. Bastos pressed right up against him before he could turn.

Chen Anno tried to shake him off and took a step forward with the ball, but the guy clung to him like chewing gum. Not only could he not shake him off, Bastos kept disrupting him from behind with little fouls.

On the left, fullback Thiago had already pushed forward to offer support. Chen Anno feinted with his left foot as if he were about to pass wide.

The instant Bastos shifted behind him, Chen Anno knocked the ball back with his right foot and spun sharply to the left at the same time. The ball slipped perfectly through Bastos's legs.

Just as Chen Anno turned and prepared to accelerate, he felt a bump against his left ribs. Fortunately, his balance was excellent, and he did not lose possession.

But it cost him the best chance to break free, and Bastos latched onto him again.

"Kid, if you want to get past me, go back and drink milk for another two years!"

Bastos's arrogant voice rang in his ear, but Chen Anno ignored it completely.

Tap... tap...

With two consecutive passes, Chen Anno and the right winger Silvinho, who had dropped back to support him, completed a one-two.

The chewing gum at his side still would not come off.

This time, Chen Anno took a step over first, then knocked the ball backward with his right foot, finally bringing Bastos directly in front of him.

Seeing that their teammate might not be able to stop him, Vasco da Gama's other two midfielders, Wendell and Sandro, also rushed in, intending to take Chen Anno down in one go.

But Chen Anno was not flustered at all. He waited until the three were about to converge on him, then suddenly dragged the ball back with his right foot, flicked it up with his toe, and pushed off hard with his left foot.

He burst through the gap between Bastos and Sandro, then scooped the ball with his right foot. As if obedient, it sailed over the heads of the three men.

Chen Anno was simply too fast. Sandro and Bastos were a step too late in closing the door, and the two crashed straight into each other.

"Whoa..."

Chen Anno's circus-like move immediately drew a roar of cheers from the stands.

This was Brazilian football. This was exactly the kind of flashy dribbling they loved to see.

As Chen Anno raced forward, he cushioned the falling ball with the outside of his right foot without even slowing down, charging toward the attacking third with the ball at his feet.

He had bypassed the opponent's entire midfield barrier by himself. Sao Paulo now had a 5v4 situation in attack.

Osvaldo and the advancing fullback Thiago were on the left, Silvinho was on the right, while Fabinho and Chen Anno, carrying the ball, were positioned one ahead of the other through the middle.

The five of them put Vasco da Gama's defensive line under immense pressure.

"Which side is he going to pass to?" center-back Renato-Silva kept guessing.

But Chen Anno kept driving forward, showing no intention of passing at all, and he was already nearing the edge of the penalty arc...

"To hell with it!" Silva knew he could not let the kid carry the ball any farther. He immediately abandoned Fabiano and charged at Chen Anno.

"He used his right foot for that pass just now. He must be right-footed!" Recalling Chen Anno's earlier pass, Silva felt somewhat reassured and fixed his eyes firmly on his opponent's right foot.

Fabiano ahead of him was already unmarked. He was certain that Chen Anno would pass the ball to him.

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When Silva was only two meters away from Chen Anno, Chen Anno's right foot moved...

"Just as I thought!"

Certain of himself, Silva threw his whole body forward, doing everything he could to block Chen Anno's right-footed pass. He was highly confident that he could intercept it.

But the next instant... the smile froze on Silva's face!

Chen Anno's right foot had not passed the ball at all. Instead, he cut it to the left, then blocked it with his left foot and slipped past the already fallen Silva.

The stadium, which had been deafening just moments ago, suddenly fell silent. Chen Anno had carried the ball into the box and was now one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The fans were afraid that even a sound at this moment might disrupt his shot.

Seeing Silva beaten, Alves was startled and immediately spread his arms, ready to block the opponent's shot.

Yet Chen Anno, now inside the box, did not shoot at once. Instead, he began performing stepovers.

His feet swept rapidly over the ball, left and right, while his body swayed dramatically along with them.

Just as Alves was nearly dizzy from being feinted out, Chen Anno pulled the ball with his right foot, took it straight past Alves's right side, then calmly pushed it into the net with his left.

The whole process was simple and effortless!

The quiet stadium erupted the instant the ball hit the net.

2-0!

In the 58th minute of the second half, Sao Paulo had taken a two-goal lead.

It had only been thirteen minutes since Chen Anno came on.

The former Sao Paulo prodigy had announced the return of a king!

One goal and one assist in thirteen minutes!

In his debut, Chen Anno had handed the fans, the coaching staff, and the club a perfect report card.

Those two goals fully showcased Chen Anno's individual ability!

Facing the opposing defenders' blocks, he delivered calm, precise passes. Facing the opposing goalkeeper, he showed no panic at all, dribbling straight past him before shooting.

What kind of mentality was that for a seventeen-year-old player?

But Chen Anno's performance was not over yet, because the match was still going.

In the 70th minute.

Just outside the penalty area, Chen Anno received a layoff from Silvinho and unleashed a thunderous right-footed shot, blasting open Vasco da Gama's goal for the third time.

Less than half an hour after coming on, Chen Anno had scored twice!

Yet his performance still continued.

In the 76th minute.

Only six minutes had passed since his previous goal.

It was Chen Anno again. He received the ball in midfield and, facing four opposing players, the young boy weaved left and right, forcing his way through the crowd before passing the ball to Fabiano.

But Fabiano's shot was stopped by Alves with a diving save. Chen Anno reacted incredibly quickly, poking the ball in before the opponents could clear it.

4-0!

Chen Anno needed only thirty-one minutes to complete his hat trick.

Three goals and one assist in his debut had already broken the record Kaka set at Sao Paulo back then.

However, when Kaka scored twice on his debut in 2001, it had been in the final of the state championship, so the value of his goals had been higher than Chen Anno's.

But no one cared about that now. The entire Morumbi Stadium was chanting Chen Anno's name.

"There should be quite a few more people in the stands at the next home match..." Although head coach Ramalho was happy after the win, he could not help feeling a little wistful.

"Hm?" Milton did not understand what Ramalho meant. After such a huge win, wasn't it perfectly normal for there to be more fans in the stands next match?

Why did the head coach seem less than pleased?

The match ended, with the final score set at 5-0.

The fifth goal was scored by Aloisio, who came on as a substitute afterward, but that goal had little to do with Chen Anno.