This is the Legacy of Samba Football

Atletico Mineiro took the throw-in. Ronaldinho brought the ball under control at his feet, then dragged and nudged it with his right foot, nutmegging Denilson, who was defending him.

But the next moment, just as Ronaldinho turned and prepared to carry the ball forward, he smacked into a figure with a thud.

It turned out Chen Anno had guessed his idol's next move the instant the throw was taken and stepped up early to block the space. When Ronaldinho turned, he crashed right into Chen Anno's back.

After winning the ball, Chen Anno half-turned and knocked it forward, ready to accelerate toward the front court, but... a mysterious force came from behind him, pulling his shirt badly out of shape.

The whistle blew. Ronaldinho was sitting on the ground with a grin on his face, showing off his big buck teeth, his hand still clutching the corner of Chen Anno's jersey.

The referee ran over and showed him a yellow card.

Chen Anno turned and looked at the guy still grinning cheekily, his face full of disbelief: So this is what my idol is really like!

"Haha... kid, don't be so serious." Ronaldinho got up from the ground and patted Chen Anno on the arm. "I know you. Neymar mentioned you to me on the phone before."

With that, Ronaldinho ran back toward his own half, leaving Chen Anno standing there as if he still had not reacted.

He had no idea that the perfect image he held in the young man's heart was now developing in the direction of "a shameless rogue."

Denilson passed the ball back, and Sao Paulo began to organize their attack.

Chen Anno shook his head, pushed aside those irrelevant thoughts, and threw himself completely into the match.

That was his personality. Once he was on the pitch, he devoted all his energy to the game.

Chen Anno kept roaming around the center circle, looking for opportunities, occasionally linking up with teammates with one-touch combinations.

Soon, the match reached the 84th minute.

Atletico Mineiro sent in a cross during an attack, and Ceni gathered it easily.

"Anno!!"

With a loud shout, Ceni launched a quick counterattack with a powerful throw.

As Chen Anno sprinted, he used the outside of his right foot to guide the ball ahead to his right.

But the opposing defensive midfielder Pierre was tight against Chen Anno's left side, forcing him toward the right flank and denying him any chance to cut inside.

Seeing that the fullback behind him, Richarlison, was also about to catch up, Chen Anno knocked the ball with his left foot, then leaned into Pierre's body and used his right foot as a pivot. As he spun quickly, he flicked the ball up with the top of his left foot.

Completing a flicked turn past his man at such speed displayed Chen Anno's body balance to the fullest.

However, Chen Anno's show was not over yet. After he turned, the ball was still in midair. To avoid delaying the counterattack, he bumped it forward with his right shoulder, and the ball came smoothly in front of him.

Whoa...!

A burst of exclamations erupted from the fans in the stands.

Chen Anno strode forward with the ball and charged toward the penalty area. By the time Pierre, who had only just turned around, tried to reach out and pull him back, it was already far too late.

Chen Anno, already accelerating, was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, he arrived near the edge of the box.

Seeing this, the two opposing center-backs rushed at him one after the other.

Because it was a counterattack, Chen Anno had no support around him at all. He was completely alone.

At that moment, there were no stray thoughts in Chen Anno's eyes, only the football at his feet. His feet swept rapidly over the ball, and his wide stepovers made the defenders completely afraid to stick a foot in rashly, while also leaving them unable to guess which side he planned to break through.

Just then, Chen Anno suddenly pushed the ball to the left with his left foot. The defender, alarmed, immediately shifted to his right.

But the next instant, the ball on the left seemed to be tugged by a rubber band and snapped back to the right in an instant.

A left-footed elastico!

Even Ronaldinho behind him was stunned by the move.

The ball that bounced back struck Chen Anno's right foot. He used the momentum to push it forward, darting through the gap between the two defenders.

Such speed, such silky movement!

The defender in front reacted in his mind, but his body could not keep up, and he sat straight down on the ground.

Chen Anno had already carried the ball into the penalty area, facing the opposing goalkeeper Victor head-on.

Although the dribble before that had been spectacular, Victor had no mind to applaud this young man right now.

His expression was fierce, his arms spread wide, as if he were playing a game of eagle catching chicks, desperately protecting the chicks behind him... er... rather, protecting the goal behind him.

In that second, Mineirao Stadium seemed to have had the pause button pressed. Some people held their heads in both hands, some clenched their fists, but every pair of eyes was fixed on the figure dribbling inside the penalty area.

As he ran, Chen Anno swung his left foot... Victor immediately threw his body to the right.

But just as Chen Anno's raised left foot was about to strike the ball, his ankle suddenly shifted. He guided the ball forward and instantly slipped past Victor.

Once he had rounded the goalkeeper, what came next was simple. With a gentle push from his right foot, the ball crossed the goal line and rolled into Atletico Mineiro's net.

Roar...!!

The moment the ball rolled into the goal, in one corner of the stands, the several thousand Sao Paulo fans who had traveled from afar erupted into earth-shaking cheers.

After scoring, Chen Anno spread his arms and sprinted wildly all the way along the touchline.

His youthful, handsome face was especially striking under the lights, and his flowing black hair sent a few drops of sweat flying as he ran, making some female fans scream nonstop.

"Anno... Chen!"

"Anno... Chen!"

The few thousand Sao Paulo fans somehow roared with the force of tens of thousands.

"Beautifully done, Anno!"

Aloisio was the first to run over. Built like an ox, he hoisted Chen Anno straight onto his back.

In Sao Paulo, Chen Anno was their team pet; all the older brothers liked this extremely talented yet humble junior.

In the 85th minute, at 0–1, Chen Anno helped Sao Paulo break the deadlock.

In a slow-paced match like today's, a goal at this point was basically a winner.

Sure enough, when the referee blew the whistle to end the match, the score was still 0–1.

After coming off the bench in two straight matches and helping the team win both times, Chen Anno's status at Sao Paulo skyrocketed.

"Hey... kid, can I swap shirts with you?"

Chen Anno was just about to leave the pitch when a voice called out.

Chen Anno turned back and saw a face that always wore a smile—and, of course... that iconic row of buck teeth.

"Of course...!" Facing his idol, Chen Anno was still a little nervous, even though this idol had not left the best impression on him when he had first come on.

But he also knew that this was how matches were on the pitch. Even idols were players, after all.

"Ronaldinho, I grew up watching you play. You're my idol."

Ronaldinho's smile grew even brighter when he heard that. "Then that's my honor! You're very good, Anno. I hope you can make it to Europe soon. That's the stage where your talent truly belongs."

"Thank you! Ronaldinho, I'll work hard."

"Keep it up! You're great, really!"

The two exchanged shirts and hugged each other. In particular, the scene of Ronaldinho gently stroking Chen Anno's head with his right hand was captured by a nearby reporter.

Years later, this photo spread across the internet and was celebrated by fans all over the world as a beautiful story: this was the passing down of samba football.