Late at night, although Lisbon International Airport is not as busy as it is during the day, it is still bustling with people.
Pontes and Jose Semedo waited patiently at the airport exit.
It wasn't until the airport broadcast announced that the flight from Madeira Islands had arrived that the two men paid attention.
Not long after, Su Dong and his group of four were seen coming out, dragging suitcases.
"Su, Ronnie!" Jose Semedo was the first to notice them, shouted, and immediately went to meet them.
Just as he rushed forward, the Cape Verdean boy stopped and looked at the two old friends in front of him with a rather unfamiliar look.
"What's the matter?" Ronnie felt very strange.
Not only Jose Semedo was puzzled, Pontes also looked at the two men with wide eyes, very surprised.
"You're tanned." Jose Semedo laughed.
He himself has dark skin, but he didn't expect that Su Dong and Ronnie have also become tanned.
"Normal, do you think we are going on vacation? We train under the scorching sun every day, okay?" Ronnie said as a matter of course.
Su Dong also found it funny.
Maybe I didn't notice anything unusual because I saw them every day, but after two months of separation, Jose Semedo and Pontes' reactions were enough to prove that they had indeed become much darker.
"You've got a tan, which is good." Pontes praised him from the side. "You look much more energetic, and you've built up your muscles. Not bad, not bad, really not bad."
It can be seen that Pontes is very satisfied with the training results of the two during this period.
Their bronzed skin was a testament to their hard work, but more importantly, both of them had become more muscular.
Su Dong is now 1.95 meters tall, which is already a very impressive height, but what is even more terrifying is that he has been gaining weight continuously, especially in the last two months, he has increased his weight to 85 kilograms.
This makes him look a little thin, but compared with six months ago, his muscles are really impressive.
Pontes knew best.
With the level of hard work that Sudong and Ronnie put in, they could have added more weight and built more amazing muscles, but Nuno Cruz didn't want them to do that. Instead, he wanted to take it step by step.
Su Dong's ideal weight should be between 90 kg and 95 kg, but at present, there is still some distance to go.
But looking at him walking along the way, he was full of vigor and vitality, and compared to two months ago, it could be said that he was completely reborn.
Not only Su Dong, but Ronnie as well.
It can be seen that the vacations of these two boys were not wasted.
…
"Are you Pepe?" Pontes turned his gaze to Pepe.
"Yes, hello, Mr. Pontes." Pepe extended his hand politely.
"I've read your information. Su and Ronnie have told me about you many times. Head coach Boloni is also very impressed with you. Seize the opportunity during the pre-season training and show your strength. If you can satisfy the head coach, we won't recruit a central defender this summer. Do you understand?"
Sporting Lisbon does not have much money to invest in the transfer market and now needs to introduce a midfielder. If Pepe can meet the needs of the team, and Andre Cruz stays, I believe there will be no major problems with the defense in the new season.
Pepe had already learned about Sporting Lisbon's situation from Sudong and Ronaldo. He knew very well that this was definitely a rare opportunity for him. If he seized it, it would be entirely possible for him to make a name for himself in Sporting Lisbon.
Therefore, the Brazilian central defender kept nodding his head, promising himself to try his best.
At the same time, he did not forget to turn around and nod gratefully to Su Dong and Ronnie.
Instead, Jose Semedo felt a little disappointed.
He is also a central defender and the first team has also scouted him, but Boloni is not satisfied with him. Even the head coach of the second team, Jean James, is a little dissatisfied with him, which makes Jose Semedo's situation in the team in the new season not very satisfactory.
"Let's go, go home and talk slowly." Jose Semedo quickly changed the subject and concealed his disappointment.
Su Dong and Ronnie looked at each other and saw the discovery in each other's eyes, but they could do nothing about it.
As good friends, they have advised Jose Semedo more than once. Even as early as two months ago, when they set out for Madeira, they persuaded him several times to go with them, but Semedo refused.
Although professional football has its share of human relationships, in the final analysis, it all comes down to strength.
If Jose Semedo himself cannot meet the requirements, will Su Dong and Ronaldo allow the team to continue using him? Will they continue to keep him?
…
As early as in Madeira Island, Sudong and Ronnie had already made the agreement with Pepe.
When they arrived in Lisbon, the Brazilians temporarily lived with them.
Anyway, they still have a guest room, which is perfect for Pepe.
Although it is a guest room, it is actually much better than Pepe's rental house in Madeira Island.
When the Brazilian center back entered the game, he was a little confused.
"I've never lived in such a nice house!" Pepe said excitedly.
Best of all, there is no rent required.
"You will live here from now on, and it's best if you stay here forever." Su Dong encouraged with a smile.
"Isn't it? The four of us can just play mahjong together." Ronnie also laughed.
Mahjong?
Pepe obviously had never played this game, and in the end it was Jose Semedo who explained what mahjong was.
Of course, this is just a joke.
Su Dong and Ronnie are busy with training on weekdays, so how do they have time to play mahjong?
However, after arriving in Lisbon, returning home and packing his things, Ronnie ran out alone and did not return all night.
Su Dong and Jose Semedo have long been accustomed to this.
Early the next morning, when Su Dong and Pepe came back from running training outside, they found Ronnie with weak hands and feet, walking with the help of the wall.
Well, as a person, you should not be too extravagant!
…
…
Last season, Sporting Lisbon won the historic double championship, which made the team's every move attract much attention.
Especially with Porto's continuous lavish spending and Benfica's proper operation, the Green Lions' future seems bleak, which makes the fans feel quite worried.
The good news is that Romanian center forward Nicolae, who is highly trusted by head coach Bologna, has returned from injury, and midfielder Sa Pinto has also returned from surgery, which are all boosts to Sporting Lisbon.
But after missing out on Giovanni and Petit, the team is eager to bring in a midfielder.
Either young and capable players or experienced veterans, this is Sporting Lisbon's recruitment strategy.
The team is currently intensively searching for candidates.
The first game of the new season will kick off on August 14th.
Due to the European competition points, although being the Portuguese Super League champion, Sporting Lisbon still needs to participate in the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifiers. Only by defeating the opponent in the qualifiers can Sporting Lisbon successfully advance to the group stage.
But the Champions League qualifying rounds are not easy to play in. The opponents include top teams such as Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, Barcelona in La Liga, Newcastle in the Premier League and the two AC Milan teams in Serie A. Even Manchester United in the Premier League has to play in the third round of qualifiers.
So, it all depends on the luck of the draw.
If they are lucky and draw an opponent of similar strength, Sporting Lisbon will have a greater chance of advancing. If they are unlucky and draw a strong team, they can only rely on an upset.
The qualifiers are divided into two rounds, with a Portuguese Super Cup match in between. After the second round, it will be the first game of the new season of the Portuguese Super League, so Sporting Lisbon is under great pressure throughout August.
…
On the first day of the training camp, Su Dong and Ronnie became the focus of everyone's attention.
It’s not that they became stronger, but more importantly, they became tanned, which made them the target of teasing by their teammates.
"I've gotten darker and stronger!" Su Dong smiled confidently.
Jadel naturally didn't believe it. He waved his finger at Su Dong with an expression that said, "No matter how strong you are, you can't be stronger than me."
The Brazilian center forward hasn't been involved in many transfer rumors this summer.
There were previous reports that a Premier League team wanted to invite him, but Jardel rejected the invitation from the Premier League team because the team could participate in the Champions League. It is said that this made the management of Sporting Lisbon quite disappointed.
His annual salary is too high, and the pressure on Sporting Lisbon is really great.
Romanian center Niculai is still like a lone ranger. He has joined the team for a year, but so far, apart from head coach Boloni, he seems to have no other friends and has always acted alone.
If he was still recovering from injury , then after returning from injury in the new season, while Jardel was talking and laughing with Su Dong and others, he was alone packing up his things silently.
Captain Barbosa wanted to help him and called him several times, but he just said a few perfunctory words and remained the same.
However, in the subsequent training, Su Dong and Ronnie showed the results of their hard work over the past two months.
Especially during team training, although Su Dong was still suppressed by Andre Cruz, he was no longer at a disadvantage in physical confrontation, and even seemed to be able to show his own characteristics by relying on his height and long legs.
This also made Andre Cruz believe that Su Dong had made great progress during this period.
The same goes for Ronnie. His several breakthroughs on the wing were very sharp, but his old problem of sticking to the ball caused him to lose some points. But overall, compared with last season, Ronnie has made great progress.
It is still just pre-season training and preparation, and the players haven’t adjusted their form yet, so we will have to wait until the preparations and warm-up matches to know how they will perform.
What Su Dong is more concerned about is his position in the team.
Jardel stayed in the team, Nicolaj returned from injury, Lorenzo and Gisvi both joined the first team for training, and Su Dong was caught in the middle, and his situation was somewhat awkward.
He was not afraid of Laurenceau and Gisvi, but mainly of Jardel and Niculai.
One is the European Golden Boot winner last season and his position in the team is unshakable; the other is the trusted and beloved player of head coach Boloni and a young center forward who was brought in at a huge cost.
At this moment, Su Dong began to feel fortunate that he had tried his best to show himself in the final stage of last season and finally left a good impression in the mind of head coach Boloni. Otherwise, he would just be like Laurenceau and Gisvi, and remain to be seen.
And on the second day of the team's training, Sporting Lisbon's long-awaited midfield signing quietly arrived.
Alcocheti is boiling!