Can Snow Leopards Play Soccer Too?

Ilya is a Russian snow leopard, but after some despicable poachers capture him, he's sent to a strange place: Portugal.

Ilya turns into a bipedal beast and escapes from an auction house, only to run into human traffickers moments later.

Are all humans this awful?!

Ilya snarls in fury, but an old man comes to his rescue and asks him to kick a black-and-white ball called a soccer ball.

Old man: "Soccer is easy. You just have to kick the ball into the goal."

Ilya agrees without really knowing what he's getting into, and begins his youth training career.

A Russian snow leopard gains Portuguese citizenship, becomes a striker on the national team, and represents Portugal at the World Cup...

Doesn't something seem a little off here?!

*

As a snow leopard, Ilya hates Portugal's Mediterranean climate.

That is, until he joins La Liga and takes part in a winter match on a snowy day.

Unable to resist his instincts, Ilya frolics wildly in the snow. He runs faster than usual and plays more fiercely than ever.

His teammates are baffled.

"What's gotten into Ilya?"

The next day, a rumor spreads through the team.

#A snow-leopard-like beast was playing in the snow on the soccer field last night!#

*

Ilya wins the Premier League, La Liga, the Champions League, and finally the World Cup, becoming the undisputed "best striker in the world."

A reporter asks him, "How did you get started in professional soccer?"

Ilya looks bewildered.

"I dunno. The old man said he'd feed me, so I came."

1. The whole team adores him, the whole team adores him, the whole team adores him.

2. Portugal wins the World Cup.

3. I don't know much about soccer, so I'll do some research before starting.

Theme: Hard work pays off