The ball spun at midfield as the match restarted.
The score was tied 2-2.Time was running out.
Every pass, every touch, every decision now carried weight.
The intensity surged — the defenders grew more aggressive, the tackles harsher, the shouting louder.
Mateo felt it.
The rush of adrenaline, the fire in his veins, the whisper of the ball at his feet urging him forward.
He could do it.He could take over.He could dribble past them all again.He could be the hero.
The temptation sang to him — sweet, heady, almost overwhelming.
His body tensed, ready to launch into another solo run.
But then —
A flicker of memory.
Coach Dietrich's cold voice from an earlier seminar weeks ago, when he had explained the Bayern philosophy:
"Football is not about you alone. It is about the team. The greatest players are not the ones who score the most..."
"They are the ones who lift everyone around them."
"They make others better."
Mateo blinked.
His foot hovered above the ball.
In the corner of his vision, he saw it:
A teammate making a diagonal run into space.
Another dropping back, ready for a quick pass.
The defenders tightening toward him, expecting another solo charge.
They were vulnerable.
But not to a solo move.
To a team move.
To vision.To leadership.
Mateo smiled — a small, sharp smile.
And made his decision.
He faked a forward dribble — the defenders bit, collapsing toward him.
At the last second, with perfect timing, Mateo slid a quick pass wide to his teammate sprinting into the open space.
The boy received it cleanly, drove forward, and crossed low into the box.
Another teammate, crashing in from the far post, met it with a first-time shot.
The ball slammed into the back of the net.
3-2.
Comeback complete.
The small group of players erupted, rushing together in celebration.
Mateo jogged calmly to join them, his heart pounding — but steady, strong.
He hadn't scored the goal.
But he had made the goal.
And somehow, it felt even better.
On the sidelines, Coach Dietrich's pen paused above his clipboard.
Slowly, deliberately, he made a new note:
- Demonstrates leadership under pressure- Elevates team performance- Understands when to attack, when to distribute- True potential: first-team material, long-term
The final whistle blew a few minutes later.
The trial match was over.
The boys shook hands, panting, their bodies heavy with fatigue.
The evaluators began to gather, whispering, comparing notes.
Coach Dietrich lingered a moment longer, his cold eyes still fixed on the slim figure of Mateo González Schwarz —hair damp with sweat, chest heaving, but standing tall.
"He's not ready yet," Dietrich thought."But he's real. And that's rarer than gold."
As Mateo walked off the field, feeling the dull ache of exhaustion in his muscles, he allowed himself a small, tired smile.
Whatever happened next —he had given everything.