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45.45% THE REAL GOAT(A Football Fanfic) / Chapter 5: Meeting the Players

Chapter 5: Meeting the Players

I took a deep breath. The air in Barcelona was really fresh unlike in my country. The grass of the field was trimly cut and the skies... they were really blue with silver clouds drifting along.

I lowered my head. Beside me stood, Xavi... and in front of me, were a few of the most elite players in the football world, the cream of the top.

Robert Lewandoski, aka Lewangoalski. The man who scored 5 goals in nine minutes. Ousman Dembele. Rhaphina. The new Xavi and Iniesta duo, Gavi and Pedri. Frekie De Jong, an exceptional player, one of the most important for the team. Jordi Alba... Jules Kounde... the legendary playmaker... Sergio Busquets.

The entire Barcelona team stood in front. Xavi on the side was instructing them on some tactics and how they should train today.

I could feel the peering gaze of the players, curious about who I am.

"Lastly...." Xavi paused, he turned toward me, and prodded me a little.

"Introduce yourself, your likes, dislikes... hobbies."

Ah, I nodded to Xavi. I was a little nervous but my excitement overcame that feeling.

"Yo guys, my name is Storm, Bobby Storm. I like vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate syrup and French fries mixed in, I dislike Paella, and my hobbies are playing video games and reading novels when I am not out playing football."

Some felt a little weirded out by the combo of vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and French fries but that is because they have not ever tried it.

Once they do, they will not be able to go back to normal food.

As for Paella... I could see some Spaniards clutch their hearts as if stabbed and look at me with fiery eyes. That included my coach.

Maybe I should not have said that... but I really do not like Paella. Not even the burnt part of the rice. It's overrated brah.

The Spanish have many other foods that I prefer. Um... like..... uhhhh. Well, Sangria? That's a really good wine and... it pairs well with cheese? I-I like the prawns Spanish people make too!

Fuck! I should have never said that. These Spaniards are looking at me as if they are gonna pierce me with a spear.

"Me encanta comer españolas."(I love to eat Spanish Women) I blurted out. Maybe this will chill them. Ugh... they are staring harder.

At that time Lewandoski spoke as if understanding my plight.

"You were the one I met in the locker room."

I nodded. Thank you for saving me, you beautiful polish lad.

"Si si."

"Also that number 69 jersey you are wearing... it looks... fake?"

I scratched my head. How do I tell him that, I made this jersey for myself before time to merge well with my new comrades?

Kinda embarrassing.

~

Aside from that, Barcelona welcomed me with open arms. Some of the players were suspicious about my skills maybe even jealous of a nobody stranger coming into the team and getting all the attention from the power houses... the players including Ansu Fati, Raphinia, and Dembele.

To be honest, I could care less about either of them. After all, I was hanging out with Lewandoski, Gavi, Pedri, and De Jong bruh. These guys already made me feel as if I am part of the team.

Especially, Lewandoski, he had a great attitude. He was going around helping all of us youngsters while practicing on his own.

He even gave me a few tips on how to score better.

•Small steps.

•Look at the goalie's position.

•Rely on your feet instinct and mind's first thought to then score.

The same for a penalty but adding a little jump alongside it.

I began to juggle with the ball as I glanced at the side, Gavi and Pedri were practicing together. At a glance, one may think they are gay for each other but to be honest, they gave best friend brother vibes.

Not to mention, it is a widely known fact that Spain's princess has a crush on Gavi. The dude even blushes when you mention it.

In matters of love, he is rather mushy but during practice... he is quite serious and sometimes lets anger get the quick of him.

Whereas Pedri is like the mature one of the duo, silent and a little sarcastic but humorous nonetheless.

Frankie meanwhile was a rather sweet and genuine guy. Honesty was one of his biggest virtues. One would often see him with a smile on his face.

What truly was amazing about him was his ability to adapt to situations and truly even his personality is similar to his play style.

He had a personality that was accepting of any decision, like as if he would be fine playing any position... but he wanted to be on the field playing some ball.

I could tell he was passionate about the sport, like everyone else on the team. This filled me with joy, these were comrades that shared the same passion as me in a very deep manner.

I do not have many friends and the ones I have are not as heavily invested in Football as I am... so this was a rather good change of pace for me.

It made me happy.

Xavi jogged toward me. He smiled a little as he spoke.

"C'mon let us leave now. I have arranged a house for you. We will talk about your salary, contract and Debut to the world as well during dinner."


next chapter

Chapter 6: Contract and Mansion

"Mhmmm, try this salad. It's amazing." Xavi took a whole bowl of the greens and dumped it on my plate.

My face twitched a little seeing the absurd amount of salad. The dude dumped all salad that was meant for four people.

"Now that you are to be a professional footballer especially playing in the big leagues, you need to eat healthy. Tomorrow we will get you checked by our team nutritionist- Maria Lizzaraga and your meals will be personally served by our team Chef- Xavier Pellecier... mind you he is a Michelin star chef."

I nodded. It sounded awesome. Since I got into football, I have always consumed healthy food to improve my field performance because my stamina is relatively low compared to all my other skills.

Another reason not to mention was Ronaldo. I may support Barcelona and be a Barca fan but that does not mean I do not recognize or like players of different teams.

Ronaldo is one of those that I admire. His dedication to football and his body is something every football aspire should follow.

Plus not to mention he has a sexy girlfriend. I wonder if I will be able to meet her someday.

Shaking my head, I snapped out of my thoughts and began to eat the salad.

"Mhmmm..."

Not bad. It was actually rather tasty. I could feel the subtle taste of garlic mixed with tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion.

Seeing me eat without complaints, a smile emerged on Xavi's face.

"I remember when I first joined Barcelona, I hated the restrictive diet. Those days were something else."

I stopped eating for a moment before beginning to chew slowly and gulping it down. The days Xavi is speaking about... the golden era of football.

Puyol... Ronaldinho... Beckham...

These were some of the pioneers.

The world was at their feet.

They would win everything.

And then came...

Messi.

He made history.

With a small smile, I buried my face into the salad eating all of it as fast as I could. Xavi smiled as he looked out of the window toward the moon as if he was talking to it.

Next, I took a cup of Arroz Con Leche, this dessert instantly burst in my mouth the moment my lips touched.

It. Was. Fucking. Delicious.

A simple rice pudding that had a touch of tanginess and a luscious body of vanilla and raisins.

"Let's talk about your contract." Xavi suddenly spoke as we dug into our dessert. He handed me a pristine document and a pen alongside it.

Although I did not have a lawyer with me, it was okay. Barcelona ain't like other clubs that aim to trap.

Hmmm, I read the clauses and statements.

4 million euros per season with a hike each year with an increase in performance. A release clause of 500 million euros and a contract till 2026 in September.

With a bonus signing payment of 20000 € right now, transacted into my bank account.

A pretty good deal. It was low but I could not blame Xavi for it. After all, I am still a very new player with no professional experience. Who knows? I might not even be able to play well on the actual field against other elite teams.

At least there was a chance to have my salary hike, not to say... everyone knows that Barcelona is in a pinch, financial-wise.

It's amazing that despite that being that being the case we are still first in the La Liga table. Second is Atlético Madrid and third, is Real Madrid.

The air, the environment.. the culture of Barcelona... this is what makes it different. We empower our players and play with a passion unlike others who only care about money and their arrogance... talking dirty in the locker room.

My release clause was which was surprising but pretty good. I guess Barca learned their lesson from Neymar's release clause.

However, it was still low compared to Gavi, Fati, and Pedri who are close to my age and have a 1 billion € clause.

Whelp. It does not matter anyways. I just want to play.

My contract does not expire till 2026, now being 2023... I have three good years to play... the future being dynamic afterward.

I smiled as I took the pen and signed in the box below.

"I accept."

Xavi offered his hand to what I shook. A good deal to a good future. We both ate our rice pudding and looked at the Moon.

"Welcome to Barcelona. Officially." Saying that he got up and walked toward the door, wearing his sneakers.

I walked him out as he opened the door before pausing. A sly smile crept onto his face as he looked at me.

"I forgot."

He threw something in the air that I caught immediately. Looking down at the thing, it was a key.

I looked back at Xavi, confused. He spoke.

"This is the house key, now this place is yours until the end of your contract. Everything inside property premises is yours too until the end, please refrain from damaging... costs of higher-end products will be cut from your salary. Maintenance of the mansion too will be deduced from your salary."

I gulped my saliva and nodded. Overall excited. He almost closed the door but not before giving me a reminder with an enigmatic expression.

"Do check out the garage."

Saying that he closed the door. I stared at the closed pile of wooden slab for a moment, confused before my eyes widened in realization.

In an excited manner, I put the keys in my pocket as I explored the mansion that had been gifted to me.

It was a two-story mansion with a whopping ten bedrooms, a huge transparent swimming pool outside with a few jacuzzis beside them, and a beautiful garden.

[Image here]

Inside there were spaces such as an indoor football turf, a half basketball court, a squash court, a yoga room, and a gym that gave an outside view of an artificial pond.

There was an insane amount of bathrooms, thirteen that I had counted, each fairly large, and two enormous kitchens. There were more bathrooms than rooms.

Three elevators, a grand library along with two staircases. A motherfucking trampoline and a Sauna.

A huge dancing room near one of the kitchens which had a bar beside.

On the outside, there was a huge lawn, a mini gold court, an outdoor football turf, and a huge parking space beside it after what came to the black electric gates.

Near the parking space and the gates, straight he's there was a tunnel that lead into the basement. As I walked in deeper, it grew darker.

Seeing, a switchboard through my phone's flashlight, I switched all of them on... and with a flick of my finger... the lights switched on.

Bright cream-colored lights that empowered the modern design of the infrastructure. A garage.

In front of my eyes, three vehicles rested.

Holy... Mother... Of... God.

I can kiss Xavi right now.

This is the best surprise ever.

A Cupra Formentor Vz5. Barcelona's official car partner. A grey Audi R8 Coupe (Type 42) the original R8, Barcelona's former car partner. Last and final, a black Yamaha R1 superbike.

[Images here]

I held my cheeks tight and pinched them. Am I dreaming? Gulping my saliva as I walked toward a straw table where the keys of the three vehicles were kept neatly.

"...Oink bless me. We gonna get all the bitches in España. Amen."

~

I promised a chapter after 11th and I have now fulfilled.


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