Kapitel 3: Like a Prince
The games went by quickly. Every second, Maxi was getting more excited.
When 6 minutes of the 4th game had already passed, the announcer began his usual announcement:
"All players from FC Wacker München and BSC Sendling, please proceed to the player tunnels and wait for the match to end."
Maxi, full of excitement, wanted to run down immediately, but someone held him back. He looked behind and saw that it was his mother.
"Didn't you forget something?" Sophie asked with a teasing smile, almost laughing. Isa couldn't hold back and started giggling.
"What did I forget?!" Maxi exclaimed, shocked and embarrassed. His face quickly turned red as he looked over his body, noticing nothing out of place.
"PLEASE, MOM!!! TELL ME!" Maxi began begging.
Sophie, still laughing, covered her mouth with her hand and pointed out what he had forgotten.
"OH! MY BOOTS!" Maxi exclaimed, quickly putting them on.
He had somehow not realized he was still wearing his sneakers.
"Good luck, Maxi," Isa encouraged him.
Sophie and Angelika also nodded in support.
Maxi immediately accelerated and sprinted downstairs, his speed surprising many passersby.
Some scouts even jotted his name down in their notebooks.
Physicality is the foundation of most professional footballers, and much of it relies on talent. One of the most notable traits is acceleration and top speed.
Once downstairs, the coach began re-explaining the tactics to everyone.
The two teams lined up in front of the doors, waiting for the match to begin.
Maxi was, of course, in the starting lineup with four others.
Altogether, there were 5 players, including the goalkeeper.
They played in a 2-2-1 formation, with Maxi as the striker.
As the music slowed and the siren signaling the end of the previous match sounded, the teams left the field. One side was high-spirited, while the other was dejected.
When the field cleared, Maxi's team took their positions.
Maxi's team started with the kickoff. They had already agreed on their tactic — the most common for small football pitches like these: hammering the ball directly into the goal from the kickoff.
Maxi was tasked with executing the tactic, as he had the best shooting technique.
When the whistle blew, Maxi nodded to Yousuf, who made the kickoff, passing the ball backward to Maxi.
Maxi ran towards the ball at a specific angle and struck it slightly off-center with the inside of his foot, adding spin.
His body followed through in a fluid motion, much like Beckham's style.
Maxi aimed for the top right corner of the goal.
As soon as he struck the ball, it flew in a beautiful arc.
At first, the audience and opposing team thought it was going out of bounds, but when they saw the curve, they were shocked.
The goalkeeper tried to react, but it was too late — the ball had already flown into the net.
Maxi immediately celebrated with his teammates.
Many scouts noted something down in their notebooks. They were writing about the young number 10 of FC Wacker München.
Shortly after the goal, the game resumed.
The opponents tried the same tactic as Maxi but failed. The ball hit the billboard and bounced to one of FC Wacker München's defenders. Under no pressure, the defender moved forward with the ball, always keeping an eye on Maxi.
Maxi, knowing the team's tactics, dropped deeper to receive the ball.
The defender passed to Maxi.
Maxi began to accelerate slightly.
When he reached a suitable position near the halfway line, he passed the ball to the left midfielder.
Immediately after passing, Maxi accelerated like lightning, shaking off his marker.
When the midfielder received the ball, he passed it back to Maxi, who was sprinting ahead.
Although the pass was difficult to control, Maxi managed to receive it just before reaching the goalkeeper.
Now, Maxi was 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper.
Calmly, Maxi advanced. As the goalkeeper rushed toward him, Maxi performed a ball roll and nutmegged him.
The ball rolled effortlessly into the net.
After less than a minute, FC Wacker München was leading 2-0.
The dominance continued for the remaining 12 minutes.
Maxi demonstrated many qualities, including high acceleration, excellent vision, tactical awareness, and great shooting ability.
In the end, FC Wacker München won 7-0, with all seven goals involving Maxi.
After the match, Isa was amazed by Maxi. She admired how elegant and graceful he was with the ball. He was almost like a prince.
Scouts look for many qualities, and Maxi fulfilled almost all of them — from football IQ and versatility to physicality, dribbling, and shooting.
Many scouts immediately placed Maxi at the top of their lists and began inquiring about his background.
In the audience, an older man watched Maxi with fascination.
"Brilliant... Brilliant... He could be huge. He's a mix of Henry, Messi, and a young Müller," he mumbled to himself.
He asked his assistant to gather more information about the boy.
This man was Hermann Gerland, a renowned developer of young talent.
Currently coaching FC Bayern's second team, he had come to this tournament due to the international break.
He had discovered several talented players in this annual tournament.
But in Maxi, he saw something special — a football intelligence comparable to Thomas Müller, a player Gerland was currently coaching. Müller was a player who, by all logic, shouldn't be a professional. He lacked pace and dribbling skills, yet he always found ways to score. Gerland's summary of Müller was simple: "He just beats you."
And in Maxi, Gerland saw similar intelligence. Maxi instinctively knew how, when, and where to run. Not to mention, he had an excellent sense of the ball and incredible acceleration.
The tournament continued, and Maxi continued to amaze the audience more and more.
As the scouts gathered more information, they became increasingly shocked.
"HE'S ONLY BEEN PLAYING FOR 4 MONTHS?! AND HE'S ONLY 7 YEARS OLD! I HAVE TO SIGN HIM!" This thought crossed the minds of many scouts present.
FC Wacker München hadn't faced any major opponents in the group stage. The stage was divided into two tables. FC Wacker München was placed in a group with the weaker teams, as they were expected to be a weak team themselves.
In the other group were the stronger teams, including Bayern, 1860 München, and Unterhaching, with SV Heimstetten being the unlucky exception.
Two teams from each group would advance to the semifinals.
In Maxi's group, FC Wacker München finished in first place, with SpVgg Helios München in second.
In the stronger group, FC Bayern München took first, and TSV 1860 München secured second place.
This meant that FC Wacker München would face TSV 1860 München in the semifinals.
The semifinals and finals would take place the following day.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein