He sat quietly in the dressing room, lost in thought. He knew he had to step up his game in the second half if they were to win the game. As he looked around, he could see the frustration etched on his teammates' faces. However, he also saw the determination and resilience that had made this team so great.
As the second half kicked off, the intensity increased, with both teams fighting hard for every ball. Julian could feel the tension mounting as the clock ticked down. Barcelona was pushing hard, but Manchester United was defending with everything they had.
The ball seemed to traverse like a ping pong between the two sides, neither side let into their lower third and neither side could afford to; just one chance could seal the fate of this game. Julian knew he had the most responsibility as the sole striker and the best player on the team but whenever he got the ball, despite his skills and amazing attributes, he never could get past the towering defenders of Barcelona; they seemed to follow him whenever he would go, tracking him down as if they were some sort of skilled hunter. After all, it didn't help that they had around 3 men on him at all times; he felt that it sort of feels nice to be respected and feared so much that they need surveillance on him at all times.
But whist it felt nice, it was not helpful in the very least. Time after time, Julian would be blocked from the ball and time after time, did his frustration only increase.
Who would've thought that a teenage boy would hold a tantrum? Never happened before.
"Omega, I can't get past this defence, what is going on?! I know Barcelona defenders are good but I've faced opponents on the same level or even better in my past few preseason games; why is it so hard now?"
[Julian, their abilities could be elevated due to the effect of it being a final; some players may have a sort of championship dna causing their attributes to increase during big game moments like this. You wouldn't have got it as you have never been or won a professional final before; yes, I am not counting those under-12 trophies.]
"Don't diss those trophies, they took a lot of hard work to win" Julian then continued "It seems I have to step my game up, play a bit differently, maybe instead of trying to hold the ball up in the later parts of field, I should make more darting runs"
In the 70th minute, Manchester United won a corner. Beckham stepped up to take it, and the entire stadium held its breath. Beckham swung his foot, and the ball flew into the box, where Julian rose up, outjumping his marker, to head the ball into the net.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Julian was lifted up by his teammates, congratulating him on his second goal of the game. He felt a rush of adrenaline, and his confidence soared. They had regained the lead, but they knew they couldn't afford to be complacent.
Barcelona fought back, with Rivaldo and Figo leading the charge. However, Manchester United's defense stood firm, with Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen making crucial tackles and interceptions.
*TICK*
*TICK*
*TICK*
As the clock ticked towards the 90th minute, Barcelona won a free-kick on the edge of the box. Rivaldo stood over it, eyeing the top corner of the goal. The crowd held its breath as he took a step back and ran up to the ball.
However, Smeichel produced a masterful save, diving to his right to palm the ball away. The crowd roared, and the United fans broke into a chant of "Smeichel, Smeichel!"
The final whistle blew, and the United players jumped for joy, hugging and congratulating each other. Julian felt a sense of pride and satisfaction as he looked around at his teammates. They had worked hard for this, and they had earned it.
Julian couldn't contain his excitement as he began to imagine himself holding the preseason trophy high above his head. It was the first trophy he had ever won, and he was overjoyed to have been a part of the winning team.
The team had worked tirelessly throughout the preseason, putting in long hours of training and pushing themselves to the limit. Julian had never felt more alive than when he was on the field, playing with his teammates and working towards a common goal.
As they celebrated their victory, Julian looked around at his teammates and felt a sense of camaraderie that he had never experienced before. They had all worked so hard to achieve this moment, and he was proud to be a part of such a dedicated and passionate group.
Even if he only knew some of them for the shortest amount of time.
As the celebrations continued , Julian couldn't help but think about all the hard work that had gone into this victory. He knew that this was just the beginning, and that there were many more challenges and triumphs to come.
But for now, he was content to bask in the glow of his first trophy, and to revel in the joy and camaraderie of his team. Julian knew that this was a moment he would never forget, and he was grateful to have experienced it with such an incredible group of people.
Whilst on the pitch, Julian heard shouts from his mother and father. She was ecstatic, congratulating him on his performance and telling him how proud she was of him. He felt a wave of emotion and then
...
...
...
started to cry.
Even if he was a mentally older man, he could only cry, all these emotions he had been holding in his past life and his new had al burst out; he had finally achieved what he wanted: his parents were still alive, things were going well with Jessica and he was now a professional footballer for his favourite club; what else could he've asked for. The dream he held in his heart for so many decades had finally bloomed.
[Well done, Julian, well done]
And who could forget this new little rascal of a friend he's made; even if he wasn't a physical being, Julian didn't care, he was his friend and not only that, probably the best thing to ever happen to his life.
But then Julian realised in his head he was not done and this was only the start...
this was only the start to...
"Omega, this is unlike you, why are you congratulating me already?! We haven't finished what we've started yet" Julian smirked then continued "I'm no football king yet"
Silence could be heard from Omega.
...
...
...
[HAHAHAHAHAAHA] the system burst out laughing after hearing Julian's words before readying himself [No, Julian, we are not finished yet, this is just the start!]