"Goal!" Isaac reacted as if he had scored a World Cup final winner, as he punched his fist enthusiastically.
"That was a beauty!" Billy Gilmour, a Scottish player shouted out as he jogged up to Isaac.
The other players also came up to him with praise.
"Looking good! Come on, let's finish the game!" one of the coaches shouted out. The players complied.
Soon, the game had finished. Isaac found that he had been approached by a few of the younger Brighton players. Namely, Steve Cooks and Evan Ferguson, both of whom he was not so familiar with.
"You've got skills," Steve said, with a chuckle.
"Nah, I'm just average," Isaac replied, trying to be humble.
"Please, you might as well say the sky is green," Another quipped in.
"It's not?" Isaac asked, in mock surprise.
Everyone laughed before they continued speaking to him and asking questions about himself.
"Isaac!" Isaac spun around to see the manager calling him.
"Yes, coach." He jogged up to the coach.
"Today night, you sign a contract. Okay?"
Isaac felt himself burst with happiness.
...
THE NEXT DAY
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
MERCEDES BENZ STADIUM
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION VS BRENTFORD
PREMIER LEAGUE SUMMER SERIES
It was beautiful. It was also terrifying.
Isaac had never witnessed such a magnanimous sight before. Not in his short life. Hundreds and thousands of people, some were clad in white and blue, and some were in red. Though their voices fought against each other for superiority, together formed a cacaphonic symphony. A beautiful tune.
He was sitting on the substitute bench, and simply gaping at the beauty before him. Isaac could not even begin to fathom what he was seeing. He raised his hand to his mouth, full of awe. Deep in his belly, nervousness began tumbling back and forth. It was like he knew that at some point he'd have to get on the field, and that scared him.
"Confidence..." Isaac tried to settle his raging nerves.
"You nervous?" He heard a voice ask.
Isaac turned to see none other than the legendary Karou Mitoma looking at him.
"Ah, yes..." Isaac scratched the back of his head.
"Don't be, You will be fine." The Japanese magician reassured him.
"Is it?"
"What?"
"Ah, I'm speaking South African English," Isaac realized. "I meant, are you serious?"
"Yes! Just be confident."
Isaac nodded, before turning to watch the match.
In the 19th minute, the goalkeeper for the day, Jason Steele sent a long ball over the entire field right to Simon Adingra, who didn't waste the chance. The winger received the ball, before smashing it. The Brentford defender tried his utmost to stop the player's shot but he found himself failing.
"Nice!" Unconsciously, Isaac who was invested in the game stood up in exhilaration. It was a goal in the 19th. The game soon went on until halftime, when the Coach busied himself with speaking to the players. After 15 minutes the game restarted, and it wasn't too long until Simon Adingra got on the scoresheet again.
He scored again in the 58th minute, sending the crowd into a frenzy. After the celebrations, the game continued. Isaac finally found his chance when he was told to stand up and warm up.
"Oh, yes!" Isaac jumped up and began to run along the touchline and perform warm-up exercises. As he warmed up, he remembered the joy he felt when he opened his phone that morning. On Fabrizio Romano, A well-known football journalist's page, Isaac had seen a post.
HERE WE GO!
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION HAVE REACHED A DEAL IN THE SIGNING OF 18-YEAR-OLD SOUTH AFRICAN ISAAC ADAMS. THE PLAYER WILL FEATURE IN THE CLUB'S SUMMER SERIES FIXTURES AGAINST BRENTFORD.
On the page that had announced the names of greats like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, he too would be on that very page. He was on the pathway to greatness.
Soon the assistant referee's board was raised.
17⬇
76⬆
Isaac's legs were like twigs in a storm. They trembled as he stared at the pitch before him. No, he could not see the pitch. All he could see were his thoughts, as he stressed over irrelevant information. He could not hear, not the sounds of hundreds of fans calling out. He did not even feel fear, he just felt a nebulous feeling deep in his bosom.
S. Alzate jogged up to Isaac and hit his palms, signaling the youngster's entry into the game. Isaac sprinted into the field, into his position in the midfield.
Isaac felt his studs dig into the ground as he ran, and he treasured the feeling of having a professional shirt upon him. Something, however, broke him out of his reverie.
[SYSTEM HAS FOUND A LEGEND MISSION FOR USER]
[MILESTONE: FIRST LEGEND MISSION ACHIEVED]