Leonardo Marci woke up feeling intense pain. He had been trying to ignore the persistent aching for three days, ever since the match against South Korea. But now, it was becoming harder and harder to hide the worsening injury from his coach. His dream of playing in the cup final seemed to be slipping away, and he couldn't bear the thought of it being snatched away by an injury.
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15 minutes left until the start of the finals. Coach Bollini delivered a pep talk, igniting a fire in the Italian players.
Everything was going according to schedule and the match officials led both teams out onto the pitch.
Under the intense gaze of multiple cameras, they passed by the U-20 World Cup trophy displayed on a magnificent stand and made their way onto the field.
The pitch had long turned into something similar to a gigantic piece of artwork. Within less than thirty minutes, when the teams were preparing.
As they lined up before the dugout, Marci took in all of the incredible sights - from
the massive depiction of a trophy to the vibrant colors of the stands. He couldn't help but feel grateful to be experiencing this pinnacle moment of his life.
After a few more minutes, it was finally time for the big event.
At last, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the start of the match and causing a roar of applause to erupt in the stadium.
The game exploded into life. The football on display was neat, Cesare after intercepting a loose pass from one of the Uruguay midfielders, he dribbled past two opponents with a swift change of pace before passing to Prati.
Italy worked their magic on the field, with Prati, their skilled midfielder, sending a perfectly placed pass to Marci. Marci(Murano) received it with expert control and effortlessly maneuvered past two defenders with his skill moves. In a moment of brilliance, he nutmegged another defender and continued towards the goal.
But suddenly, everything went dark. A harsh tackle from Matteo Antoni painfully collided with Marci's knee, leaving him crumpled on the turf. While Marci was known for getting back up after being tackled, this time he remained down as the excruciating pain consumed him.
Medics rushed to his side, their voices fading into a distant melody. He was lifted and placed on a stretcher, carried away like a coffin from his dream. As the sky above blurred, he couldn't help but wonder: was this the end? Was this the final blow to his career? This wasn't the first time a devastating tackle had threatened his future. Images flooded his mind, not of his, but of Blue Lock. Memories, not of Marci, but of Murano.
The realization came in a sudden rush – he was Murano and Marci. The transmigration, the past life, it wasn't an illusion of his imagination. With the revelation, consciousness faded, and the world melted into darkness.
He awoke to the sound of buzzing, which seemed to be coming from a television. He lifted his head and saw that his teammates Shidou, Hiori, and Nanase were still playing the match against Team C.
The score was now tied at 4-4.
He was back from his fever dream after being reminded the worst moment of his life once again. His biggest what if? in his past life.
"Ding Dong!!"