"How long will the ride take?" Jamal asked his aunt Sophie curiously.
"About half an hour," Sophie answered her nephew's question with a smile.
"Didn't you arrive by plane? How do you not know how long it took from the airport to Munich?" Maxi asked, a little confused.
"I slept the whole ride," Jamal answered.
"Well, that was to be expected," Maxi replied with a smirk.
"Is everyone excited?" Carlos asked, glancing at the back of the Mercedes Sprinter he was driving. It was a rented van with room for ten people.
Melina, Isa, Eli, Willy, Sidney, Jamal, Levi, Maxi, Sophie, and Carlos were all packed inside.
The other four members of the Musiala family were driving separately in their private car.
As for Beckenbauer, he had already arrived in Brazil due to his organizational duties.
"YES!" all the kids shouted excitedly.
The boys were mostly eager for Germany's and England's World Cup campaigns, while the girls were thrilled about exploring Brazil—its beautiful cities, rich culture, and vibrant atmosphere.
Carlos and Sophie exchanged a glance. Even though Carlos had a complicated relationship with Brazil—or, well, he didn't hate it, but something always felt... missing.
Forget it. More than anything, Carlos was happy to see these kids smiling, living out their childhood in ways he never could. Still, they reminded him of his younger years, traveling alongside his father to matches across Brazil and beyond. But over time, he and his father had grown distant. Carlos had inherited the most talent among his siblings, and the pressure that came with it had crushed him.
Pushing aside his thoughts, he focused on the road.
"And now comes the official World Cup song! The World Cup in Brazil kicks off in three days, with Germany facing Portugal in their opening match. We wish our national team a fantastic journey on their road to the final!" the radio host announced.
Shortly after, "We Are One" by Pitbull started playing.
Put your flags up in the sky (Put them in the sky)And wave them side to side (Side to side)
Show the world where you're from (Show 'em where you're from)
Show the world we are one (One, love, life)
From that part on, Maxi and the others sang along enthusiastically.
Ole ole ole ola
Ole ole ole ola
Ole ole ole ola
Ole ole ole ola
The van ride continued in a joyful atmosphere, bringing everyone closer together.
Soon, they arrived at Munich Airport. After parking in the massive parking garage, they spotted the rest of the family already waiting for them.
Once everyone had greeted each other, the large group made their way to Terminal Z.
The wait before check-in felt long, and even after that, there were still passport control and security checks. Luckily, these didn't take too much time. Before long, they were seated near their gate, watching the enormous planes outside and chatting excitedly about them.
Boarding didn't start for another two hours, but the group had prepared games to pass the time, keeping everyone entertained until they finally boarded the plane.
Meanwhile, in the scouting department of the Brazil national team, inside a small office belonging to the U15 youth division, a young man stared intently at his computer screen.
"Lucas! Call the boss over! I've found something interesting!" the young employee, José, called out from his cramped office into the hallway. Though no one was visible, he knew his shout would reach his colleague.
"Sim," came a response, followed by hurried footsteps.
Moments later, a sharp-looking middle-aged woman with a bowl-cut hairstyle and a tailored suit stepped into the office.
"Did you find something interesting, José?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. She was Maria, the head of youth recruitment for the Brazil national team.
"The boy you told me to keep an eye on—Beckenbauer's godson. It looks like he's coming to Brazil. This could be the perfect opportunity to recruit him," José said professionally.
Maxi was, of course, an extremely intriguing prospect for Brazil, particularly because of his dual heritage. If they could convince Beckenbauer's godson to play for their youth team, it would be a massive win for the federation.
"Interesting. What's the source?" Maria asked, her interest piqued. Her department constantly researched young talents with Brazilian roots, and Maxi being a quarter Brazilian had been easy to uncover.
"Falcão sent an email. Beckenbauer mentioned it in a conversation with them," José replied, showing the email on his computer screen.
Falcão had never been particularly fond of Beckenbauer—comparisons between the two had run rampant in their playing days, with Falcão often called the 'Brazilian Kaiser.' His tip-off made sense.
"That is interesting. We should send someone to make contact—with the kid and his guardian. Preferably the Brazilian one. That gives us a better chance," Maria mused, already forming a plan.
"Do we have any information on the kid's Brazilian guardian?" she asked, tapping her finger against her armrest.
This mission was high-priority. If successful, it would significantly boost her reputation.
"No. Nothing on his parents," José admitted, typing Maxi's name into their database but coming up empty-handed.
"Send Pereira. With his grandfather's reputation, he might be able to convince the Brazilian side of the family," Maria decided, though a hint of uncertainty lingered in her tone.
After all, how could she feel confident about trying to steal Beckenbauer's godson?
Still, Pereira was their best bet. His grandfather was none other than Coutinho, Pelé's longtime strike partner at Santos. The two families remained close to this day.
"Call him and brief him on his new mission," Maria ordered.
Meanwhile, aboard the plane, Maxi and the others had already settled in. Most of them were fast asleep. After all, it was a long flight from Germany to Brazil.
The plane touched down the next day, marking the start of their long-awaited adventure.