Hendrik had been watching the match from under one of the trees around the pitch with his niece, Sanne who held an electric fan towards her face to battle with the heat.
He had come to find a couple of prospects for their academy back in the Netherlands, but he was pleasantly surprised with what he was seeing.
There was a boy, Peter. He was tall, strong, tenacious and seemingly had the energy of a bull. He pressed non-stop, was good with the ball at his feet and his hold up play was astounding.
It was hard to believe he was only sixteen and still had so much room for development. With the right guidance and support he could undoubtedly become a fine player.
But there was another boy. A much more interesting situation, you could argue. A fourteen year old who was captaining his team, despite being one of the youngest and smallest.
He moved across the pitch like he was a veteran. He identified and entered Into space, where he would then create counter attacking opportunities for his team.
His weight of pass was exceptional for someone of his age and experience, and his set piece abilities were no joke either as evident with the second goal scored. Then probably his most outstanding feature, his leadership.
Hendrik saw Kaiser's earlier altercations with Joshua, but instead of complaining or leaving Joshua to rot on the bench, he stepped forward and even gave him an opportunity to impress in the game.
That selfless attitude and need to put the team first… Hendrik knew he needed to get that boy at all costs.
"Uncle Hendrik, that kid right there. The captain of the A team. He's a great player right?" Sanne asked while gesturing to Kaiser who was running round the pitch.
"Yes Sanne, but I don't know if I should give you points for that since It's very easy to see this time. Ha ha ha." The older man laughed.
"Now Sanne since you can tell that he is a great player, do you know what that means?" Hendrik asked as he jotted some things in his note pad.
"It means that everyone else can see his talent too." She said.
"You're entirely correct little one. This is an issue for us, since even the scouts from bigger clubs would definitely try to get his commitment." Hendrik said to Sanne whose head dropped slightly.
"Then do we just give up on him?" She asked in a resigned manner.
"Of course not! This is a part of being a scout. If we simply gave up on every player we thought we couldn't reach, then we might as well hand in our resignations now." He said with a slight grin on his face.
"But look at some of the scouts that are here! Mathias Van der Meulen from the Gent academy. Hugo Marchand from Saint Étienne and Erik Bauer from St Pauli."
Sanne ranted, sounding frustrated at being sidelined due to their clubs small reputation. They were sent here upon the request of the board, who wanted to expand their modest clubs Influence to Western Africa.
"Before he gives us a chance those guys would have already hounded him." She concluded, he mouth pouting.
"Sanne, it isn't over until it's over. There's no use complaining about an outcome that hasn't even happened yet." Hendrik said, his tone firm, almost as if he were telling his niece to stop whining.
Henrik himself knew that it would be an uphill task to get the boys interest, with the kind of performance he's just had. But nonetheless he would still try.
***
Henrik and Sanne watched the match till it's eventual end and wanted to make their way to Kaiser quickly but had been beaten by a large group of men, who had seemingly pushed a woman aside while trying to get to the boy.
"That's not very nice of them." Sanne said, noticing it as well.
They watched as the altercation developed between the boy and the scouts, with the men departing shortly after.
"Well just great. Now they won't be in the mood to talk to anyone else." Sanne said while throwing her hands up in the air.
"You have a lot to learn my dear Sanne." Henrik said as he lifted himself somewhat quickly and gestured to her to follow after him.
'I don't know if we'll see an opportunity like this again so we need to ask fast.' Henrik thought to himself as he moved between players, parents and scouts alike with only Kaiser in his sights
Eventually they got to the boy and his mother who seemed to be having a moment of their own.
"Pardon me, could I have a moment of your time?" Henrik made sure to ask politely.
"Of course, you're more than welcome!" Kaisers mother said, trying to shield her excitement. She had thought with the little showdown earlier, her sons chances of being picked up by a good academy had been greatly reduced.
"Hello miss, my name is Hendrik van der Meer and this is my neice Sanne. And I'm a scout for SC Telstar. A second division club in the Netherlands." Henrik said as he extended his hand towards Kaisers mother, as she accepted it courteously.
"It's nice to meet you Ma'am, and you as well, Osho." He said as he extended his hand to Kaiser as well, who confidently accepted his handshake.
"To put it simply, I was pleasantly surprised by what I've seen here today, and would like to recruit you to play for our academy." Henrik said without wasting too much time.
He believed that while the bad taste left by the previous Scouts was still in his mouth and he ought to use that to his advantage.
Kaisers mother was overjoyed by this news. A simple idea by her son was becoming a reality and she happily looked at Kaiser whose expression was still stern.
Henrik noticed this as well and was a little nervous as this young man hadn't so much as cracked a smile.
"Could you tell me a bit more about the club? And how they take care of their prospects?" Kaiser asked calmly.
"Of course! So in case you aren't aware, SC Telstar is based in IJmuiden, a small port town in the municipality of Velsen, in North Holland, Netherlands." Henrik began.
"We play in the second division of Dutch football, the Eerste Divisie. The division features a mix of young players from top-tier clubs' reserve teams and players hoping to break into professional football. Giving you suitable opposition and an opportunity to develop in the process." Henrik summarized.
"We have a strong focus on youth players, and competitions such as the KNVB Cup will allow you to play against strong competition and prove yourself against bigger teams." Henrik rounded up.
"However this is only IF you are deemed able to compete by the management. The level displayed here today was exceptional, but if you can't maintain it then I can not promise you game time." Henrik rounded up his little pitch.
"So could I hear a response from you?" Henrik said looking at Kaiser and his mother expectantly.
"Could I have some time to-"
"Sohn Des Kaiser?" Said a voice from behind.
The first time someone had called his full German name.
Turning around, Kaiser saw a tall man with pale skin that had been reddened by the hot Abuja sun, despite his face cap and umbrella.
"Hello there Kaiser." The man said with a British accent.
'An English scout!' Both Kaiser and Henrik thought at the same time.
English scouts were coveted more by players as they represented English clubs, and most players dream of playing in England.
"My name is Colin Whitaker." He said while extending a hand to Kaisers mother with a card in tow.
"I'm a scout for Brentford FC."