The morning sun filtered through the curtains of Amani's apartment, casting long shadows across the floor where his KNVB Cup winner's medal lay gleaming on the bedside table. It was 6:30 AM, and while the rest of Utrecht was probably still sleeping off the celebrations from the night before, Amani was already awake, his internal clock refusing to acknowledge that this was supposed to be a day of rest.
His phone had been buzzing constantly since he'd woken up - messages from teammates, coaches, family members, and friends from around the world, all congratulating him on the previous day's heroics. But it was the official message from the school and the club that caught his attention: "Day off granted. Rest and recover. You've earned it."
