The morning training session was disrupted by an intruder. It was not a fan. It was not a journalist. It was not a spy from Manchester City.
It was a dog.
A Golden Retriever.
It sat in the center circle. It was panting happily. It had a tennis ball in its mouth.
Alex stood on the edge of the box. He looked at the dog.
The dog looked at Alex.
"Intruder alert," Alex said calmly.
Mark sprinted over. He was wearing a headband that said FASTEST MAN ALIVE.
"IS IT A WOLF?" Mark shouted, hiding behind Alex. "IS IT A DANGEROUS BEAST?"
"It is a Golden Retriever, Mark," Alex said. "It is statistically the friendliest dog in the world."
"It has teeth!" Mark pointed. "Sharp teeth! For eating pizza!"
The dog dropped the tennis ball. It barked. Woof.
It nudged the ball towards Alex.
"It wants to play," Rico said, walking over. "It wants a game."
Alex looked at the ball. He looked at the dog.
He calculated the distance. Ten yards.
Alex passed the ball gently.
