The crisp air carried the scent of freshly cut grass and the distant, rhythmic thud of a ball being struck with purpose. For Mateo, the world had shrunk to the confines of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, the sprawling nerve center of FC Barcelona.
The first-team training facilities were more than just a collection of pitches and buildings; they were a cathedral dedicated to the beautiful game, a place where legends were forged and history was written.
To be here, not as a visitor, but as a participant, was a dream so immense it felt fragile, as if it might shatter at the slightest touch.
The invitation, delivered by a club official with a reverence usually reserved for sacred texts, had been a direct consequence of his recent triumphs.
His masterful performances for the reserve team had already turned heads, but it was his leadership of the Spanish U-17 team to European Championship glory that had sealed his fate.
