The decision to join Borussia Dortmund felt like the first truly autonomous choice Mateo had ever made in his football career, and the weight of that freedom was both exhilarating and sobering.
As the weeks settled over Casa de los Niños, the orphanage became a hub of preparation and planning for a transition that would take him further from home than he had ever been, both geographically and culturally.
Don Carlos threw himself into the logistics of the move with the methodical precision of a military campaign planner.
His study became command central for coordinating everything from visa applications to housing arrangements, while his decades of experience with institutional bureaucracy proved invaluable in navigating the complex requirements of international transfers.
