And surprisingly, a message from a new number, which was Marco Reus, whom he had never met but who had taken the time to reach out personally: "Welcome to Dortmund! Looking forward to playing with you. The city is going to love you, I can already tell you have the right spirit for this place."
Mateo typed responses to each, but found himself lingering over Reus's message.
The German international had taken time to personally welcome him, despite having no obligation to do so and despite being one of the team's biggest stars.
It was another small gesture that spoke to the culture he was entering one where people seemed to genuinely care about each other's well-being rather than seeing teammates as competition or threats.
"Analysis complete: Environmental factors significantly more conducive to psychological and professional development compared to previous institutional setting.
