The disastrous shopping trip was not an isolated incident; it was the first tremor of an earthquake that was beginning to shake the very foundations of Mateo's world. The disconnect he felt in the changing room mirror followed him onto the training pitch, a ghostly presence that distorted his every move.
The player who had been so dominant against Mainz, so full of fluid power and confident grace, was gone. In his place was a hesitant, awkward stranger. The week leading up to the crucial home game against Bayer Leverkusen a team hot on their heels in the league table was a slow-motion disaster.
In the training drills, his body felt like it belonged to someone else. A simple pass would be slightly overhit, as if his legs had misjudged the amount of force required.
