Just a year ago, he had been a lonely, heartbroken boy, his future uncertain, his dreams in tatters. And now, he was a Bundesliga champion, the hero of a city, the toast of German football.
Don Carlos, who had flown in from Málaga for the occasion, watched him with a quiet, knowing pride. The old man had been his rock, his guide, his surrogate father. He had seen the potential in the broken boy and had helped him to heal, to grow, to become the man he was today.
"You did it, mijo," Don Carlos said, his voice thick with emotion. "You proved them all wrong. You showed them that the size of a player's heart is more important than the size of his body."
Mateo, his eyes welling with tears, signed his thanks. He owed so much to this man, this wise, kind, generous man who had saved him in more ways than one.
