Late March, 2015.
The sting of the defeat to Bayern Munich was a bitter pill to swallow, a harsh reminder of the brutal realities of the Bundesliga. But the rhythm of the football calendar is relentless, and the international break arrived as a timely caesura, a shift in focus from the club to the country.
For Mateo, the journey to Las Rozas, the headquarters of the Spanish Football Federation, was no longer the nerve-wracking, dreamlike experience it had been over a year ago.
The awe of sharing a dressing room with his childhood idols had been replaced by a quiet confidence, a sense of belonging. He was no longer the wide-eyed prodigy, the new kid on the block. He was an established member of La Roja, a key component in Vicente del Bosque's plans for a team in transition.
