The day after the derby, everybody was in high spirits. We haven't won in the last 5 meetings apparently. I didn't know that. The manner in which we won was also appealing to the fans who were there. To win in injury time, via a spectacular solo run, against Corinthians, it all added up to the celebratory mood.
This is 1997. We didn't have the internet yet. We didn't have YouTube or social media where a select few hard core fans could keep track of the youth games and update other fans. Core fans of the club during this era are the match going ones, and the ultras. There are those who follow the club games via newspaper articles or word of mouth. But don't mistake it for lesser numbers, because the numbers are just as high as the modern era. In a way the passion is much higher during this era because there is no "content" to be made or shitty opinions didn't generate revenue for some select few.
Call it my old age, but I absolutely hated the cesspool that was football twitter. Fan discourses have lost all sorts of credibility once they realised that clip farming is very profitable. And every single thing is a statistic.
Take yesterday's match for example. How would we dissect my performance from yesterday? there would be a set of fans for whom my performance could just be read on a stat sheet. My pass completion was bad yesterday. I made only 50 out of 63 passes. That's a 79% pass completion rate.
That alone is enough grounds for talking shit. I was dispossessed 4 times during the match. 4 possessions lost. That's bad.
But my performance needs context. It was a closely contested physical game against a superior opposition. And I was playing a fixed position. The times I failed passes? It was because I was trying to do extra because of our lack of creativity in midfield at the end.
One set of fans who would want to support me would speak of my positive stats. 1 goal, 2 assists. 4 huge chances created. 4 recoveries. 2 Interceptions. But, everything needs context.
I was glad that I didn't have to read twitter or reddit threads about my performances and dissecting them via numbers and not being there. Anyone who went to the match would come away ecstatic with the solo run at the end that resulted in an injury time winner. All the times I lost the ball before? Gone from memory. They would be excited to watch me play the next time. They would be cheering me on. That's what I wanted to see.
Fans turning up to see the performances in person will never be matched by any watch alongs or live reactions. I am not looking forward to the 2010s. I know that I cannot keep myself away from social media. I don't know how I will react. I shall think about it later on. Enough of my rant.
Today, I was excited. The goal at the end kept playing in my mind. Moments like those, I want to replicate them on the big stage. To silence the crowd at the Camp Nou or Anfield, or to raise the roof of San Siro or Wembley, those are the moments I am waiting for.
Today there will be a debrief. Yesterday, the coaches just let us celebrate the win. I was looking forward to this talk. I wanted to get proper feedback, about the things that went wrong and to improve.
The atmosphere at the breakfast table was one of joy. After the game, many people who knew my family stopped them and congratulated them on my performance. They were wearing my 22 jerseys, so people could take a guess as well. And that was all that was needed for my mom to turn on the waterworks. She was gushing all evening at home about her amazing son. Digão was going to show off at school. And my father skipped his step. It was amusing to see. It was just one game at the U17 level, they are acting like this is a UCL knockout match.
I wanted to watch their reactions when I scored worldlies in a UCL final or the world cup final. Now that I think about it, I should plan for it. I should get a second camera and hire them to record my family's reactions to me.
When I went to school, somehow, the news had already reached them. Many people loudly cheered me on, and some were there with sour faces. I loved Brazil. Reactions at this level, for youth games, this is extraordinary.
"Great game yesterday Kaká!"
"Great run at the end Kaká! You should start for the main team after yesterday"
Looks like a couple of them came to watch the match yesterday.
"Fuck you Ricardo, your team will still lose every competition"
"We beat you 4-0 last time, you just got lucky at the end there. Ref should have ended the match by then."
"Great job buddy, I heard you beat Corinthians yesterday. It is about time. If we can do it, the senior team can do it as well."
Many girls were giving me subtle glances and smiles.
I smiled in return and nodded along and went my way. I didn't want to be a glory hound. I liked the attention, but I would rather wait and enjoy it when I do it on a grand scale.
I have been at the club since I was 8. The security and the maintenance staff all knew us who have been here for a long time. Today, when I was locking my bicycle, I noticed something in the security's gaze. It was appreciation. Usually it is just recognition.
All of this over one game of football at youth level? These people are nuts. I appreciated it, but talk about expectations.
The team was in high spirits when I reached the lockers.
"There's our hero! The Maverick. That run at the end was absolutely amazing Kaká. The way you weaved through 4 players, my jaw was on the floor" said Andrey. He was our centre back.
"Glad your plan worked Kaká! Great job by both you and Oscar" said Moraes. He was right, we will know how the coaching staff took it.
People were congratulating Oscar as well. We went through this yesterday, but today they formed full sentences.
Once everyone arrived, coach Martinez and his assistants came in, right on cue.
"Let me start this by saying how absolutely proud I am of you guys as a team. Winning 3-2 against Corinthians, after 5 straight losses, that too an injury time winner, makes me proud of you guys. You never gave up. The win matters, but your performance was great as well."
"Four people especially deserve all the praise they're getting rightfully.
Isac, your saves were sensational yesterday. You kept us in the game and denied at least 3 clear cut goal scoring chances. Great performance.
Moraes, you were the leader that held everything together. Your work rate, your tackles, you have every chance to make it big. You own that position and there could be no better captain.
Oscar, your runs were extraordinary. You took your chances and scored two massive goals. Your chemistry with Diego and Kaká is something we would like to see more of. You have been immense yesterday. And you kept it up for 90 whole minutes and you gave more. Exceptional.
Kaká, you have been the creative outlet. You picked their defense apart with some of your passes. We should have had more if we scored a few more of those chances. Your pace, dribbling were amazing, but what I loved more yesterday was your grit. Your workrate and your tenacity yesterday to win the ball back, that makes the difference.
Diego, Joe you have been very very good yesterday as well. When you were on the pitch Joe, attacks were fluid. You worked very well with Kaká and Oscar. With your technical ability Diego, your time will come where you will score loads. Keep your head high."
"Now we come to the things that didn't work. We were very sloppy defensively. We defended like we were 13. You panicked a lot of times and conceded corners and throw-ins when we could have won possession. We need to work on defending against aggressive physical forwards. We will be doing those drills today."
"Kaká, in search of that perfect defense splitting pass, you gave the ball away a couple of times. One of the goals was because of one such misplaced pass. We need to work on finding a balance. Your creativity in this team is unmatched. All three goals had your hand in them. But, we have to pick the right moments. We will talk more on this during the passing drills."
"Oscar, Diego, Kaká, all three of you missed 6 chances combined. And these were not small chances. Kaká, you could not score after being one on one with the keeper, Diego, you missed two clear scoring chances. Oscar, you scored one header, but you missed two clear headers. From 8-10 yards out, I expect you to hit the target. We will work on the finishing"
"Martin, once you came on for Joe, you had time to observe how the team played with him at 10. Once you came on, you slowed things down. You were playing the safest passes. Even when we were shouting from the sidelines to go forward, you would take extra touches and pass it back. You kept possession, but the pace slowed and the attack almost seized."
"You will work with both Joe and Kaká. We need you to be more aggressive and Kaká, you need to be a little less aggressive. We need to find a balance. Joe has the balance perfectly right. But we will work on your passing and movement more."
"We were aggressive in the first half, we dominated the attacking stats, and once our legs showed some tiredness, we didn't manage stuff properly, panicked and conceded two goals."
"It was an incredible solo run that let us win. We love it, we need more of that at the right moment. Yesterday, it was the right moment. With two minutes left on the clock, we needed something big. And losing the ball in that place wouldn't have or shouldn't have hurt us more. Kaká executed the run perfectly and Moraes and Oscar were in sync. I would love to see those moments."
"This comes with experience and we will work on these things as games continue. Vision cannot be taught in passing drills. You need to work on it by watching tapes, by watching other plays, by talking to players about the thinking behind a pass."
"During the last few minutes, we could see the frustration from you Kaká. You were trying too much towards the end. You should pick your moments. Do you have issues with how others played? Fine. Work around them. Don't get frustrated and let it affect your play. We discuss it after the games and work on it. We do not push it too much and end up losing the ball or just making things worse for us on the field."
"We will break for the drills now, all in all, we saw some very good things. You held on, you showed character, and Kaká and Oscar, you showed brilliance yesterday. We learn from it and we go again. Keep the momentum."
"We will speak with each of you specifically about things we noticed during the match and work on it during the sessions."
"Dismissed"
Phew, they liked the solo run at the end. Note to self, if I am going to do stuff like that, I better not miss.
Their points were all valid. This is nice. We usually don't get so much after usual matches. Maybe it was because of the derby or because the season is coming to an end soon, they are focusing on more stuff.
The practice sessions were intense. We were pushed further than we are usually, but no one complained. A big win does that. It raises morale and people want to improve and perform better.
Also, we are nearing the end of the season. Being in the good graces of coaches would help move up the ranks. So, people shut their mouths and worked on stuff. It was fun to watch.
I didn't have any complaints. I made peace with it. I would play the remaining games, make a name for myself, start the Paulista next year and if I raise eyebrows in Jan till March, I might get a nod to be in the first team for the new season. Even if I don't, I am sure that 1999 is my year.
Only a major injury could stop me. I do not see anything else working against me. I had the skill, I had the mentality, I had the work ethic, I had the physicality now. One year of experience would just make me more dangerous.
With those thoughts I went about the day, trying to up my finishing and stats. If I could reach into the 80s for my shooting and passing, I would absolutely dominate.
There are 7 matches remaining in the season. We have the league from July to November. We have Paulista, the knockout cup from March to May.
The senior team will have more tournaments.
There is the Copa do Brasil that happens in January. It is a knockout tournament. There is the Torneio Rio-São Paulo. This also happens in January and February. Then there is Campeonato Paulista that starts in March and ends in April or May first week.
There is a break and the league starts in July.
So, we are on the last stretch. We have a decent chance to win it.
I had selfish motives as well. I didn't want to just win it. I wanted to make a name for myself. I wanted to be remembered for this season at the U17 level.
If I tried hard enough, I might be in the top 5 for scoring . I had 7 games and I should score at least 10-11. If I push it, I could try to score a couple of hat-tricks. That would definitely put me in the top 3 atleast. I just had 14-15 matches of a 34 match season. But, that would get more eyes on me from the first team.
With that goal in my mind, I became a menace for the next 4 weeks.
Author's Notes:
I wanted to have at least one chapter for the aftermath of a match at the U17 level. We are nearing the end of this U17 arc. Soon, with a couple of time skips, we shall reach the first team call up and a national call up.
These might be boring to some, but I wanted to have them as a part of the journey.
Once the MC reaches the first team, a romance is on the horizon, and his performances will be action packed. So pace will pick up during his first full season.
There will be the national team arcs, Youth world cups U17/U20, national team for the 2000 Olympics coming soon as well.
So, do not worry about the pacing. I would just ask you to have some patience. The entire youth arc is skip worthy to some, but to me it would be incomplete if we are talking about a journey. I didn't want to ignore all of his roots and send him to a different club directly. I wanted the MC to perform well at Sao Paulo and win big things and then move to Europe.
Thank you for the support.