The overall mood in the camp was pretty happy. We were through to the round of 16. We were going to face Gremio U20 in the next round. It is not going to be an easy match. Gremio are big and their youth teams are strong.
Training kicked up a notch, we were spending more time on drills and practice. The coaching staff realised that Diego and I have been the difference in both the matches. And I have seen coach Alfonso talk to coach Martinez today while coming in.
I could be wrong, but I had a feeling that it was about us. Now, why did I have that feeling? Because today in training drills, we were placed in a team with a lot of the starters and Adriano and us practiced forward passing and runs. Adriano up front, Diego just behind him on the left, and I am a bit further down on the right. That was the formation that was tested. And we clicked instantly. We dominated. Adriano was already well aware of all the players and their strengths, so his movement off the ball was perfect. Diego and I combined to break the defense and would deliver some peaches to Adriano.
By the 4th goal, I was having a blast. I was completely in my element and I was embarrassing some players. I nutmegged the U20 captain twice. Matheus was also playing in the opposition. I lost composure for a second, and I flicked the ball above his head, overpowered him with a shoulder push and caught the ball again. It was embarrassing for him. But, I might have gone a bit over the board. I realised that after seeing the expression on the faces of other players.
There was no need for me to play like that, and it was clear that I wanted to just embarrass him. I went to him after the play.
"Hey, sorry for that! I just got lost in the moment and didn't think much."
He just turned a shade of red I have never seen someone turn, spat on the ground next to me and said
"Fuck off Kaká!"
Great! So much for keeping my head down and lying low.
During the next play, I had the ball and I saw two people trying to box me in. I was scanning to see everyone and I noticed that Diego was free, so before the guy could take the ball from me, I quickly passed the ball with the outside of my boot. What I failed to realise is that the guy who was near me was a friend of Matheus. And clearly he took offense to my previous play. So, after I had passed the ball, he slid in for a tackle, and took me down.
I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. I prayed to every god I could think of to not let it be an injury.
Moraes was the first one to come to me and asked me if I was okay.
"I don't know." I said, but the my expression told him everything. I was wincing in pain when moving.
And he saw red. Usually calm and collected, but suddenly he was outraged on my behalf.
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT! He is your teammate, not a rival. Why would you put in such a reckless tackle after the ball was released?"
The coaching staff were on the other side so they couldn't hear what was being said, so Sergio whispered calmly near us
"If he wants to play flashy, this is what's going to happen. Newbie cunt trying to upstage us and embarrass us and you think it will all be forgotten?"
By this time, Adriano, Diego and others saw what was going on and they came over running.
I was barely paying attention to the argument between Moraes and others, I was trying to stretch my leg and rotate my ankle but I could feel throbbing pain.
The physio came over and he asked me not to move.
"Do you feel pain when you move your ankle?"
"Yes"
"What happens when you put the leg down and put some weight on it?"
"No, not too much pain."
"Describe the pain for me. How does it feel when you move your ankle? Sharp stabbing pain, constant pain, numbness around the area? Use your words"
Through gritted teeth, I told him the truth "It started paining like a stab when I put weight on it immediately. Now, it is going down a bit, but when I move, there is a sharp pain."
"On a scale of 1-10, how painful is it?"
"I don't have a pain scale or injuries to compare it to, but I would say that it is about a 5 or 6"
"Okay, good, it doesn't look broken. That's good news. And the pain you're feeling is not too bad either. I would say that it is a grade 1 sprain. We will need to check it out more to see if it is more serious. But, I don't think it is too bad"
He put an ice pack around it. That numbed it down. He slowly guided me to the dugout and I sat down.
The coach asked me what happened and I told him the truth.
"The guys didn't like my nutmegs and that over the head flick. They wanted to teach me a lesson with toughness. I didn't expect it. I already apologised to Matheus, but I get it. I was lost in the moment and went for the flashy maneuvers."
Coach Alfonso had a frown on his face. He asked the physio for his assessment and he was told exactly what I was told.
He said that it was a small injury. Nothing to worry about. We would get it checked just in case, but the treatment right now is just RICE. Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. He said that it would be okay in 3-4 days. So no practice and no movements on the leg for 4 days.
Coach Alfonso looked very serious, because at the same time on the pitch a fight was starting to break out. Oscar, Moraes, Diego were fighting with Matheus and his gang. Adriano was trying to break it up, he was also pissed by the looks of it, but he is trying to calm it down. Diego was usually the calm one. So, he wasn't getting involved much, but he was there for support.
Assistants ran over to smooth things over, and coach Alfonso said that we should talk about this later on. He went into the middle and all the fighting stopped for a minute.
I couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but both sides looked chastised and everyone backed off. He didn't need to shout. He had authority and that cowed them down.
I was taken to the medical centre, we had a basic x-ray and scanner here itself. They took an x-ray and eliminated the fracture. Based on the exam, an MRI was not needed. I was given pain relievers for two days. Was given strict instructions about what activities to do and what to avoid.
I was asked not to run, exercise,or put a lot of weight on it.
No using the bicycle.
No football. No sports at all.
Two days of bed rest if possible, if not drive in the car for school. Use the leg brace they gave so that I could walk.
Follow R.I.C.E stringently.
Come for a checkup after 3 days. Let them know if pain increases, if there is swelling, or if things don't seem like healing.
Phew! My first proper injury. All because I got carried away trying to show off. I didn't know what I was expecting. This was bound to happen.
As I was contemplating this, the practice was over.
Instead of calling me to his office, coach Alfonso came to me.
"Start at the beginning Kaká. We noticed some friction, but we didn't think that it warranted our intervention. So give me your side of the story."
I took a deep breath and told the truth. No embellishments, I just laid it all. What started it all, what went down on our way back from the last match, what went down today.
"I didn't want to cause a disruption, coach. That's why we didn't say anything. We wanted to keep our heads down and let it pass. It was my mistake today. I got carried away and I didn't want to back down. It wasn't even a conscious thing, it just happened. I didn't realise that it would come down to this so soon. I thought we would have time to maybe talk it out, or figure something out."
He pinched in between the eyebrows and let out a sigh.
"I know why it happened. This isn't the first time, they've been here for a long time. The last midfielder, Robinho, was in your same position. He came from U17, took over Matheus' position, and he is playing for a different club in the first team now. He could have seen similarities to the last time, and he acted rashly."
"We have seen some resentment built up in the team because Robinho didn't care about the team, he was all about his individual performances"
When I tried to protest, he raised a hand to stop me
"Yes, I know you're different. Everyone can see that you and Diego want to improve the team and seeing your link up play with Adriano and Moraes confirms it all. And that's the other problem. We have had issues with finding very good attacking midfielders. The ones we have are midfielders playing in that 10 role. Then you two came along and it changed things. Everyone can see the inevitable. It doesn't take a genius to know that you two would be starting soon. Moraes is not far off behind either. He would have a similar situation once he starts playing."
"I have already spoken to all of them. Diego, Moraes and Oscar have been given a warning. Even though they didn't start it, they were involved in the scuffle. They shouldn't have reacted. I can empathize with them on why they reacted, they didn't like seeing you hurt and you're like a younger brother to them, so I get that, but we play by the rules here. They will be fined an amount from their wages. And for Matheus and the others, they've been given a stricter warning. One more instance like this and they would be gone. The guy who tackled you, Sergio, has been suspended for two weeks. He will meet up with a counselor to talk about this incident."
"We allow players to rough each other up to toughen up, but not outright injure. That was dangerous what happened today. You got lucky. But, next time, when you're in a new team, do not show off like that. It wouldn't do you any good. You know how good you are. You don't need to put them down to prove it to us."
He then shook his head a bit, and said
"Coach Martinez talked about how matured you seemed. Maybe he was quick to judge or maybe this was a one off. You are just like a 15 year old teen. Quick to anger and quick to prove yourself and a bit impatient."
He lost all seriousness for just a second and a faint smile appeared on his face
"That was filthy by the way. The way you flicked it over his head. You've got skills. Don't tell others I said that if you know what's better for you."
"You will both apologise to each other, shake hands and let this thing go. Do not hold grudges based on a silly training ground spat. You might play together in the future, so let this go and start fresh. I will talk more with them about the errors of their ways"
I then looked at him, my expression not so happy
"But I already apologized to the coach. Immediately, once I realised what had happened, he told me to fuck off."
I was being petulant. I knew that. But I wanted the coach to know that I did apologise immediately.
"That's fine, this time it will be in front of us, and we have talked to him. It will be made perfectly clear to him of the consequences. Mend the bridges"
"Fine coach!"
"Good. Now go home, rest. The physio will drop you at home and explain things to your parents. We already spoke to them on the phone earlier but in person talks will go better. No need to worry them more. Follow the plan and you'll be ready by next week. I'm happy that it isn't a bigger injury. You're not so bad, I would like to see more of your skills on the field. Take care."
With that, he left.
On the way back, I saw him again, this time with Matheus and Sergio in tow.
Matheus apologised immediately.
"I'm sorry for the past two weeks Kaká. I have been hostile and it shouldn't have come to this. Get well soon"
"I'm sorry for showboating as well. I shouldn't have done that in the field. Let us put this behind us and play together"
We shook hands. And I did mean it. I didn't have anything against him. And I knew that I had that starting position locked in. It is just a matter of when not if.
I then looked at Sergio.
This time, I was a bit angry.
"I know that it was in bad taste nutmegging and showboating in practice, but you could have talked to me being the seniors. I would have listened. I didn't even know that I was doing those things. I got carried away. Your tackle could have seriously hurt me. I hope that if you have issues, we will talk it out, not try to injure each other in the future."
"I'm sorry for that as well. I saw red immediately after your move and I had my mate's back. I had to bring you down. It wasn't malicious. It was impulsive and rash. I didn't want to injure you. Hope you get better soon"
He just shook my hand after that. There was nothing else to say.
That was the end of that saga. For now at least.
I saw my mates on the way back, told them it wasn't anything serious and 4 days of rest, and I should be back next week.
They were relieved to hear that.
I grabbed Moraes by the shoulder and said "Thanks for having my back captain. It means a lot to me."
Even now, after U17, I somehow called him captain. It is a combination of reasons, he was my first proper captain, and he acted like a captain.
He just shrugged it off and said that we look after each other.
I was then asked by the physio to put on the cast on my leg so that I could let it rest, and we walked to the car.
During the ride, he tried to comfort me saying that it wouldn't be a big deal and it would heal in a jiffy.
I just nodded at that. I wasn't really worried. I trusted the people here and it was just a knock.
The moment the car reached home, my mom rushed outside to help me. My dad must not have come home yet.
Her eyes were showing her emotions. She was immensely worried. And I am sure that once the physio leaves, the waterworks will begin. I knew it.
She didn't say anything to me, but asked a thousand questions at once to the physio.
Once we were inside, the physio just chuckled and he answered all her questions patiently. He must have dealt with this stuff before.
Once the talk was over, my mother's worries eased. She took notes from him about proper care and the look on her face told me everything. I better follow everything to the t. I gulped.
Once the physio left, my mom immediately hugged me. No tears yet. But she kept mumbling incoherently.
"It isn't a big deal mamãe. It is a normal sprain. It'll heal quickly and I will be back on the field. Don't worry about it."
"Now tell me what happened"
I told her the whole story. About the hostility. About me showing off. And the tackle.
I wasn't even done with the story, but she just smacked my head hard.
I winced in pain.
"Heyyyy!!! You're hitting an injured kid. What did I do?"
"You know what you did, you idiot. Why do you have to provoke them, when you know they don't like you."
"You need to have self preservation Kaká. What if the injury was serious? Imagine sitting with a broken leg, and thinking of how this could have been avoided. What a lame story it would have been. Got hurt by showboating in practice. Idiot!"
"I just got carried away, okay! Jesus Christ!" I mumbled.
She smacked me hard again.
"Don't bring the lord into this you buffoon."
"Now, sit back and follow up on everything the physio said. If I see you ignoring anything, or catch you doing something you shouldn't, I will smack you so hard you would not play the next match"
I gave her a mock salute and said "Yes ma'am!"
I was not allowed to go up to my room as my mom didn't want me climbing stairs. Even when I pointed out that I didn't need two legs to climb stairs, she just gave me a glare and that was enough for me.
I was scared of her. She will carry on with her threats and she will actually injure me. I didn't want to deal with an angry mom.
Once my dad came home, I wasn't in the mood to repeat the whole story again. I let my mom do the job.
He looked at me, and his look said everything. He was worried. He was angry.
"I am going tomorrow to the club to talk to them about this. I don't want a repeat of this incident. EVER. You're the youngest in the team. They should be guiding you and protecting you. This is not okay!"
"I have half a mind to just go and talk to the boy's parents right now."
"Please don't make it bigger than it already is. It is so stupid. Leave it papai. They apologised, we shook hands, we're done with it."
"I am still going there Kaká. I am talking to your coach. I want a better environment for my kid to develop in. Not the toxic one where kids are insecure about their places and couldn't handle a nutmeg. The staff need to work on this. With the players."
I knew that it was a losing battle. I cannot stop him. So I just sighed and just said
"Please don't lose your temper over there. I do not want to go back to an angry coaching staff on top of hostile kids."
With that done, I just closed my eyes. I could still feel a little soreness in my leg, but the painkiller is doing its job. So, I just laid there thinking about getting back on the field and slowly drifted off into the Morpheus' realm.
Author's Notes:
Please let me know your thoughts about the content and the style.
I have heard from a couple of people that they were not into the 1st POV diary like chapters.
let me know if I need to change that immediately or if I could continue that.