It is insane to think that it has been over 10 months since I have been here. I have just crossed 180cm. That's over 6cm of growth in 10months. That's nice. I didn't want a sudden growth spurt. That would have affected me pretty badly with my balance. This slow increase over a period of time gave me ample time to adjust to the changes and work on my posture and the mechanics of my running and dribbling.
When you're shorter, dribbling is easier. With a low centre of gravity, balance is much better. You can accelerate and get into tight spaces and turn sharply. Just look at Messi. He is out of this world when he is on the ball, you can't take the ball away.
I am at 180.4cm now. That's around 5ft 11inches. If my memory serves me right, Kaká grew up to be 186. So, I still have a couple of inches to grow. I am 72kg. Not ideal. I want to add extra muscle for that added strength and stamina. I want to put on at least another 8-10kg. It will take a lot of effort and a lot of time lifting weights to put on that muscle. Maybe I should talk to my father and invest a little bit of money for a dietician/ nutritionist. I could use the club's resources but I want this for a personal custom diet. Let me think about it for a while.
For the past few weeks I have been devouring the masterclass videos from Xavi. My stats for vision were at 83 when I started watching the videos and started implementing them. Now, they're at 84. In a couple of weeks, I added 1 whole point.
I have unlocked a new cheat code. I need to pick up a player for a particular skill I want to grind and keep working on the masterclasses. Pay attention to the stuff and just implement it in practice or in matches. I have been constantly scanning the field and making a mental map of players. I have been doing it day in and day out, and within three weeks my vision has increased by 1 whole point.
And let me tell you, my respect for Xavi went through the roof after watching these few masterclasses. The way his brain worked, the way his thoughts worked, constantly looking to break the opponents and trying to link up with Iniesta and Busquets. La Masia had a huge impact on how he played, agreed. But, it is also his personal genius to execute the passing patterns, to find gaps, to control the game. I cannot wait to master all his techniques and move on to Messi. To me, he is the pinnacle of play making. Sure, I would still go on and learn long passing and through balls from Scholes and KDB and Kroos. But, Messi is a magician. His link up play is out of this world. I want to perfect that.
Once I get my passing stats up into the 80s, I will go for finishing. There are many people to learn from. I am yet to decide on my final 5. R9 will be there. Cristiano will be there. Van Basten will be there. I want to pick Erling Haaland from the modern era. He is not credited enough for his clinical finishing in my opinion. I am debating putting Harry Kane over Ruud van Nistelrooy. I could also pick Messi. I could go for Aguero. Or Lewandowski. There are many many players to pick from. I will think about it and see whose playstyle suits me more.
The day after my talk with coach Alfonso, he addressed the team and he addressed the play style issue.
"We are trying out playing compact and technical football. That doesn't mean that you're to stop doing what you're good at. Find the moments to fit in your mark on the gameplay. Do not completely ignore the team, but there will be times where it is okay to make a run or attempt a 60 yard pass. We want to develop your individual skills first. And then mould you into team players. There has to be a balance. You have your freedom to showcase your talents. In some games you might play in a position you're not fully comfortable in. But, that's exactly what we want to see."
For the next couple of days, I went into practice with renewed vigor. We were all happy. Our questions were answered. We will learn what we can from these games, but we will be focusing on what we do best. Attack, attack, attack!
Our next match is against Santos in the Youth cup. The Paulista.
For this game, the team was the same as last time. Diego and I started along with Moraes. Oscar was on the bench. But, this time we were looking forward to the game. In the past couple of days, we have talked amongst ourselves and decided that once the first leg is over, we would practice more with the team and get to know them better. Right now, it is not a good sign where we are not entirely sure about how they play and what drives them. We wanted to remedy that. First, we have to win this game.
We were playing the game at home. This is the first match of the cup and we wanted to start it on a good note. If everything goes well, this will be the last tournament I play for the U20. I wanted to put in my best performance ever in this cup and leave no room for doubt about whether I should stay at this level or move on to the first team.
This added motivation, coupled with the freedom I realised I had, with the added bonus of the confidence from learning so many skills from Xavi, I was ready to go.
From the get go, we took control of the situation. And since we weren't half assing it like last time, we were into playing slowly and building the attack. This time our hearts were in it. We were making better runs, receiving the ball in better areas and we harassed them for the first 10 minutes. The dividends paid off, in the 12th minute, after a 20 pass build up, Diego saw an opening and he passed the ball into space on the right. I was waiting for moments like these, so I took off and with my improved pace, they couldn't catch me. I was the first to the ball and I didn't even need to think twice. I took one touch forward and curled a ball into the box. Adriano was there to meet it, he controlled the ball with his chest, and hit it on the volley.
GOAL!
1-0.
Let's go!! We celebrated wildly, jumping with joy. I high fived Diego, for noticing the opening and passing into space with good power on it. That extra power gave me the time needed to catch up to the ball. Adriano pointed to me for that cross and though it was a good pass, credit goes to him for the control and volley.
The game restarted and we continued the same pattern. This was similar to the la Masia videos I had been watching of Xavi. So, I was having a blast in the middle. I was recollecting all the things he said, and I was implementing them on the field. I missed a couple of times, because even though the theory is sound, my execution wasn't perfect. I made up for it with my workrate. There's a reason I had a 4* work rate. I am relentless in my pursuit. My strength and stamina have improved so, I am able to manage better, for longer periods of time.
The second goal was a very simple goal. We got a free kick 10 meters away from the box. I didn't feel confident yet to take free kicks. I was waiting in the box, hoping to catch a rebound or just poach a goal. And it worked. The ball was headed towards the goal, the keeper made a good save, but his clearance fell to me. I took one touch to control the ball and shot it blindly at the target. I didn't have time to think or aim. That ended up being the right choice as the ball just smashed into the net.
I gave a sheepish smile to my team. I didn't want to celebrate a goal like that. I wanted to celebrate big goals. This didn't qualify. This was fine, if it was a last minute winner, I would take it. 2-0 after 20 minutes? Not going to go wild about celebrating that.
We restarted and went at it again immediately. They almost looked like they were not ready, getting possession immediately after the kick off, we stitched through 4 passes and boom, we were in their box. I dribbled past a defender who was on the wrong side, cut back in with my left and passed it to Diego, who was waiting like a predator. He slotted the ball in.
3-0. 21 minutes.
We didn't even break a sweat. I had a goal and two assists. We had fun like that for the rest of the half and Diego assisted Adriano. We were 4-0 up by half time.
The coach made substitutions at half time itself and he took off Adriano, Diego and I.
We didn't mind.
We went on to win the match 6-2. They scored two late goals. But, it was too late.
We were ecstatic. This was a big win, against Santos. And scoring 6 goals. And we didn't even need to worry about the system and all. We just played football. We stuck to the basic brief, passed the ball around and once we saw an opening, we went forward. Yeah, this works!
The month of March went by like this. I never got to play the full 90 minutes. As I was always scoring and assisting in the first half itself. So, the coach wanted to include others since the games were going so well.
We played 6 games in March. I started in all of them. I scored 10 and assisted 14 goals. That's a lot! And that number would have been higher if I played the full 90 with the first choice forwards. I was the leading scorer and assist maker in the cup.
Adriano was behind me with 9 goals in 6 matches.
There weren't official player of the month awards at this club. Since this is a youth team, you couldn't even expect it. But, they call you up and congratulate you in front of the team and staff. I was the player of the month for February and March. Twice in a row. It felt good.
Ever since that talk, I felt so free and I let go of all worries and just started playing with a bit more confidence.
The payments for the matches were always on time, I didn't need to handle anything since they communicated with my father and did it all. I completely trusted my family and I never worried about anything. With the amount of goals and assists I was putting up, the match bonuses were extra nice.
This is my birthday month. It would be 1 year of being given this chance. I wanted to celebrate it properly. So, I told my father that this year I wanted a party. I would invite all the teammates, friends and families. I wanted to properly thank everyone for being a part of my dream and to celebrate it with my family. I told him that the money from the matches is not a small amount and that we needn't worry about savings and all since the first team promotion is on the horizon. And I would renegotiate my contract after this year.
I wouldn't demand exorbitant wages, but I would like better wages. I would like to buy a nice car by the time I join the first team. I want my first car to be a good one and not settle for something second hand or cheap. I wanted style. I wanted performance. I wanted the new Chevrolet Corvette. It would be around 35-40k. But, I wanted it to be my first car.
I told my father this and I told him to put in a car fund. I wanted to save money to make the down payment and then make monthly payments out of my wages. I am still paying my father for his role as my agent/representative. I wanted to provide for the family. That's still there. But, my cut? I wanted to spend it and enjoy the little things now itself. Forget about the millions later on. This would be my first car. And then my father had to pour water on my dreams. He reminded me that I had to be 18 to drive the car.
Fucking hell! I have two more years before I could drive?
I put the sad thoughts out of my head. I saw a point increase for my short passing after this month while checking my stats. The combined effect of playing more successful passes in games and the Xavi masterclass have worked wonders. I kept trying to include everything I learned from the system in matches. It is paying dividends.
April 2nd came and it was time for the reverse fixture. It was Santos again. We were going to their place. And they were going to try to box us in. The 6-2 defeat was not nice.
But, with the form we were in and with newly formed chemistry between players and us settling into our roles perfectly, there was no stopping us.
The game went their way for the first 30 minutes. They pressed better, they disrupted our passing and didn't let us settle in. But, we weren't just one trick ponies. They wouldn't let us play short passes? Fine, I will run at them. I will dribble past them with the ball, and we had pace in our team. We went the direct route and started counter attacking. And they stumbled.
Diego, Carlos, Adriano and I. The front 4 had devastating pace. Combined with our technical ability on the ball, we smashed through them and scored two. I scored one from the edge of the box by chipping it over the keeper. I always liked that finish.
I was getting more and more confident and I started to rile up the opponents and the small amount of fans that used to come. It started small with celebrating in front of them. Today, I went towards their fans that showed up and put my hands to my ears, Jamie Vardy style.
Did I need to do that? No. Did I like doing it? Yes. If this was the feeling I get doing it to a few hundred people, I can't imagine how it would feel like silencing the crowd on a European night at Anfield or Old Trafford or Camp Nou.
Santos didn't give up though. They came at us in waves and went more physical. They started fouling us more. They started pulling shirts and played dirty. I got the hint and I didn't want to risk myself and injury in a match that didn't mean anything. So, I played it safe. Never went for the 50/50 challenges. I was not exactly worried about not doing my defensive duties. I played smarter and I didn't catch any knocks.
By the half time, they leveled the score, but I scored a header during injury time of the first half. This was the first time I scored from a header. That was a nice thing to get out of the way.
We went into the second half leading 3-2. The coach didn't make any substitutions. It was his way of telling us to score more. The second half was nasty as well, but we were prepared. We went for the long balls and kept it simple. And it worked. I played a really nice pass from the right to Carlos on the left, to switch the play. He took the pass in stride, drove in, and passed the ball to Diego who scored it with a first-time finish. 4 touches and it was a goal. Simple.
We won the match 5-3. We have been scoring a lot. We played 7. Won 7. We scored 32 goals. Conceded 9. That's almost 5 goals per game. I scored 12 of those. Adriano scored 11. Diego scored 6. That's a terrifying attack. This is only the U20 level, but it is still impressive.
By the time my birthday rolled around, all the group stage matches were done. We played 10. Won 9. There was one draw against Sao Jose and we do not talk about it. That day did not happen.
After 10 matches in the Paulista, I scored a staggering 19 goals. I scored two hattricks in the last two games. I had 26 assists. We were a goal scoring machine. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Adriano, Diego or I are not going to play for the first team by July.
We shattered the youth records. It will be one year since my arrival here. What a year it has been. I have made mistakes, but I have learnt a lot. I have learnt to let myself go and not worry about stuff and that did wonders to my performance. The past two months have been the best.
I checked the system one last time before my birthday. To see the progress of the last year.
**********G.O.A.T System**********
Stats Missions Training Cards
**********G.O.A.T System**********
Stats
Name: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Kaka)
Age: 15
Height: 180.6cm
Weight: 73kg
Position: Attacking Midfielder/ Winger
Preferred Foot: Right
Weak Foot: ****
Skill Moves: ****
Work Rate: ****
Overall Rating: 79
Potential: 92
Pace: 87
#Acceleration: 88(+2)
#Sprint Speed: 86.5(+2.5)
Shooting: 77
#Positioning: 84(+4)
#Finishing: 74(+4)(1 stat point used)
#Shot Power: 75.5(+2.5)
#Long Shots: 76.8(+2.8)
#Volleys: 72(+4)
#Penalties: 81(+3)
Passing: 78
#Vision: 85(+5)
#Crossing: 71.8(+3.8)
#Free Kick Accuracy: 74(+4)
#Short Passing: 79.8(+3.8)
#Long Passing: 79.9(+5.9)(1 stat point used)
#Curve: 77(+3)
Dribbling: 86
#Agility: 87.8(+1.8)
#Balance: 82.9(+0.9)
#Reactions: 78.4(+4.4)
#Ball Control: 84.3(+4.3)
#Dribbling: 86.8(+2.8)
#Composure: 68(+6)
Defending: 41
#Interceptions: 36(+4)
#Heading: 58(+4)
#Defensive Awareness: 42.8(+2.8)
#Stand Tackle: 35(+3)
#Slide Tackle: 41(+5)
Physical: 59
#Jumping: 65(+3)
#Stamina: 72(+7)
#Strength: 58(+8)
#Aggression: 47(+1)
Traits:
#Speed Dribbles
#Playmaker
#Technical Dribbler
#XFactor
These were extraordinary numbers. 87 pace. 86 dribbling. 77 shooting and 78 passing. The improvement to these things is not what I could have ever imagined. Everything clicked. The training from the system. My physical growth. The performances in competitions. Everything added up and resulted in this.
I saw that a new trait has been added. X factor. I do not know what that entails. But, I can't wait to find out. I am very very happy with my progress. It is slow. It is tedious. It is tiring and I get impatient at times. But, it will all be worth it in the end. I will reap the benefits of these foundations soon. I do not regret a single thing. Not the U15s. Not the U17s. And definitely not the past four months. We may have started off on the wrong foot, but coach Alfonso had been excellent in developing our strengths and teaching us new tricks.
If this was the result of one year, I cannot wait for the next few years to yield the results. I WILL be a force to be reckoned with.
I closed my eyes and knelt down to pray. I didn't need to say anything. The tears that had been flowing non stop for the few minutes say everything.
"Thank you! For giving me the chance. For letting me live this life. For giving me this family. For giving me these group of friends. Thank you for the opportunity. I do not know what I did to deserve this, but I will not waste it. I will make it all worth it. In every way possible. Thank you!"
Author's Notes:
The stat increase is for the past year. The stats will not go up like this at higher levels. The grind into the 80s and increasing his current base stats is one thing. But grinding a 90 to 91 is much harder to do than it had been to grind from 78 to 88. The level will be consistent. Vision and positioning have seen the biggest raise because of the Xavi masterclass. And that too because his core stats were not already high. Finishing the rest of the players, will not yield similar results. It will alter his playstyle and give smaller improvements. But, things won't suddenly jump into mid 90s.
Let me know your feedback in comments! Thanks.
Please join the discord if you're interested. Made a new server for this story.
discord.gg/G2ux7G8RS