Saturday morning arrived with a stillness that felt unnatural for a matchday. Maybe it was the soundproofing in the high-rise apartment, or maybe it was the calm before the Wembley storm.
Rio Lance woke up, staring at the ceiling. He reached for his phone, expecting a text from Archie Gray or a meme from Grealish.
Instead, he saw a notification from the one app that every footballer obsessively checked, even if they pretended they didn't.
Transfermarkt.
[Update: Premier League Market Values Adjustments]
Rio clicked it. His heart did a little flip.
Name: Rio Lance
Club: Manchester City
Age: 19
Previous Value: £25,000,000 (Leeds United)
Current Market Value: £75,000,000
Trend:
"Seventy-five million," Rio whispered to the empty room. "Holy fuck."
He sat up. He was worth more than the GDP of a small island nation. He was worth more than the entire Leeds United squad combined three years ago.
[System Notification]
[Hidden Stat Update: Reputation]
