Chapter 2: I've Been Removed from the Team
Breaking News — Titan Sports Weekly:
National Youth Team player Ken has been expelled from the squad for insubordination and assaulting a team official during the training camp.
Player Registration Notice:
Ken's registration has been revoked. He is permanently banned from all national age-group teams.
Club Statement — Coastal United FC:
Youth academy player Ken has been expelled from the club and will not be re-employed under any circumstances.
One announcement after another pushed Ken into the eye of the storm.
Online, condemnation flooded in without mercy.
Two years earlier, back in 2011, the fifteen-year-old Ken had been training with the youth squad of São Paulo FC in Brazil. Around the same time, a nineteen-year-old prodigy from Santos—Neymar—was shaking the football world. Local media had dubbed them the "Twin Stars of São Paulo State."
Back then, Ken's sudden departure from Brazil had shocked many. Reports spread quickly, and clubs across the region rushed to make contact.
Old articles still lingered online.
Ken's father, William, was born in South America and met his wife while working in Brazil in the early 1990s. Ken was born on June 4, 1996.
William loved football.
Under his influence—and surrounded by Brazil's football culture—Ken had fallen in love with the game almost as soon as he could walk. By the age of three, football was already a part of his life.
At seven, his talent became undeniable. He was recruited into São Paulo FC's youth system and began formal training.
Talent wasn't the only thing he had.
As Ken grew older, his looks matured as well. Fans jokingly called him "Little Kaká." He was talented, handsome, and wildly popular.
Then, just as everything seemed perfect—
A car accident took his parents away.
Because Ken was still a minor, William had arranged for his younger brother to take custody of him before the accident.
That was how Ken ended up living with Uncle Smith.
"Damn it… how can they do this?"
In an old residential apartment, a boy barely thirteen stared angrily at the computer screen. Every headline was about Ken.
"Brother, don't you still have the recording?" the boy said urgently. "Give it to the reporters! Clear your name!"
"Enough!" Uncle Smith snapped. "Stop stirring trouble!"
"How is this trouble—"
Smack.
A sharp slap landed on the back of the boy's head.
"You don't understand anything," Uncle Smith said coldly. "If we release that recording, we'll offend the wrong people. Do you think your brother will ever play football again?"
He turned toward Ken, who had remained silent the entire time.
"Ken… tomorrow I'll go talk to that manager—Dennis."
Another smack landed—this time on Uncle Smith's own head.
"Watch your language in front of the kids," said Ken's aunt sharply.
The boy nearly burst out laughing before catching himself under his father's glare.
Uncle Smith sighed.
"As long as we still have the recording, I can at least get the club to reduce the punishment. Rejoining the national team might be difficult, but—"
"No need," Ken said quietly.
Everyone froze.
"I'm tired," Ken continued, forcing a faint smile. "This football environment… I'm exhausted."
Ken had lost his parents young. His calmness was far beyond his age.
"Then… you don't want to play football anymore?" Uncle Smith asked softly.
His aunt quickly added, "That's fine too. Study hard. Go to university. With your looks, you'll never go hungry."
Ken shook his head.
"I won't give up on football," he said calmly. "Not that easily. I'll find another way."
With that, he stood up and walked into his bedroom.
The living room fell silent.
"He's too sensible," his aunt whispered, eyes red. "So sensible it hurts."
Tick… tock…
The alarm clock read March 28, 2013 — 10:08 PM.
Ken sat by the window, staring at the dark sky.
A memory surfaced.
"Ken, look—what do you think of this?"
His father's smiling face appeared vividly in his mind.
"Ronaldinho's jersey?!" young Ken had shouted excitedly. "Dad, is it signed?"
"Of course," William had said proudly. "I waited outside the stadium in Rio all day to get it."
Tears slid silently down Ken's face.
Another memory followed.
On the grass of a São Paulo park, William lay beside him, staring at the sky.
"If one day you truly make it," his father said softly, "promise me you'll represent our homeland."
"Why?" twelve-year-old Ken had asked.
"Because qualifying for the World Cup is easy for Brazil," William said, smiling sadly. "But for our country… it's incredibly hard. If you have the ability, I hope you'll help."
Back then, Ken hadn't fully understood.
Now he did.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Ken whispered. "I really tried."
He opened his wardrobe and pulled out a box.
On top lay a family photo—William with his arm around Ken's mother, and a younger Ken standing proudly in front of them.
Beneath it was a slip of paper.
Marcos Vizzoli
Head Coach, São Paulo Youth Team
Phone Number
His first mentor.
After a long hesitation, Ken dialed.
"Ken?" a familiar voice answered in Portuguese. "Is that you?"
"It's me, Uncle Vizzoli," Ken said, forcing steadiness into his voice.
"My God… you finally called." The man's voice trembled. "I've been searching for news about you for years. When I saw your name on the youth roster last month, I was so proud. I knew it—you would shine anywhere."
Ken listened quietly.
Only after Vizzoli finished did he speak.
"I'm sorry," Ken said softly. "As of today… I've been completely removed. From the team. From the club. From everything."