Become A Football Legend

Lukas immediately stood up from the bench and went to warm up by the touchline after the assistant came to him.

As he jogged past the home crowd, the boos from the fans just behind the advertisement board were very audible to him.

"You're gonna see what it means to play a real team, kid!"

"Go back to mommy, you're not ready for the big leagues!"

They were trying to get in his head. They screamed their taunts, hoping to shake the mind of whom they considered to be a 16-year-old.

They didn't know they had just summoned something else out of him.

While Lukas was warming up, on the pitch, Eintracht Frankfurt were getting outplayed by Hoffenheim.

Then the goal came.

In the 63rd minute, Becker, from deep in his half, launched a lobbed pass to Hložek down the middle. With Koch and Collins closing in from either side of him, Hložek flicked the ball to the left as he ran past Collins towards the left flank.

He looked to the middle and saw Kramarić making a run down the far post, unmarked, with Trapp covering the near post. Without a second thought, he sent a perfect ground pass towards him.

The ball went through Collins's legs and out of reach of the outstretched leg from Koch as it rolled to Kramarić, who tapped it into an empty net.

In the commentary booth, Dan O'Hagan and Oliver Faßnacht took turns explaining the goal.

"Goal for Hoffenheim! Hložek with the assist, Kramarić with the finish. Frankfurt has been opened up!"

"You had the feeling that this would happen soon enough. Eintracht have not had their best game so far. But good play by Hoffenheim. Lovely pass by Hložek."

"And it's back to level now. Eintracht will have to try something different. They could end up losing this game if a change is not made, and it seems Toppmöller agrees. Lukas Brandt, the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history, is preparing to come on."

Down at the touchline Lukas was ready to come on. With the bright orange jersey his team wore for the match, he received instructions from assistant coach Buck.

The ball went out for a goal kick a minute later after a shot from Moerstadt was well off target, and the time for the substitution came.

"Substitution for Eintracht Frankfurt. Number 49 for number 27." The substitution was announced in the stadium as Lukas came on for Götze.

He ran directly to Uzun and whispered something to him.

"I must say, a very warm reception by the home fans," the commentator said sarcastically.

The boos and jeers from the fans were as loud as they could get.

"Boooooo— daddy, why are we booing him?" A kid, no more than five years old, in a Hoffenheim blue and white jersey asked his father.

"He has provided a goal contribution in every game he has played for Eintracht so far. We can't let him have a good game against us," his father replied as they both went back to booing.

The jeers died down after the match resumed with Trapp thumping the ball forward with the goal kick.

The ball got to Kristensen, who was already under pressure from Stach. Kristensen managed to get his head on the ball as he flicked it to Knauff on his left.

"Ansgar!" Lukas called out as he was in space just at the edge of the center circle.

Knauff heard his call, but so did Kramarić.

Knauff sent the ball to Lukas, who had his back to goal as the ball came his way. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Kramarić closing in, ready to steal the ball if there was a sloppy touch or turn.

With a grin, Lukas just opened his legs, allowing the ball to roll through them as he turned around to retrieve it. Kramarić was caught off guard as the ball rolled through his legs too.

The whistling increased as Lukas turned Kramarić and ran to retrieve the ball. Becker was also stretching his leg to get to the ball before Lukas.

Barely getting to the ball before Bischof, Lukas sidestepped his foot with a La Croqueta, leaving Bischof lunging at air.

The away fans applauded, the home fans booed, Lukas looked forward, and sent a through pass to Ekitike, who was in a footrace with Chaves.

"Exquisite footwork and pass from the youngster. This is what Eintracht has been lacking in this match. See how easily he beats the press in that midfield and threads a ball for the striker. It is lovely to watch."

Ekitike got to the ball but put it wide as he was under immense pressure from both Chaves and Akpoguma.

He clapped and raised a thumbs up to Lukas, who returned the gesture.

The home fans hated what they had just seen, and they showed that by increasing the decibel of their boos whenever the away team, especially Lukas, got on the ball.

Lukas, however, had already tuned out the noise. His mind was all on the pitch — following the ball, scanning his surroundings to make sure he could always find space, and being ready to receive the ball at any time and find the next pass forward.

He was predominantly in the middle of the pitch just behind Ekitike, so he had to be aware of where everyone around him was at every moment.

In the 72nd minute, he received a pass from Koch down the middle with Bischof pressing him and trying to nick the ball away. Instead of trying anything fancy to beat him, he laid the ball off to his right for Larsson and spun around Bischof to escape the press.

"Lovely one-two between Brandt and Larsson. Brandt sends a lovely ball outside to Uzun. He is being marked by Gendrey down the left flank. Ekitike making a run in the box, will Uzun find him? No! He cuts it back to the edge of the box. LUKAS BRANDTTTTT!"

"Oh my goodness! Eintracht Frankfurt are in front. And would you look at that, the goalscorer is none other than Lukas Brandt! He just does not stop, does he?"

"Great assist from the teenager Uzun, too. The awareness to put it on that spot. But the goal itself was beautifully taken. A left-foot curler straight into the top corner. The goalkeeper was nowhere close."

Lukas ran to the corner flag, where the home supporters were gathered. He put his hands together and bowed towards them.

They glared at him — boos, screams, jeers, whistles, some even flipping him off. As he raised his head from his bow, a huge smile on his face was caught directly by the camera in front of him.

"Well, it doesn't matter if it's at the Deutsche Bank Park, the PreZero Arena, or anywhere else, he bows to the fans. This young man has taken this league by storm. That is now 4 goals and 4 assists in 4 league games. His first four league games. Outrageous!"

Back at the technical area, several coaches hugged each other after the goal. Immediately after the short celebrations, coach Toppmöller was already screaming at his team to keep their heads in the game. With the way things had gone so far, the game was still far from won. There were also still 20+ minutes to go.

The game resumed shortly after the celebrations, and from the whistle Hoffenheim attacked like their lives depended on it — because they did.

They were only 3 points clear of the relegation zone, and home games were their best chance to earn points, which could prove to be more than valuable during the final stretch of the season.

Hoffenheim pushed Eintracht into their own half as they tried to defend the waves of attack.

Lukas found himself defending the edge of the penalty box as Kramarić tried to cross the ball into the danger area. The cross deflected off his thigh and spun into Trapp's gloves.

As time wound down, the home crowd grew more restless. The players on the pitch pushed and pushed higher.

In the 83rd minute, a counterattack started by Lukas from the edge of his own penalty box saw Ekitike go one-on-one with Philipp, the Hoffenheim number one.

Lukas had won the ball with a tackle on Bischof and immediately floated a pass above the Hoffenheim defense, who were caught up high. Ekitike, running from his own half, stayed onside as he chased the ball.

With acres of space between Ekitike and Akpoguma, the defender closest to him, some home fans had their hands on their heads as they watched.

"Quick and incisive pass by Lukas. There is no defender in the Hoffenheim half of the field. Ekitike controls the ball. Ekitike takes off! One-on-one, he has to score! Philipp decides to take the gamble and come out early..."

Ekitike looked up and saw the goalkeeper come off his line, and immediately thought about chipping him.

He raised his right foot and flicked the ball upwards towards goal.

The ball flew, almost in slow motion, as Philipp backtracked before turning around to sprint towards his goal.

"EKITIKE CHIPS HIM! Will the goalkeeper get there?!"