Become A Football Legend

"Move back! Move back! Tuta, Kevin, you have to give directions to the players in front of you. Scream at them to block the spaces. Remain compact because the shots are gonna come flying in once they notice any gap in the defence."

It was Friday morning.

Toppmöller and Buck were organizing the defense. Everyone, including Lukas, was back defending. A complete contrast to their normal training.

Koch, the heart of the defense, was unavailable, injured during the match against Wolfsburg a couple of weeks ago, and the coaches knew his absence would be dearly felt in the defense.

It had not been obvious so far as they hadn't yet played a really attacking team since his absence, but the match against Bayern was sure to expose the instability in their defense.

Tuta was good, but nowhere as good as Koch in serving as the last man before the goalkeeper and the one in charge of organizing the defense.

Later, several combinations of five defensive players worked together on positioning, setting the offside trap, and communication, while the attacking players drove at them.

The forward players weren't spared from the training either as they sprinted up and down the pitch as fast as possible to mimic the match situation where a counterattack opportunity presented itself or when they had to track back to help the defense after a failed attack.

The counterattacking sessions required Lukas to send long passes from deep to players on the flanks or up top, and then sprint forward himself to join in the attack.

Two hours later and most of the players were lying on the floor catching their breath. Uzun was on his knees, his hands on his thighs as he took deep breaths in with his training kit soaked in sweat. Larsson was in an even worse condition, lying face up as sun shone into his eyes.

It wasn't a very hot day, but you couldn't tell that to the players who felt like they were in a melting pot.

"Bro, Luke, how are you never tired?" Uzun managed to ask in between deep breaths.

Lukas, who was sitting on the grass with both hands supporting his upper body weight on the ground behind his back, turned his gaze from the sky to Uzun.

"What the hell are you talking about? Don't I look tired to you?" he asked.

Sweat beads were dropping from his forehead and his kit was also drenched in sweat, but he still didn't sound or look tired.

"No. You look like someone just poured water on you. Your breath is steady, your gaze is like you can go for another 2-hour session with no problem."

"Bruh... So because I don't breathe like I'm on my last breath, you think I don't feel tired? Why do you think I'm not standing? My legs have given out. But I'm fitter than both of you so I'm not surprised that my breath is steady," he added, sneakily.

"Oh please, don't flatter yourself. You just didn't run enough," Larsson responded, rolling his eyes while still on the ground.

"Really? How about we talk to Coach Dino so I can take your role and you take mine in the next session."

"Yeah? I think that's an excellent idea. Hugo, you'll take on Lukas's role in the midfield in today's evening session," coach Toppmöller said as he walked towards the boys chatting.

"Coach, I was only kidding. I don't have lungs of steel like Lukas. I'm gonna faint if I run that much."

"Ayy, stop protesting. You're not that bad. We all believe in you."

"What have I gotten myself into?" Larsson said as he placed his hand on his head and some players chuckled.

"Enough with the jokes for now," Toppmöller said, calling their attention. "You guys take a cold shower, we'll have lunch and watch the Europa League round of 16 draw at the same time. At 2:30pm, we move on to video review and analysis."

The players dragged themselves up as they knew there wasn't time to waste and headed to the bathroom.

* * *

"Yes!" Uzun pumped his fist as the man on the screen opened the paper from the ball and showed it to the camera.

FENERBAHÇE

Eintracht Frankfurt would face Mourinho's Fenerbahçe in the round of 16 and either AS Roma or Athletic Club in the Quarterfinals.

"Are you really that happy?" Lukas asked as Uzun recorded the TV with his phone and quickly sent the video to someone.

"Of course I am. I've always wanted to play either Galatasaray or Fenerbahçe. It'll also be nice to see some relatives when we go for the away leg.

"I'm happy for you, then. As long as you remember we're going there to knock them out of the competition, then all is well," Toppmöller interjected.

"Ayyy, coach, what do you take me for? Of course there will be no holding back."

Lukas just stared at the TV as the names kept coming up and the ties were laid out. "It's like we just switched places with Rangers. If we manage to beat Fenerbahçe and Athletic Club, we'll most likely face Manchester United in the semi finals. Wow... This is exciting."

[*Slow your horses. You've got a lot of games to win before you can get to the semi finals.*]

"Yeah I know... Can't I just be excited? Damn..."

"Enough watching, we've seen our next opponent, but before that, we have an extremely important match to prepare for. We start tactical analysis in 15 minutes," Toppmöller said as he walked out of the room with a few of his staff.

* * *

Lukas stared at the golden screen while lying on a soft bed. The white sheets wrapped around him, still warm from sleep. The system window hovered quietly in front of his eyes, the numbers steady and sharp: [Stamina +1

Speed +1

06:48AM

Matchday ]

A faint smile spread across his lips as he closed the window. He had successfully completed that day's special training.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his face with both hands, and looked around. The room was calm, almost too quiet. Pale walls with gold edges, a thick carpet underfoot, curtains drawn shut except for a thin line of light sneaking through. The air smelled of clean linen and wood polish.

A large desk stood across the room, yesterday's notes and a bottle of water left where he'd dropped them. An armchair waited by the window, turned slightly so he could see the rooftops if he opened the curtains. From outside, faint sounds drifted in — cars moving, trams rolling somewhere in the city — but here it felt muted, like the walls kept the world at arm's length.

He was at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof — a 5-star grand hotel in Munich where Eintracht Frankfurt had lodged the day before.

It was comfortable... Almost too comfortable. A stark contrast to the day ahead.

"Hmm... I don't feel as tired after today's special session... Well, granted I did spend 70 hours recovering in the LTC. That's shorter than the 86 hours after the first time. I guess my body's getting more used to it," he said as he started a light stretching session to loosen his muscles.

About 50 minutes later, at 7:30am, Lukas barely stepped out of the shower when his phone rang.

He walked up slowly to the phone lying by his bedside, but picked it up immediately after seeing the name on the screen with a heart emoji right next to it.

"Hello, Jo, you're up already?"

"Yeah. I really couldn't sleep much last night."

"What's stopping you from sleeping?"

"You're playing Bayern Munich today! That is a huge deal."

"Why do you sound more excited than me?"

"You're the weird one for not sounding as excited as me."

"What do you mean? I am excited. But I also need to sleep or I won't be able to perform well so I had to force myself to get 7 hours."

"I'm happy for you. I could barely sleep for 5 hours."

"You're looking forward to it that much?"

"You've gotta understand, Bayern is more than a club in my family, it's a culture. My father was a huge fan, even all the way from Portugal. So we grew up watching their games. To think my boyfriend will be starting against them later today, is unbelievable."

"I hope you didn't tell anyone I was included in the starting lineup? This is information I'm not supposed to share."

"Of course not, babe, I'm not dumb."

"What did you call me previously?"

"...babe?"

"Not that... Before that. What did you refer to me as?"

"My... boyfriend..."

"Is... that what I am...?"

"You don't want the title?"

"No, no, why would you think that?"

"If you don't want the title just let me know, I will not force it on you."

"I want the title! It's only natural for my girlfriend to refer to me as her boyfriend. It just felt nice to hear you refer to me like that."

"Well, get used to it... You'll be hearing it a lot."

For a brief moment, all worries about the match were wiped away as Lukas could only think of the girl on the other end of the phone.