Rise of a Football God

With his man of the match trophy, Sam walked to the dressing room alongside his teammates after the game came to an end.

All his teammates were in a good mood, celebrating their performance. Only Sam had a gloomy look on his face as he reflected on the game.

'2 points missed'. He thought.

He was not satisfied with a draw; a draw only made his chances of dragging Fulham from mid-table to the upper half of the league table even more impossible.

Sam felt a bit of regrets and what-ifs about the Wolves game, but in the end, he just accepted reality and was grateful. 'At least we didn't lose'.

In the dressing room, Marco Silva was in a good mood as he gave a long speech, congratulating his players for the display, calling out a few names and expectedly, Sam was at the center once again.

"Sam, next season, we're pushing for the balon d'or".

The other Fulham players laughed, including Sam.

As soon as Coach Marco Silva was done with his speech though, as soon as he gave his players the signal to leave, he also gave Sam a signal to meet up with him before going to the team bus.

Sam obliged, meeting up with his coach.

Marco Silva hugged him, ruffling his hair playfully like Sam was his son before whispering a few words to him. "You did good today Sam, with your help, we were able to snatch another point from sure defeat again".

"My inner man wants to give you only compliments but you see Sam, I sense a lot of potential in you and I will feel guilty if I don't help in my own way to make sure you fulfill it".

He stared at Sam. "I've noticed an aspect of your game that I think I should critic".

Hearing that, Sam paused, looking at his coach.

"Don't worry, keep going, I'll tell you as we go to the team bus. It's nothing too serious".

"Ok". Sam nodded and moved.

"By now, maybe you're not yet the out and out best player of my team but it's clear that you're the one that brings the X Factor".

"With your presence, we always seem capable of grinding out a result and I'm grateful for that, I appreciate it but you have a weakness".

"You know what that weakness is?"

Sam shook his head.

"You trust your teammates too little".

Sam paused again, looking at his coach.

Marco Silva smiled. "Let's continue walking"

They walked and he continued. "It's clear that you have a lot of confidence in your ability and it's not misguided. You're focused, you're determined, and you work hard. Damn, perhaps the best hard-working 18-year-old I know".

Sam chuckled at the compliment.

"But the thing is, sometimes, on the pitch, you tend to do too much. I know your stamina is one of your strongest points, but you abuse it".

"Don't get me wrong, you pressing is a good thing but sometimes you're so adamant in chasing after the ball that you drift out of position and guess what happens to the team? The team formation gets pried open".

"That first Wolves goal, this was what caused it".

"I love your energy and enthusiasm on the pitch but Sam, you have to learn to trust your teammates more. There are formations for a reason".

"You know what I want you to do next game?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Sam hesitated slightly and then he shook his head.

"Next game, instead of using your relentless energy to run all over the pitch after the ball, drifting out of position, I want you to use that energy to lock your area of the pitch instead".

"Focus all your energy there and make it an impenetrable wall, and trust your teammates to do the same in their side of the formation".

"You know, once your teammates notice that you trust them more, your performance elevates them. Even if not to your level, but to a level close to yours".

"In the long run, this will build chemistry and benefit the team more than if you try to do everything by yourself".

"And trust me, this is one of the main qualities that separates a maestro of football from a novice".

Sam listened, a serious look on his face and then he looked up at his coach, smiling. "I will heed your advice coach, thank you for telling me".

'He thanked me?' Marco Silva was stunned.

Over the months as he coached this player, Marco Silva tried to get to him, to know him more and to understand his personality.

And especially after Sam confronted him, he saw Sam as a prodigy who knew his worth which was a good thing but was maybe too prideful.

But after this, this coach's opinion of his player changed. 'Not only is he a hard worker and has monstrous mentality, he has the talent too, and most importantly of all, he listens'.

Staring at Sam at this moment, this coach felt seeds of excitement blooming in his heart. 'I can't wait for him to realize his full potential'.

'Football is about to welcome a true monster!'

…

(Premier league:)

(Fulham – Tottenham)

(Date: 16th March, 2024)

The fixtures came thick and fast.

After playing against Wolves away from home 6 days ago, Fulham was to take on Tottenham in their next league game, an even more fearsome opposition.

Their advantage was that they were going to play the game at home.

For Sam, it meant that no rest as he continued reporting to training extremely early every day, working on his skills, improving daily and making sure he stayed fit for the game as he impressed in every training session.

And eventually, the D-day came, 16th March.

Both teams started with their strongest lineup.

Muniz started up front for Fulham. Behind him was a changed trio of Alex Iwobi, Sam, and Willian. Further behind them was Palhinha and Lukic.

The 4-man defense comprised of Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson, and Bernd Leno who started in between the posts.

They were to play against a scary Tottenham team featuring the likes of Heung Min Son, James Maddison, Kulusevski, and Christian Romero.

This was a changed Fulham team though.

They were scared of no one.