November 14th, 2028
Wanda tropolitano
The night sky above Madrid shimred with floodlights. The stadium was a cauldron of sound, over 70,000 fans packed in, chanting in unison. Scarlet and white flags painted the terraces like waves, and banners read, "The Phantom has arrived".
The crowd buzzed with excitent, their faces lit with elation.
On the field, the players lined up facing the crowd. Hiro stood among those players, his composure calm. The buzzing crowd that once intimidated him didn't affect him now.
Even though the atmosphere was wilder than before, Hiro didn't feel nervous at all.
'I just need to lift the award, don't I?' He pondered with a dazed expression, staring blankly ahead.
The stadium speakers were bombarding sothing. But he couldn't care less about what it broadcast. He had prepared for this mont for a long ti.
"Ladies and gentlen, we present to you the youngest winner of the Golden Ball, your number ten, the Greatest Talent In The World, Takahashi Hiro..."
The announcer's voice bood through the loudspeakers, echoing with theatrical flair.
Just as the announcer finished his announcent, the stadium erupted. The sound of the drum intensified along with the cheers of the crowd.
Hiro, however, remained as still as a statue.
'Do I need to deliver a speech as well? But Diego didn't inform about it. Wait... Should I put on a smile? But what if people think I'm being arrogant? I an, I don't smile that much... Then do I put up a nonchalant appearance?'
While Hiro appeared to be lost in thought, a kid walked inside the stadium holding onto the Golden Ball, which glistened under the brilliance of the stadium lights.
Despite Hiro's lack of reaction, the crowd continued to buzz.
However, the sight looked weird nonetheless.
Shouldn't he be reacting?
Even Diego, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but frown. He had instructed Hiro to express himself earlier.
'This boy... Is he spacing out right now? In such an auspicious mont?' Diego couldn't believe the sight he was witnessing.
Furrowing his brows, he then proceeded to hint to Julian to help him.
'Huh? What is he trying to say?' Julian thought as he tried to decipher his coach's reaction.
For so reason, Diego looked annoyed.
Perhaps, he was trying to signal sothing?
Julian stared at Diego. He could see him moving his head.
Is he pointing at sothing?
He even tried to read his lips.
"Help..." Julian mumbled. "Him..."
"Help him!"
Upon catching up the hint, his eyes perked up. He understood what his coach was attempting to tell him.
He rolled his eyes towards Hiro, who still looked dazed.
'Oh yeah! I have to step forward to receive the award when the mascot presents it. Then again, who was presenting it?'
Hiro was still lost in thought when he felt a slight nudge.
Upon feeling the nudge, he rolled his eyes to address the person who was nudging him. Just as he turned to address the person, he found Julian mumbling sothing. From the looks of it, he appeared sowhat anxious.
'Why does he look so panicked?'
Hiro felt confused.
"Go... Go..."
Those were the words coming from his mouth. He appeared to be smiling. However, the smile was rather pretentious as if he was putting up a facade.
Hiro turned around to find the mascot right before him.
'Shit! I FUCKED UP!'
Hiro's complexion beca ashen as he realized he had blanked out. He was supposed to receive the award right after the announcent.
But from the looks of it, he had ssed up the timing.
Imdiately, he proceeded to receive the award. The kid, holding onto the Golden Ball, stared at him with a look of awe.
Shun, dressed in the color of the opposing side, chuckled as he noticed what was going on, "You've co far, but sothing still hasn't changed..."
He couldn't help but laugh at his friend's carelessness.
But at the sa ti, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia.
However, the situation was different this ti. The two of them weren't on the sa team.
While the crowd applauded Hiro, he lifted the Golden Ball with both hands and held it aloft. He turned around in all directions, presenting the award to the crowd.
The crowd of Madrid had been waiting for this mont.
Their very first Golden Ball winner.
"HIRO! HIRO! HIRO!"
The fans chanted in unison, their voices reverberating across the Spanish capital.
For a mont, Hiro just stood there, the Golden Ball raised above his head, his eyes scanning the crowd. He saw children with his na on their shirts, grown n tearing up, and countless flags with the rising sun of Japan waving proudly.
This entire mont felt surreal.
His chest tightened.
The crowd before him was even more elated than he was.
He could tell this wasn't just his win but the win of all those who supported this club.
The more he looked around, the more he found himself resonating with their emotions. The sea of supporters and their support, he couldn't bring himself to forget it.
He felt appreciated. He felt loved.
This place was his ho.
This place is where he belongs.
His chest swelled with a plethora of emotions as he continued to present the award. All along, the crowd continued to buzz, their cheers never waning.
"You've beco sothing great, Hiro," Shun mumbled whilst still applauding.
Even though he was on the rival team, he couldn't help but feel proud of his friend's achievent. He respected Hiro's work ethic.
But at that mont, he found himself admiring him even more.
Just as Hiro lowered the award, he was presented with the microphone.
The sight of the microphone should have made him anxious. But for so reason, he didn't feel burdened.
Even though he hadn't prepared a speech, he knew what to say.
Hiro grabbed the microphone.
Just as he prepared to speak, the crowd grew silent. Even the rumbling drums went silent.
It was clear that the crowd wanted to hear what he had to say.
"This award…" Hiro looked ahead, his eyes scanning the crowd.
The gazes of the spectators converged on him, their eyes glistening with elation and anticipation.
Hiro smiled before continuing.
"This award... belongs to all of us. To my teammates, to the coaches, and to every fan in this stadium. And to the children who dream — this is proof dreams can co true. Thank you, Atletico."
The roar that followed afterwards felt like an earthquake. The entire stadium shook as the applause rumbled like thunder.
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