— And now the ball is with Ricardo… he's pushing forward through the field, everyone is frozen, only Vermog stands as the last line of defense… Ricardo prepares for a powerful strike, and—he shoots… but Vermog jumps—what a magnificent save! The referee's whistle blows, the game is over… and thanks to Vermog, the Northern Continental League becomes the champion!
"John! Wake up, you're going to be late for school," came his mother's voice, abruptly ending the dream.
"Oh, come on, Mom… I was just having a good dream," John grumbled as he rubbed his eyes and got out of bed. He quickly got dressed, grabbed his backpack, and headed out the door, ready for the adventures of a new day.
On the way, near the school, his best friend Oliver greeted him. John had just started to tell him about his dream when Oliver interrupted with a grin:
"John, I know what dream you had," he said playfully. "One day, you'll really stop Ricardo's shot—and it won't be in a dream."
"Oh yeah? Were you in the dream too?" John laughed. They high-fived and continued walking to school.
As they approached the gates, two more boys came toward them—Max Klesvik, one of John's teammates, and Ethan Brown, who followed him around constantly. Max was as grim and self-confident as always.
"Hey, goalkeeper, still playing with soft balls, or have you finally made it to a real match?" Max mocked.
"You're bothered by my game because there's weakness inside you," John snapped back without hesitation.
"What did you say?" Victor stepped forward, and Ethan quickly followed, ready to defend his leader.
John looked at Max, then at Ethan. The tension escalated, and a minor scuffle broke out. The school guard had to separate them and ordered everyone to head to class immediately.
In the classroom, the students sat silently, waiting for the teacher. But instead of the teacher, the school principal entered—with a broad smile.
"Attention, dear students," he announced, "today we will be hosting a representative from the Northern Continental League. He is going to observe some of your training sessions and choose one student to join the league's youth team."
The classroom fell into stunned silence. John and Oliver exchanged glances. This wasn't just a dream… this was real. And reality had just taken one step closer to John's dream.
"Now calmly head down to the gym, boys."
John was nearly overwhelmed with excitement, but then he heard Max's voice.
"Don't get your hopes up, loser. They won't pick you."
Furious, John clenched his fists tightly. He knew that if he lashed out, it could ruin everything.
They all went down to the gym. There stood the school's football coach and the Northern Continental League representative.
"Line up, children," said the PE teacher.
"Hello, kids. I'm Alphonse Melidan, representative of the Northern Continental League."
"Hello, sir," the children replied in unison.
"You've been told why I'm here. One of you will join the Alphonse Northern Continental youth team."
"Awesome!" someone whispered.
"Quiet, all of you," barked the PE teacher.
"Divide into teams and begin playing," the representative instructed.
John and Max ended up on opposing teams.The match began, and it was intense. The score was 2–2, when suddenly, after a pass from Max, one of his teammates scored a goal. The score became 2–3.
"That's it," the representative said. "We'll return shortly with a decision."
Everyone waited anxiously. John was deep in thought.
Could it be… will they not choose me because of that last goal?
Twenty minutes later, the representative and the principal returned.
"And now… Max Klesvik, congratulations! Come to the office tomorrow with your parents."
John stood frozen in place.
"Congrats, Max!" the others shouted.
Disappointed and emotional, John left the gym and headed straight home. Oliver followed, trying to comfort him.
"John, don't let this get to you. You didn't make it this time, but you will next time."
"Oliver, please… leave me alone," John said and kept walking.
He rushed home. As he entered, his mother said:
"Sweetheart, wash up and come eat."
Upset and emotional, John went straight to his room and locked the door.
"John, what happened? Open the door," his mother called, but he didn't respond. His disappointment had crushed him.
Suddenly, he noticed a picture of his favorite goalkeeper, Danny Vescov. Staring at it, he whispered:
"Danny… I promise—I'll become a strong goalkeeper like you."
And in his mind, he made a vow that this defeat was only the beginning.