Two weeks later
The bus ride is quiet—most of the players are either locked into their phones or zoned out listening to music. Leon sits next to Che, watching football highlights on his screen, while Che is busy texting.
Leon suddenly nudges him. "Yo, did you see what Yamal did? Bro, the kid is crazy! I'm telling you!"
Che barely looks up. "Nah, lemme see."
Leon shoves his phone in his face, showing a clip of Yamal dribbling past three defenders before smashing a goal. Che watches, but his reaction is underwhelming—no amazement, no excitement, nothing.
Leon narrows his eyes, putting his phone down like he's personally offended. "Bro, did you see that?"
"Yeah... It's not all that."
Leon's mouth drops open. "What?! Bro, what?!—" He turns around and taps Felix, who's sitting in front of them, headphones on. "Felix, hear this man."
Felix sighs, pulling off his headphones. "What?"
"This guy just told me that Yamal's goal wasn't all that. Please help me tell him he's crazy."
Felix looks at Che, confused. "Bruh... were we watching the same goal? You do realize he's 17, playing against full-grown professionals?"
Che shrugs. "It's a good goal. Not a great one."
Leon explodes. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" His reaction is so loud that a few teammates glance over, amused.
"Come on, kid, you gotta admit," Felix says, grinning. "That was a world-class goal, especially considering the circumstances."
Che smirks. "I believe I can score a better goal than that."
Leon scoffs. "For who? Barca? You barely made it here!"
A few players nearby snicker.
Felix bursts into laughter. "Lee, come on, man—that was harsh. You're always bullying the kid."
Leon waves it off. "I'm not bullying him. I'm just stating facts. And besides, he's always hating on something!" He jokingly covers his face like he's avoiding Che's negativity.
Che shakes his head. "Crazy how you two were supposed to get promoted two weeks ago, but here you are, still stuck here—laughing at me instead of looking at yourselves."
The jab hits. Felix grins but nods. "Alright, alright. Kid's got a point."
Che leans back smugly. "Or maybe you're just mad because I actually can do it—ten times better."
Leon laughs. "Okay then—you wanna bet on it?"
Che smirks. "Bet."
Felix raises his hand. "I wanna join the bet."
The guy sitting next to Felix leans in. "Me too. I'm betting he won't score a better goal."
Felix shakes his head. "I say he will."
Leon grins. "Nah, he won't. So... what's the prize?"
Felix smirks. "Loser buys lunch after every game—for the next month. At any restaurant."
Leon squints. "So, you're saying we gotta take each other out?"
Felix shrugs. "Call it what you want—just prepare your budget for the next 30 days."
Leon and Felix exchange glances, then nod. Everyone shakes on it—the bet is officially on.
The bus finally arrives at the away stadium. One by one, the players step off, greeted by a club staff member who leads them to the away team's locker room. After changing, they head to the pitch for warm-ups.
While stretching, a player approaches Che. "Why are you friends with that guy?"
Che looks up. "Who, Leon?"
"Yeah. He seems like he's always messing with you. What's the deal?"
Che chuckles. "Because he's good. I know it sounds ironic, but he really is. He helped me out when I was going through some rough stuff. Plus... the way we treat each other? That's just how we learn from each other."
The guy raises an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's kinda hard to believe."
"Nah, for real. He's like an older brother to me. Ever since I moved to Germany, he's always had my back."
The guy nods slowly. "Okay, I get it. I guess everyone has their own ways of dealing with friendships."
"Exactly," Che says. He stretches his legs. "Anyway—you ready for the game?"
The player smirks. "I should be asking you that."
Che grins. "I'm always ready for football."
The players form a passing circle, knocking the ball around as the coaches discuss tactics. Frankfurt's squad walks out of the tunnel and starts warming up. The energy shifts—everyone knows this match is going to be intense.
Che casually chews on his nails while standing next to Leon, lost in thought. Leon notices and quickly slaps his hand away.
"Quit biting your nails."
Che frowns. "Bruh, I wasn't bothering you."
"You were. You looked nervous, and now I'm nervous."
Che rolls his eyes. "I'm not nervous."
Leon shrugs. "Never mind."
Che narrows his eyes. "Wait... are you nervous?"
Leon pauses, then smirks. "Not anymore—now shut up and focus on the ball."
After 15 minutes of warm-ups, both teams head back to the locker room. The starting lineup is already up on the board when they walk in.
The coach steps forward. "Alright boys, listen up. Frankfurt is in top form—they've won five straight and their defense is solid. What I need from you is patience. Keep the ball, don't force the final pass. Move it around in their half until the opportunity opens up."
He glances at the midfielders. "Stay compact. Keep control. Watch out for their long balls, especially from their right side."
The players nod.
"If we don't break the deadlock early, start whipping crosses into the box late in each half. But only then. Got it?"
Everyone nods again.
The coach claps his hands. "Stay focused. Play smart. Let's get this win!"
As the team prepares to leave the locker room, Che walks over to Leon, reaching out for a handshake.
"You better go crazy out there." Che grins.
Leon smirks. "Come on, bro. Who do you think you're talking to?"
Felix steps up behind them. "No love for me?"
Che smirks. "Do you even need it?"
Felix chuckles. "You never know."
Che shakes his hand. "Okay, fine—good luck."
Felix grins. "Same to you."
The players step onto the pitch in a line. The atmosphere is buzzing—a solid crowd, a few journalists snapping photos.
After handshakes, both teams retreat to their sides, forming a pre-match huddle.
The captain steps into the center. "Guys, focus. We know what to do. Stay sharp, stay disciplined, and we'll take this win. Good?"
Everyone nods, tension rising.
The players spread out, taking their positions.
The Frankfurt striker steps up for kickoff.
U17 Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt vs VfB Stuttgart (Matchday 28)
Eintracht Frankfurt line up:
Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper
#1 Emil Möhler
Defenders
#2 Natnael Abraha – Right-back
#4 Niklas Scheller – Center-back
#5 Johannes Vött – Left-back
#16 Marlon Göbel – Center-back
Midfielders
#6 Shayan Ahmadi – Defensive midfield
#14 Liam Mehić – Central midfield
#8 Christian Prenaj – Attacking midfield
Forwards
#11 Keziah Oteng-Mensah – Right winger
#9 Sahin Balta – Center-forward
#10 Leonidas Ilias Tsiokos – Left winger
Substitutes
#21 Meris Gradascevic – Goalkeeper
#3 Maurice Schossee – Defender
#18 Max Arlinghaus – Midfielder
#23 Jamal Mekoma – Midfielder
#19 Pusat Ay – Forward
#20 Antonio Junior Nhampule – Forward
#24 Josef Haßfeld – Forward
Coach
Sebastian Haag
VfB Stuttgart line up:
Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper
#1 Ioannis Kechlimparis
Defenders
#2 Nikolas Matic – Right-back
#4 Luc Holzwarth – Center-back
#5 Gabriel Zarrella – Center-back
#3 Collin Schramm – Left-back
Midfielders
#6 Ertugrul Yigit – Defensive midfield
#8 Enis Redzepi – Central midfield
#10 Sohrab Samandari – Attacking midfield
Forwards
#7 Leon Sonnenblick – Right winger
#9 Felix Bauer – Center-forward
#11 Kian Speidel – Left winger
Substitutes
#12 Vincent Huber – Goalkeeper
#14 Neo Jeggle – Defender
#15 Mykola Petrovskyi – Midfielder
#16 Jeremy Noah Djeukui Yomba – Forward
#17 Brayann Kenmoe – Forward
#18 Mohamed Drammeh - Foward
#19 Che Louw - Attacking midfield
Coach
Daniel Jungwirth
The referee blows the whistle and the game begins.