Football singularity-Chapter 677 Catch Up
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[17/12/2020 | Hahnwald Estate, Cologne | 18:45 Local Time]
The living room had been transformed into something resembling a television studio. A ring light stood on a tripod facing the cream leather sofa, its LED glow casting even illumination across the space. A Sony camera connected to a laptop sat on the coffee table, mounted facing the couch, positioned at eye level, with a microphone clipped to the edge.
Behind the sofa, the floor-to-ceiling windows past the kitchen offered a view of Cologne’s skyline, the city lights beginning to twinkle as dusk settled. Rakim stood in front of the mirror in the hallway, adjusting his tie for the third time. He wore a tailored navy suit from Sainclair, his sponsor, chosen by May after she’d vetoed 10 of the options they had sent.
A crisp white shirt and black dress shoes polished to a mirror shine finished the look. His hair was freshly cut into a low taper fade, his afro grown 8 inches, styled into thin curls courtesy of Jamal, the club barber, his beard trimmed close. The players chipped in to invite the man into the lounge once a week, where he kept them fresh.
"You look fine," May called from the living room, where she was adjusting the camera angle on the tripod. She wore a fitted emerald dress that complemented her complexion, her hair styled in loose waves. "Stop fidgeting."
"I’m not fidgeting."
"You’ve adjusted that tie four times in the last two minutes."
"It’s crooked."
"It’s perfect." She walked over, reaching up to straighten it one final time. Her fingers lingered on his lapel. "There. Now stop touching it."
The doorbell chimed before he could respond. Rakim glanced at his watch—18:47. Right on time. He walked to the front door, opening it to reveal his family standing on the doorstep.
Lisa was first, pulling him into a hug before he could say hello. "My baby’s nominated for a FIFA award. I still can’t believe it."
"Ma, you called me about it. You definitely believe it."
"Let me have my moment, Rakim."
Behind her, Dad stood with his hands in his pockets, dressed in a grey suit that matched him perfectly. He offered a small smile with genuine warmth. "Good to see you, son."
"You too." Rakim extended his hand, but Ben pulled him into a bear hug instead. "Thanks for coming, guys."
Emma pushed past them both, grinning widely. "Move, I want to see my little brother." At twenty, her height topped out at 5’11, perfectly inheriting her father’s sharp features and her mother’s soft, feminine ones. Her light blond hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She wore black trousers and a burgundy blouse, looking every bit the Cambridge student she was. "You clean up nice."
"Thanks, Em. How was the flight?"
"Delayed two hours. Heathrow was a nightmare." She walked past him into the house, her eyes widening as she took in the space. This was her first time in his house since he moved here last season. "Okay, this is ridiculous, you’re all grown, paying rent and all that."
Before he could reply, she blitzed past him, embracing her best friend, who appeared from the living room, greeting her with a warm hug. "Come in, make yourself at home, you know where everything is, right?" While the two girls caught up, Rakim quickly invited his parents in with a bright smile, taking their coats and bags.
~~~
[19:15 | Living Room]
They gathered in the living room, the atmosphere relaxed despite the formal setup. The 150-inch Smart TV displayed the FIFA pre-show countdown—thirty minutes until the ceremony began. May and Rakim had cooked simple dishes and prepared a spread at the kitchen island for everyone to serve themselves.
Lisa sat on the sofa beside Rakim, her hand occasionally reaching over to brush through his hair or squeeze his hand. She seemed to check whether even a single lock of hair was missing. "So," Emma said as she approached the sofa from behind with a small plate of buffalo chicken dip. "How confident are you about winning this thing?"
Rakim shrugged. "It’s a popularity vote, essentially. Son’s goal probably has more views. Suárez has name recognition. But I’m confident in the Rex nation to pull through for me."
"So Corny," Emma said, rolling her eyes.
"Emma," Lisa warned.
"I think it’s starting," Ben intervened before the two could get into another argument. He didn’t know what was in the water in Cambridge, but his daughter, who had seemingly skipped her rebellious phase in high school, was going through it now. The two couldn’t agree on the colour of the sky if they were ticked off, something that happened more often lately whenever they zoomed.
~~~
[Flashback: 13/12/2020 | BayArena, Leverkusen | Bayer Leverkusen vs TSG Hoffenheim | Bundesliga Matchweek 11]
Rakim had been rested for the opening hour, watching from the bench as Leverkusen dominated. Hoffenheim, sitting mid-table, had arrived at the BayArena with defensive intentions, but Bosz’s side had dismantled them methodically. Wirtz opened the scoring in the 18th minute, a clever finish after a one-two with Schick.
Diaby doubled the lead just before halftime, his pace too much for Hoffenheim’s ageing fullbacks. The second half was more of the same. Bailey, starting on the left wing, added a third in the 53rd minute with a curling effort from outside the box. Schick made it 4-0 in the 67th, heading home from a corner.
Then Rakim entered in the 70th minute, replacing Wirtz, who received a round of applause for his performance from the limited crowd. He didn’t need long to make his mark. Seven minutes later, he received the ball thirty yards out. He took one touch to control and watched the space his defender gave him, and a thought popped into his mind.
Thus, he took a second touch to shift it onto his right foot, then unleashed a dipping strike that flew into the top corner. The goalkeeper didn’t have the chance to move—there was no point as the ball drilled into the back of the net.
[Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 TSG Hoffenheim — Rakim Rex 77’]
~~~
"It was routine," Rakim said, pulling himself back to the present. "Hoffenheim sat deep, we broke them down. Flo and Moussa did most of the work before I came on."
"You scored from thirty yards," Lisa pointed out. "That’s not routine."
"The goal was nice," Rakim conceded. "But the win was more important."
"Just take the praise, son," Ben said with a wide smile. "You’re playing well, especially this year. Your movement is smart, and that shows in your execution."
Rakim met his father’s eyes and smiled in response. "Thanks."
"What about Köln?" Emma asked, breaking the moment. "That was yesterday, right? I saw the score—4-1. Derby match?"
"Rhine derby," Rakim corrected. "Quite anticlimactic."
~~~
[Flashback: 16/12/2020 | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne | Bundesliga Matchweek 12 | FC Köln vs Bayer Leverkusen]
The atmosphere at the RheinEnergieStadion had been hostile despite the limited attendance. Köln fans, even in reduced numbers, made their presence felt with drums, chants, and the occasional flare smuggled past security. Even with that, Leverkusen took the lead in the 12th minute.
Rakim received the ball on the left wing, cut inside past his marker, and played a disguised pass to Wirtz at the edge of the box. The German teenager controlled it with one touch, snaking past his marker, then curled it into the bottom corner past an outstretched defender’s foot.
[FC Köln 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen — Florian Wirtz 12’]
Köln was quick to equalise in the 28th minute, launching a counter with a long ball caught Leverkusen’s defence high. Their striker latched onto it, selling Hradecky with his eyes and finishing calmly past the keeper’s dive.
[FC Köln 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen — Ondrej Duda 28’]
It didn’t take Leverkusen more than 2 minutes to respond, though, as Rakim won the ball back from kickoff, drove forward, and released Diaby down the right wing. The French winger’s cross was perfect, finding Schick unmarked at the back post for a simple tap-in.
[FC Köln 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen — Patrick Schick 30’]
The second half belonged entirely to Leverkusen. Bailey added a third in the 58th minute, his pace tearing apart Köln’s defence. Then, in the 73rd minute, Rakim sealed the victory. Receiving a pass from Baumgartlinger in his own half, he drove forward, beating two challenges before playing a one-two with Wirtz at the edge of the box. The return pass was perfect, and Rakim finished with his left foot, the ball nestling in the bottom corner.
[FC Köln 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen — Rakim Rex 73’]
~~~
"It was scrappier than Hoffenheim," Rakim admitted. "Köln made it difficult, especially in the first half. But once we got the second goal, it was game over."
"You and Wirtz are becoming quite the partnership," Ben observed. "You both make grown men consider retirement."
"He makes it easy," Rakim said simply. "Flo has great football brain, especially on the attack."
The laptop chimed—a notification that the ceremony was starting in ten minutes. May adjusted the camera one final time, then sat down beside Rakim, her hand finding his. They turned up the TV, which had been on silent, as they caught up with each other.
"You ready?" she asked quietly reciving a reasuring squeez.
On screen, the FIFA logo appeared, followed by a montage of the year’s best moments. Goals, saves, celebrations—football distilled into its purest form. The screen transitioned to the ceremony’s opening sequence, and the room fell quiet, all eyes on the TV as the 2020 FIFA Best Awards began.
.
.
.
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To Be continued...
