Football singularity

Please vote to show me your support for the story. The higher we climb in the rankings, the more motivated I will feel. Mass releases will be rewarded for each 10 rankings we manage to climb. #More than 10 Chapter ahead on my Patreon: patreon.com/TrikoRex {!!!Please leave a Review it helps me a lot and lets me know how many people are invested in the future of this novel!!!} ~~~ [10/11/2019, Stadion GOSiR, 16:30] As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the stadium, the tension in the air was palpable. The roar of the crowd could already be heard as the German and USA teams arrived at the venue for one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. The event runners had done their best to hype up the confrontation between the two teams especially the beef rakim held with Team USA. The fact one of the most prolific talents to ever come out of the US was not only snubbed but instead decided to represent a traditional powerhouse country wasn't something they would let go of. At the start of the tournament, they had held back since it wasn't certain that both teams would even meet but now things were different. The moment they realised both countries would clash the media frenzy went off the rails to the point some mainstream sports news outlets picked it up. It was mostly used as a passing topic when looking for content, but it made for a good discussion when Oliver Burke Matteo's agent stirred the pot. The man could be seen going on press runs talking about how his protege would destroy Germany and their 'overhyped players'. Similar to certain Ball Father spots outlets brought him on to hold discussion due to his confidence and controversial comments. "Pleasure doing business with you the Money has been wired," A well-dressed man in a Hugo Boss suit said with a bright smile as he shook hands with an equally well-dressed Oliver Burke. "The pleasure is all mine, Simon, now about that deal we were talking about," "All in good time the boss wants to see how this tournament turns out, we don't usually give out big contracts to defenders but if he is as good as you claim we will make an exception," Simon responded with a neutral business like expression but if he was being honest he did not care in the least. As the personal assistant of Mike Parker, the Famed NIKI CEO who had taken the company to new heights in the past decade, he had dealt with plenty of people trying to go through him for benefits. However, Oliver's case was different since they had approached him to get Matteo to join Team USA for their little game so he couldn't outright dismiss him. Since the man had completed his end of the bargain by going on a media run hyping up his players and putting down Rakim's achievements on their behalf tolerating him was the least he could do. "You're right, we should probably hold off on Matteo's contract renewal until the end of the season, he will be tired after this tournament and will want to focus on club football," Oliver said with a light smile, adjusting his glasses as he watched Simons Jaw clench ever so slightly. Oliver wasn't a fool in the least otherwise he couldn't have survived in this business with only the bare minimum of a law degree. He had clawed his way out of Ladbroke Grove in London and made something out of himself using a simple set of rules. Business is only worth it as long as it achieves results and applies pressure on whatever leverage you have. In this case, his leverage was Matteo's 4-year contract he had signed with Niki and while it was a lucrative contract at the time it no longer matched his player's value. He had firmly broken into Valencia's 1st team and started delivering convincing performances not just in the league but also in this tournament. While the result of this competition won't matter much it still showcased his potential against the best players in his generation. He was in the second year of his contract but with only a buy-out clause of 10 million upon achieving certain results which he had completed it was NIKI who were at risk of losing him. A player like Matteo on a youth endorsement deal was laughable and they had been clamouring to renew it following his performance, but Oliver was holding off wanting to milk the most benefits out of this situation. "Don't wait too long, we just green-lit 3 long contracts for players in this tournament after our max contact with genuine from PSG. There are quite a few promising players in this tournament one has already been confirmed for the Norwegian goal machine and the other for England's little maestro so if Matteo doesn't want the last spot we will branch out," Simon cooly said looking gazes with Oliver sending a clear message that if he kept pushing them they would flip the table. Much to his surprise, Oliver wasn't shaken and simply nodded in agreement. "Those are good choices; you might want to look at Gio Reyna since you will need a quality player in the US market. Matteo has no plans on representing them on a senior level," he responded not at all worried at the man's attempt to get him to pre-emptively negotiate a rushed deal for his client. Matteo is probably the only player after Rakim he was sure off, but unlike the latter, he was hungrier for glory which is why he decided to hedge his bets on him. After all most of the greatest players in the game came from harsh environments and not from a villa district in Florida. Regardless of where he placed Matteo, he would claw himself to the top just like he had and that's why he had the confidence to hold off a juggernaut like NIKI. As the buzz around the stadium reached a fever pitch, Oliver and Simon stepped away from their secluded spot in the VIP lounge. Below them, the two teams were already warming up under the floodlights, black-and-white kits on one side and the stars and stripes on the other. Even from their vantage point, they could feel the electrifying atmosphere: echoes of chanting fans, camera flashes painting the grass in momentary bursts of white, and the anticipation for what promised to be a tense confrontation. The stadium was surprisingly filled but what was a rare sight in international football the majority of the fans were American. Thus, it came as no surprise as the stadium resounded with the signing of their people's anthem. "Sweet Caroline.... duh duh duh," their loud singing could be heard even outside the stadium as most of the intoxicated fans sang to their heart's content. Oliver glanced over the field and saw Matteo running through drills with the USA squad. Despite the patriotic crest on his jersey, there was no mistaking the burning desire in his eyes. The teenager had come far, from the scrappy pitch in London where Oliver first spotted him to this very moment on a stage that could vault him into one of the hottest prospects by stepping on the neck of the current biggest talent Rakim Rex. Speaking of which said phenom could be seen wearing his Titan hood as stood on the sidelines juggling the ball between both his feet. If one looked closer one would notice that his bootlaces were not tied leaving his boots quite loose making his feet all the more impressive. Due to the fact, he had almost no control of his boot most player's touch would be off causing them to mess up easily, but he looked as calm as ever as he surveyed the field not even looking at his feet. "Rakim stop showing off and get over they want us in this passing drill," Wirtz exclaimed from the middle of the field gaining his attention as he swung his left foot booting the ball high into the air. Nearby spectators immediately stopped shouting as they watched what he was about to do. They didn't have to wait for long as what goes up must also come down and Rakim had barely jogged for ten yards as he stretched out his right foot. Breaking the ball's descent by dipping his foot the moment it came in contact with his boot it calmly settled onto his foot as he paused for a second before drilling forward like nothing happened. The fans who had seen this though weren't as calm as they immediately exclaimed in amazement causing quite the ruckus. "I'm not even going to bother asking if you're excited," . . . . To Be Continued...