I'm A Football Player But The System Gave Me A Novak Djokovic Template

I didn't even have time to check which template I had received when my body started changing.

It was a bizarre sensation, like being anesthetized. I could feel my muscles tightening, my bones realigning, my entire physique shifting, but there was no pain. Just a dull, almost sleepy feeling, as if my body was recalibrating itself.

It only took a minute. By the time my mind cleared, I could already tell something was different. My body felt stronger, more toned. But that wasn't the real shock.

The real shock came when a flood of memories appeared in my mind—memories of a child surviving war, of playing tennis, of becoming the GOAT.

Wait… the GOAT?

A bad premonition hit me, and I quickly opened the system.

...

[System Activation Complete.]

[Host: Viktor Ivanov]

[Reputation Points: 0]

[System Function: Exchange Reputation Points for Templates]

[Current Template: Novak Djokovic (2015-2016)]

[Note: Players, athletes, and professionals from different periods before 2026 can be purchased. For post-2026 templates, 50 billion Reputation Points are required as an unlocking fee for the first time.]

...

I froze.

Novak Djokovic? The GOAT of Tennis?

I didn't know why I had assumed my first template would be a football player. Maybe because, you know, I play football? But now that I thought about it, the system had never specified that it was football-exclusive.

I took a deep breath and tried to look at it from another angle. At least it was an athlete. Even if it was a tennis player, it was still a world-class, peak-condition professional athlete. That had to count for something, right?

I quickly checked the template details.

...

[Novak Djokovic (2015-2016) - 7.5 Billion Reputation Points.]

Abilities, Skills, and Talents: Angle Mastery, Super Endurance, Super Flexibility, Mental Fortitude, Precision Control, Reflex Enhancement, Adaptive Movement, etc.

...

Suddenly, it didn't seem so bad.

Djokovic's physical conditioning alone was insane. His endurance, flexibility, and reflexes were legendary. That would definitely translate well into football.

If nothing else, I now had the body of a peak athlete trained with the most advanced methods of the future.

That alone made this worth it.

But still… Tennis? Seriously?

For a brief moment, I considered the possibility of switching sports, but I dismissed it almost instantly. Football is the king of sports.

No other game comes close to its global popularity. And since my system is built on reputation points, I need as much public recognition as possible.

If I had received a musician or actor template, I might have reconsidered, but tennis? No chance.

Despite my initial disappointment, my mood improved. At the very least, I wouldn't have to be a Flamini before Flamini. That kid has a great future. Maybe I should invest in him.

I wanted to test my body immediately—to see if my ball control had changed, how my reaction speed had improved, if my flexibility gave me better movement—but I had to wait until tomorrow.

The youth team's schedule didn't align with the professional league. Even though the senior team's season had just ended, our training continued as usual.

And besides, Spartak Moscow still had to compete in the Champions League qualifiers, so the first team wasn't completely on break either.

With nothing else to do, I started feeling bored. If only I had a smartphone… No new manga, no internet, no social media. I had survived the past years, but damn, the boredom was real.

I couldn't even go to a bar. Not that I drank or liked picking up women, but I liked the atmosphere—good music, people having fun. Kind of like a concert.

I tossed and turned on the hotel bed, too wired to sleep but with nothing to do. Eventually, exhaustion won, and I drifted off, dreaming of the new strength in my body.

...

The next morning, I woke up with the first rays of sunlight.

Not because I was well-rested, but because I was starving.

Yesterday, I had been so caught up in my excitement that I hadn't eaten a single thing aside from drinking water. Now my body was making me pay for it.

Thankfully, it was the weekend. No school today, so I didn't have to go home to grab my bag. First priority: food. Then, testing my new abilities.

I quickly got dressed and headed out of the hotel. My stomach was completely empty, demanding to be filled. From Djokovic's template, I knew he followed a strict, scientific diet. He was meticulous about what he ate.

Unfortunately, I wasn't him.

The pleasure of eating and sleeping? I wouldn't give them up for anything. Honestly, I had to admire athletes like Ronaldo, or, really, most modern players who followed strict diets year-round.

The streets of Moscow were already bustling with early morning activity. It felt completely different from 2025. The most obvious change? No smartphones. No TikTokers filming their latest trends, no kids wanting to prank you and make it online.

I made my way to a nearby café, one I frequented often since it was close to the training ground. The staff knew my face. As soon as I stepped inside, the smell of freshly baked bread and brewing coffee hit me. I really liked that smell.

I ordered a hearty breakfast—scrambled eggs, sausages, toast, and a large glass of orange juice. While waiting for my food, I started thinking of ways to earn reputation points.

Football was my primary career, obviously. But did that mean I should abandon everything else?

I might not become a professional tennis player, but wouldn't it be a waste not to make full use of the Djokovic template?

Why not join the school's tennis club? Play in some tournaments? Earn more reputation points?

I wasn't in the first team yet, so my name wasn't widely known. But if I built a reputation as a tennis prodigy, it could only help my overall fame.

The "once-in-a-century tennis talent delayed by football."

I could already imagine the headlines. Years later, when I became famous, journalists would dig up this story and spin it into a legend.

When my food arrived, I devoured it like a starving beast.

I couldn't remember the last time I had been this hungry. My appetite must have changed due to my new physique. Every bite was satisfying. I didn't even think about anything else—though at least I still had enough self-control to eat properly and avoid embarrassing myself.

After finishing my meal, I paid and left the café, heading toward the Spartak training ground. The sun in the sky was a little blurry due to Russia's climate, but I knew I still had a couple of hours before the youth team's training session.

Sure enough, when I entered the facility, the pitch was mostly empty. A few early risers were jogging around the field—weekend regulars—but none of my teammates were here yet.

Perfect.

I wanted to start playing with the ball immediately, but with this cold, jumping in without a warm-up would be foolish.

I already knew the routine—run some laps, stretch—but today, it felt completely different.

After my usual laps, I didn't even feel a little bit tired. If anything, I was still full of energy. And when I accelerated, my short sprints had an explosiveness I'd never felt before.

Sure enough, my body really was that of a top-level athlete from the future. My flexibility, strength, speed, and stamina were all top-notch.

Now, I just needed to fully harness this potential. If I could do that, securing a solid foothold in the first team wouldn't be a problem.