April 28th, 2021
This day was significant in Mateo's life, though no trace of it showed on his face. He was laughing, arguing, shouting, gesturing wildly as he played with his friends in the dorm room, the Xbox controllers clutched tightly in their hands, feet bouncing, voices rising and falling with every goal, every tackle, every failed shot. The room echoed with the chaos of competitive joy—Bernal jumping up and down, Fermín throwing his hands in the air, Balde leaning forward like every match was life or death, and Gavi groaning every time his PSG side got humiliated. Mateo's own laughter boomed above the rest, but beneath it all, his heart was heavy.
After so many years living in the dorms, since he could remember, today he was finally leaving—moving on to the apartment the club had arranged for him. It was one of the reasons he had finally allowed the juniors into his room to play the game: a small farewell, a quiet passing of the torch in his own space, a moment to share before stepping into a new chapter.
But as Fermín, Balde, Casado, and Gavi—each taking their turn—faced Bernal and got trounced 5-1, 4-0, 7-1, and 6-3 respectively, Mateo couldn't help but think it was the best decision he had ever made. Just a few minutes ago, it had been him on the other side of the defeats, and now watching his friends suffer, he felt a mix of relief and glee, the competitive fire reignited through them instead of himself.
"Get in there!" Mateo screamed, leaning forward so close he almost toppled off the chair, eyes wide as he watched Bernal on Liverpool with Mo Salah, running to the corner to perform his iconic hands-prayer celebration after scoring yet another goal.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Mateo's laughter exploded, booming and unrestrained.
Gavi, sitting across from him with PSG, scowled, frustration painted across his face. "Why are you laughing?!" he shouted, throwing his hands up.
Mateo, mid-laugh, shoulders shaking, tried to catch his breath between bursts. "Dude… he scored six goals on you! How bad do you have to be?"
Gavi threw his controller down, voice rising in mock indignation. "Shut up! At least I scored three goals on him! You lost 4-1!"
Mateo just laughed harder, pointing at Gavi, shaking his head. "Yeah, but… six, bro?"
Everyone in the room exploded with laughter, the sound bouncing off the dorm walls, filling the space with the chaos of youth and friendship.
Gavi, red-faced now, tried to protest again. "But, but—"
Mateo cut him off, still laughing, leaning back in his chair, tears forming in the corners of his eyes from the hilarity.
Gavi finally jabbed him with a pointed glare. "Don't get it twisted! I lost 6-3, you lost 4-1. They're both three goals difference. It's basically the same thing!"
Mateo was still laughing, shaking his head.
"Yeah, but 6, bro?" he said, letting out another burst of laughter, his shoulders shaking as he tried to catch his breath.
Gavi opened his mouth, clearly wanting to argue back, but before he could say anything, Balde came over and tapped him on the shoulder, leaning close to whisper.
"Seems they're ready," he said, showing Gavi his phone.
Gavi glanced down at the message. A simple line flashed on the screen: "you guys can come now."
He read it carefully, then looked up at Balde, who gave a quick nod.
Oblivious to their little interaction, Mateo had already planted himself in Gavi's space, pad in hand. He looked over at Bernal with a grin.
"Okay, let's play one more," Mateo said, his voice full of determination.
Bernal blinked, a little stunned by Mateo's sudden claim.
"But I—" he started.
Mateo cut him off without hesitation.
"And make sure you use that Bayern. I can't rest until I beat you using your best team."
Bernal's eyes flicked toward Lamine and Curbasi.
Since they had arrived, Bernal had gone through matches with all the others in a row, but Lamine and Curbasi hadn't played yet. He had finally thought that after beating everyone else, he'd get his turn with them as well. But Mateo had jumped in front, snatching the pad away. Bernal wasn't sure how to handle this headstrong senior.
Lamine noticed Bernal's expression and smiled knowingly.
"Just play. We can play later," he said calmly.
Curbasi nodded in agreement. Truthfully, they had both wanted to play too.
There was a PlayStation in the break room, but the requirements to use it were harsh. Your coach had to approve it, you needed permission from the dorm supervisor, and several other hurdles had to be cleared. You could only play for at most thirty minutes.
Couple that with almost every student wanting to play, and the console rarely got used.
After hearing rumors of some senior players who secretly had one in their rooms, Lamine knew exactly who was going to be that senior.
Mateo, even before he debuted, had been the most popular student at the academy. As a striker who scored a crazy amount of goals, he was social, funny, and a troublemaker. He was the guy in the academy—a small idol of Lamine. It was a no-brainer to know he would be the one with it.
So, even though he was not able to play here, he was happy. He had taken one step closer. According to the rumors, the seniors, after leaving, always passed the tradition along with the game to a suitable junior, and Lamine was going to make sure he was the one who was going to get it. Not being able to play now was a small price to pay towards that goal.
"Mateo! Mateo!" Fermin was calling him.
Mateo, engrossed with his tactical changes, groaned. "Dude, whattt??" he said, clearly irritated.
Fermin, not caring for the tone, just said, "My dad brought something for me. Follow me to get it."
Mateo groaned again. "Ask Gavi or Casado, I'm busy."
Gavi chimed in, "I'm heading out now. The coach's been asking for me."
Casado added, "Yeah, me also."
Mateo, still focused on his tactics, said, "What of Balde? He is jobless."
Balde just laughed. "Ha ha, so funny."
Fermin persisted. "It has to be you, dude. My dad wants to see you." He added with a grin, "Probably wants to get an autograph or something."
Mateo groaned, shaking his head. Finally, he stood up. "Nobody should touch the pad. Don't mess with my tactics."
Balde shrugged. "Dude, just go."
Mateo groaned again, grabbed a jacket, and slipped it on. He stepped toward the door, and Fermin followed, pushing him lightly. "Seriously, don't touch it!" Mateo shouted as he went out the gate.
Fermin looked back at the group. "Okay," he mouthed, and then he stepped out as well.
After they left, Gavi said, "They have left." The rest started clearing the room. Balde switched off the game and quickly hid it back in its place. Casado looked at Lamine and the others. "Let's quickly head to the hall. Everyone is waiting already."
And with that, they all left the room.
...
"A documentary?" Mateo muttered, his voice low, almost to himself as he scrolled through his phone.
Fermin, walking beside him, caught the faint words. "Pardon?"
Mateo glanced up, noticing Fermín's voice, and then his face lit up slightly. "Ooh," he said, shaking his head lightly. "It's the group's GC. Apparently, there's a film crew that's going to come and document our remainder of the season."
Fermin's eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face. "Wait, really?"
Mateo just shrugged, putting the phone down in his hand, letting the information sink in. "That's what it says here," he muttered. Then, leaning a little closer, his voice dropping low, he added, "More importantly, what did your dad bring? Just know, if it's food, I'm pouring mine and taking it when I—"
"My dad?" Fermin asked, confusion flashing across his face before he suddenly remembered. "Ooh yeah, yeah… my dad." He coughed awkwardly, trying to laugh it off. "Ha ha… he should be in the garage area."
Mateo looked at him, eyebrows raised, a little weirded out by his friend's odd energy, but didn't pry. "Yeah… okay," he said simply and turned back to the walk ahead.
As they reached the area, Mateo glanced around, taking in the small crowds milling near the garage. "Where is your dad?" he asked, scanning the space.
Fermin, still pressing at his phone, didn't respond immediately. Mateo tapped him lightly on the shoulder, startling him. Fermin jerked his phone down quickly, hiding it as if nothing had happened. Mateo looked at him weirdly again but ignored it, tilting his head. "Your dad? Can't find him."
Fermin hesitated, then said, "Yeah, he is… uhm…" He paused for a moment, then suddenly added, "The hall. He's waiting for us in the hall."
"Ooo," Mateo said, letting out a small hum of acknowledgment. "Let's go."
"What?" Fermin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The hall? Aren't we going to meet your dad?" Mateo clarified, looking at him suspiciously.
Fermin smiled, a little mischievous, and started nudging him gently toward the direction of the hall. "Yes, yes. The hall. Let's go."
Mateo shook his head, muttering, "You are so weird."
Fermin just smiled and pulled out his phone, quickly typing, "We are heading there now," sending it off to Gavi.
"They are coming," Gavi read aloud, a grin spreading across his face as he looked around the hall.
The space was transformed. Balloons bobbed gently from the ceiling, colors everywhere, and a massive congratulations banner draped across the top of the room. It looked like a proper party, every corner filled with celebration. Cafeteria staff, scouting staff, coaches from different under squads, students from multiple age groups—all were gathered in the main hall. Some executives from La Masia even crouched down to get better angles, smiling broadly, while someone shouted jokingly, "Someone should turn the lights out!"
The room was filled with warmth and excitement, everyone clearly buzzing with anticipation.
Ever since they had been informed of Mateo's eventual departure, Gavi and the guys had been quietly planning something special. At first, it was supposed to be just a small going-away party in their room—pizza, snacks, a few rounds of FIFA, and some laughs. But during training, their planning had been overheard by an assistant coach. That coach mentioned it to the head coach, who in turn told the sporting director, who then informed the academy director. The chain reaction grew faster than the boys could have imagined, snowballing into something far bigger than they ever planned.
Now, for the first time ever, La Masia as a whole was throwing a graduating party—and it was for just one person.
Every single person here was present for different reasons.
For the executives, it was quite simple. Whenever a player at this level—like Mateo—leaves the academy and joins the first team, performing even half as well as Mateo is doing, it's a blessing for the whole program. Talks were already swirling about increasing the academy's budget by more than seventy percent of what it is right now. Even though it wasn't happening anytime soon, the conversation alone was enough to thrill them.
With the increased budget would come increased importance for their roles within the club, and with that, their influence and power would grow as well. They had seen how much attention the headquarters was placing on Mateo. It would not hurt, they reasoned, to make connections with a player who had a very high chance of becoming a massive pillar in the club later. If they pleased him now, wouldn't he be more likely to speak up for the academy he deeply loved in the future?
Patrick Kluivert, the academy director, crouching in the shadows, had a massive smile on his face as he considered how to play his hand.
For the coaching staff, it was also rather straightforward. When a player of Mateo's status receives recognition, the coaching staff shares in a slice of that glory. The club values them more, their reputations grow, and suddenly even other clubs start taking notice. Offers come in and out, the world watches closely, and everyone wants a piece of the people who helped create Mateo King.
Take, for example, Mateo's former Juvenil A Under-19 coach, Óscar, at La Masia. Though it was known he was being considered for future roles even before Mateo's debut, they knew it was no coincidence that Espanyol made their decision and picked him as their new head coach just as Mateo was going wild in the league. The same applied to the scouting staff—up to four of them had already received offers from other clubs, and one had even decided to leave after this season.
It was the same phenomenon affecting the academy players. Plenty of them had already received offers from different clubs around Europe, their futures opening wider just from being in Mateo's orbit.
Of course, there were also those whose emotions were more pure. Javi, the gateman; Alejandro, the dorm "mother"; the entire domestic staff—cleaners, cooks, and everyone who had spent years around the academy—were just happy. Happy that a kid so lively, fun, and full of energy was finally moving forward in life, finally getting his moment. They cared about Mateo in a way that went beyond contracts, trophies, or recognition.
For whatever reasons, right now, everyone had a smile on their face. The room was tense with anticipation, everyone crouched or leaning slightly forward, their heartbeats quickening as the door slowly began to open.
A voice broke the silence, soft but curious: "Why is everywhere so dark here? What happened to the lights and the blinds?"
They waited a few seconds, the tension almost unbearable, until the light flicked on.
Balloons, banners, and a wave of colors filled the hall. Eyes widened, smiles stretched wider, and in unison, every single person shouted:
"SURPRISE!"
A/N
I know this chapter is short. It's because I'm organizing my ideas and all, so I couldn't fully concentrate.
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