Álex was here early to take a look at the youngest of the crop participating this summer. He planned to progress up the age bracket throughout the day. As he sipped his black coffee, he spotted a peculiar boy from above the rim of his cup.
The boy stood out both for his looks and his presence. With tousled black hair, blue eyes, and sharp features, it was clear that the kid would grow up to be strikingly handsome. However, a sense of shyness and solitude surrounded him, which somewhat vieled his attractiveness. The other children were in groups, most of them validating their nervousness with each other. This boy, however, was seated on a ball about 5 to 6 feet away from anyone else. His nervousness was clear for Álex to see, but there was a remarkable acceptance of it, hinting at a maturity not found at this age.
Álex García made a separate column on his notepad and wrote down the "67" printed on the boy's training bip. He once again scanned the field and stood up to walk over to the other age groups.
…
The summer camp officially began with a light warm-up. We took a lap of the field and did some easy stretches. As soon as warm-up ended, I took one of the many loose balls and kept it under my feet. The football at my feet made everything right.
The exercises that followed were not very difficult. We did technical drills to practice ball control, passing, and dribbling. We then played 7v7 possession-based games on small divisions of the field. They were my favorite as I could play my football during those games.
Outside of the possession-based games, it was clear that many other children were better than me at pretty much everything. I was always above the median, but hardly ever near the top. This was, of course, outside of the short sprints that tested speed and stamina. While I did not stand out with my speed, I had the most short sprints amongst the entire cohort of 75. My pride was short-lived as a strength test came soon after.
Regardless, I enjoyed myself. It did not escape me that this was all for my dream to make this place my home.
…
The camp instructors had mostly just observed today. Near noon, they said some encouraging words and left. Attendents then came and escorted us to different dressing rooms to change. I walked next to a tall boy with dark brown hair and a perpetual grin. He was eight years old and played as a centre back. He was reserved and preferred to talk about football only, so we hit it off well. After a short break and a change of clothes, we were taken to a canteen for lunch.
After lunch came the most wonderful discovery of my life. We were taken to a large auditorium where the head instructor gave a slideshow on some very basic football formations and tactics. We were then divided into groups of 15 before the various instructors dived deeper into tactics and the features of in-possession and out-of-possession football.
I was smiling the stupid smile of a parched traveller who had come across a companion. While everything discussed was very simple and nothing new, it was the first time the concepts in my head were clearly defined and put into words for me. I still preferred the abstractness that came with my thoughts; however, I revelled in the realization that I had found similar company.