Alex Rivera's vision blurred as the TV screen glowed in his small 2024 apartment. The highlight reel was ending — a two-hour special titled "The Two Kings: Messi & Ronaldo, 20 Years of Glory."
He watched in stunned silence as the narrator listed their impossible achievements:
Lionel Messi: 8 Ballon d'Or trophies, World Cup winner with Argentina, 800+ goals, record-breaking La Liga titles, Champions League triumphs, the greatest playmaker the world had ever seen.Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 Ballon d'Or trophies, all-time international goal scorer, 900+ career goals, multiple Champions League titles with different clubs, the ultimate athletic machine who redefined what a footballer could be.
The screen flashed images of packed stadiums chanting their names, private jets, global brands, beautiful families, and legendary moments that would be studied for centuries. Alex's chest tightened with a regret so sharp it felt physical.
Why wasn't that me?
He had been just an ordinary guy — IT support job, no real passion, no risks taken, no dreams chased. He had loved football his whole life but never did anything about it. Now he was 28, overweight, broke, and dying on a couch while watching two men who had taken the same game and turned it into immortality.
"I should have… I could have…" he gasped.
His heart seized. The world went black.
Darkness.
Then light.
Alex gasped awake on a thin mattress in a cramped bedroom. The digital clock read 7:42 AM, January 13, 2005. His hands were smaller, smoother. Fifteen years old again.
He stumbled to the cracked mirror. Same sharp jaw, messy black hair, brown eyes — but the body was fresh, lean, full of untapped potential. Memories of both lives crashed together like a tidal wave.
This was Alex "Ace" Rivera. Poor kid from Inglewood, Los Angeles. Same struggling family. Same tiny apartment with peeling paint and the smell of stale takeout. Same posters of Landon Donovan on the wall. Same mountain of medical debt from Mom's surgery.
But this time he carried the burning regret from 2024.
They achieved everything. I achieved nothing. This time… I'm going to surpass both of them. I'm going to become the true GOAT. And I'm going to live the life they lived — fame, money, everything — but bigger.
A glowing blue holographic screen exploded into existence in front of his eyes, visible only to him.
[Football God System Fully Activated!]
Welcome, Host Alex "Ace" Rivera.
Rebirth successful. Soul from 2024 merged with 2005 body.
Main Quest: Become the Undisputed Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) by 2030 — Surpass every record of Messi, Ronaldo, and every legend who came before you.
Reward on completion: Eternal Legacy Title + God-Tier Body Perfection + Family Empire Expansion.
Status Screen
Host: Alex "Ace" Rivera
Level: 1 (0/500 EXP)
Age: 15 (January 13, 2005)
Current Club: Inglewood Youth SC (Amateur Park League, Los Angeles) — unpaid trial player
Family Debt: $14,800 (system tracks — clear it for permanent bonus rewards)
Core Stats (0–100 scale):
Pace: 44
Shooting: 35
Dribbling: 41
Passing: 38
Physicality: 31
Mentality: 56
Vision: 47
Skills: None unlocked
Inventory: Starter Pack — 3× Beginner Body Enhancement Elixir, 500 System Points
Daily Mandatory Tasks:
Complete 4 hours of intensive football training (technical drills, gym work, tactical study using future knowledge).
Score or create at least 1 goal/assist in your next official match.
Reward: 400 EXP + Random Low-Grade Skill Card + 100 System Points
First Urgent Quest:
Impress Coach Ramirez during today's training session and secure a starting spot in Saturday's friendly against LA Galaxy Youth Reserves.
Reward: S-Grade Unique Skill Card ["God's First Touch" — the ball becomes magnetically obedient on first contact, +25% accuracy and control] + 2,000 System Points + Passive "Awe Aura Lv.1" (scouts, coaches, and crowds will react with stunned admiration).
Alex read every line twice. The regret from 2024 burned hotter than ever. "Messi and Ronaldo already have everything by the time I died. This time I start at 15 with a cheat code. I'm not just catching up — I'm leaving them both behind."
He locked himself in the tiny shared bathroom and downed all three Beginner Body Enhancement Elixirs in one go. Liquid fire exploded through his veins. Muscles tightened and swelled. Lungs expanded. Reflexes sharpened. Even his cock felt thicker, more responsive — the system had enhanced every part of him.
Updated Stats Notification
Pace: 52
Shooting: 43
Dribbling: 49
Passing: 46
Physicality: 39
Vision: 55
Body Perfection Progress: 8%
Starter Shop Unlocked.
He spent 200 points on a 6-hour Stamina Potion and 100 points on a Temporary Vision Boost (+30 for two hours). The rest he saved.
"Ace? Breakfast, mijo," his mother called from the kitchen, voice tired from another night shift.
The table was the usual sad spread: cheap cereal, one shared banana, instant coffee. Dad sat hunched over the newspaper, red pen circling job ads. Mia, his thirteen-year-old sister, scrolled on their old flip phone, quietly wishing for new soccer cleats.
"Son," Dad said quietly, "the club called. You're still just a trial kid. No pay. We need you helping with the bills, not chasing dreams."
Alex looked at his struggling family and felt the 2024 regret twist into iron determination. "Dad. Mom. Give me one month. I'm going to impress them today, start on Saturday, score, and start paying every debt. This time it's different. I'm going to achieve more than anyone ever has."
They exchanged the same sad smile they always gave him, but something in his voice made them pause.
After the quick meal Alex took the rattling bus to Inglewood Youth SC's rundown pitch — patchy grass, bent goalposts, no scouts, no future. Coach Ramirez was already shouting at twenty-two teenagers.
"Rivera! Late again. Bench on Saturday unless you show me something real today."
Alex stepped onto the grass.
The ball touched his foot and felt alive.
The enhanced stats and Temporary Vision Boost turned every movement into something supernatural. He dribbled through five senior trial players like they were cones. A 35-yard curling shot smashed the top corner. A no-look through-ball split the defense. A roulette turn left the best defender on his ass.
The entire squad froze.
Coach Ramirez's whistle dropped. "Holy shit… sign the first-team sheet right now. You're starting Saturday against LA Galaxy Youth Reserves."
The boys stared in shock. Alex just smiled inside. He already knew exactly how the 2005 LA Galaxy Reserves played — high press, Landon Donovan's influence on the wing, weaknesses in transition. He would exploit every one.
He trained the full four hours the system required: 500 touches, shooting from every angle, sprints, tactical study in his head using 2024 knowledge. Every thirty minutes the system dinged progress.
[Training Task Progress: 4/4 hours complete]
First Urgent Quest progress: 85% — Coach Ramirez visibly impressed.
By the time the sun set, sweat soaked his jersey and the other players were whispering his name. Coach pulled him aside. "Whatever clicked today, kid… keep it. Saturday you start up top. Show the Galaxy reserves what Inglewood is made of."
Back home the family ate in near silence. Dad mentioned the debt collector's call tomorrow. Alex promised again, voice steady. The system dinged.
[Daily Training Task COMPLETE!]
Reward: +400 EXP | 100 System Points | Low-Grade Skill Card ["Basic Stamina Boost" — +10% endurance for 24 hours]
Level Up! Host is now Level 2
+2 Skill Points awarded
Alone in his corner of the room, Alex stared at the blue screen. The regret from 2024 was gone, replaced by pure fire.
With this cheat code I'm going to surpass Messi and Ronaldo in every single record. I'm going to become the true GOAT. And I'm not living small anymore. Fame, money, private jets… and as much sex as I want. Affairs, one-night stands, the full superstar playboy life. The cheat code gives me everything — I'm taking it all.
His pulse quickened at the deliberate decision. This wasn't hunger from rebirth. This was choice. The system made it possible, so he would live the life he had envied in 2024.
He opened his old flip phone and texted Emma Hayes — seventeen, curvy blonde cheerleader from Inglewood High, the girl who had smiled at him a few times during lunch.
"hey emma, training went insane today. parents on night shift. want to come over and celebrate?"
Her reply came instantly.
"omg ace really?? i'll be there in 20 😘"
Twenty minutes later a soft knock sounded. Emma slipped inside wearing a tight white tank top that hugged her full breasts and a short denim skirt that showed off smooth, toned legs. Her cheeks were already flushed.
"Ace… you sounded so different on the phone," she whispered, stepping close. "What happened at training? You look… hotter somehow."
He closed the door quietly, pulled her into the small space, and let the moment build exactly as he wanted. This was the first taste of the life the cheat code promised. No rush. No holding back.
His hands slid to her waist, pulling her against him. Emma's breath hitched. "Ace…"
The night was young, the family out, and the system had already given him the tools to dominate on the pitch. Now he would start dominating everything else.