Chapter 2: Career Goal

Three years ago when Axel was just seventeen years old, he was only a Manchester City B team player who had just gotten his call up to the first team but that was all there was to it, for the first four games since he joined the club that is.

He only trained with the first team in preparation for those four games and only sat on the bench during those games.

He was supposed to come in as a substitute in their last game but it was in the last minute and the match ended up coming to an end before he could be a part of it.

But today was the day, he was finally going to be starting in a match, the team's attacking midfielder Sergio Romeo was taken out in their last match against Liverpool and as the only attacking midfielder the team had at the moment, the coach decided to start him.

He made it clear during the press conference yesterday that Axel David was going to be starting the match against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Axel was just overjoyed after hearing that.

The match was set to kick off by 7:30 PM and now that the sun was starting to set, Axel was ready to start heading to the stadium but he had someone waiting for him outside, it was two people but he would like to believe that the other person wasn't there.

"Oh, hey, Ryan." He said before slowly closing the door.

The person he had his gaze on now was a boy who looked to be just about his age, Ryan Wilson.

A blonde-haired boy who seemed to be a bit taller than Axel, he had emerald green eyes, a straight nose, and thin pink lips.

Just like Devon, he was wearing track pants and a Manchester City pre-match shirt which suggested that both of them were at the academy together.

Standing beside Ryan was his little sister who bore quite the resemblance to him but unlike normal blonde hair, her hair was strawberry blonde, she shared the same emerald green eyes with her brother but she had a doll face.

"I see you're already heading out," Ryan remarked with both of his hands in his pocket.

"Mhm," Axel replied with a nod. "I can't wait to get out there, my first team debut is finally here."

Axel couldn't contain his excitement, it was written all over his face.

"Yes, I'm very happy for you." Ryan smiled. "But do you really have to head to the stadium dressed like that, you're supposed to dress casually to avoid drawing any attention to yourself."

"I'm aware of that but it's not like any of them knows who I am, I haven't even been on the pitch once and also going with casual clothes means I have to change thrice, doing it twice is enough for me."

"You know you can just go ahead and say that you're lazy." Aurora chimed in.

"Did you really have to bring her here with you, Ryan?" Axel sighed but he didn't bother batting an eye toward her.

"She wasn't planning on coming here, I met up with her on my way, she wanted me to come to the grocery store with her but I wanted to drop by here first and see you, that's how we got here," Ryan explained.

"Oh, I see. Anyway, I have to get to the stadium now, the match will be kicking off in less than two hours." He remarked before jumping down the steps in front of the house.

"Alright then, I'll be rooting for you." Ryan disclosed even though that was obvious.

"I know." He replied as he made his way to the only exit in the area since everywhere else seemed to be covered with flowers.

He was about to leave through the exit when he came to a sudden pause.

"What about you, Aurora?"

"Huh? Me?" She intoned taken aback a little.

"Yes, will you be rooting for me?" He inquired.

"Well, I am from Manchester so I'll be rooting for my club to win if that's what you mean." She answered bluntly.

"I should have known you were going to put it that way." He sighed before turning his gaze to Ryan. "Anyway, Ryan, you're a big hypocrite."

Just after saying that, he quickly ran off and left Ryan there to think about what he meant by that.

"A big hypocrite?"

_______ _______

The Etihad stadium was quite close to where Axel lived so it didn't take him long to get to the stadium and just like always, he was way too early but he wasn't the only one.

His best buddy in the team Peterson White was also there, Peterson was a twenty-seven-year-old winger with dark hair and brown eyes and just like Axel, he was English.

The two got to chat for a while before their teammates began to arrive, and a few minutes later they had to start making their way to the pitch for the pre-match warm-up.

Peterson had been quite nice to the youngster for the few days that he had been a first-team player and that was the reason why he felt more comfortable around him.

The stands were getting filled with fans now as the two passed the ball back and forth between each other but there was no way they were going to do that without talking about anything.

"So, today's your big day, kid," Peterson said before passing the ball to him.

"Yeah, I feel like my heart is going to jump out from my heart any moment now." He giggled before passing the ball back to him with his first touch.

"It would be best if that doesn't happen."

"That was just a metaphor." Axel sighed.

"I know." The winger uttered before sending the ball back to him.

"Time to take the first step toward achieving my career goal."

"And what is your career goal?" Peterson inquired.

"To provide a thousand assists." He replied before sending the ball back.

He expected the winger to burst out laughing or at least act surprised but what he got instead was a smile.

"That's a lot of assists, kid. Are you sure you have what it takes to do it? Even Lionel Messi barely made it to half that number."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." The youngster replied with a nod. "Kevin De Brunye also did that but that's because they all had the same problem."

"What problem?" The winger inquired with an amused expression on his face.

"They didn't try to see assists the way players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi see goals, there weren't really that many assist-hungry players and there still isn't, their hunger for goals always came out on top." He explained.

"And you see assists that way?"

"Of course." He responded with a nod. "I'll still score when I get the clear chance and there's no one close by but assists will always be my priority, that's why I'm a midfielder."

"Hmm, I see, that explains your team B numbers."

Axel's response to that was a warm smile.

"You seem quite determined to achieve this career goal of yours and from what I've seen you have what it takes but you should know that the life of a professional footballer is not an easy one. A lot of things have to be set and a lot of things have to be cut off if you want to have a long and satisfying career."

"I'm aware of that but still, thanks for telling me." Axel expressed before trapping the ball under his feet. "I just wish my parents were here to watch my debut live."

"It's okay, I know they'll watch it wherever they are and they'll cheer you on from there."

"They were supposed to come back this evening so they're probably at home now." The youngster replied before sending the ball back to him.

_______ _______

The match was about to kick off now as the players from both teams could be seen lined up just in front of the tunnel's exit with the children mascots beside them.

Manchester City players were putting on their home kit, the famous white and blue.

This was the first time Axel was seen in the team's official home kit and he had the number twenty-seven written below the 'AXEL' embroidered on the back of his shirt.

Wolverhampton Wanderers players on the other hand were putting on their black away kit.

It didn't take long before the players were given the signal to start making their way to the pitch, and just as they stepped into the light, the fans burst into cheers.

The stands were filled to the brim now with fans from both sides.

"Welcome and good day to everyone tuning in to watch this match live at the Etihad Stadium, it's your regular commentator Tony Steel, and joining me today in the studio is Mr. Mike Johnson." The host expressed.

"Hello, everyone, it's nice to be here today and have you all join us for another English Premier League match. It's second-placed Manchester City versus ninth-place Wolverhampton Wanderers. Who's going to come out on top today?"

"Just before we get into it, Manchester City seems to have a new face in their starting eleven, seventeen-year-old Axel David is starting for the blue Manchesters today. I heard that in his three years of playing for the B team, he scored one hundred and ten goals while providing two hundred and five assists as an attacking midfielder." Tony articulated.

"Well, that's quite a lot of assists for just three years and the goals aren't bad either. But then again, it's just the B team, this is the real deal."