From Switzerland, with love...

[r10_magia]

As a kid growing up, and naturaly playing football, everytime i would score a goal, make a great play i would think myself Zidane, Henry, Ronaldo and the likes.
But i never thought i would actualy be a "real" player, playing in front in thousands of people scoring goals for teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United. That all changed in the summer of 2005 when i went on vacation with my dad in Germany. My mom had passed away 4 years back after some guy robbed the store where my mother used to shop all the time, he tried to steal her purse and shot her. Life was pretty tough after that, especialy since my mom always liked the idea of me playing football.
So, that summer when o vacation, my dad, who is a lawyer by the way, said he had a big surprise for me. So while we were in Leverkusen he took me to the Bay Arena, Bayer 04 Leverkusen's stadium, i remembered watching the sensational Zidane goal in the UCL final agains Leverkusen a few years back, i kinda felt pretty sorry for them back then, but hey, what a goal :lol:.
Anyway my dad was supposed to meet some friend of his there, and when we got there some kind of couch greeted us. My dad talked to him for a bit and then called me over, and then said : "Well, here he is, why don't you put him on the pitch and see if he's any good".
I looked at my dad confused, and said something like : "Dad, uhmm.. what are you talking about?"
"You go with my friend here... he will explain"

[r10_magia]

And so with the "friend" i went, who explained that i was going to trial out for Bayer Leverkusen. I ain't much of a talker so i kept my mouth shut and went along with it.
On a pitch outside the stadium he gave me a ball and made me do a series of sprints, shots, said i should try some tricks with the ball. In the meantime a few players showed up from some local team. He put me on a team and asked me what position do i play... i didn't know what to say so i just said midfielder.
"Ok... you play centre midfielder"
And the game started, it was kinda hectic, not much room to play in a small pitch an eleven a side game. After a few minutes i got in the game and started to really play some good passes, even a 20 yard pass over the defence, only for the forward to blast it sky high.
A couple minutes later i got the ball at my feet, not one forward up front, so i went for it. From the halfway line saw the kepper out, i shot, kepper stumbled and GOAAAAL :D. I just exploded and started laughing and so did everyone of my teammates. After that, the coach took us off and took me back to my dad.

[r10_magia]

"So... the kid knows how to kick the ball, I can give him a chance i guess, but it will be hard, away from home, from friends, from you, and so on"
"It won't be a problem, i'll stay here and be his agent. Let's go on talking about that contract"
And that's how my dad, the old weasel dragged me in this whole affair. At first i thought it was a pretty big mistake, i couldn't be a footballer, i wasn't all that fast, all that strong. "We'll take care of everything, that's what training is for.", big words coming from the coach. And so the summer passed, with me training everyday, and getting fitter, stronger, and better.
And before you knew it the curtain was about to rise, Bundesliga was right about to begin and i was finding myself training with the likes of Berbatov, Barnetta, who is a national hero back in my country. For me it was the same like being in the same dressing room with Raul, Ronaldinho and so on.
So the season was about to start and we were playing SV Hamburg, the day before the match the coach called me over.
"I think i can take a gamble with you tommorow, what do you think?"
I was shocked, i just smiled and said that he could count on me.

[r10_magia]

Sooo... the big day... first match of the season, with me starting in the midfield. Took the plane with the team to Hamburg the day before the match, and with my dad also, so he drove me to te stadium.
In the dresser the whole team getting ready for the match and the right on the wall a shirt... Andreias, number 20 :D.
The coach gets us going, letting everybody know what their position was, what to do, and off to the tunnel with us.
Coming on the pitch was a felling like walking on clouds, it felt so surreal just looking in the stands of a a stadium packed with 40.000 people waiting for the game to start.
And it started... and so did the nightmare... i had a few odd touches here an there, mostly just passing it along to my teammates. Until the 30 minute or so, passed the ball to an oposition forward, he dribles a defender, shoots and scores.
Ten minutes later another goal.. we were 2-0 down... not a dream start i would say. Naturaly i was subbed at half time, but nothing changed.
The flight back to Leverkusen was long, and silent... after i had been interviewed earlier before the match and made a statement that the press thought to be overly optimistic, i was starting to feel the same.
"We have Jan Andreias here with us, a new signing for the Leverkusen team, only at 17 years and he seems like he's gonna start today. Jan, how well do you think Leverkusen can go this season?"
"I think we're capable of even reaching the top 3, we have a great squad, a sensational coach... why not?
Big words...