York to Madrid (via London)

[JJU]

That was the journey I, 23 year old England striker Nick Greig, had completed, upon touching down at Madrid Barajas International. The fanfare and media attention was a regular occurence now, and something I definitely expected following the £29,000,000 transfer from my boyhood heroes Arsenal.

Shuttled out between 4 or 5 bodyguards and ushered into a private limo, I began to reflect on how things had been so different 7 years ago...

Back then, being rejected by Wycombe Wanderers due to concerns over the health of my knee had seemingly put paid to my dreams of making it as a professional footballer. The only ray of light was the recommendation of the scout who had spotted me, made as I dejectedly left Adams Park following the failed medical. "Richard something or other, based out in the States lad. If you really want it..."

I did. More than anything else. So after spending every last penny I had on the flight to the US and for the surgery, I'd returned to the UK and been forced to settle up North, where life was a little less expensive. It was there I was spotted by a scout of York City, and where my dreams slowly descended on reality.

As the limo pulled up to the Santiago Bernabéu, I took in the history and prestige of the place. It was just as dizzying as the day I first took to the field at Bootham Crescent, or when I was walked around the marble halls at Highbury and told "No, it's not a wind up sir".

After a brief tour of the stadium facilities, including a sneak peak at the room I was to face the worlds' media in shortly, the manager put him arm around my shoulders as we walked up the tunnel, and said to me in his French tinged English "And this my boy, is where you shall be a God". I was still thinking about exactly what he meant as we emerged from the tunnel and onto the pitch...

for a pre-season friendly against Doncaster Rovers!. It felt wonderful to have a proper football kit on, and a squad number as well. Okay, so it was only York City of the Conference League, but I was just glad that my trial had gone well and I'd not felt any ill-effects in my magically repaired knee. So there I was, in the starting line-up and wearing my favourite #9 shirt.

Things couldn't have gone any better really. I seemed blessed during my time with York. Despite starting only 95 games for them over 2 season, I managed to bag an amazing 175 goals. It was like some surreal dream at times. Enjoying two successive promotions and becoming faster, stronger and smarter as I gained more experience, I'd picked up MOTM in 41 games too, and chalked up 71 assists.

I was ambitious of course. I'd be foolish not to have been with the talent and luck I seemed to possess. I was still amazed when I didn't have to spend a year or two at a Championship side before joining a Premiership team though. The fact that team happened to be Arsenal made the dream all the more dreamlike...

[Nando]

Wow...

Flashbacks and everything.

Nice one Mr. JJU

[Master Chief123]

Nick with a story? I was shocked when I saw!

Great read, wondering how it went over at Arsenal, and why exactly you left your boyhood club.

[Lazman]

lol wow

ud be one great essay writer......

great career and wow how do u manage to score SO many goals and get SO many assists? (please share)

[JJU]

I made a mental note to get a new Spanish teacher as soon as possible. The press conference had gone okay but I really felt I'd said a few things wrong when I'd tried to impress the media with my language skills. Something about an orange and a mountain one had said?

They'd asked if I was match fit and ready for Saturday's game against fierce rivals Atlético Madrid. I said that I felt good, and after a few days training with the rest of the lads it was "up to the gaffer whether he wanted to throw me in at the deep end". It cetainly wouldn't have been the first time..

I couldn't believe it at the time. I'd barely made it into the first team squad at Arsenal and now I was being asked if I was ready to start for the first team. Apparently Thierry Henry had pulled a hamstring whilst filming an advert for some car company earlier that day. "But what about the other lads boss? Jeremie? Arturo? Niklas? I thought they were above me?" The shake of his head told me that I'd obviously made more progress than I had realised during my short time at the Club.

Later that day I'd rung my wife, who was still in the UK and would be flying over in a few days. I'd have preferred for her to be here with me now but she had some family engagements to contend with (namely her brother's Birthday) before she could fly out. I'd met her a few years earlier, during my second season with Arsenal. I think what clinched it was the fact she didn't care who I was, and was quite feisty when I thought she should! I'm glad to say it was one of the first and last lessons I needed in not getting big-headed. Mind you, back then the drink had helped me get that way...

All that money! Wow.. there were going to be some good times ahead now. I'd only been at Arsenal for 18 months and already I'd earnt a lucrative new contract. Fair reward I thought, especially considering my breakthrough into the England team. After a slow start in the Prem I was scoring regularly now, averaging around two goals a game. Okay, so it was taking me a few more chances to score them than before, but with the quality around me, I was bound to get more chances wasn't I? A goal-scoring debut for England would make a nice story for the kids one day. Now all I need is a good woman to have them with. I'm sure Freddie said something about some girl who he was sure had a crush on me..

"The love affair had slowly gone a little stale, got a little too comfortable. I didn't feel like I had to work hard at it any more. Dare I say it, I was that familiar with my normal surroundings that I looked forward to playing away. Just as well we played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge that weekend!", I told the English reporter from The Sun, who had missed the earlier conference but was so insistent that he wasn't going back without a story for tomorrow's back page that he'd arranged a limo from my hotel to his, just to speak to me!

That game at Chelsea had turned out to be my last for Arsenal. I'd signed off in style at least, scoring an 88th minute winner from 25 yards. A few days after, Real Madrid had agreed the fee with Arsenal and I'd agreed terms with Real. A £25m profit for the club I supported seemed a fair deal, especially considering I scored 375 goals during my 191 games there. And they'd said it'd take a long time before anyone beat Henry's record

[JJU]

So, here I was again. Pulling on the #9 shirt for a match against a local rival. Only it wasn't York vs Doncaster now. It was Real vs Atlético. 7 years on from that damp night in South Yorkshire I was stepping out at the Vicente Calderón, with millions of Madrid fans around the world watching. It wasn't just me they were watching though. Robinho was my strike partner for the match, and Casillas, Helguera, Guti.. they were all there too. I couldn't believe I'd put Raul on the bench..

Would I be able to carry this on? How did I go from a Wycombe reject to a World Elite star at Real Madrid? Was there some cruel twist to this dream of mine? Would I suddenly wake up in York in a crumby bedsit that I though I'd left behind?

It was like going from having one recurring dream to another. It had simply changed a little. The supporting cast were different, the uniform was all white, with no red and the weather was sure as hell a lot better. The performance? Well, 11 minutes in I made a break down the left and curled a cross in towards Robinho. The diminutive striker had enough time and space to head into a nearly open goal. Getting stuck in, I was again involved in the build up for his 2nd goal on 26 minutes.

Then, with the score at 2-0 and 56 minutes on the clock, I managed to squeeze the ball out to David Asensio on the right, thwarting the challenge of the Atlético player. Seeing he had space to run into out wide, I made my run into the box. The cross was lofted, maybe fooling the defence who expected a lower harder cross. I'd kept my eye on the ball though. What about the keeper? Had he?

Here's to the power of dreams

[JJU]

Delerium ensued. I simply thought I'd die with joy when I tackled the Atlético forward from the kick-off, managed to wrestle off their midfielder and stuck a 30 yard curler into the top left corner.

Of course, the TV cameras went on the blink around this time. I reckon they were still showing replays of my first goal and weren't expecting the second. Mind you, walking out of the stadium later that night, I realised I sure didn't expect it either, leaving Adams Park 7 years ago on a miserable Wednesday evening...

[Nando]

Great reading

[junior9]

you have skills

[JJU]

I'm feeling the need to get my creative side going again (need to counter the drone of the database work!) , so watch the forum over the coming week for the tale of an emerging young left back

[DS]

One last game of NSS3?

[JJU]

yeah, I'm thinking so