Mathias, who was drunk and passed out on the street, eventually regained consciousness. He began staggering toward his home. When he arrived, Catalina, who acted as if she knew nothing, approached him.

  Mathias brushed off Catalina’s help and headed to his room to continue sleeping. He knew his dreams were far more beautiful than his current reality.

  The next day, Mathias began searching for answers as to why this had happened. After days of searching, he finally discovered that Catalina had only been dating him to keep him motivated, ensuring he performed well in the league and earned more money.

  During the times he was busy with odd jobs, Marco would visit Catalina, and the two would engage in intimate moments.

  Slowly, Mathias realized that all the support he had received, all the smiles directed at him, had been fake.

  Having lost all motivation and feeling utterly betrayed, he sought out his coach. However, his coach only gave him a brief comment.

  "Hmm, just find another woman. Don’t be a weak man. From now on, you’ll follow my orders."

  But it turned out the coach was also in cahoots with Marco.

  His teammates began distancing themselves from him, verbally bullying him. They also spread false rumors that Mathias never trained seriously, among other things which sowed distrust among the fans.

  This directly affected his performance in the league.

  Not only was he pyed out of position, but his teammates also deliberately passed the ball in ways that made it difficult for him to receive it.

  For example, when Mathias was up against a tall defender with long legs, instead of delivering a low through pass between the defender’s legs, they repeatedly sent in high crosses knowing full well Mathias would struggle against a much taller opponent.

  Simirly, when facing defenders of average height where he should have received crosses, they instead pyed low passes that were easily intercepted.

  As the goals dried up, the fans gradually forgot about him and began mocking him.

  The coach started berating Mathias daily, fueling his frustration even further.

  The scheme to sabotage Mathias’s career was simple:

  They pyed him but either gave him absurd passes or none at all.

  In these goal-less situations, Marco would step up as the team’s hero, scoring the decisive goals.

  In his final match for Barrow, Mathias accidentally spotted Catalina in the stands, along with Marco who wasn’t pying due to injury—smirking and ughing at his poor performance, which had been engineered to ruin his career. They looked at him as if he were vermin.

  The young Mathias could do nothing. In the end, he felt like a complete failure.

  After the season ended, he became the ughingstock of Barrow’s fans and the scapegoat for the team’s failures.

  He was summoned to the coach’s office and sold. His transfer value plummeted from ￡1,000,000 to just ￡100,000 a massive drop for a young pyer with such promising potential.

  Despite the drastic price cut, no team was willing to buy Mathias due to the malicious rumors spread by Barrow’s pyers. Just as he thought his professional career was over…

  One team reached out.

  A team that had nearly been relegated the previous season. A team rumored to be on the verge of bankruptcy. A team so desperate that they had appointed a 23-year-old rookie manager.

  That team was Bradford City.

  At first, Mathias hesitated, waiting for other offers. But with no other options left, he finally agreed to meet with Reinhart.

  He thought he could perform well at Bradford, revive his career, and then move to a bigger club.

  But that pn changed the moment he saw the young coach.

  Reinhart’s face was cold, strikingly handsome, and exuded an intimidating aura.

  Confusion fshed across Mathias’s face it was rare for a manager to personally meet a pyer. Most sent agents or club representatives.

  Looking at Reinhart again, Mathias was in awe. People might mistake him for an actor. He was even younger than Marco.

  Reinhart sat at a café table, sipping his coffee calmly.

  As negotiations began, Mathias locked eyes with him and felt a shiver down his spine from the coach’s mature demeanor and commanding presence.

  The meeting ended with Reinhart leaving the café, leaving behind an envelope containing the contract.

  At that moment, Mathias realized that if he refused this offer, regret would haunt him for the rest of his life.

  So he accepted Reinhart’s offer, believing he would never regret it.

  At first, he thought everything would be easy and go back to normal.

  But during the preseason matches against York, Gillingham, and Bolton he kept failing to score.

  Not because his teammates gave him bad passes.

  On the contrary, he had never pyed with such skilled pyers before. Their passes were precise, whether crosses or through balls.

  Duvant, Lucien, Eden, Harry, Mike, Ismael, Lukas, Conrad every Bradford pyer performed exceptionally well. They covered for each other’s weaknesses, and the training environment was incredibly positive.

  Young or old, they bonded like close friends. Mathias experienced the same warmth.

  Every time he failed, his teammates encouraged him. Even Coach Reinhart, Malcolm, and McNeil did the same.

  Bradford’s supporters also left positive comments on his social media, some even sending him flowers and gifts with genuine encouragement.

  This was a comfort he had never felt before.

  So when Ronald Clement humiliated him, that moment of frustration ignited a new fire within him.

  He decided to become a true No. 9 a striker who could score in any situation, a savior for his team, the sharpest spearhead.

  That was also what Reinhart had told him.

  Yesterday, when Reinhart summoned him to his office, he said:

  "I know what happened to you. What you endured at such a young age."

  "You want revenge. You’ve been doing your best, but let’s be honest—you’ve forgotten that football is pyed by eleven men, not one."

  "Look at your teammates. Remember, you’re not alone. If they destroyed you as a group, then strike back as a group."

  "I know why you’ve failed in the st three matches. It’s because of the doubt in your heart."

  "That inferiority complex has no pce in a striker."

  "Your goal-scoring instinct is shackled by trauma."

  "And stly, you can’t tell friend from foe."

  Hearing this, Mathias was stunned. How much did the coach know about him?

  It was true. He couldn’t recognize his teammates or opponents because he couldn’t see their faces.

  Strange? Absolutely.

  The deep trauma the young man had suffered—along with the guilt of betraying the fans’ expectations—had caused severe stress.

  Off the pitch, he could easily recognize faces. But on the pitch, suddenly, the faces of his teammates and opponents became blurred, indistinct.

  At first, he thought it would pass. But over time, their faces only grew fuzzier.

  He couldn’t hear their voices, couldn’t see their expressions—he ran on pure instinct.

  Then Reinhart continued:

  "If that weren’t the case, you wouldn’t have failed. When I said you failed because you were pying as a target man instead of a goal poacher—"

  He paused. "That excuse was too weak to expin your struggles."

  Mathias, who had been staring at the ground, overwhelmed by mixed emotions, then heard Reinhart speak more firmly:

  "Mathias. A highly talented young prospect from Uruguay. Named among the top 50 young pyers in the world."

  "At 13, pying for Atlético Pe?arol’s youth team, you scored 30 goals in 20 matches. From ages 14 to 15, you netted 100 goals in just 45 games over two seasons."

  "Then, at 17, in just four preseason matches with Barrow, you scored 12 goals. You’re one of the most lethal strikers I’ve ever seen."

  "Your goal-scoring instinct is extraordinary. Truthfully, you’re not just a goal poacher you’re a complete striker. Your height lets you dominate in the air. Your speed is excellent. Your positioning is sharp. And most of all what pyer can dribble past opponents when he can’t even see their faces? You rely purely on instinct."

  Hearing such endless praise, Mathias finally broke down in tears. He had carried this burden alone for so long.

  At that moment, the door to the coach’s office suddenly opened.

  Conrad, Lucien, Duvant, Harry, Mike, Ollie, Ryan, Koji, Lucas, Thomas, Tom, Eden, Johnson, Ismael, Alison, Mason, Kamara, and Kame walked in.

  The coaching staff Malcolm, McNeil, Liam also entered. Even Cassandra and Reina arrived. Reina, furious, vowed to use her media connections to expose Barrow’s pyers.

  His teammates immediately embraced Mathias, sharing in his sorrow and pain. Their anger toward Barrow burned fiercely.

  At that moment, a single thought took root in their hearts:

  They would drown Barrow in endless suffering.