About two hours later, the Volvo V50 rolled smoothly toward the Malmö IP. Malmö FF had chosen this historic stadium as the venue for its youth academy trials.
His father pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine. "Here we are," he said, glancing at his son.
Sebastian nodded and stepped out of the car with his duffle bag alongside his dad.
Thomas walked beside Sebastian toward the entrance, where a small table had been set up just outside the stadium gates. A staff member in a Malmö FF training jacket sat behind it, checking names against a list. A few boys were in line ahead of them, shifting restlessly as they waited their turn.
The staff member looked up when they arrived at the front. "Name?"
"Sebastian Falk," Thomas answered.
After looking over the list, the man nodded. "Alright, you've been registered. You can head inside and get ready. The trials will start soon."
"Got it."
Thomas gave a small nod before turning to place his hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "Alright, Seb. No pressure. Just do your best."
"I will," Sebastian said, meeting his father's gaze.
"Good luck." Thomas smiled. "I'll come pick you up later, alright?"
"Okay."
With that, his father gave his shoulder one last pat before turning and heading back toward the car. Sebastian stood there for a moment, waving at his father as he drove away.
"Alright, let's do this." He exhaled slowly, then turned toward the entrance of Malmö IP.
As he stepped through the tunnel leading onto the pitch, the murmurs of voices already began filling his ears. He could see about two dozen boys on the field, most of whom were already fully kitted. Some of them seemed to familiar with themselves chatting in groups, while a few of them were on their own.
He decided to head to the sidelines, where a few benches were available for players to get ready. He dropped his duffel bag onto the grass, unzipped it, and pulled out his gear.
Martin's POV
I stood near the center of the pitch, chatting with a group of boys who had also been invited to the trials.
"...you know, I thought we'd be more than this," one of them said, looking around the pitch.
"Really?" another added. "I kinda expected us to be this much, since this particular trial was invite only."
"Fair point," I muttered, stretching my arms as my gaze swept across the field. I didn't recognize most of the players, but I was sure they were among the best in my age group.
But then, someone familiar caught my attention.
My eyes drifted to the tunnel, where a tall figure entered the pitch.
Dark hair. Grey eyes.
My eyes dilated slightly. Of course he'd get invited.
Sebastian Falk.
My eyes kept following him as he walked calmly to the sidelines, wearing a Malmö FF jersey like most of us.
I watched as Sebastian set down his bag, pulled out his socks, shin guards, and boots, and started getting ready. After lacing up his boots, he went straight into stretching.
I hadn't realized how long I'd been staring until a hand tapped my shoulder.
"Earth to Martin," Elias said, raising an eyebrow. "You good? What are you staring at?"
I didn't respond right away. Instead, I gave a small nod toward the sidelines. "Look at who just showed up."
Elias followed my gaze. His eyes widened slightly. "Is that Sebastian Falk?"
"Yeah."
The other boys in our group, who had been listening, exchanged confused glances. One of them frowned. "Who's Sebastian Falk?"
I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "We played against his school about a month ago in the tournament," I said, my voice carrying a mix of respect and something else—something almost reluctant. "We lost 4-1."
A brief silence. Then one of the boys scoffed. "Okay, but—"
"He had three goals and an assist against us. We had the best defense in the tournament. In the five previous matches before the finals, we had only conceded two goals in," I cut in. My tone was steady, but there was a weight to my words, like I hated to admit it but couldn't deny it. "He's really good, like really, really good."
"Honestly, he might be the best I've ever played against."
That got their attention.
"Seriously?" someone muttered.
"And he has the stamina of a freak," Elias added, his eyes flicking back to where Sebastian was still stretching, completely focused. "He ran throughout that match, pressing, making tackles, and leading the attack, but not once did I see him get tired."
"Now that I think about it, I'm not surprised he's here."
Before anyone else could add anything, Sebastian suddenly looked up.
His piercing grey eyes locked onto us.
For a second, I felt like I'd been caught doing something I wasn't supposed to.
"Uh…" one of the boys mumbled. "Looks like he noticed us staring."
Sebastian held our gaze for a moment, then gave a slight nod. It wasn't cocky or smug—just an acknowledgment. Then, just as quickly, he returned to his stretches like nothing had happened.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
Elias smirked. "I think you were staring a bit too hard, man."
I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."
But inwardly, I couldn't help but feel something shift. I'd already known this trial would be tough, but now, seeing Sebastian here, the reality of it hit even harder.
This wasn't going to be easy.
**********
Sebastian's POV
I finished my stretching routine and rolled my shoulders. My body felt loose, ready.
I had recognized someone from the group of boys staring at me earlier. He had brown hair and blue eyes.
Martin something. A midfielder.
I remembered playing against his school in the finals of the middle school tournament last month.
I think he assisted the only goal they scored.
I hadn't thought much about him at the time, but now that I recalled, the guy wasn't bad. He was a decent dribbler and gave good passes. He was one of the few players from that match that had actually stood out. But I wasn't sure why Martin and his friends had been staring like that.
Either way, I had acknowledged him with a nod and moved on.
Just as I was about to grab a sip of water, some movement near the entrance caught my eye.
A group of men in Malmö FF sportswear had stepped onto the pitch.
Here we go.