The morning after his stunning debut against Crotone, Milan lay in bed with sunlight filtering through the curtains. His phone buzzed every few seconds—notifications from Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp piling up faster than he could read. The events of the previous night played on repeat in his head: the roar of the crowd, the goal, the assist, and the moment Montella pointed at him to warm up.
Still in his AC Milan hoodie, he reached over and grabbed his phone. Instagram opened first. The official AC Milan page had posted a clip of his assist with the caption:
> "Remember the name. #MilanMartinezVilla #DebutDelight"
His comment section was flooded:
> @_Rossoneri4ever: "16 and already cooking defenders??"
> @ForzaMilanItalia: "Boy Wonder! That pass was ice cold!"
> @TheSerieABreakdown: "One to watch. Passing accuracy: 92%, 1 assist, 1 goal, 6 successful dribbles, 8 duels won. He's 16."
> @BillieUpdatesItaly: "Billie follows him now 😳🔥"
Milan blinked. "Wait, what?" He tapped on the username and sure enough—@billieeilish had followed him.
He opened Twitter next. A popular Italian football page had tweeted:
> "Milan's own Phantom? Il ragazzo è ovunque e da nessuna parte."
> (The boy is everywhere and nowhere.)
Another post from @CalcioHeaven read:
> "Passing accuracy 92%. 1 goal. 1 assist. Dribbles like a veteran. Who is this kid?"
Milan scrolled and found even more stats:
Pass Completion: 92%
Key Passes: 4
Chances Created: 3
Successful Dribbles: 6
Duels Won: 8
Touches in Final Third: 19
A comment below one of the posts made him chuckle:
> @ACMheart: "Is this kid even real? The ball's glued to his foot."
He finally posted on his story—just a picture of his boots and the caption:
> "Grazie per tutto il supporto. 🙏❤️ #ForzaMilan"
(Thank you for all the support.)
Within minutes, it was reshared by fans, Milan fan pages, and even some former players.
Downstairs, his mom was already watching the news. Rai Sport was replaying his goal with excited commentary.
> "È entrato con fiducia. Ha toccato il pallone e ha cambiato la partita!"
(He came on with confidence. He touched the ball and changed the game!)
Milan walked into the kitchen with a smile. His mom handed him a bowl of fruit.
"You were brilliant last night, sweetheart. The whole of Jamaica is buzzing. I spoke to your aunt, and she said even the taxi men are arguing about your assist."
He laughed. "I hope they weren't fighting over who gets credit."
"No, but they were arguing over whether you should start the next game."
Later that afternoon, he arrived at Milanello for recovery training. The vibe was relaxed but purposeful. Cutrone slapped him on the back as he walked into the facility.
"You've got the internet going crazy, Phantom."
"Still don't like that name," Milan muttered with a grin.
"You better get used to it."
Inside the gym, Bonucci greeted him with a nod. "Big moment. You delivered."
Even Montella, calm as ever, gave him a rare smile as the squad warmed up.
"Stay grounded," he said quietly. "But don't lose that edge."
While most of the senior players focused on light stretching and tactical review, Milan was pulled aside for a quick video session.
They replayed his movements from the Crotone game—his assist, his hold-up play, and how he pressed off the ball.
"See this here?" said one of the analysts. "You found space before their right-back even realized. That's instinct."
"Good awareness," Montella added. "We'll need more of that against Cagliari."
"Will I be starting?" Milan asked cautiously.
Montella only smirked. "Let's just say you'll be busy."
Out on the pitch, the players began preparing for Matchday 2: AC Milan vs. Cagliari. The air was lighter, but the focus was real. Kessié was barking instructions during rondos, and Suso joked around but never let the ball slip past him.
Milan found himself being pulled into conversations more easily now. Calabria asked for his playlist. Ricardo Rodriguez offered him a few words of encouragement in Spanish. Even André Silva showed him some striker positioning tips.
As the sun set over Milanello, he sat on the bench drinking water, staring at the empty pitch.
His phone buzzed again.
Then, a DM notification popped up.
@billieeilish just sent: "Saw that clip of your spin-move assist. Cold."
He blinked.
No way. He read it twice. Then again. Then opened the message.
Milan: "Wait… Billie Eilish? For real?"
She replied almost instantly.
Billie: "Yeah lol. My brother's a fan of AC Milan. Showed me your clip. You got sauce."
Milan: "Appreciate that. Didn't expect this at all."
Billie: "Keep balling. I'll be watching."
He grinned like a fool.
And with that, he tucked his phone away and jogged back to join the team. Matchday 2 was calling.