It was an invitation to join a secret society, a club of creative geniuses who saw football not as a job, but as a form of self-expression, a way to bring joy and beauty to a world that was often ugly and cruel. It was an offer of friendship, of brotherhood, of mutual respect between two players who understood the artistic side of the beautiful game.
Mateo listened to them with a quiet, humble smile, his heart filled with a mixture of gratitude and disbelief.
He was being accepted, validated, welcomed into the inner circle of the global football elite. These were men who had achieved everything the game had to offer, who had reached heights that most players could only dream of, and they were treating him as an equal.
The conversation continued late into the night, with other players joining and leaving the table as the evening progressed.
