A letter is never ill-timed; it never interrupts.
Instead it waits for us to find the opportune minute, the quiet moment to savor the message.
There is an element of timelessness about letter writing.
-Lois Wyse
"So what are these supposed to look like?" Mikaela asks as she looks at our outfits for tonight's ceremony.
Mikaela and I are in Paris for the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
After the ceremony in December 2022, the people that award the Ballon d'Or switched the award around so that it's now presented in August so that the award is awarded based on the play of the winner during the season and not a calendar year.
"Well this is how it looks on the models." I say then I show my wife the picture of the outfit were wearing tonight from the company that we bought them from.
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"And this is an Ankara fabric type clothing right?" Mikaela asks.
"Correct." I say.
Like Mikaela said she wanted to do, she's been researching a lot about the different traditional African clothing so that when she wear's it she'll know the history behind it and be able to love and appreciate in a more deep manner.
"Sweet." Mikaela says then my wife and I get dressed.
Once Mikaela and I are dressed, we get my pups harnessed, then we grab what we need for tonight and head out to the living room of our apartment here in Paris.
Emma owns an apartment building in Paris so myself, Mikaela, Leah, Talia, Jessie, Emma, and the service dogs are staying in one of the available apartments in the building.
"Well don't you two look beautiful." Emma says as she she looks at my wife and I.
"You should see our view." Mikaela says.
Emma, Jessie, Talia, and Leah all look insanely beautiful.
"Ready to go?" Talia asks.
Mikaela and I nod then the 6 of us leave the apartment and head downstairs to our waiting car.
Once we're downstairs, we get in the car then we're driven to the Théâtre du Châtelet.
After a 15 minute drive, we arrive at the Théâtre du Châtelet then the car stops at the Red Carpet area.
Once we're stopped, myself, Mikaela, Emma, Jessie, Talia, Leah, and the three pups get out of the car then we walk down the red carpet and pose for a few pictures before we head inside.
When we get inside the theater, the six of us get a drink then we head to our seats and sit down
"Ooh program." Mikaela says.
I chuckle at my wife's actions then I look at the program with her
Men Up for the Ballon d'Or:
Karim Benzema, Forward for Real Madrid CF and France
Kylian Mbappe, Forward for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and France
Mohamed Salah, Forward for Liverpool F.C. and Egypt
Vinicius Junior, Forward for Real Madrid CF and Brazil
Women up for the Ballon d'Or Féminin:
Beth Mead, Forward for Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and England
Jessie Harris, Midfielder for Arsenal W.F.C. and Canada
Katana Solo, Goalkeeper for Arsenal W.F.C. and the United States.
Talia Martin, Forward for Arsenal W.F.C. and the United States
Men up for Kopa Trophy:
Eduardo Camavinga, Midfielder for Real Madrid and France
Jamal Musiala, Midfielder for FC Bayern Munich and Germany
Jude Bellingham, Midfielder for Borussia Dortmund and England
Pedri, Midfielder for FC Barcelona and Spain
Men up for Yashin Trophy:
Alisson Becker, Goalkeeper for Liverpool F.C. and Brazil
Ederson, Goalkeeper for Manchester City F.C. and Brazil
Edouard Mendy, Goalkeeper for Chelsea F.C. and Senegal
Thibaut Courtois, Goalkeeper for Real Madrid CF and Belgium
What are those last two trophies?" Mikaela asks.
"Best under-21 male player and best goalkeeper." I say.
"Nothing like that for women?"
"Nope." I say. "They just started caring about women's football so I'm not that surprised."
"Dicks." Mikaela says
"Mhmm." I say then the ceremony begins.
Mikaela and I sit in silence while the Kopa Trophy and Yashin Trophy are awarded then we pay attention when it's time for the Ballon d'Or Féminin to be presented.
Before the Ballon d'Or Féminin is presented, highlights of myself, Talia, Jessie, and Beth Mead are shown.
After the highlights are shown, Ian Wright walks on stage and stands behind the podium then he talks about the four nominee's for the Ballon d'Or Féminin.
"...and the Ballon d'Or Féminin goes to." Ian says then he pauses for dramatic effect. "Katana Solo."
"Yay." Mikaela cheers as we stand up then I kiss my wife and hug my friends.
After kissing my wife and hugging my friends, myself, Appa, and Socks walk up on the stage the I get handed the trophy.
Once I have the trophy, I stand for pictures then I walk over to the podium and say my speech is
The first part of my speech is basically saying thank you for the award and thanking my friends, family, and teammates then I transition into basically telling everyone that Women's football is here to stay so they can either get onboard or stand on the sideline's as we change the world.
After that I also call out the Barcelona President by name and tell him that if he actually implodes the women's team then he will go down in history books as one of the most idiotic and dumb people to ever be involved with football.
In the last part of my speech I talk about mental health in football and how there needs to be more done for footballers to protect their mental health in a world were the scrutiny on us is unparalleled and it's only gonna get worse.
I also call out the media for being a big part in harming players' mental health.
I understand the media has a job to do, but treating us like animals or superhuman's does nothing but hinder us a people and as players.
After I finish my speech, I grab my trophy then my doggies and I head back to my seat as the audience clap
Once I'm sat down, my wife kisses my cheek then we look at the trophy.
