Judge My Skills, Not Me

Chapter 1: The Girl Messi

"Heath kicks the ball to Diaz who's right in position to kick the ball straight to the back of the net making the score USA 5 and Japan 2!"

Cristina couldn't believe it! She had just scored for the 3rd time in the Women's World Cup today! She grabbed the necklace that her grandmother gave her when she was 15 and kissed it as her teammates tackled her with hugs.

When the referee blew the final whistle, the entire USA national team ran to the center of the field. Everyone rejoiced after that historic win! Cristina kissed her necklace once more as she did at the end of every match and went to look for her family. On the way to their seats, Cristina hugged and congratulated all her teammates and told the Japanese players it was a good game. She found her parents who were waving an American flag in the air. Although her mother was Mexican and her father Argentinian, they still fully supported their daughter when it came to her matches. At only 26, Cristina achieved more than she could ever imagine. She won a Women's World Cup for Mexico back in 2011 against Germany and now with the USA against Japan, she led her team Orlando Pride to the top rank and was out of her parent's house before 24. It was the little thing that counted as well. These were the moments that she imagined as a little girl: Fans chanting her name, a soccer ball at her feet, and holding the Women's World Cup in her hands.

"We are proud to announce the 2015 Women's World Cup winners the United States Women's National Team!"
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"Cristina! Cristina! How do you feel about winning the Women's World Cup for the 2nd time in a row?"

"Cristina! Is it true that you were abused by your ex-boyfriend, Irving Domingues?"

"Cristina! Why did you go to the US team for this World Cup instead of Mexico?"

Cristina really hated reporters and paparazzi. They always wanted to know every single detail about her life. Didn't they know anything about privacy? Once she found a paparazzi in her apartment hiding in her kitchen cabinet. Let's just say he left in an ambulance. Cristina huffed a frustrated breath and began taking questions. "Well I'm not just Mexican or American or Argentinian, I'm all of them and I'm proud to be all of them. I hope to win the World Cup with all my nations. It's not a matter of liking one over the other, but a matter of wanting to represent all my countries."

"What about rumors that you might transfer?"

'Well they sure weren't looking for easy questions' Cristina thought. "I'm happy at my club and for the moment I'm not looking to transfer."

"How do you feel about being called the 'Girl Messi'?"

Oh great. Cristina huffed another breath, "I wouldn't call myself the 'Girl Messi' because I am my own person. Lionel Messi is one of the best and I'm flattered to be compared to him, but I am not the female version of him." Cristina got this question a lot and she grew tired of answering it every other press meeting she did. Why couldn't they just see she was good without having to compare her to another male player?

"Alright one more question before we have to go," said her head coach, Jill Ellis. Cristina was glad that she'd get to leave Canada soon. Sure it was beautiful, but being from Georgia, she missed the southern heat.

"You've beaten most records in women's and even men's soccer. What's next?"

Cristina wondered for a bit. She was never asked that. Normally, they would ask where she thought women's soccer was headed. This question though, had her ponder what was she going to do next. "Well... I look forward to hopefully bringing Argentina the next World Cup and maybe expanding my skills further and the women's soccer interest. Thank you very much for your time and thank you Canada for hosting this year." With that Cristina got up from her uncomfortable, plastic chair and headed for the door with the rest of her team.
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As Cristina and the team were headed out of their hotel, she noticed Jill talking to 2 men in suits and dark sunglasses. "So was are you gonna do as soon as you get to Atlanta?" Alex Morgan, Cristina's best friend on the team, asked as they got on the bus headed to the airport.

"Probably going to just visit my family and friends for the month." She didn't say it often, but she missed her younger siblings. Camilla, the sister she was closest to, couldn't come to Canada for the Cup final because she had her AP exams this week. Her best friends from high school, Aaliyah and Natalie, also couldn't make it because they had a very important business meeting that day. While Cristina pursued her dreams of being a professional soccer player after high school, Aaliyah and Natalie pursued their dreams of becoming YouTubers. They started by making funny, random videos, and overnight they became one of the most popular  YouTubers on the Internet today. They did videos that consisted of vlogging their lives away. From what they told Cristina, they were getting a movie deal with Netflix if the meeting that day went well.

As the bus was getting ready to leave, Cristina sat in her seat looking out the window. She saw Jill give the suited men a handshake and got on the bus. The men then looked up to see Cristina staring at them. They waved with smiles on their faces. Cristina waves back hesitantly and gave them a small smile. She wondered why Jill was so happy after talking to them. She thought they we probably some company executives looking to sponsor the team. "All right team let's go home!" Jill yelled as cheers from the girls erupted. Cristina took out her earbuds and played her favorite singer's new album and closed her eyes. She wondered about what the next season at Orlando Pride would bring. Little did she know she wouldn't be playing for Orlando next season.

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A/N

Hello, my marvelous readers! I'm excited to finish and publish my first chapter ever! I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to let you guys know that I'll give you a character and picture only if the person isn't a real-life person.

Anyways... thank you again for reading and I'll try to update soon!