Football One Shots

Neymessi

This one is short but I've been thinking about it for days. It was 100% inspired by this song!

Life had been kind to Neymar. He had great friends, a supportive family and his one true love, fútbol. Yet, for some reason, he felt like there was a piece missing. A chunk of himself was yet to be discovered.
Neymar dedicated his life to fútbol. He went to practice everyday and as soon as practice ended, he trained on his own for a few more hours. His family didn't have much money, just enough to get by, so he knew college wouldn't be an option. Neymar had no choice but to rely on his talent and hard work to get him somewhere in life. So he worked and worked and worked until finally he got the call.

Santos was his second home. The coach, staff and team were all open minded and supportive. Neymar gave Santos his all, thinking everyday that he was on his way to great things.
After a couple of years with Santos, Neymar recognized that dull ache in his chest, the feeling that he was missing something. Santos seemed to fill that hole for a while before Neymar realized that Santos was like a bandaid over a bullet hole. Sure it covered up the hole but it didn't fill it or patch it up.

When Barcelona expressed interest in Neymar, "the young prodigy", he couldn't help but feel excited. Finally his life was becoming what he had always dreamed and yet that hole was still there.
Lionel Messi was always someone Neymar looked up to and kept an eye on. When motivation or inspiration was lost, Neymar could look to Lionel and he'd remember why he was here.
When Neymar watched Messi dance with the ball on the pitch, the hole in his heart shrunk slightly. When Neymar watched an interview of Lionel, the hole stopped hurting momentarily. Neymar didn't realize it at the time, but Leo was going to be very important to him.

A month before the transfer window, where Barcelona would undoubtedly bring him over, Neymar fell into a slump. His fútbol was off, his touches ragged, his fitness slipping and his mental state waning. This scared Neymar. What if Barcelona saw him and decided to back out of the transfer. Neymar had only ever dreamed of playing at the Camp Nou and he wanted nothing more than to meet his idol, Lionel Messi.
So just as he did when he was a kid, Neymar grinded his training out. He spent four to five extra hours a day working hard to become better. By the next game, a week later, Neymar could see an improvement.
Headlines shouted to anyone willing to read.

Neymar Jr. in the prime of his footballing career.

Neymar was destined for Barcelona.

Barcelona is about to make the best choice since brining Lionel Messi to La Masia!

With his reboosted confidence, Neymar felt like he was on top of the world, until he began to read the bad comments and articles.

Neymar is unreliable. Here's why Barca shouldn't sign him during the next window.

Santos plays in a league with no talent, of course the kid looks good.

When he plays at Barca he's up for a rude awakening.

Again, Neymar's quality of play began to fall. Neymar's motivation was zero. Maybe everyone was right. The league Santos played in wasn't terrible but it wasn't much of a challenge either.

A week before his potential transfer, while laying across his couch and watching the news, an interview came across the screen. None other than Lionel Messi stood before Neymar on the television, a reporter asking him a few questions. Neymar was admiring Lionel when a particular question caught his attention.

Reporter: I'm sure you've heard the mixed reactions about the prospective signing of Neymar. How do you feel about his potential transfer to Barcelona?

Neymar's heart beat harshly against his chest as he waited for Lionel to speak negatively about him or give a generic answer like "can't wait". Instead, Lionel surprised Neymar.

Leo: Quite honestly, I've been keeping tabs on Neymar since his first year at Santos. I'd heard about him through the grape vine and began to watch highlight clips of him. From there I was so impressed I even began to sit down for entire matches. I haven't seen such raw talent and drive in a long time. It's refreshing to see someone so young coming into Barca and bringing a bit of light with them. I know he's gonna be very important to the team and myself. I can't wait to meet him.

Neymar just about choked on his tongue as the interview cut to a commercial. Neymar's heart was still pounding but it was for a good reason this time. Lionel spoke from his heart, Neymar could feel the sincerity, and it was nothing but nice things.
The hole in Neymar's heart didn't feel so empty anymore. He didn't know Lionel Messi personally but he wanted nothing more than to know him because Lionel did nothing but reassure Neymar of his purpose. Neymar felt a spark of excitement run through him as he clicked off the television.

Lionel Messi was just who he'd been looking for.