football imagines

adjustment (psg)

Kylian finished tying his cleats but continued to sit on the bench. He observed the dressing room he had gotten so used to. Di Maria was kissing his necklaces, whispering prayers and wishes for the game ahead. Paredes tried calmly breathing; he knew he  would probably still erupt with anger sometime in the game. Julian, Icardi, and Sarabia were putting on their socks. Keylor was punching his goalkeeping glove-covered fists against each other. Marquinhos looked at the captain's armband hanging by the place his jersey was, heart a little unsettled. Neymar was staring the same thing. 

To be honest, the whole PSG squad felt it. It was not something they had focused on or spoken of, but their hearts were heavy, more than they could admit. It was weird- teammates have always gone and come, but this absence affected them more than they realized. After 8 whole years, Thiago Silva, their beloved leader and start defender, was gone. Although they were happy for him and knew their team would still be okay, there was a hole no one could fill. 

Neymar got up from where he was sitting, took the armband, and made Marquinhos extend his arm. 

"Come on, amigo. This is yours now. You're leading this team, and we know you'll do great," Neymar gave Marqui a slight but sad smile. "This belongs to you," he said as he wrapped the band around Marquinhos' arm. 

"Thanks, Ney. I hope we do well.  We all practiced, and I am sure our efforts will pay off," Marquinhos let out a deep breath. 

Neymar felt a hand on his shoulder and saw one of his best friends, Kylian, looking at him. They both nodded at each other, giving each other encouragement without words. 

Tuchel came into the dressing room and scratched his head. "Are we ready, boys?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Di Maria said, putting his charms in his bag and getting up. 

"Yeah," Kylian and Ney said together. 

"Let's do this," Marquinhos said, looking at the team. 

"Remember how we trained. Keep those tactics in your head. Think fast and play as a team," Tuchel reminded them. "If you all stay connected, nothing can stop you."

"And Leandro, please don't explode on pitch," Sarabia looked at his friend. 

"Yeah, O Monstro isn't here to tame you," Icardi snickered. 

Paredes rolled his eyes. "Well, tell them to not foul me," he huffed. Neymar laughed as he tousled Paredes' hair. 

With that, the squad all prepared to conquer the team they were facing on pitch. Sure, their number 2 wasn't with them, but it didn't matter. They were still PSG. People often mocked the squad for being solely oil money. To the players, though, the inside business didn't mean much. They were just passionate about football; they just wanted to play. They wanted to score, celebrate, and do big things for the team. and now, even without their former captain, they would fight, give their best, and come out on top. 

note: short but I hope you still liked it