Become A Football Legend Chapter 370: New Friends

The rest quickly followed.

"Listen to him."

"Already talking like he’s been here for years."

"I hate this kid."

"You definitely don’t."

The conversation continued well into the evening as the sun gradually disappeared behind the horizon.

By the time dessert arrived, football had already been forgotten again.

* * *

The week passed far quicker than any of them expected.

What had initially been planned as a short holiday somehow turned into one of the most enjoyable weeks Lukas had experienced in a long time. There was something refreshing about being surrounded by people who understood exactly what life as a professional footballer was like. Nobody needed to explain the pressure, the expectations, the criticism, or the sacrifices. Everyone sitting around that castle had lived it in one form or another.

Most mornings began at the beach.

The Mediterranean was warm enough that they could spend hours in the water without ever feeling uncomfortable, and it quickly became a daily ritual. Sometimes they rented sunbeds and simply relaxed. Other times they found themselves kicking a football around in the sand. Unsurprisingly, every casual game eventually became competitive. What started as a few touches between friends almost always turned into some ridiculous challenge involving volleys, first-touch competitions, or increasingly impossible skill moves.

One afternoon a small crowd had gathered after recognizing them. By the end of the session, Lukas, Erling, Phil, Oscar, and João were surrounded by dozens of tourists filming them while they attempted increasingly absurd combinations of passes and tricks. At one point Erling somehow managed to score a bicycle kick while standing in ankle-deep water and immediately spent the next ten minutes acting as though he deserved the Ballon d’Or for it.

Nobody let him forget it for the rest of the week.

The evenings were usually spent back at the castle. Sometimes they watched films. Sometimes they sat outside on the terrace overlooking the sea and talked for hours. Other nights they wandered through Palma, eating at restaurants recommended by locals or simply exploring the old parts of the city. The narrow streets, ancient buildings, and lively atmosphere made the city feel completely different from both New York and Manchester.

Meanwhile, Joanna had grown surprisingly close with Isabel and Rebecca. The three of them disappeared together often enough that Lukas eventually stopped asking where they were going. Every time he did ask, Joanna would simply smile and tell him it was "girl stuff," which somehow managed to answer absolutely nothing. Whatever they were doing, they clearly enjoyed it. By the middle of the week they looked less like people who had only recently met and more like lifelong friends.

The same was true for the rest of the group.

Lukas and Phil spent an embarrassing amount of time arguing about football. Erling insisted he was the best cook in Europe despite nobody agreeing with him. Oscar frequently found himself caught in the middle whenever those debates started, while João seemed perfectly happy to contribute nonsense whenever an argument began slowing down.

By the time dinner arrived each evening, the conversations flowed naturally. Football was always part of it. It was impossible for it not to be. They discussed tactics, teammates, managers, difficult opponents, and memorable matches, but they also talked about things completely unrelated to football. Films, travel, music, family, and future plans. It reminded Lukas that the people fans watched every weekend weren’t just footballers. They were normal people trying to figure out life like everyone else.

Oscar ended up being the first to leave.

As the week progressed, more and more conversations began taking place between his representatives and interested clubs, and eventually he had to return to England earlier than everyone else. Nobody was particularly surprised. Everyone understood his situation. After spending much of the previous season fighting for minutes following his injury, he needed a place where he could play regularly. The farewell itself was simple. Promises to stay in touch, a few jokes, a couple of hugs, and then he was gone, heading toward whatever came next in his career.

The remainder of the week somehow passed even faster.

One moment they were arriving in Mallorca, and the next they were standing in the courtyard again with luggage stacked beside the waiting vehicle.

The morning sun illuminated the ancient castle walls as Lukas looked around one final time. The place had felt unreal when he first arrived. A week later it somehow felt familiar.

Rebecca hugged Joanna first.

Then Isabel.

Nearby, Phil pulled Lukas into a brief hug.

"Try not to take my spot this season."

Lukas laughed.

"No promises."

"I knew you were going to say that."

"Then why ask?"

Phil shook his head.

"Because I like being disappointed."

That earned a laugh from everyone standing nearby.

A few moments later Erling stepped forward.

The Norwegian striker immediately wrapped Lukas in a hug before pulling away and pointing directly at him.

"We’re doing this again next summer."

Lukas smiled.

"Deal."

"I’m serious."

"So am I."

Erling nodded in satisfaction before turning toward João.

"You too."

João pointed at himself.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Do I have a choice?"

"You don’t."

The new friends laughed as they bid farewell.

Eventually the goodbyes were over.

The luggage was loaded.

The doors closed.

The vehicle slowly rolled away from the castle.

Lukas glanced back through the window and saw Erling, Isabel, Phil, and Rebecca still standing in the courtyard watching them leave. Behind them, the ancient stone walls of the castle rose against the bright Mediterranean sky, looking just as impressive as they had on the day he arrived.

Although it still felt a bit foreign to him, he had started forming a relationship that would prove crucial to him settling in with his new teammates.

He sighed as he turned and looked ahead as the road curved and the castle disappeared from view.

Ahead of them waited the next Chapter of the summer.

Madrid.

And the university visits that Joanna had spent months thinking about.

* * *

The next day the three of them were exploring the main campus of the University of Madrid.

Even in July, the place was far from empty. Summer courses were still running, researchers moved between buildings carrying laptops and stacks of papers, and groups of students occupied benches, cafés, and shaded courtyards throughout the campus. The university itself was impressive. Modern academic buildings stood alongside older structures, connected by wide pedestrian walkways and green spaces that made the campus feel more like a small district than a collection of classrooms.

Joanna looked completely absorbed by everything around her.

Every few minutes she would point at a building or ask a question about a department they had just passed. By the time they finished walking through the areas open to visitors, she looked exhausted but happy.

"I really like this place," she admitted.

João laughed.

"You’ve spent the entire day trying not to say that."

"I know."

"And now?"

"And now I really like this place."

Lukas smiled as he adjusted the cap on his head. Between the sunglasses, the face mask, and the hat, very little of his face was actually visible.

João glanced sideways at him.

"Are you seriously keeping all that on?"

"Absolutely."

"You look like you’re avoiding the police."

"I just don’t want to be recognized."

"Sure. Definitely nothing to do with the fact that we’re in Madrid. The Atleti fans probably don’t like you very much right now."