Become A Football Legend Chapter 371: Rafael Martinez

Lukas rolled his eyes.

"You say that as if Atlético fans are waiting around every corner."

"I’m just saying, if somebody recognizes you, you might have some explaining to do."

Fortunately for Lukas, the conversation ended when Joanna pointed toward a restaurant across the street.

After several hours of walking, nobody argued.

The restaurant occupied the corner of a busy street and had several outdoor tables beneath large umbrellas. It looked quiet enough to relax and crowded enough that the food was probably decent.

"I’m getting a table," Joanna announced.

Lukas nodded.

"Give me a few minutes first. I need to use the restroom."

"Me too," João said immediately.

Joanna sighed.

"Of course you do."

About fifteen minutes later, Lukas and João were walking back toward the restaurant.

From a distance they immediately spotted Joanna sitting at one of the outdoor tables.

What neither of them expected was the man sitting across from her.

The guy was clearly trying to start with a conversation.

He leaned forward occasionally as he spoke, smiling the entire time. Joanna wasn’t being rude. She answered when he talked to her, but she also kept glancing around the street every few moments, clearly waiting for Lukas and João to return.

Beside him, João noticed it too.

A grin immediately appeared on his face.

"Well, that’s unfortunate."

Lukas looked at him.

"What?"

"The semester hasn’t even started and somebody is already trying to steal your girl."

Lukas was about to dismiss the comment when his eyes settled properly on the man’s face.

Then he slowed down.

Something about him seemed familiar.

Very familiar.

He had definitely seen him before.

João noticed the change immediately.

"What?"

Lukas kept staring.

"I know him."

That surprised João.

"You do?"

Lukas nodded slowly.

His mind searched through old memories, trying to place where he had seen him before. It took several seconds, but eventually the answer surfaced.

"Rafael."

João frowned.

"Who’s Rafael?"

Lukas didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he continued looking toward the restaurant as pieces of an old memory began falling back into place.

* * *

Previous Timeline, 10 Years Later

The pub was quiet that evening.

A few regulars occupied their usual spots. A football match played silently on one of the televisions mounted above the bar while conversations drifted through the room in low murmurs. Outside, rain tapped gently against the windows.

Lukas sat alone at his usual table.

Time had not been kind to him.

The sharp features that had would have made him recognizable to millions had disappeared. His cheeks were fuller now. He had put on weight in the years since he was dropped by Darmstadt. The athlete’s body was gone, replaced by something more ordinary. Only his eyes remained unchanged. Deep green.

But they now looked tired.

Not physically tired.

Just... tired.

A half-finished glass of wheat beer sat in front of him.

A second appeared moments later.

Lukas looked up.

Max had arrived carrying another glass.

The younger man placed it down on the table before folding his arms.

"Another one?"

Lukas glanced at the fresh drink.

"Another one."

Max shook his head.

"You should be careful."

"Allow me to drink away my sorrows, Max."

The bartender raised an eyebrow.

"Everything alright?"

Lukas stared at the foam settling at the top of the beer.

"I don’t know."

His fingers tapped lightly against the table.

"Maybe."

A few seconds passed.

Then he looked up.

"Do you think I should’ve gone?"

Max frowned.

"Gone where?"

Instead of answering, Lukas unlocked his phone and slid it across the table.

An Instagram video filled the screen.

The wedding procession was already underway. Soft music played through the speakers while guests stood watching. Flower girls walked ahead of the bride, scattering petals across the aisle as they went. Family members smiled and applauded. The camera drifted through the crowd, capturing faces, decorations, and brief moments of laughter before settling once again on the ceremony itself.

Max watched quietly.

"That’s a beautiful wedding."

Lukas nodded.

"Yeah."

"The bride and groom make a good-looking couple."

The camera continued moving through the guests.

Then it passed a familiar face.

Max leaned forward.

"Wait."

His finger tapped the screen.

"Isn’t that João Gimenez?"

Lukas glanced down.

"Yeah."

"What is João Gimenez doing there?"

The camera had caught João sitting among the guests, applauding as the ceremony continued.

"He’s the bride’s brother."

Max blinked.

Then he looked from the phone to Lukas.

"You were invited to this wedding, weren’t you?"

Lukas took another drink.

The silence was enough of an answer.

By the time the camera reached the altar, the groom had come into view. Rafael Martinez stood waiting in a perfectly tailored black suit, looking exactly how every groom hoped to look on his wedding day. Relaxed. Confident. Happy. The kind of man who looked as though there was nowhere else in the world he would rather be.

Then Joanna appeared beside him.

The smile on her face was impossible to miss.

Lukas felt something tighten in his chest.

Not because she looked beautiful.

She always had.

What hurt was how happy she looked.

The ceremony continued for a few more seconds before Lukas pressed the power button and locked the screen.

For a moment neither man said anything.

Eventually Max sighed.

"You should’ve gone."

Lukas stared at the dark screen in his hand.

"Yeah."

His voice came out quieter than he intended.

"Maybe I should have."

Max rested a hand on his shoulder before returning to the bar, leaving Lukas alone with his thoughts.

A few moments later, he unlocked his phone again and opened WhatsApp.

The conversation was still there.

He had never deleted it.

The wedding invitation appeared immediately.

Below it sat his reply.

Her response followed shortly after.

Lukas read the message for what felt like the thousandth time.

There was nothing hidden in those words. No secret meaning. It was a simple message from an old friend, and perhaps that was what hurt the most.

Because Lukas had spent years carrying a regret he never quite managed to put down.

Not a failed relationship.

Not a broken engagement.

Nothing so dramatic.

His regret was much simpler than that.

The only woman he had ever truly loved had never known how he felt.

And it was entirely his own fault.

There had been opportunities.

Hundreds of them.

Conversations that could have gone differently.

Moments where all he needed was a little courage.

Instead, he had always found a reason to wait until tomorrow.

Until next week.

"I’ll do it after the season."

"I’ll tell her at her graduation."

Until after whatever excuse felt convenient at the time.

Then one day there was no tomorrow left.

Someone else had walked through the door he had spent years standing in front of.

Lukas stared at the invitation one last time before locking the phone and placing it face down on the table.

Then he reached for his beer.

"Rafael Martinez," he muttered quietly before taking another drink.