Chapter 12 – First Taste of Glory
The team bus rumbled down the highway, cutting through São Paulo’s sprawling outskirts under a pale morning sky.
Thiago sat by the window, forehead against the glass, watching the city bleed into countryside. Apartment blocks became dirt lots. Murals became trees. Noise became quiet.
Inside his head, he was already on the pitch.
Every motion rehearsed. Every step patterned. Ball control, pass timing, shot angles, stamina management. He didn’t need the System to prompt him anymore. It had drilled itself into him like instinct.
But today wasn’t about training.
It was the first match of the Regional U17 Cup.
And it wasn’t just about Palmeiras.
Scouts from Bahia, Cruzeiro, Atlético Mineiro, and even a whisper of someone from Portugal would be in the stands.
Eyes. Everywhere.
Thiago didn’t feel fear.
But he felt weight.