God Of football

Chapter 155: AC Milan

The morning was crisp as Izan rode to school, the morning fog wetting his face as it brushed against it.

Getting to school, the familiar scene that he had been facing for a while now greeted him.

The usual crowd at the gates, clamouring for autographs and selfies. Izan got down and fulfilled their wishes.

With a polite smile and a few quick signatures, he waved them off, promising more after school. Mr. Ramos, the ever-reliable security guard, gave him a nod.

”Copa del Rey game tomorrow, eh? I don’t think you’ll play or will you?” Ramos said.

”No, Not for me this time,” Izan replied, chuckling. ”I’m being rested. Sosa’s got the spotlight.” Izan said after locking his bike before walking away.

Inside, the day passed in a blur of lessons and laughter. Izan and SoSa found themselves paired for a history project, an assignment that quickly turned into football banter.

”Coach told me I’m starting against Cartagena,” Sosa said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

”That’s great then!” Izan exclaimed, slapping him on the back. ”Your second Copa del Rey match—don’t mess it up and you might be seeing me in the main squad..”

”Mess it up? Come on, man,” Sosa shot back, grinning. ”And you’re just sitting this one out because they don’t need you. They’ve got Sosa”

”No this won’t do. Stop hanging out with Pietro, okay? He is influencing you, and badly at that,” Izan said, causing Sosa to laugh.

The two laughed, their camaraderie evident. The rest of the day was filled with lighthearted moments—acing a science quiz, joking during lunch, and planning strategies for their next school team match.

...

”Have you done what I asked you to do? You know about the pictures?” a confident voice asked after putting his phone to his ear.

”Yes, I did, but it will be released on the day of their Copa del Rey match.” A voice came out of the phone held to the former’s ear.

”Good. Then I’ll talk to you later” the voice said before ending the call.

As the figure ended the call, the phone rang again. Squinting at the Caller I’d, the figure picked up the call with a smile.

”Hello Jane” the figure said after picking up.

.....

The next evening, Izan was sprawled on the living room couch with his sister, Hori. The TV was tuned to the Cartagena match, and the commentary filled the room.

”There’s SoSa,” Hori pointed out excitedly. ”He looks nervous.”

”He’s fine,” Izan assured her, watching intently. The game started slow, but SoSa soon found his rhythm, starting a counter-attack that led to a goal and assisting another.

By the end, Valencia cruised to a comfortable win, with Sosa performing exquisitely but falling shy of the man of the match award.

”If only he could do it against those teams in Laliga, I wouldn’t be relied on too much”, Izan joked, earning a playful shove from Hori.

After the match, the brother and Sister duo decided to make something since their mother hadn’t arrived.

As the duo started cooking, the door to the house opened revealing Komi in a thick Coat. ”Where are my Babies,” Komi said as she took her Coat off.

Izana and Hori stuck out their heads from a corner of the kitchen allowing Komi to see them.

Taking an apron from one of the shelves, Komi joined her son and daughter in preparing the dinner.

Moments later, Miranda arrived, falling onto the couch. She lay unmoving as she waited for dinner.

After a while, Komi woke her up, pointing to the set dinner table.

Miranda dragged herself to the dimmer table where she ate like it was her last.

”Great match, wasn’t it?” Miranda said, joining them in the living room after dinner. Izan nodded at her words before frowning a bit.

”Mom said you were in Milan. What did you do there”.

Miranda sat up and looked at Izan before starting, ”Remember my friend, Jane, the physiotherapist who drew the plan for your injury recovery,”, she said, looking at Izan as the latter nodded.

Seeing as Izan remembered, she continued, ”Well she said she had a favour to ask and that I had to come to Milan.

I was excited at the thought of going to Milan since it’s been a while, so I packed my bag thinking I was going to meet her, but I met someone else, telling me Jane introduced me to him” Miranda halted for a bit.

”Okay, go on”, Izan said after Miranda stopped talking for a moment. ”Well it was a club representative, wanting to trigger your release clause at Valencia”

”No, Miranda, I to-”, Izan tried to say, but Miranda cut him off. ”Yeah, yeah, I made it clear that we don’t have any plans to leave in the winter or for now but he was still insistent on you having their club as your priority if you decide to transfer.

Talking about Doubling or even tripling your current salary” Miranda ended.

”Wow, talk about determination. Anyways, which club is it?” Izan asked, his curiosity seeping.

Before Miranda could elaborate, a piercing scream came from Hori. Izan bolted up, heart pounding, and rushed to the living room where she sat frozen, staring at her phone.

”What’s wrong?” Izan demanded, leaning over her.

”Look,” Hori whispered, turning the screen toward him.

It was a breaking news headline: ”Young Sensation Izan Linked to Top Italian Club in Serie A.”

Izan’s jaw dropped as Komi and Miranda exchanged glances. The room was suddenly charged with a mix of disbelief and anticipation.

”What the fu.....

.....

The Valencia CF PR office was buzzing with activity. Phones rang incessantly, emails flooded inboxes, and the team members moved with an urgency befitting a crisis.

A large whiteboard stood at the centre of the room, covered in notes about Izan—his stats, recent performances, and potential responses to media queries.

”Another call from Marca,” one staffer called out. ”They’re asking for confirmation on the Milan link.”

”Tell them no comment,” replied Carmen Ortiz, the head of PR, as she paced back and forth, her phone pressed to her ear. She ended one call and immediately started another.

”This is Carmen. No, we won’t confirm or deny any transfer rumours. Izan is a valued member of our team, and we’re focused on his development at Valencia. Yes, that’s all we have to say at this time.”

Nearby, Diego, her assistant, was drafting a statement to post on the club’s official website and social media channels.

”How about this?” he said aloud, reading from his screen. ’Valencia CF is aware of recent reports linking Izan to other clubs.

While speculation is part of football, we remain committed to supporting our players and their growth. Izan continues to be an integral part of our plans.’

”Perfect,” Carmen said, nodding. ”Post it, but keep the comments monitored. We don’t want this blowing up unnecessarily.”

Another phone rang. This time it was a call from an Italian journalist. ”They’re persistent,” muttered one of the interns.

”Just redirect them,” Carmen said, waving her hand. ”We’re not feeding this fire.”

Despite the chaos, the team operated like a well-oiled machine. Media channels were monitored, responses were synchronized, and plans were laid out for any follow-up questions during press conferences.

”We need to prepare Izan too,” Carmen added, addressing the team. ”If reporters catch him after training, he needs to stick to the script: ’I’m focused on my football and my commitment to Valencia.’ Make sure he understands that.”

Her assistant nodded before moving to busy himself with another task. Carmen sighed at the situation.

”I’m glad I’m getting paid well for this at the very least,” she said as her phone rang again. Sighing, she took it and picked it up, ”Yes, this is Carmen. No not Manchester City......

As the day wore on, the team managed to contain the rumour’s impact, ensuring that the club’s narrative remained intact.

But the buzz around Izan’s potential move to AC Milan was only just beginning, and everyone in the room knew it.

...

While the Valencia Pr team found themselves at the end of requests from Various Media bodies, Miranda herself also got her fair share.

After seeing the news, several calls came in asking if the rumour was true.

Miranda expertly denied them, but as if to fan the flames, several photos of her meeting the representative were released.

”Oh, come on”, she said as she slumped on the couch. Izan stood there smiling before his smile broke into a laugh.

Miranda and Hori, as well as Komi, stared at Izan with concern visible in their eyes.

Hori glanced at her mother before pointing to her head and swirling her fingers but Komi threw a cloth at her face.

”Why are you laughing? Do you think this is funny” Miranda asked.

”No, no,”, Izan said as he stopped laughing. ”I’m just thinking about how distraught Carmen would be now,” Izan said before he started chuckling.

”Carmen?” the trio asked as they looked at Izan. ”Our head of PR. She made me go through such hellish media training. It’s about time she felt what it was like,” Izan said as he walked to his room, still laughing.

Komi, Miranda and Hori stared at him as he walked away and only stopped when Miranda’s phone rang again.

A/n: Hope you guys are enjoying your holidays. Have fun with this chapter.