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[Wednesday, 23/10/2019, 15:45, Bydgoszcz Airport, Poland]
The team disembarked from the sleek Lufthansa charter flight, stepping onto Polish soil with a collective sense of anticipation and determination. The crisp autumn air carried the scent of rain and the faint hum of distant traffic as Rakim Rex adjusted his tracksuit and surveyed the scene. Flags from various nations fluttered above the airport terminal, maybe a reminder of the global competition awaiting them or simply a warm welcome.
It had been a gruelling two weeks leading up to this moment. Rakim thought back to the training sessions at the DFB Campus, where every drill, every tactical meeting, and every recovery session was carefully planned out even to the portions of their meals just to get them ready for the Under-20 World Cup.
The players had endured a regimen that tested their limits, both physically and mentally. Mornings began with intensive strength and conditioning sessions, designed to build stamina for the tournament's relentless schedule. Rakim, fully embracing the mamba mentality, pushed himself as far as he could, forcing the world-class coaches present to step up their game to give him adequate training.
Being called by the Leverkusen management asking them why one of their wunderkind was calling their coaching staff for training drills was not a good look. His work ethic rubbed off on some of his teammates such as Wirtz who was already used to it as he saw glimpses of it at their team but now got to experience it in person since they were roommates. Thus, he found himself waking up earlier to do more personal training just to not fall behind someone he considered a rival.
On the pitch, the focus was on tactical cohesion. Coach Baum drilled the team in high-press systems, transitions, and set-piece execution. Rakim, primarily positioned as a left winger, had honed his ability to exploit tight spaces and deliver precise crosses within that tactical scheme. It was weird for him having to adjust his pace to the much slower offensive teammates than what he was used to at Leverkusen.
However, they had their own strength, and he found ways to utilize them to not only score his own goals but also make them shine. He also had to get used to the coaches wanting to utilize him in that CAM role due to his attacking creativity and technical accuracy. He'd also been tasked with developing better defensive awareness, something he was admittedly less enthusiastic about not because he couldn't do it but was simply too lazy to put his full effort into it.
Small-sided games were a staple of their sessions, pitting the likes of Youssoufa Moukoko, Florian Wirtz, and Rakim against the team's formidable defenders, including Armel Bella-Kotchap and Kevin Ehlers. These matches were fiercely competitive, with tempers occasionally flaring, but the intensity only strengthened the group's bond.
Off the pitch, the players had spent countless hours in the tactical analysis room, dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of potential opponents. Rakim had been particularly attentive, noting patterns in how teams like Argentina and Italy defended wide players. However, the team he was most wary of was the star-studded England side which included 2 wonderkids the same age as he and Wirtz, and while they hadn't made a big splash in club football, they were poised to do so sometime this season or the next.
The first is a dual nationalist of Germany and England who chose to represent the country he grew up in. Jamal Musical is probably the only player currently coming up in the game closest to Messi in terms of playing style. This is high praise on its own as quite a few players have tried to carry that mantel only to come up short, but not Jamal who has grown into his own.
The other of course was his evil twin the spectacular Jude Bellingham who joined German giants Borussia Dortmund at the age of 16 this summer. His talent speaks for itself as he is also putting up decent stats in the Bundesliga. The two of them were only a few of the future stars playing for the under-20 which made the 3 Lions the heavy favourite in the tournament in Poland.
[Wednesday, 23/10/2019, 15:45, Bydgoszcz Airport, Poland]
"Let's get a move on boys," Coach Baum called out, snapping Rakim back to the present. The team gathered their luggage, dressed in matching black-and-white tracksuits emblazoned with the German eagle.
Rakim fell into step with Florian Wirtz and Youssoufa Moukoko as they made their way toward the team bus. "Feels real now, doesn't it?" Florian said, his voice tinged with excitement.
"Yeah," Rakim replied, his gaze fixed ahead. "You played in the national team all your life, right?"
"Not all my life but as soon as I turned 15, I made my debut with the Under 15's. It was only for one match before they moved me up the ranks." Florian calmly bragged, earning a few envious glances from some of the players. His rise in the national team ranks is nothing but phenomenal and his superb performance with the Leverkusen B team this season gave him the credit needed to get that call-up.
Moukoko seeing this, slung an arm around Rakim's shoulder leaving the bragging Wirtz behind. "Ignore him, you ready to make some headlines Florida?"
Rakim simply smiled at his question, "You must not know, everything I do makes headlines. Apparently, when you're handsome and half decent at football the media loves you,"
Hearing his friend's response Moukoko immediately shoved him aside before storming forward and muttering something about kids making him feel like he was not on top of his game. The two Leverkusen boys simply chuckled at his expression before they followed their teammates to the team bus. The bus ride to the team hotel was quiet, the players lost in their thoughts as the Zdzisława Krzyszkowiaka skyline rolled past the windows.
The hotel, nestled in a quieter part of the city, had been meticulously chosen for its facilities and proximity to the stadium. As they stepped off the bus, the team was greeted by a small contingent of German fans, waving flags and chanting words of encouragement. Despite youth tournaments being less popular than even the Olympic football competitions staunch supporters still followed them to spectate.
That goes especially since the FIFA organizers have been heavily advertised as a mini world cup of the future of football. Inside, the players were assigned their rooms, each having to room with another person and a copy of the team's itinerary for the next three days. Training sessions would continue, albeit lighter, focusing on fine-tuning and recovery. There would also be media obligations and opportunities to explore the city in their downtime.
Rakim dropped his bags onto his bed, gazing out the window at the sprawling city below. In three days, the competition would begin, and with it, the chance to prove himself on the global stage. For now, though, he wanted to take a quick shower and sleep off the jet lag as soon as possible.
"Guess we're roommates again," Wirtz exclaimed as he burst into the room with his own luggage, his bright smile remaining prevalent. "Sigh just don't eat sugar at dinner," Rakim replied with a tired sigh suddenly feeling all the fatigue hit him with a gut punch.