Chapter 744: Game Day!

The next day, it was finally game time. Even right after Higo woke up, he received so many messages from family and friends. From his mother, Kumiko, to even Makino, his captain during his high school year, sent their greeting here, wishing him good luck. The latter, especially, even gave a heartfelt message there.

Makino: Everyone will watch the game; make sure you embarrass yourself, okay?

Higo couldn’t help but snort when he heard that. ’Sure enough, only your best friend would pray for your downfall openly like this.’ He grumbled a little, but still with a smile on his face.

Still, Higo couldn’t deny that a heavy pressure was falling on his shoulders right now. This was going to be the first game of the lockdown season, and this would also be the first in the world. Since no other game would be played, all the attention would fall on them, and one mistake would be enough to destroy their whole career.

However, when he thought about the opposite, the boy also couldn’t help but grin. ’If I managed to show a great game, does that mean all the football fans in the world would know how awesome I am?’

Of course, that thought just flashed for a moment before flashing in the pan quickly. No, he wasn’t a newbie who always sought more reputation anymore. The boy had already had a strong fanbase in his town, so his focus was never on how to increase that number, but how to maintain those who were already there so that they would never leave him.

The way to do that, of course, was to show his worth, something that the boy intended to do in the first place.

Soon enough, Higo found himself walking to the locker room with the rest of the team. Just like yesterday, no noise waiting outside, just a steel quietness that gave creeps on his back.

Still, the players on Dortmund’s side also knew how important this derby was for their city. Even without the supporters having their backs, they still eyed Higo and the others hungrily, as if they were a bunch of beasts waiting for a feast.

"So, that’s Erling Haaland, huh?’ Higo’s attention suddenly fell on one player with the yellow jersey on the other side of the pitch.

The man had blonde hair just like Fabian, but somehow, he was taller and bigger, having strong, visible muscles that were enough to make the opponent nervous. Despite that, though, everyone could see he was joking around and teasing a lot of people, clearly telling them all that he was a goofy boy.

Of course, that didn’t mean Higo would dare to underestimate him.

"You remember him, right, Morita-san?" He asked the Japanese friend next to him.

"How could I not? He is the biggest sensation all summer." Morita returned with a snort. "Still, it would be you who would face him directly, so prove to the whole world that the World Cup U-20 last year is not just about him, okay?" He grinned while offering a fist-bump that Higo accepted readily.

The goalkeeper took another deep breath, scanning through the whole Dortmund squad once again before finally shaking his head, not wanting to be haunted by his overthinking mind. He just went with the goalkeeping coach to do his warm-up, believing that fearing the opponent too much could also be a reason for him to get killed later.

Once everything was over and the players were back in the locker room again, Frohling emphasized more points there, wanting to pump up the players’ spirits before the game began.

"Remember, guys! People back home are waiting for our good news today! Don’t let them down with your lackluster attitude! Show how big of a warrior you are! Always fight for every ball, and kill any intruders trying to break our defense! Let’s bring Gelsenkirchen our first big win of the lockdown season!"

"Hell, yeah!"

As everyone answered simultaneously, even Higo was taken aback by this sudden declaration. He would never have expected the coach to be so bold, wanting to steal the victory from the tiger’s mouth.

Well, it wasn’t just him; the entire team was so shocked right now. It couldn’t be helped, since the last couple of days had been a nightmare for the man. So many problems came to the team, and mostly, everything came from the players themselves.

He had been so frustrated with the team so far, and yet, the man also said that they wanted to get a win in this game?

The duality was big, but for some foolish dreamer like Higo or Morita, this was enough to pump them up instantly.

"Come on, Morita-san! Make sure you can send more good passes to the frontline! I really miss what it feels like to win the game, you know?!" Higo grinned mischievously at his friend.

"Bah! Just wait, if no one could score today, I would do it alone later!" Morita retorted while tucking his jersey.

"Hey, hey, what do you mean by that?!" Nassim Boujellab chimed in out of nowhere. "Just send the ball to the right; you will get so many assists later!" He bragged boisterously, eliciting glares from the others.

"Okay, enough playing around here! The game is about to start!" Omar Mascarell finally led the team to the tunnel, lining up there with the Dortmund players next to them.

The hostility between the two teams made no one dare to greet each other there. However, Higo and Morita still looked at the opponent curiously. After all, for Japanese players, this was the team that Shinji Kagawa, one of their best players in history, made a name in Europe, and almost all the young players back home yearned to play for them at some point.

Even though Higo was not one of them, that didn’t diminish his curiosity. He glanced one more time before following his captain from behind, inwardly muttering, ’Now, let’s see how the second-best team in this country will try to beat us...’