The whistle blew sharp and cold, slicing through the morning air.
The boys lined up on the pristine turf, a sea of hopeful faces, some tense, some excited, some trying to mask their fear.
The first phase of the Bayern Munich trials had begun.
And it would be merciless.
The coaches, dressed in dark tracksuits with Bayern's emblem, stood along the sidelines with clipboards in hand, watching silently.
No footballs would be used at first.
Germany — pragmatic and demanding — valued something before anything else:
Physical supremacy.
The ability to sprint, tackle, press, and fight for ninety full minutes at maximum intensity was non-negotiable.
No matter how talented a player was with the ball, if he lacked the stamina to survive a full match at Bayern's standards, he would be discarded without a second thought.
And so the trials began — with the brutal physical tests.
First: Strength Evaluation
Boys were pushed through a series of physical exercises — push-ups, pull-ups, squats, deadlifts with weighted bars.
Mateo attacked each challenge with calm focus.
Years of strength conditioning whispered through his muscles — perfect form, efficient breathing.
Other boys grunted, shook, collapsed after a few rounds.
Mateo moved steadily, methodically — finishing first in almost every station.
A coach scribbled something quickly into his clipboard, eyes narrowing thoughtfully at the young Argentine-German boy.
Second: Speed Test
Sprints across set distances — 10m, 30m, 60m.
The sound of feet pounding the turf filled the air, bodies hurtling forward.
Mateo felt the wind against his face as he exploded off the starting line, his enhanced Speed and Agility turning his body into a coiled spring unleashed.
He didn't just compete — he dominated.
At every distance, he clocked the fastest times among all participants.
Another coach leaned in to whisper to a colleague, eyes locked on Mateo's effortless sprinting form.
More notes were scratched down rapidly.
Third: Endurance Trial
An endless shuttle run.Line to line.Back and forth.Until collapse.
No mercy, no rest.
One by one, the others began to fall — legs giving out, lungs burning, faces twisted in pain.
But Mateo kept running.
Steady.Controlled.Relentless.
He could feel the pulse of his Athlete's Recovery skill working silently inside him, dulling the fatigue just enough to push further, harder, longer.
By the time the whistle finally blew to end the drill, only a handful remained standing.
Mateo was among them — chest heaving but eyes fierce, alive.
He had outlasted boys older and heavier than him.He had made it look almost effortless.
Fourth: Agility Challenge
Cones were set up in complex patterns, demanding razor-sharp cuts, turns, and explosive acceleration.
Here, Mateo's Dribbling Instinct enhanced his natural agility — even without a ball at his feet, his body responded with precision and fluidity.
Other boys stumbled or overstepped.
Mateo danced through the cones as if the path had been laid just for him.
Another coach murmured under his breath, jotting a large underline next to Mateo's name.
Throughout it all, Mateo noticed something:every time he finished a drill, eyes followed him.Clipboards scribbled furiously.Soft murmurs rippled through the line of coaches.
He wasn't just passing.
He was setting the standard.
He heard snippets of conversation between evaluators:
"Exceptional conditioning.""Superior to his age bracket.""Comparable endurance and strength to U18 prospects."
Mateo's heart raced — not from exertion now, but from excitement.
Three years of relentless training were bearing fruit.
And this was just the beginning.
The physical tests concluded with another sharp whistle.
The boys were given a short break — time to drink water, catch their breath, steel themselves for the next phase:
Technical Evaluation.
Mateo sat on the grass, wiping sweat from his forehead, breathing deeply, feeling alive in a way he hadn't felt in years.
Tomorrow wasn't promised.
But today — today, he had made the field his.