A solitary hawk shifted its tail against the invisible current and traced lazy circles at the ocean of blue sky . The shoulders of the mountain like the soft contours of a sleeping women blazed bright greenish-yellow light where the fingers of sunlight caressed the features. Such beautiful scenery could be enjoyed from my residence. But what I enjoy most was playing for my team, Manchester United. I was about to make my season debut in a crucial “Manchester Derby”. But I missed half of the season due to a knee-ligament injury.
The seed of this event lied when I was on top form and at the pinnacle of success. Goals were showering whenever the ball reaches my feet. Then,all of a sudden, like a bolt from the blue,l got myself injured. It was against the Blackpool while I was playing for Manchester United Under-19. That was actually my last game for them as I had to bid them bye to join the main team. During the match,l got myself injured. It was heart-rending for me. But, Sir Alex Ferguson,the head coach of the main team,assured my place in the squad.
I was then given the required medical attentions to recover from the fatigue I was suffering from. It was challenging for me to recover by the given deadline of 12 months which I did at the 7th month. But that was not the end of the story. The next great challenge that lied at my way was to prove myself fit to play. But I also did that by refraining myself from sudden moves. It was frustrating for me to sit in a cozy corner amidst fans watching my mates playing. I waited for a long time watching kids playing at the backyard. I became bored watching the soft rays of the setting sun.
The tall slanting shadows of the trees produced from the mysterious combination of shade and light. The insistent sound of the hoot of vehicles made me sick of this world. What I wanted was the cheer of the Red Devil fans inspiring me and my team to play well. The next great challenge that lied in my way was to earn the lost respect again by playing well.. Even the full-bloomed flowers of the rainbow tinted garden were wishing me good luck as the day finally approached to join my team against the cold- blooded Catalans at the finale of the biggest club competition of the planet,the UEFA Champions League.
Thanks to Sir Alex,our head coach,who showed great confidence at my talent and also launched such an young player like me at the greatest stage of all. The training season was awesome as I could enjoy one of the greatest moment of my life with players like Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and undoubtedly the big daddy of all, Christiano Ronaldo. From childhood to adolescences, it was my dream to debut at the home of Red Devils, Old Trafford, or better known as “The theater of Dreams”. But unfortunately it was not written on my fate.
The game was scheduled in the Stadio Olympico at the capital of the Holy Roman Catholics, Rome. But luckily for me ,our main striker,Carlos Tevez,was injured. So, I was given the opportunity to play along side Wayne Rooney. I became so proud that I could not express in words at that time. When we entered the ground, showers of rapturous and deafening applause from 72700 fans including 30000 Manchester United fans was echoed by the walls of the flamboyant stadium, We re-brushed the theme of our attacking style of play and kicked off.
But it was not so easy as we conceded an early goal by some eye-catching skills from lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o. It was Messi again who striked when the clock caressed th 70minute mark. We were desolate in despair of what to do next. Scoring 2 more goals in such a short time seemed to be the next great challenge for us. But injection of new spirit via substitution by Sir Alex opened a new highway for us in the quest for immortality or I could simply say the champions League title. It was me who scored one of the equalizers by an eye catching free kick from 30 yard mark at the late 70’s.
I was then followed by Christiano Ronaldo with his twists and turns which could bluff even the greatest defender of the world. But the most heart-rending scene came for the mighty Barcelona when I scored the winning goal at the 93rd minute by an unforgivable volley from Ronaldo. Eventually,we ended the game by winning the game by 3 goals to 2. It was the happiest moment of my life watching fans taking standing ovations for me as I was announced “The Man of the Match”.
I also took bow in reply to them. ater,I shared my jersey with Lionel Messi after he appreciated my performance by saying; “Well played Manarat. You just stole the show from us”. Meanwhile,my ecstatic eyes caught the sight of my beloved amidst others. She was looking very happy at my success. The swish of the spring breeze made me feel it and I felt detached from this anxiety containing world. This was all I wanted for a long, long time. Now the next great challenge lied in my way was to get selected for my national team and earn name and fame in the upcoming World Cup.