The goal of making everyone spend the night at the field was to break the barrier of fear and intimidation. The team was terrified. The players did not know each other at all. They wore the same uniform, but no one knew the player next to him on the field—how he thinks or what he would do before making a move. They were strangers, or rather, they were employees, not players defending the colors of a historic team.
That night, John made them play some games together. He broke the barrier of fear among them. They had dinner and all went to sleep, but John did not sleep. He carried a chair, went to the middle of the field, and sat there recalling memories from that very field. Years ago, he used to wear the jersey of the club he loved, and everyone would chant his name. He was known for scoring from outside the penalty area. He scored many goals, some of which were still engraved in his memory. He even remembered that ill-fated moment that turned his life upside down in a few seconds. He could not believe what had happened. It was like a dream you wish to wake up from as quickly as possible—but he did not wake up.
The weather was rainy that day. He remembered the coach telling him, "John, we are counting on you today. The opponent's defense is very weak in their recent matches, so break through their defense whenever you get the chance. Do not hesitate to do so. You will score easily." He ordered the players to pass the ball to John in every attack. John was very fast. All the defenders seemed helpless against him. No one could stop him. He scored a hat-trick in the first half. He delivered a great performance and earned the admiration of the fans in the stadium.
But the second half decided to end John's joy—not just in that match, but it decided to remove him from the world of football forever, with no return.
The attack was perfect. The midfielder passed the ball to the winger. John saw himself in a perfect position in front of the goal. The cross came perfectly to him. John jumped high. Everyone jumped with him, and everyone thought the ball would easily go into the net. But the surprise was very strong and unexpected. A player named Adrian appeared out of nowhere behind John. He was far from the ball, but he pushed John while he was in the air. John tried to head the ball, but the push caused him to hit his head hard against the goalpost. Everyone waited for John to stand on his feet—but that did not happen.
At that moment, the end of the legend was written. The player everyone talked about fell into a coma that lasted three continuous months. He did not even move an eyelid. He remained in that state until the day Maria entered his room by coincidence. She was carrying a bouquet of flowers and had a nearby visit, but by mistake, she entered John's room. The room was completely silent. John was lying on the bed, feeling nothing, until Maria entered. She realized she had entered the wrong room and said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake."
Immediately after those words, John woke up and looked at her. It was the first time he saw her, and it was the moment he fell in love with her. His mother and siblings were with him. The sadness turned into joy. John's mother said to Maria, "You… it seems he woke up right after hearing your voice. Please, sit with us for a while." Those were beautiful moments. John had returned again.
But the first thing the doctor said was that he must stay away from the field—something John could never accept.
Maria continued to visit John almost every week after his mother and the doctor asked her to come. She comforted him a lot. She could make him smile and forget what happened easily. In fact, Maria was the medicine and the support that helped John return to normal. Even after waking from the coma, he was still bedridden, almost paralyzed, but she was his greatest support and had a great impact on him. His mother loved her very much, and she became part of the family.
Suddenly, a player appeared behind John and said, "Coach, I couldn't sleep."
John replied, "Come sit here." The player sat and said, "My name is—"
John interrupted him, "You're Sanchi, right?"
"Yes, coach, that's correct."
John said, "You play well with your left foot. You just need to focus in front of the goal."
Sanchi said, "Thank you, coach," then added, "Can we really do it and win all the upcoming matches?"
John said, "Why not? Did we play to choose a draw or a loss? There is victory—we will choose victory. If we play the right way, we will win very simply. It is not complicated; it is clear and obvious before us." Then he added, "This club, my son, has a very great history. It is not reasonable for it to end up like this."
Sanchi said, "We will fight for you and for the team. We will not give up easily. In previous matches, sometimes we played just for a draw or a small loss, until the team became lost. But your words before training made everyone think about playing for the team's colors. From now on, we will not be easy prey for anyone. From now on, we will work as one team under a special coach. We will not allow anyone to defeat us easily."
John said, "Now we must go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a very long day. We will wake up early."
Sanchi said, "It's the day before the match, right?"
John replied, "Yes, and after that we have an important match against a tough team."
Sanchi said, "Before, we used to take the day before the match as a rest day. That's what all teams in the world do."
John said, "Did you achieve anything back then?"
Sanchi replied, "No, we didn't."
John said, "Then there is no need. Go now. You will wake up early in the morning."
Maria, on the other hand, was awake in the middle of the night, thinking. Sleep was far from her these days. She was very worried about John because she knew well that he would not stand still. He would engage in matches and training, which posed a great danger to him. She decided that she would go and talk to Frank and try to convince him that John's life would be in danger if he suffered a shock caused by a missed ball or conceding a goal at the last moment—it would be like the end for him.
In the morning, as expected, John was the first to wake up. He was full of energy and activity, wearing sports clothes, holding a timer in his hand. He blew the whistle and said, "I will count sixty seconds. Everyone must be on the field. There will be a meeting. Anyone who is late by even one second will be punished. Go—the timer has started!"
You could see the players pushing each other. Some were still dreaming when they found feet stepping on them. It was extremely chaotic, but it had one purpose: to search for the missing harmony.
In John's view, the team was good—great skills—but each player seemed to play for himself. This was what John worked on. Would he succeed? Would a team that only needed three losses to fall succeed? It seemed more than impossible. But football without surprises is not football.