Attila Marcell Kiss
There it was. The last game of the season. Their last chance and final grasp to hold onto a place in the first flight of English football. The team was one point away from the safe zone, sitting at 18th in the league. Their next game coming up was against their biggest rivals for survival, Crystal Palace, who were seventeenth in the league just above us.
The game was about to begin. I put on my laces, the shinpads and finally the captain’s armband. We walked down the aisle onto the stadium for the kickoff. We were prepared for this clash. I was there and ready to give everything I had to stay up and make the fans proud. It was a hard time for me, considering the lack of form of the team, which had led us to the position where we were now. It was also hard for me regarding the rumors circulating my possible departure to one of the giants of English football. I understood the distress of the fans. Their team was on the brink of relegation, and their beloved young up-and-coming captain heading for an exit. I knew that if we were to stay up, it was my priority to stay, but otherwise I had to focus on my own career as well. It would hurt my progress as a player to “have a vacation” in the English second division. But for now I was only focused on our match and to do everything to avoid the drop.
The match began. The first forty-five minutes passed without a single goal. Both teams asserted dominance in defense against the opponent’s attackers. During half-time, Coach Travis gave us the instructions with the aim to finally find a goal.
The second half began. We had been dominating the game, however as the minutes passed we still were unable to score. 60, 70, 80, 90 minutes passed and the score was still 0-0. The extra time was 4 minutes. We had a corner. Playing it short we moved out the defenders from the penalty area which created a perfect opportunity to cross it in. The ball was coming towards me. It could have been my perfect moment. To score the goal to seal the victory. The victory that would have secured our tickets in the top flight for next year as well. I just had to score it…
This memory still haunts me to this day; however, that day in London led to one of the biggest choices of my career . And so the choice was made:
“Hi, my name is Fabrizio Romano and I am happy to announce the latest and biggest transfer of the Summer Transfer Window so far. Isagi Yoichi to Manchester United is DONE DEAL AND HERE WE GO!!”