Football singularity

Chapter 266 266 Drama

The next morning Rakim completed his routine yoga practice joined by his mother who spent the night in the guest bedroom. He took a shower and went about the task of preparing breakfast alongside Lisa. Normally he would be eating breakfast at the training grounds but since his mom was here they would eat together.

He still felt quite fatigued so he was all for taking things slow. After all, he had just completed his first full match. The weather was rather nice today as golden rays of the morning sun were streaming into the room through the drawn curtains.

They lit up the stylishly grey walls of the Livingroom highlighting the minimalistic décor of the room. The sun's rays reflected off the surfaces of the pricy inlaid furniture leaving bright shimmering patterns on nearby furniture. Rakim stared at all this as he enjoyed his breakfast which consisted of porridge and fruits as he waited for his mother to get ready in the bathroom.

[Ding: Post-Match Review]

>Goals scored: (1) = 100Sp

>Assists: (2) = 20Sp

>Cards: 0 (Yellow) = 0Sp

>Final Match score: 3:2 Win = 30Sp

>Match Rating: 9.2

Scanning over his post-match review a contented smile graced his face. Very few things could make him feel as contented as he did that very morning. Not only can he feel himself feel gaining a foothold on the professional stage but things are starting to go his way again. Evidence of this is the increased social media activity and the brands who suddenly want to work with him again.

However, he could also feel that he was contained in his bubble and was just waiting for something to burst. He didn't have to look long to find that something, as his Twitter feed started blowing up with notifications the next second.

{Agent Oliver Burke Says Mateo is my biggest signing ever after the young striker scored on his La Liga debut helping Sevilla to a 3:2 victory over Real Sociedad.} The article's Headline was pretty eye-catching as it showcased a picture of Mateo celebrating his goal and Burke Clapping his hands in the post-match interview.

The reason this article from across the pond in the European continent was blowing up in Rakim's feed was the mention of his name. Without even opening the article he could already tell it was a shitstorm just from the netizen's arguments. His eyes scanned the flood of comments on his Twitter feed, his contented mood from just moments ago starting to wane. He took a deep breath, taking in the bulk of the information in the article.

@Hulk'sGreenFist-John: @RakimRex, @GreenArmy, @RexNation, Is this some type of joke, cause ain't no way this English SOB is doing bits like our boi Rakim. #TheDream #RealProdigy #MateoWho

@RexNationOfficial: Why are we even comparing the two, Our boy made his professional debut at 15 and completely annihilated Valencia's defence. Yet Mr big Time over here has been struggling to break into the senior team for months. Oh, and F**k Oliver Burke #TheDream #RealProdigy #MateoWho

@LoveTheDrama: Why are we even comparing a La Liga player with a kid bumming around in the Scottish premiership? #Irrelevant #KingMateo

These were just a few of the comments that caused the entire article to trend as the board fans picked it up. Social media had always been a double-edged sword and it looks like Mateo's team was using it to light a fuse of visibility on him at his expense. Taking a deep breath to calm himself Rakim finally opened the article to read it for himself.

The article talked about the Sevilla match and more importantly, praising Mateo on a perfect debut. Scoring the winning goal to rescue his team gave Burke the needed capital to be provocative in that interview. Since the strikers had a less-than-ideal start with his move to Spain his performance isn't something they could miss to capitalise on.

That added to the fact it took him some time to hit the ground running with the reserve team. The buzz surrounding him had rather died down, so Burke Dragged Rakim into the conversation. Since his recent performances and consistent results have been grabbing a lot of attention it was perfect. Plus feeling like he might have made a big mistake in losing Rakim as a client he saw an opportunity to take a hold of the narrative.

{Oliver Burke had this to say when asked about his former client Rakim Rex, the young 15-year-old phenom who has been making headlines after his return to the sport. "Mateo is my biggest signing ever, the kid has that killer instinct akin to a prime Lewandowski." He also had some choice words about his former client "Are we really gonna call him special after performing above average in a 4th tier league? Mateo is the present and future end of conversation.}

Rakim stared at the screen intently, his initial thoughts were that of anger but he managed to catch himself before doing something drastic. If he publicly reacted to this without thinking it through it will only end up helping them. He and Mateo are not that different from each other, both players are at the beginning of their careers.

The only difference is that he has a lot more hype and media attention. After all, there are millions of 18-year-olds beginning their football career each day but a 15-year-old now that's novel. So despite playing in the Scottish league he still remains mainstream news, hence why Mateo's team are trying their best to tie them together in controversy.

It's a little like how new rappers would diss established artists for hype or how any under-18 player who can dribble past two players is called the next Messi. So responding to this would only fan the flames further creating the rivalry they are hoping for. That doesn't mean he can't respond he just has to be smart about it and make sure the extra attention created benefits him.

After all even Slim Shady will respond to a diss if it helps bring hype to an album he is releasing. Thus Rakim decided to let it brew for a while and wait for the opportune moment to play into the narrative. Liking a post with a meme of him doing the Griddy with the #MateoWho? he exited the app and put on some MeTube as he continued his breakfast.

~~~

"I think you should open some gym branches here in Glasgow as part of the TitanFit Campaign. You could even sell some of the workout equipment like arm sleeves, ropes and your hydration water that you serve complimentary at your gym's back in Miami." Rakim suddenly told his mother as he came to a stop in one of the balconies at Edinburgh Castle. They had decided to visit it since the weather was surprisingly sunny today, ideal for sightseeing.

"Wow where did that come from Kiddo, I thought you would let me hammer out the details with your Dad's company first," She questioned with a frown putting down her camera as she turned to face him.

"I just think the quicker we get the ball rolling with this the better, plus I really want this and since Burke is trying to create hype by mentioning me we can use it to our advantage," Rakim replied with a neutral expression before proceeding to explain the post that was blowing up on Twitter. She took a second to process what Rakim had just shared, her brow furrowing slightly as she considered the implications.

"So Burke's trying to stir up some rivalry between you and Mateo to keep his new client in the spotlight," she mused aloud, her tone thoughtful. "Do you need help dealing with this, I'm considered your agent after all,"

Rakim shook his head, "No let's ignore them for now even if they contact us, there is no point engaging in this if we are not getting anything out of it." Lisa wasn't expecting this response as he was rather angry at Burke after waking up from his coma. "Let's go, get some Ice cream," He told her after seeing the look of worry settle on her face.

"(sigh) Fine, I'll get the Titan deal done quick, about opening gym branches well wait after your transfer is final." She told him with a slight smile letting him drag her to a nearby Ice café.

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To Be Continued...