The Maestro of Football

After the big debut of Richard, where he broke a multitude of records and had a fantastic game, the media exploded.

"Richard Grayson: is he the new wonder kid of football?"

"3 Goals in 20 minutes, is this the start of something special"

"Richard Grayson: The hero of Brighton!"

"16 years old and already breaking records, the future is bright for Brighton!"

Dick sat in his room, scrolling through his feed, which had a multitude of videos about his debut, almost all of them positive, with some of them more negative calling him a "flash in the pan" and so on. He looked at his Insta and saw that his followers had gone from 235 to 17,658. It was a dramatic increase but he wasn't surprised, most likely the Brighton fans were starting to follow him, to keep up with his journey. He quickly checked his Twitter and saw similar numbers, he looked through his feed there and saw the shirtless photo of him after he scored his third goal trending on Brighton's Twitter, he quickly opened it and looked at some of the comments.

@Definetly.not.a.bot: How is a 16-year-old more ripped than almost every guy I know? And he's good at football? People saying god doesn't have favourites lied their ass off" 

@JustAgirlyGirl: Aaaaaaaand I just found my new crush…He should be a model or an actor, not a football player. I mean just look at that face!!"

@TheFootballBoss: 3 goals, 3 screamers. You can't make this shit up"

@Lucifer_Dragneeel: I have high hopes for this kid, I mean a hat-trick on your debut? That's movie material. I am calling it here, this kid is a future Ballondor winner"

Dick chuckled at some of the comments, as some were just batshit insane, he then stood up and went into his living room, the apartment was empty due to his dad being at work so he made himself a protein shake and sat down by the tv to watch something while drinking his drink. After scrolling through some TV programmes he finally landed on one that caught his eye. It was a sky sports football analysis with Garry Neville and Jamie Carragher.

"Now, onto the next big bit of news shall we Jamie?"

"Aye, let's. Richard Grayson, a young and new face in the championship league, only played 1 game but what a game it was"

"That's right, three goals in his debut match all while only being 16. And the goals he scored are nothing to scoff at. If he keeps going the way he started then he is bound to be a fantastic football player"

"That's right, I can't wait to see more from the lad, and we'll only have to wait two more days when Brighton takes on Colchester at home for the first round of the EFL Cup"

He turned off the TV, not wanting to hear much more before standing up and putting on his running clothes, which are just black shorts and a white compression shirt. He grabbed his phone put on some music and went for a run, something he always did when he wanted to be free for a moment, and just get a breath of fresh air.

—------------------------------

After his long run, Dick had just reached home when he spotted a black car in his driveway, a car way too fancy for anyone in his family to own. He quickly walked up to his door feeling a bit of tension in his shoulders about the mysterious stranger in his driveway. He heard the car door open so he turned around and saw a well-dressed man in a suit and tie, with his hair swept back and a smile on his face as he looked at him. The man looked familiar, but Dick was having some trouble remembering where from

"Can I help you?"

Dick asked as he tried to stand taller.

"No, but I can help you"

The man said, which really threw Dick for a loop because this rando was getting stranger and stranger by the minute. Dick scoffed silently, a bit fed up with the mysterious vibe the stranger was going for

"Listen, mate, I don't want whatever it is that you are selling"

The man laughed and said

"No no it's nothing like that, I just wanted to talk to you about possibly being your agent? Oh, where are my manners? The name is Jorge Mendes. Can I come inside and we can talk about it?"

Dicks eyes went wide, that's where he knew this man. Jorge Mendes, the super agent, someone who has set up some of the best football players in the world. Dick swallowed the saliva and said

"Of course, let's talk"

Before holding the door open for Jorge, who gave him a smile and walked inside.

—------------------------

I was sitting across from Jorge, who now had a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. We had briefly discussed some topics of this possible contract we were about to get into before he reminded me that it was probably a good idea to wait for my Dad (aka my legal guardian) before talking any more about this since I was only 16.

So I called my dad, who was on his way home, and he told me he'd be there as soon as possible. So after around 8 minutes of small talk with Jorge, who seemed delighted that I was showing such interest in his players (Ronaldo mostly), my dad finally got home.

He gave me a quick hug, shook hands with Jorge, poured himself a coffee and then sat down in the worn chair which creaked at the sound of his 6'6 frame sitting on it. He had a determined look in the eye, and I could tell we were in for a long discussion ahead of us. He cleared his throat and said

"Listen Mr. Mendes-"

"Please, just call me Jorge, Mr. Mendes is my father"

"Jorge then, and you can just call me Jack. Listen, I know of your work and I know that you are a very successful agent but my biggest question is still going to be 'What can you do for my son'?"

"Jack, that is the question that I am asked the most, and it's always the best one parents ask. What I can tell you is that your son is a great football player, and from what I have seen so far, he can be a world-class football player. And I can help him get to that level. Now, not in the way that I would help him train but more in the way that I can get him into the best clubs, I would handle all his finances to get him the best contracts, the best sponsorships and the best everything. I could make him a legacy that would make sure that he makes money long after football. That…is what I can do for your son, set up something his great-grandkids could enjoy"

My dad nodded, pleased at the answers, however, one thing stuck out to me.

"But I've only played one game. I mean, you are the only agent I've heard from so far. So why are you picking me after just one game"

Jorge looked at me now and smiled.

"Great question, however, I have one of my own. What makes you think I only watched one game? Now, I am not a person who would rush into anything, I like to plan and I like to be informed about everything before I make a decision. So, after watching your debut, which was fantastic and certainly caught my interest. I started watching footage from your youth games, and I saw that even then you were decimating the league. So, after seeing the pure potential you have I decided that I would take an educated risk."

I nodded, his reasoning for showing up now made a whole lot more sense. We continued to talk back and forth about terms and stuff like that. The terms were actually quite generous, I would sign for 4 years, and he would get 5% of my gross salary, 13% of marketing and stuff like that and some other minor stuff. Overall the contract was really favourable for me. So, me and my dad decided to sign with Mendes, who said he would get started on writing the contract and would send it within the week. 

We then said goodbye and he left, while my dad just clapped me on the shoulder and gave me a look that said

"Now it's all up to you"

—-------------------------------------------------

August 9th — AMEX stadium Brighton vs Colchester united

The two teams faced each other now, Dick standing in the centre circle ready to pass the ball at the referee's whistle.

*Tweet*

Dick passed the ball to Sidewell, before turning and doing a light jog up the pitch stopping just above the midfield.

"And so begins Brighton's first EFL cup, we have an exciting match ahead of us, Martin"

"Indeed we do, I'm excited to see how the players get on now. A surprising scene as well Ian, with the 16-year-old Richard Grayson starting for Brighton today"

"Right you are, while he did have a dream debut, some might argue that it is too soon for him to start?"

"I guess we'll just have to — OH, BRIGHTON WITH A CHANCE"

Dick pov

Brighton had been slowly pushing the ball up the midfield since we started, Sidwell was able to spot me around the bottom third of the field, with one defender behind me. We locked eyes, and he sent me the ball immediately. I felt a defender rushing towards me so I planted myself to lower my centre of gravity so it would be harder to push me over, and just as the defender got to my back, the ball got to me. I lifted the ball over me, used the defender as a backboard to spin-off off, and then exploded after the ball. I got to it in a split second and just left the defender in the dust.

I saw two defenders ahead of me and Murray was also running as fast as he could to the left of me. I saw a gap between the defenders and instantly knew how to get in between. I got a bit closer before performing an Elastico 2 times in a row, I used it once with my right and got past one defender before letting the ball run to my left foot, do the Elastico with my left which got it to my right foot and past the defender as I was doing both really quickly, basically turning my feet into a blur. I was now one against the goalie, and just immediately fired a missile of a shot, a straight line into the far top left corner of the goal. The ball whistled past the goalie's outstretched arms and just blasted the top-bins netting of the goal.

"OH MY WORD! LOOK AT THAT, IT'S RICHARD GRAYSON AND IN JUST 4 MINUTES HE SHOWS HIS BRILLIANCE TO THE WORLD!!! AND WHAT A GOAL IT WAS, THROUGH 2 DEFENDERS AND A GOAL THAT WILL ECHO THROUGH THE LEAGUE, RICHARD SHOWS HE'S HERE TO STAY"

I sprinted to the corner, arms spread wide while letting out a scream of joy. The fans were going wild, screaming their heads off at the sheer brilliance of what the team had just accomplished.

I stopped, stood at the corner post and spread my arms wide, kinda like the Christ the Redeemer statue. I heard cameras click, and multiple boots on turf as my teammates all caught up to me. Arms were thrown around me, pats on my head as I burst into a smile.

"Dick, that was unreal!"

"How have you gone and done that then mate! Hahaha!"

"That was pure unreal" (AN: Iykyk hehe)

We celebrated for a moment before going back to our side, recognising that the game wasn't over. The referee started the game again and I instantly went into press mode. I bothered their mid-to-defensive line, making them pass the ball quicker than they wanted to. Colchester then made a sloppy pass that was scooped up by Rohan Ince, a CM for Brighton, who ran up with the ball before passing it to Murray. I looked around and realised that I was really tight-marked by their midfielder. Everywhere I went, he followed me like a shadow, and when I was closer to the defence one of their defenders took over to mark me.

It was quite annoying, it was almost like being suffocated without being touched. Murray saw he had no support from me so he passed the ball back. Where we just tried to pull their players out of line

20' min

I got a quick pass from Sidwell, turned and passed immediately to Murray, who went on a run before taking a shot that just went wide of the goal, making the fans release a groan. Murray gave me a thumbs up to which I just nodded with a smile.

38' min

I was back at the midfield line waiting to start the game again, Colchester managed to score a goal from a corner kick. It was a header from their defender which just managed to scrape by our goalkeeper. 

*Tweet*

I sent the ball quickly, before staying still while Colchester attackers rushed past me. I looked around, before spotting a way that we could score. I took a couple of steps forward to get into an open spot before calling for the ball, which came flying immediately. I chested the ball, before bringing it down. 

Turning around I started a quick run down the right side, I made sure that I wasn't too quick so that Murray could keep up with me. I saw a midfielder about to try and tackle me so I scooped up the ball and jumped over the slide tackle coming my way.

I started running faster now, I was close to the edge of the penalty box when 2 defenders came my way. I faked a shot, which made both of them lift their legs up to try and block it, but instead, I just laid off the ball to my left, just as Murray came flying in. He took the shot the first time and it smashed into the bottom left corner of the goal, just unsavable. Murray ran to the side and celebrated. I was close behind him and jumped on his back when he was standing still. The rest of the team came in behind us and we all celebrated together.

45' 2-1

I was sitting in the locker room, drinking some blue Powerade as the gaffer went over the tactical changes we would make.

"Murray I want you to stay up, keep their defensive line guessing, you'll have some space to move around so use that to do so. Dick, you need to drop deep a bit more. We saw what came from it when you did drop down a bit, keep that up. Look for open passing lanes between you, Murray and Sidwell. Also, you'll only play for 20 minutes more, I know you aren't that tired but we need to preserve your legs so you can play all season."

I nodded, I was upset that I wasn't playing that much more but that wasn't my choice to make. I was more upset about dropping into a CAM role, I am a striker and have always been a striker so not playing as a striker is a bit odd for me.

—-----------

Author POV

"It's been an exciting first half here at the AMEX stadium, the score is 2-1 for Brighton, and the hero of their story so far is the young Richard Grayson who currently stands with a goal and an assist. Both show the pure raw talent that the young Brighton player has. And now, the game begins anew for the second half"

Dick sprinted after the ball, wasting no time at all. If he was only going to play 20 more minutes then he would give it his all and make sure that he leaves the pitch with no regrets. Dick pressed their defence and pushed them down their own half. The other Brighton players followed his example and they performed a high press to try and win the ball on enemy lines.

They managed to force a mistake but the ball just went out for a throw in close to the midline. So nothing really came from it.

52'

Dick Pov

I got the ball at my own half, before rushing with it up the wing. My legs pumped with all their might as I rushed past the first midfielder, leaving him in my dust as I continued my run. I slowed a bit when another midfielder tried to get me, and I faked that I would continue my voice before cutting left, leaving the defender twisted around. I was still running when two defenders rushed towards me. They learned from earlier as their form had tightened up, but to me… that just revealed another weakness in their form. I let the ball roll behind me a bit, putting on a shocked face to make it look like a mistake had occurred, so when the defenders came rushing in I grabbed the ball with my right foot, rolled it up my left heel before flicking it over the 2 defenders, who were left looking up at the ball flying over their heads as I ran past them.

Just as the ball was about to land, right outside the D of the goalie box, and I mean just on the line. I let loose a crazy kick, the crack of my boot meeting the leather of the ball with insane power. The ball went left before swerving right, and smacking into the bottom right corner of the goal, right past the goalie's outstretched hands.

"OH MY GOODNESS HE'S DONE IT AGAIN!!!! WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY MARVELOUS GOAL!!! WORDS ALONE CANNOT DESCRIBE WHAT WE HAVE JUST WITNESSED. CALLING IT WORLD-CLASS WOULD SEEM LIKE AND INSULT. THAT GOAL IS IN A LEAGUE ON ITS OWN!!!! AND IT'S RICHARD GRAYSON YET AGAIN, THAT HELP BRIGHTON SECURE THEIR LEAD! WHAT A TALENT!!"

As I saw the ball nestle into the goal, I sprinted off to the side yelling with all my heart. I slid on my knees before jumping up and doing my go-to celebration. I closed my eyes as I listened to the thundering stadium around me, just taking in the moment. It was crazy, I went from studying to be a gymnast in America to becoming a pro footballer in the UK. And in this current moment, it might have been the best decision my dad ever made.

My teammates all rushed me, they pushed me to the ground and we formed a giant player dogpile basically, with even the subs coming out to celebrate that bomb of a goal. After a minute the ref told us to return to our positions, but just before I left I turned to the camera, Kissed the badge, turned around and pointed at my name and number.

Grayson - 20

I turned again and gave a cheeky smile before jogging backwards to my half of the pitch.

60'

20 off

11 on

As I left the pitch I was met with thundering applause from the fans, I smiled as I walked off clapping my own hands to them for their support before high-fiving Knockeart and sitting down on the bench. The assistant coach handed me my water bottle and said

"That was a fantastic game mate, wonderful that"

"Hahaha, thanks man"

Author pov

Dick then, after a short conversation with the coach and assistant coach, continued to sit and watch the match. Not knowing the absolute chaos that the internet was experiencing because of him.

Author Notes:

So yeah, here's the second chapter. Sorry about the late chapter, I meant to publish it earlier but I've just had some shite internet connection.

Countries to rep:

England (From his dad)

Italy (From his dad) (Its

Spain (From his mom)

Love interests (possibly) 

These are just my top 3, and I'm easy to manipulate

Billie Eilish (She is still the favourite to win)

Jenna Ortega

Tyla