Two days later, the normal and boring daily life full of training finally found the distraction that everyone needed. It was Fujinaga who brought the news, as he sent a viral article that had been around the Internet for the last couple of hours.

Fujinaga: GUYS!

Fujinaga: YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!

Curious, Higo also clicked the link that the boy attached in the message. There, he read the latest news of the national tournament, or more like the final news as well. After all, the final round had just been played yesterday, and the ultimate winner had been declared in that decisive match.

Teikyo High Triumphs Over Shimizu Higashi High in a Thriller 1-0 to Clench the Winter Tournament Title!

There, Higo could see the image of Teikyo’s number 10, Koki Morita, having both fists in the air as a celebration, while in the background, Mamoru just sat on the ground lifelessly. The contrast image of the best player of both teams at the same frame sure created a dramatic atmosphere, enough to attract more people to read the article.

Still...

You: While it is indeed crazy, the result shouldn’t be that surprising, right?

You: I mean, Teikyo is the most favorite team here, and they also have Koki Morita as the best player of this generation.

After sending the text, Higo put down his phone quickly, just to find out it was buzzing again. This time, he picked up with a frown, wondering what else the others would say about this.

Hori: Senpai... You haven’t read the article until the end, huh?

Hori: Just read it. You’ve basically become big news there!

... Indeed, he only read the first few paragraphs, the ones that gave a big picture of how the game went. Other than that, Higo just scrolled through everything, skimming with a glance before closing it down quickly. Now, though, he was intrigued by what could possibly be about him.

It didn’t take long before the boy found out the article, the one where his name was mentioned. This was from the tournament’s official website, as the top 11 of the tournament were announced. His name was on top of the list, becoming the chosen goalkeeper for this honor.

GK – Ryusuke Higo – Hakodate Nishi High (Hokkaido)

Infamous for his penalty-stopping ability and his game reading that is close to a prophecy, he carries the whole Hakodate Nishi team that comes to the national tournament for the first time in their history into the top eight stage.

Stats: 14.8 saves per game, 8 aerial claims per game, 8 penalty saves in 2 shootouts.

Higo blinked for a moment, reading this short review over and over again. It wasn’t that long, probably less than 100 words. However, the short review basically captured his whole performance in that tournament, and the stats attached below also convinced everyone that he deserved the spot despite his team only getting into the top eight.

He wasn’t the only one who read the news, as more messages suddenly came, making his phone buzz nonstop.

Kenji: Damn! Does that mean Higo-senpai is recognized as the best goalkeeper in the country?!

Hiroshi: No, just in the national tournament.

Kenji: Bah! Semantic! It is the national tournament, so the best one would definitely be the best in the country!

Ishinori: Wait, that means another Golden Glove award for Higo-senpai, right?!

Hiroshi: No, unlike the prefectural tournament, the national one only offers the MVP award and the top 11 of the tournament.

Kenji: Tch! Hiroshi-senpai, you party-pooper!

Indeed, just as Hiroshi said, Higo checked and didn’t find any award other than MVP for the tournament. To no one’s surprise, though, the one who won it was Koki Morita, the one everyone hailed as the best player in this generation.

After he read all the chats, though, the boy closed the app again, shutting his eyes for a moment to think. Compared to the prefectural one, the excitement of getting chosen in this selection was not that much. After all, it was announced once he was back home after losing the game, so the hype had already dissipated from his heart.

Still, the boy also checked the names there, finding so many to be familiar. The only players he knew were Miki Yamane, Mamoru, and Park Han-Gyeol from Shimizu Higashi High. Well, they were the finalist, so it was no wonder they had three representatives. Teikyo was even more outrageous, having four of their players in the top 11.

However, Higo couldn’t care less about that right now. No, instead, the boy tried to remember all the information he had read right now.

’Koki Morita, 18, a box-to-box midfielder, is contributing 5 goals and 8 assists in the team’s campaign to be the number one in the country. Becoming the sole scorer to clinch the team’s victory in the final.’

’Miki Yamane, Shimizu Higashi’s versatile player. He usually plays as a left back, but in the final, he shifted to be a DM to replace his injured teammate and protected the whole area with his heart and soul. In total, guarding Koki Morita for 45 minutes, he managed to snatch the ball away from that boy three times, which is as many times as Koki Morita lost possession in all the games before the final.’

’Mamoru Suzuki, the biggest prospect for the future generation. Still 16, but he has already dominated the whole tournament. Other than against Teikyo High, he basically contributes at least one goal or one assist in each game. His football IQ and ability to stick with the ball are top-notch.’

’Then, I also have Hiroki Kawabe, a stubborn bastard with the unlimited stamina and speed as fast as possible, Taiga Nagai, the upgraded version of Jun, who is big, strong, quick, and good with the ball, and probably Naoya Takahashi and so many more...’

As he imagined those names gathered in one team, coupled with more older players who had been in the university and joined the professional league already, Higo couldn’t help but smirk, finding himself getting excited out of nowhere.

The boy himself still didn’t know the weight of the World Cup, but that didn’t dampen his excitement right now.

’With this kind of a squad, who would be able to beat us in the world?!’