Become A Football Legend

Lukas smiled faintly before taking another sip of water.

"There’s no point letting it. They’ll talk whether I score or not. But what about you? Every interview I see you do, you never smile anymore. How are you finding Liverpool so far?"

Wirtz rested his elbows on the table for a moment before answering.

"It’s fun. Most of the time, anyway. But... I won’t lie. The price tag... the expectations... they’re massive."

Lukas nodded knowingly.

"Try not to think about the transfer fee. That money wasn’t paid to you. It was paid to Leverkusen. That’s how I look at mine. If the goals come, they come. If they don’t, they don’t. All I can do is keep playing well enough that the manager keeps picking me."

For a few seconds, Wirtz simply stared down at his plate before smiling.

"That’s probably the healthiest way to think about it."

Across from them, Woltemade poked absent-mindedly at his food.

"My problem isn’t even that."

Lukas looked over.

"What do you mean?"

"I don’t even know what my coach wants me to be."

"How so?"

"During training, sometimes he plays me in central midfield. But every match so far, he’s only used me as a number nine. I’ve got this feeling he doesn’t actually see me as a striker long-term."

He shrugged.

"He did the same thing with Joelinton. Bought him as a striker, turned him into a midfielder. I’m starting to wonder if that’s where he sees me ending up."

Lukas leaned back slightly.

"And you don’t want that?"

Woltemade shook his head.

"Not really. I want to play in an attacking role."

Wirtz laughed softly before replying, "Honestly? I’d rather play in central midfield every week than stay an attacking midfielder sitting on the bench all season."

Lukas nodded immediately.

"I agree. At the end of the day, minutes are what matter. You improve by playing."

Woltemade smiled.

"Fair enough. Maybe I’m overthinking it."

"We all are," Wirtz admitted.

The three of them sat quietly for a moment as the television continued discussing the Premier League.

Outside the large glass windows, several German internationals could already be seen wandering back toward the training pitches for individual recovery work.

Lukas looked at both of them before raising his glass.

"Here’s to all three of us proving them wrong."

Wirtz picked up his own glass with a grin.

"I’ll drink to that."

Woltemade clinked his glass gently against theirs.

"You guys say it like it’s wine we’re drinking, this is just water."

"I could do with some beer right now honestly," Wirtz replied as he dropped the glass of water.

The three young Germans shared a laugh.

For a moment, the headlines, the transfer fees and the endless media debates disappeared.

They were simply three friends, each trying to find his place in the biggest league in the world.

* * *

The RheinEnergieStadion rose to its feet long before the final whistle.

Germany had dismantled Northern Ireland from the opening minute, dominating possession, territory and chances so completely that the visitors scarcely managed to string together more than a handful of passes before another wave of white shirts came flooding forward.

Lukas was everywhere.

Operating between the lines, he drifted from left to right, constantly receiving in pockets of space before turning to drive directly at Northern Ireland’s midfield. Every time Germany recovered possession, Kimmich or Pavlović seemed to look for him first, trusting the young playmaker to find the final pass.

The breakthrough came after barely fifteen minutes. Lukas collected possession just outside the penalty area, drew two defenders toward him before slipping an inch-perfect reverse pass into the path of Nick Woltemade, who calmly finished across the goalkeeper into the far corner.

1-0.

Germany barely celebrated before they were attacking again.

Just before the half-hour mark, Wirtz switched play toward Lukas on the right edge of the box. One touch killed the pass, another carried him inside, and with three defenders collapsing toward him he calmly squared across the face of goal for Serge Gnabry, who arrived at full speed to side-foot home Germany’s second.

Two assists for Lukas, 2-0 for Germany.

Die Mannschaft were in total control, Northern Ireland simply couldn’t get near him.

The third goal arrived shortly after the restart, and again, it was an assist from Lukas. Germany recycled possession patiently around the penalty area before Lukas drifted into space twenty-five yards from goal. Rather than forcing another dribble, he rolled a perfectly weighted lay-off into the stride of Aleksandar Pavlović, whose first-time strike flew low into the bottom corner beyond the goalkeeper’s reach.

3-0.

With the match comfortably won and another international fixture still to come later in the season, Julian Nagelsmann looked toward his bench.

The fourth official raised the electronic board.

60’

Lukas Brandt OFF.

As he jogged toward the touchline, the crowd inside the RheinEnergieStadion rose together, applauding another outstanding performance from their young magician. Lukas acknowledged each side of the stadium with a brief wave before shaking Nagelsmann’s hand and taking his seat on the bench, where Collins, his former teammate, leaned over to pat him on the shoulder.

"You’re really something else man," he said.

Lukas smiled as he drank from a bottle of water without replying.

The remaining half hour passed comfortably.

Amiri who had come on for Lukas put a fourth past the Northern Ireland goal in the 80th minute to seal the game, and 15 minutes later the match came to an end.

Germany 4-0 Northern Ireland.

As the players applauded the home supporters, the television cameras focused once again on Lukas while the commentator summed up another memorable evening.

"Two matches into Germany’s World Cup qualifying campaign, and Lukas Brandt already has 2 goals and 5 assists. An extraordinary return. He has been the creative heartbeat of Julian Nagelsmann’s side, and if he can carry this level of performance back to club football, Manchester City supporters may not have to wait much longer before those Premier League goal contributions begin to arrive."

The camera lingered on the Manchester City midfielder as he disappeared down the tunnel alongside Wirtz and Woltemade.

The international break was over.

Waiting on the other side was English football’s biggest stage.

Next up: Manchester City vs Manchester United.

The Manchester derby.

* * *

The Next Day

Darmstadt, Germany

A black BMW 760i xDrive rolled quietly into the parking area outside the Brandt apartment building, its engine barely making a sound before coming to a smooth stop.

The rear door opened first.

Lukas stepped out, a small black trolley bag rolling behind him, while Joanna climbed out from the opposite side, adjusting the strap of the handbag hanging over her shoulder. The international break had gone by quickly, and they were only back in Darmstadt for a day before returning to Manchester.

Lukas leaned back into the open door with a smile.

"See you tomorrow."

The club driver nodded politely. "See you tomorrow, Lukas."

The BMW pulled away from the curb, disappearing around the corner as Lukas wheeled his suitcase toward the entrance. He tapped his access card against the reader, entered the apartment code from memory, and pushed the door open.

Immediately, they could hear the television.

"...and once again Brandt is involved..."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!