Against the odds - Jude Bellingham

Unexpected Events

The sun rays found their way in between the blinds, and I felt the heat as they shimmered on my face. I opened my eyes and stretched out my arms. The joyful feeling in my gut reminded me once again about the events that took place the day before. I still couldn't believe it – I, Addie Smith, a girl from Manchester, had made history in women's football. I was smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt. The sudden notification from beside me brought me back to reality. I reached for my phone on my nightstand and sat up in my bed. My phone was blown up by hundreds of messages from people who were congratulating me. I noticed that most of them were from Jack, but Phil and Bukayo weren't far behind. Several of them were from my teammates and coaches telling me how proud they were of my progress in the team. My sister had also sent me a text:

From Layla Smith:

Hi, Addie! I watched you play on the TV yesterday and you were absolutely A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I'm so proud of you and for how much you have improved, you're officially my biggest role model now. I hope you can come to visit us soon; I miss you so much. Dad has been feeling better, and I really think he's healing. Anyway, have a good day, and I hope to hear from you soon. LOVE YOU xx

I am so grateful for her. I took a mental note to call her later. Dad had also sent me a text, which made me very happy. I'm glad he's going in the right direction. I haven't heard from him a lot these past few months due to his mental state and to my football career.

. . .

After brushing my teeth, eating breakfast and making myself look presentable for the day, I laid down on the sofa and turned on the TV. It was a much-needed rest day after a hectic week. I scrolled through Netflix before selecting a show. My ring signal caught me off guard and made me jump. I groaned as I reached for my phone to see who was interrupting my binge-watching-money-heist time, only to realize it was my coach. I answered the phone and wondered what she wanted to say.

"Hi, Sarina" I said with a happy voice. I usually sound over the top happy while talking to someone on the phone, but now all I wanted was to throw it on the wall and never pick it up again.

"Hello, Addie" She answered. "We didn't get to talk too much yesterday due to the celebration in the locker room, so I wanted to congratulate you in a much calmer way by calling" she chuckled.

"Thank you" I responded. "It means a lot, and I still can't believe it. I haven't really let it sink in yet. I'm just so happy to have ended the season in the best way possible, you know?"

"Of course," Sarina said. "Actually, about that"

"What's up?" I spoke.

"Well, the football council contacted me earlier this morning" she continued.

"Okayyyy" I said, quite confused as the women's football council usually doesn't take the time to contact anyone, even more rarely to congratulate anyone.

"Sorry, let me clarify that. The men's football council" Sarina spoke.

I felt the nervousness and excitement creeping up. What did they want? They have never contacted me or my coach regarding my football performance before.

"They spoke to me about your improvement over the last few months." Sarina continued. "They were actually very impressed. They even asked if it was possible for you to play with the men's national team next season, if you're interested, of course".

I couldn't breathe or move. Was this true? The football council wanted ME to play for the men's team. This couldn't be real. Never in a million years would I think this would happen.

"You there?" Saina asked after a while.

"Y-Yes I'm here" I stuttered.

"So, what do you think? It's approved by me and the rest of the women's football council, so it's up to you now." she spoke.

"But what about the rules? Is this even allowed? And what about the world cup and euro's an-"

"Relax, Addie it's all fixed. I'll send you an article now, watch"

I opened our text conversation and saw the article she had sent to me. I clicked on it and read it:

We have an announcement to make. After this season, we have seen multiple female players improving their performances in their teams. Because of that, we have decided that for them to enlarge their career, it is now possible for female players to play in men's national team, but only if both coaches think the player can promote the team and push it to success. Be aware that this decision is temporary and only occurs to men's National teams, not club teams. It's a way for us to see if it is a good solution to let women play with men. We are rather excited to see how each team reacts to this announcement and if it benefits them in the long term. Sincerely, FIFA Official Football Council.

I couldn't believe it. Was this the moment my dreams could come true? All my life I have wanted to prove to everyone that I'm more than just my looks and that I actually have talent.

"I would really like to play with them, Sarina. You don't know what an opportunity this is for me" I could feel my eyes tearing up – not because I'm sad, but because this is the first thing in a long time that has made me so happy.

"Okay Addie, I will make sure to book a meeting with Southgate so you can speak with him about his plans for you. I'm so proud of you and so happy to have been lucky enough to have you on my team. I wish you all the best now, Adeline" she said. I could hear how her voice muffled. "Bye for now".

"Bye, Sarina, and again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you".

Once I hung up tears were running down my cheeks. I couldn't believe it. First everything that happened yesterday and now this. If they were interested in having me on the team, then it meant that I was their priority, even over Leah Williamsson and Luzy Bronze!

I was about to text Jack and the others about the news but stopped myself. Nothing is official yet. What if they change their minds? It's best to wait and see how everything goes before making any unnecessary exceptions.

I got a message from Sarina:

From Sarina Wiegman:

Hello again, Adeline. I've talked to Southgate, and we booked a meeting. You will meet him on Monday 5/06/23 at 12AM at St. George's Park. Don't be late, Yours sincerely, Sarina.

Okay, so this is actually happening. I turned off my phone and headed to my room. I needed to clear my head. I got out of my clothes and changed into a black training set. It was a tight, cropped long sleeved top paired with a pair of leggings that made my ass look amazing. I got my Airpods and shoes and headed downstairs. The weather was warm, and I looked forward to running in the park. My head was filled with thoughts spinning like crazy, but I've never been happier.

A/n: Hey, again! What do you think about this chapter? It's a little shorter than the last one but I promise it will get more interesting soon ;)