An Argentine's Rise

Beginnings

The stadium roared with excitement as the Superclásico between River Plate and Boca Juniors approached its climax. Nathaniel Diaz, the young prodigy from River Plate, felt the pressure on him as he received the ball and dribbles past the opponents. The score was currently tied at 1-1, and time was running out with the game having entered the 93 minute. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he eyed the ball at his feet.

With only seconds left on the clock, Nathaniel manages to get himself some space and open shot at the goal, so he unleashes a shot that sailes past the keeper right into the upper right corner of the net. The stadium erupted as the local commentator's voice boomed, "Goooaal! River Plate scores a late goal! The new score is now 2-1" Nathaniel's heart roared with excitement as he sprints towards the fans, forming a heart with his hands, enclosing the River Plate Crest inside, and blowing a kiss to the ecstatic white-red clad crowd.

Julian Alvarez, his best friend and teammate, rushes towards him, trapping him in bear huge with a wide smile etched on his face. "You did it, Nate! You are starting to surpass me" Julian exclaimes jokingly, as he continues hugging his best friend tightly.

Nathaniel laughes, as he returns the hug.  "Thanks, Julian! Also every goal is for the team and the fans", Nate replies, his eyes shining with happiness and excitement.

The referee blows the final whistle, and the team rushes towards the two boys that still hug each other. They all celebrate together, by hugging Nathaniel and congratulating him on his stunning goal, which matters even more to the team since the goal secured the victory over their rivals. As they all let go off Nathaniel and walk towards the tunnel together, Julian and Nathaniel were side by side with their arms around each others shoulder, relishing in the glory over winning.

"You know, that goals was close considering the time", Julian says, catching his breath from running 93 minutes. "So how about scoring a bit earlier next time?", he adds in a joking tone

Nathaniel chuckles. "I'll do my best, Ju. But you gotta admit, there's something special about late goals, isn't there?"

Inside the locker room, the team continues celebrating their close-call, by chanting their victory chant and with Julian even lifting Nate up on his shoulders.

As the post-match celebrations end, Nathaniel makes his way home, where the delightful aroma of Choripán enters his nose as soon as he enters the house. "Hello!" he calls out, eager to share the triumphant moment with his sister.

His sister, Sofia, emerges from the kitchen with a teasing smile. "Well, there he is – River Plate's Wonderboy," she teases, playfully punching his shoulder.

Nathaniel pretends to be hurt and rubs the spot, with a grin on his face. "Watch out, don't want me you to give you the brother treatment, do you?"

They both laugh at their antics and sit down to enjoy the Choripán. Between their bites, they discusse the thrilling game Nate has behind himself, reliving every crucial moment of the game.

As they savore the meal, Sofia's expression turns a bit serious. "Oh, Nathaniel, I almost forgot. Have you packed everything for your department?"

Nathaniel eyes filled with excitement as he recalls that he is leaving for the Copa America Training the next day. Up to this point he still couldn't fully comprehend that he got the called up for the Argentina Squad. "Of course, I finished a week ago. I mean I still can't believe that I get to represent our country", Nathaniel tells Sofia as he takes another bite of his meal.

Sofia patted Nathaniel's shoulder as to show him her support. "If not you who else would be capable of representing Argentina, brother? This is your dream, now go on and achieve your dream", she says and Nathaniel nods determined.

The next day, Nathaniel woke up earlier than usual and he made himself a cup of coffee. He checks his package one more to make sure he doesn't forget anything. Sofia walks into the room to see her brother finishing his coffee. "You ready?", she asks her brother as he sets down the empty cup.

"I think so", Nate answered and the siblings hug each other. "Be safe and you better come back with the Copa Title", Sofia says as she let's go of her brother and he picks up his package. As Nate entered the transport the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino or short AFA arranged for him. As the view of his home disappears, Nathaniel takes a deep breath. "I am going to make you proud", he says thinking about his sister.

The drive took a while, but it was worth the wait as Nathaniel could see the place he would stay at for a while. As soon as he arrived he was greeted by one of the staff members, who immediately informed Nathaniel about everything he needed to know. He also learned that he would share a room with two other players and much to his relief, one of them was Julian and the other a Goalkeeper whose name is Emiliano Martinez, whom Nathaniel only knows from watching some games of Aston Villa.

As he arrives at his room, he saw his roommates already unpacking their stuff. The first to notice Nate was Julian, who was overjoyed to see his best friend. "Hey there buddy, how are things?", he says as he hugs Nate with a smile on his face. As the let go of each other, a tall man with rather short black hair walks up to Nathaniel and holds his hand out for a handshake.

"I am Emiliano Martínez, pleasure to meet you. Oh and if you want call me Emi or Dibu", Emiliano says to Nathaniel, who is towering over Nathaniel with his 195 cm compared to Nate's 181 cm.

"I am Nathaniel Diaz, but please call me Nate", Nathaniel says as he accepts Emiliano's handshake. The two share a quick laugh and Julian draps his arms around Emiliano's shoulder and Nathaniel's shoulder which looked rather odd, since Julian is the smallest out of these three, only being 170 cm tall.

"I can see us being the best trio in the squad", Julian says and the three share a quick laugh. The three then spent the next few hours unpacking their stuff and talking about life. Later that day, Nathaniel finds himself stepping onto the training field for the very first time. His heart raced with anticipation as he saw the likes of Angel Di Maria, Rodrigo De Paul and of course Lionel Messi or short Leo. His cousin.

As the eyes of the two relatives meet, a huge smile appeared on Lionel's face almost immediately as the two walked towards each other. Messi motioned for a hug, which Nate gladly accepted. As the two break apart, Messi lays his hand on Nathaniel's shoulder.

"I am so happy and proud that you are here, primo (spanish for cousin, correct me if I am worng)", Leo said as Nate just gave him a bright smile.

"What can I say, seems like talent runs in the family", the younger cousin said and both chuckle a bit. As the others watch the scene unfolding, confusion spread through the team as they didn't know that Messi had a cousin, let alone a cousin that plays for the national team as well. The only one besides the cousin to know about this family relation is of course Julian, who just watches the interaction with a smile, knowing that Leo is not only like a cousin to him, but also somewhat of a mentor.

"How come you didn't tell us, you have a cousin?", Ángel Di Maria said as he together with Rodrigo De Paul walks towards Leo and Nate.

"Well we never touched the topic, did we? Anyways Nate meet Ángel and Rodrigo, they are with me the elder generation in this team", Leo said and introduced his cousin to his new teammates.

"Pleasure to meet you two, I hope that we will get along well", Nate says and stretches his hand out for both to shake. Rodrigo and Ángel accept it and also pat Nate on the shoulder as a sign of welcome. However the moment was ended by a loud pipe as the Coach of Argentina, Lionel Scaloni assembles the Squad.

"Alright listen up, I know some of you went through a lot with this team. The Copa America Finale 2007, the 2014 World Cup Finale, the 2015 and 2016 Copa America Finale. However that is in the past, we move forward and only have one goal for now: Win the Copa America", Scaloni said and his speech ignited a fire inside of Nate as he side-glanced at Leo, who was a victim of all these losses. In that moment, Nate knew that he would not only fight for his own greatness, but for Argentina and especially Leo.

"Now go 2 laps around the pitch warmup", Scaloni says as the squad starts their run, all of them running alongside each other. Determination burning in all of them as they ready themselves for the upcoming fight for the Copa America Trophy.