Against the odds - Jude Bellingham

The Last Game

I feel the sweat droplets as they begin to form on my forehead. It's hot – incredibly hot for a normal afternoon in May. The sun has already started to set but I'm boiling on the inside. I'm longing for the referee to blow his whistle. 

"Come on Smith, it's not much time left on the clock now!" my coach shouts.

My focus revolves around the ball at my feet. I'm dribbling past the opposite team's defenders as if they were statues. I drag my foot backwards and aim for the top left corner. The ball meets the back of the net at an unbelievable speed and the crowd starts to cheer. I feel relief – it's my third hattrick for the season and I've not only outmatched my previous performances, but I've also claimed the title as the girl who has scored the most goals in a season in football history. My teammates greet me with happy faces, high-fives and hugs.

"Great job, Addie" Sam Kerr says as she embraces me in a hug. 

"I knew you had it in you and I'm so proud of you" "Thank you Sam, I really appreciate it" I respond.

"I bet the men's team have got their eye on you now" I hear Jessica Carter say. "No definitely not. There are so many better players out there" I say as the thought hits me. Sure, I've had a great season, but so has Leah Williamson and Lucy Bronze as well. 

"Just wait and see, Smith" Millie Bright says as she places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. 

In the background, I can hear the referee signaling that the match is over. It feels great to have won the last match of the season with 3 – 0. 

We're walking towards the substitutions' bench as a familiar voice fills my ears.

"Let's go Addie, you absolutely crushed them out there" Jack Grealish shouts from the grandstand.

I spot his face among the faces and crack a big smile. Beside him stands Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden who are cheering as well. They hurry down the stairs to meet me and I almost fall backwards when Jack tackles me with a big hug. I relax in his embrace and hide my face in his chest. I recognize his smell by his aftershave and cologne. 

Jack has been my best friend ever since I started playing football. At 6 years old he took me to his football training and ever since, I've loved the sport. A few days later he introduced me to his football team. Their coach let me play with them, but I could see the other boys' irritated glances when they figured a girl would be playing with them. Jack's friends started saying mean comments under their breath and tackled me extra hard when we had training matches. I hated seeing their smug faces as I brushed off the grass and dirt from my knees. 

"What's wrong?" Jack had asked me once I got substituted. "You don't really seem like yourself". 

I remember feeling the burning tears behind my eyelids threatening to fall, but I blinked them away. I swallowed the lump that had started to grow in my throat and met Jack's worrying gaze. 

"Your teammates keep whispering mean things about me when they think I don't hear them. They said that a girl shouldn't play football and that I rather should be home playing with dolls or dress up as a princess." "They also tackle me very hard, look" 

I pulled up my sleeve and showed him a cut where blood was already dripping from. I saw his eyes darken and he bit the inside of his cheek.

"I'm okay though" I reassured him, but he wouldn't even look at me. He was just staring at the ground with his whitened knuckles gripping the bench.

"Jack, you're up" our coach said. Jack sprinted out on the pitch and as soon as he got the chance, he tackled one of the boys. A few moments later he shot the ball right into the stomach on the other one with all his strength. I saw him mumbling something to the boy in pain and I smiled to myself.

Ever since, I've been training super hard to improve my skills. After many training sessions and matches I performed better and better. They let me play with the boys' team and I proved everyone who had doubted me wrong. Once my teammates noticed that I brought value to the team, they started to accept me more. I got to know Phil and Bukayo there, and they were never mean to me. All four of us had a lot of fun together and they became my best friends. Sure, I'd met some pretty mean people in opponent teams along the way, but my team always had my back – especially Jack.

At 14 years old, the boys' team got cancelled. Many people had quit, and the team didn't have enough players. Jack, who was a few years older than me, got brought up to play with older guys, but because I was too young, I wasn't accepted. I had to join the girls' team if I wanted to keep playing. 

I enjoyed playing there and was warmly welcomed, but I missed playing with Jack and going to all the games and cups together. Our relationship had always been platonic, but we really loved each other, and that feeling haven't changed.

Many people saw my potential, and when I was 16, I got a call from the women's football council wondering if I was interested in playing for England's national women's team. I of course said yes, packed my bags and moved to London. I had of course kept contact with jack and the others, and all of them were also playing for the national team. We would usually meet all four to catch up, and after some time, I started getting to know a few more from their team.

Now I've finished my second season in the national team as a 17 year old, and my career is far from over.

. . .

"Come here" Phil invited me into his arms, and I could feel Bukayo patting my shoulder. 

"Thank you for coming guys" I said and stepped back from Phil. "It means a lot".

"You know that we are always there for you, Addie" Jack said with a proud expression on his face.

"Yea, you've really got potential" Bukayo continued.

I was so grateful for them. Ever since my mom passed away in a car accident two years ago, dad and my little sister haven't been the same. They were isolated in their minds, while I tried to keep my focus on football. It had been tough and considering it being so fresh, I haven't really gotten time to process it. On top of that, the distance between Manchester and London has made it harder to meet as often. 

Jack knew I was struggling, and some days I couldn't leave my bed. He would buy me groceries and help me clean my house. Sometimes he would even spend the night and comfort me while tears were overflowing my eyes. My mom wasn't the best mom though. She was a drunk and would often come home smelling alcohol. Sometimes when dad wasn't home, she would beat me whenever I played a bad game or tried to defend my sister from her. That was one of the reasons why I kept working so hard at football - I wanted to prove her wrong and get far, far away from that place. My dad wanted to divorce her, but the incident happened just a few weeks before they would sign the paperwork.  

"Are you coming with us to celebrate your season tonight? Our last game was a few days ago so we all officially have summer break now" Phil had dragged me away from my thoughts and looked at me with excited eyes.

"I'm sorry guys, but I really need an early night tonight. We still have a few physique tests to do, and I really need to get good results." I spoke. "I will talk to you tomorrow though!"

"Okay, good luck" Jack ruffled my hair with a disappointed look on his face.

"We will see each other tomorrow then, and again, a well-deserved season for you" Bukayo said with a smile.

I turned around and walked towards the locker room. Outside I could hear the music blasting through the room and looked forward to celebrating a little with my teammates before I needed to head home. In that moment, my life felt like a dream come true.

A/n: Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying this story so far! Either way, I really enjoy writing it, haha. Have a good day!