S͟p͟o͟r͟t͟ O͟n͟e͟-S͟h͟o͟t͟s͟

FIFTEEN-Julian Brandt-Champions League Final⚽️

My nerves are completely on edge. Never before have 90 minutes passed so quickly and yet so slowly. When Julian took his corner kick in the 50th minute, I knew it could be a dangerous one. Nobody practised this discipline as regularly and as hard as he did. Completely nervous, I couldn't even look properly.

But Mats really did manage to head the ball into the goal with such force. The small crowd of Dortmund fans around me erupted in screaming euphoria. I also jumped to my feet and cheered loudly for my friend and his colleagues. Jule had already told me before the game "You know, we're really the underdogs here. We really have nothing left to lose. I think we can create a sensation."

If it were up to me, the referee could blow the whistle right now. But unfortunately that's not how football works. So the great trembling has begun for us. Paris keep fighting, but the boys are incredibly lucky. The Parisians only hit aluminium three times. I've never been so glad that there's aluminium. The closer we got to the final whistle, the more realistic our dream became.

The boys played their hearts out on the pitch until the very last second. They really gave everything they had. And when the final whistle sounded, the roaring cheers erupted. It was unbelievable. Dortmund had reached the final of the Champions League, the premier class. We were the clear underdogs here and yet we are now going home as winners.

The lads came running into the small sector with Dortmund fans, which I was also in. Jule had often offered me VIP passes, but I always turned them down with thanks. The energy among the "real" fans was completely different. Julian had also managed to get great seats at the bottom of this sector. Jule came running up with a smile and I went to meet him at the barrier. Wordlessly, he took my face in his hands and gave me a loving, expressive kiss.

He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me over the barrier with a strong tug. Now I was standing with him on the green turf where they had won a few minutes ago, and he took my hand firmly in his. "I'm speechless, Julian." He just beamed at me. "And so am I, darling." Our moment was crashed by the other boys, who all came running towards me to pull me into a tight, bear hug. Their joy was palpable and so incredibly infectious. "I'm so proud of you guys." When they let go of me, Jule was immediately there to pull me back into his arms. So many times he had suffered and put in the extra hours at the gym. Giving his all to get out of every dip in form as quickly as possible.

I was with him every step of the way and supported him as much as I could. When I met him, my life really turned 180 degrees. After all, he was a professional footballer, and a very well-known one at that, and juggling everything was harder than I thought. "What's wrong, darling? You're so lost in your thoughts." I loved that he could always tell how I was feeling straight away and was so concerned about me.

"It's all right. I was just thinking about how we met." Julian started to laugh out loud. I looked at him, confused. "What's going on with you now?" He just laughed even harder. "I'm just so incredibly happy right now." I could only shake my head. He is and always will be a weirdo. My weirdo. That night we celebrated properly. When we woke up the next morning, neither of us really realised what had happened. Jule's first sentence was "Babe, did that really happen yesterday?" Sleepily, I couldn't tell him at first either. It felt too much like a dream. But in the end, that was exactly what football was for. To realise dreams.

=>I'm back! The last few weeks have been really exhausting and stressful, but I've had a few days off and maybe I'll get a bit more time to write. I was so happy for the Dortmund team. After last year, they really deserve it. All the best<3