Readers pov:
Today is a day that I should be excited, maybe a bit nervous, for. Today is the day that I'm going to be leading England out on to the pitch for our euros quarter final. The only problem is that we are playing Norway and that means playing the one person that I would never have wanted to have to play against, my girlfriend, Ingrid. Of course I would love to win and to get us through to the semis but and the same time there is a part of me that will feel very sorry for Ingrid if we do knock her and her teammates out of the competition. Before we both need to leave this morning to get on our respective coaches and to make our way to the stadium, we both agreed to have a chat, I think it was just because she could tell that I was worried about how it would affect the one of us who loses today.
*on the phone to Ingrid*
Ingrid: Hey baby, how you feeling this morning?
Y/n: Not great.
Ingrid: Why not baby? You should be excited.
Y/n: I am don't get me wrong, but I'm also very worried.
Ingrid: What are you worried about?
Y/n: Us, what's going to happen after, because at the end of this, for one of us, our dream is going to be over.
Ingrid: Yes that's true, but I know that if you win, which you won't *chuckles*, no seriously if you win then I will be extremely proud of you and will support you all the way, I promise you, after today nothing will change between us and I will still love you just as much. Are you saying that you won't love me as much?
Y/n: No of course I'll still love you as much babe, how could I not?
Ingrid: Then there is nothing to worry about baby, I'm sorry I have to go now, I'll see you later.
Y/n: Love you babe. Bye.
*end of call*
After being on the phone with Ingrid I look at my phone and realise I need to leave now because I have a meeting with Sarina because I'm the captain, I still don't really know why Sarina picked me to be captain of this tournament but I am extremely grateful and honoured that she did pick me. I just get to her office in time and knock on the door, waiting to be told to come in, when I am, I sit down opposite Sarina ready for her to start talking.
Sarina: Hello Y/n, how are you this morning?
Y/n: Ready to go and to make my country and more importantly, you, proud.
Sarina: And that mentality is why you are captain of this team, but in this meeting we need to go over the fact that this is now knockout football and it is vital we win today.
Y/n: Of course Sarina, and I will give it my all on the pitch as I know all the girls that play will.
Sarina: Thank you, so as usual, here is the line up, Mary in goal, then in defence we're going to have, Leah, Lucy, Millie and Rach, Midfield is going to be Ke, G and Ella and then upfront is going to be you Beth and Ellen.
Y/n: Amazing as always, I just wanted to say thank you.
Sarina: What do you have me to thank for?
Y/n: Thank you for trusting me with this amazing opportunity to be captain for my country. Sarina: You're the person who most deserved it and you are doing an amazing job at it, I'm proud of you.
Y/n: You saying that means more to me than you will ever know. Sarina: Of course, now go get your stuff and get on to the bus please, I'll see you later.
Y/n: Bye Sarina, see you later.
I walk out of the room and start to walk back to my room, which I share with Keira by the way, when I am jumped on by my best friends Leah, Keira and Georgia, they have done this after every meeting that I have with Sarina before a match. They do it because they want to know the lineup and they think that if they are super nice to me then I will tell them but I will stick by my word to Sarina and make sure no one knows the team before they are allowed to, no matter if they are my best friends or not.
Georgia: So are we all in the starting eleven for the game then?
Y/n: I'm afraid I can't tell you that G
Leah: Come on Y/nickname, it's us, we're your best friends.
Y/n: And I love you all so much, you know that, but I promised Sarina, so no can do.
Keira: Just leave it guys, I respect your decision you make a great captain y/n.
Y/n: Thanks Ke, love you the most *smirks*
Leah: Come here you *tackles you to the ground and her and G start tickling you*
Y/n: Ke help me, stop them please.
Keira: Sorry Y/nickname, you're on your own there.
They eventually stop tickling me when Sarina comes out and says we have to get ready, only after laughing at my state. So me and Keira go into our room and say that we will meet outside the front of the hotel when we're all ready, luckily it was a home euros which meant no planes, even though I am a professional footballer and travel a lot, I can not stand flying, I get awful panic attacks whenever I have to and only one person can calm me down from these, Ingrid. But I wouldn't have to worry about that today, me and Ke get all of our stuff but we don't rush cause we know that G and Leah will take forever as usual, after sitting down for about 10 minutes because we know they should both be ready by then. We get on the bus and me and Ke are the first ones there, other then the kit man, who we joke is Keira's best friend.
Y/n: You going to ditch me for your best friend again Ke? I don't want to babysit them again.
Keira: No I guess I'll stay with you *chuckles*
Y/n: Yay! *chuckles back*
We get on the bus and wait for everyone else, they eventually all get on and we leave for the stadium, not much happens on the way, we all just get on with our pre-match rituals, for me that's listening to music, watching Leah and Georgia argue about a soduku with Lucy and Keira next to me with Ke on Luce's lap, we always sit on a table of four with G and Leah sitting opposite me and Ke but since Ke and Luce have been dating it's been a kind of match ritual that Ke sits on Lucy's lap. We get to the stadium and do everything like pitch inspection and warm ups, we've just come back in and I'm ready to give my pre match talk after Sarina has announced the line up.
Sarina: So let's go out there and win this, Y/n do you have anything to say?
Y/n: Like Sarina said, even if you didn't make it in to the starting 11 today, you may still be needed and you are just as important as any of the starters, let's go and win it, everyone in, England on 3. 1, 2, 3
Everyone: ENGLAND.
After that everyone cheers and we go and lineup in the tunnel with the subs walking past us wishing us all luck, I'm standing at the front and I'm next to Ingrid (a/n: I know Ingrid isn't the captain but just go with it) But I decide not to focus on my girlfriend and instead I look to my right to see and very young girl who is my mascot, I crouch down so that I can talk to her.
Y/n: And what's your name?
Girl: I'm Ellie, you're my favourite player.
Y/n: Well I'm honoured, how old are you Ellie?
Ellie: I'm 4.
Just then we start to walk out so I grab Ellie's hand and Walk out with her, we get into place and I lean down to the girl in front of me.
Y/n: Are you cold darling?
Ellie: A bit yeah.
Y/n: Here you go take this.
I take my warm up jacket off and put it on the little girl, she smiles up at me and we start to sing the national anthems, after we shake all the hands of the refs and other team and I make sure to stop Ellie before she runs off.
Y/n: You keep the jacket yeah, and if you call me really loudly at the end, I'll come give you my shirt ok kiddo?
Ellie: Really?
Y/n: Yeah, enjoy the game kid.
She just hugs me before running to who I assume is her mum, I wave at some fans whilst walking over to the refs and Ingrid to decide who would be taking kick off, it is decided that we will have kick off so as we are all shaking hands me and Ingrid have a quick hug where she whispers, "I'll love you no matter what, promise" and we have a quick kiss before getting in to position to start the game, we kick off and it's like something had instantly lit up in our whole team, we are playing amazingly straight away, so much so that it's only in the 14th minute that Ellen plays a perfect ball through to me and I manage to bury the ball away into the bottom corner, I run to the corner flag and turn around to jump on Ellen as she runs over, luckily she catches me, we all scream at the crowd and then run back in to position, ready for the game to restart. We get to half time and it's still 1-0 to us, despite a few chances from both sides, we all walk in to the changing rooms and see a smiling Sarina.
Sarina: Well done everyone, great first half, we could be more ahead but that's fine, I believe in us, let's get this done.
Everyone cheers and then we get ready to go back out and start the second half, as we go out I'm walking next to Ingrid again cause she came out at the same time she may have said something to me but I was too focused on the game to notice her but during the second half she seemed quite agitated and angry, and this didn't get any better when I assisted a pretty similar goal for Ellen to score, returning the favour from the first half. Ingrid just looked so disappointed and I did feel a bit bad but I can't for long because the game is restarting, but as soon as they kick off again they nearly always have about 3 players around me, and they are all putting in rather bad tackles in on me constantly. I know it's going to end badly eventually but there isn't much I can do about it because the ref is being awful. One tackle from Caroline was especially dirty but this time I didn't spring back up like I had from all of them in the past no one thought anything of it at first but I know it could be bad, after a few minutes and they still hadn't stopped play, I decide to just get up and carry on, it wasn't anything to do with my legs that were hurt, I think I've dislocated my shoulder. I get up and then the ball had just gone out of play so the ref comes up to me and asks "are you ok?" I reply with a quick "Yeah I'm fine thanks" We have a corner so I'm up in the box and Ingrid comes over to me, she's meant to be marking me but she just says "Are you ok, don't play on if you're in pain" "I'm fine Ingrid" I say trying to convince myself more than her.
We don't score from the corner and not much else happens, Sarina subs me off in the 85th minute so I give the armband to a very reluctant Keira, "give it to someone else, I don't deserve it" "Yes you do Ke, you're amazing" I reassure her. "thanks
y/nickname, go get your self checked out, that tackle was bad" "I'm fine Ke, now go finish this game" I walk off the pitch a bit annoyed that Sarina brought me off only 5 minutes before the end of the game, I walk over to the bench and clutch my shoulder a bit, which Sarina sees and walks over to me "Go get your shoulder checked out" She tells me "No I'll be fine don't worry" I try to tell her "no that looks dislocated" "Can't I wait til after the match" "no I'll get the medics to come over here then you won't miss anything" The medics come over and tell me that it is dislocated but they can reset it here but it may be a bit painful. I don't mind so I tell them to just do it, they do it and it does cause me agonising pain but I know it will pass, the final whistle has just blown, and it's finished 2-0 to us, so I go onto the pitch to congratulate everyone but then I notice the most important person in my life is crying on her knees, I don't think my legs have ever moved so fast but I know I need to be by her side. "Babe it's ok, you'll do it next time" I reassure the sobbing girl, bringing her in to my arms. "But we should've gone further" She cries "I know darling, I know." "You have to win it now" I chuckle at her response "Of course darling, for you" "I love you" "I love you more" And we just sit there for a while before walking round clapping the fans and signing stuff, even though we have just played against each other we decide to walk around together, hand in hand, as we are walking around and I hear someone shouting my name very loudly so I turn around and see the young girl from earlier and run over to her with Ingrid closely following, I give her my shirt and she just gives me a hug and can't stop smiling her mum thanks me and I just say no worries and return to my girlfriend with my hand back in hers, and I think this just proves that we will always love each other, no matter what.
A/n: I love this one but I'm so sorry it took so long I've been busy, Do you like the longer ones more or would you prefer like it was before. :)