Alex walked onto the pitch at the small stadium. This was it. His first game in an England shirt. It was just a friendly, but it was against Germany. There was no such thing as a "friendly" against Germany.
He was wearing the white kit of his country. His new number was 18. He was the youngest player on the pitch, by three years.
He looked across at the German team. They were huge. They all looked like... like small Bastians. They were big, strong, and did not look happy.
He was in the tunnel, lining up. Tom, the giant Liverpool defender, was in front of him.
"Okay, small rock," Tom rumbled, not looking back. "This is not Arsenal. This is not Chelsea. This is Germany. They are a machine. They do not make mistakes. And they will try to hit you."
"I know," Alex said, his heart hammering.
"So... do not be stupid. Be smart. Be stable. Do your job. I will... try to stop them from breaking you."
Alex just nodded. He was glad Tom was on his team.
