Chapter 78 – The Whisper of the Stadium
The air in Lisbon carried a different weight. It wasn't the gentle wind of Penedono or the quiet hum of the countryside—it was sharper, electric, filled with the restless heartbeat of a city that lived and breathed football. For Jota, stepping onto the training ground of the youth academy felt like stepping into another world.
Rows of players stretched across the pristine pitch, their movements fast and polished. Coaches barked instructions. Scouts observed from the sidelines with cold precision. Every pass, every mistake was noticed, judged, written down.
Jota inhaled deeply. So this is where dreams are forged—or broken.
He tightened his laces, the same worn boots he'd used since Penedono. They looked out of place among the gleaming shoes of the academy hopefuls, but to him, they were a symbol of everything he had endured.
