Usually, without a second guess, Jordi would buy Messi's boots, but he did not like the flashy look of the F50 Adizero Messi wore this season. He also was not a huge fan of how lightweight the F50 Adizero were. Jordi had gone through a growth spurt recently, and he realized that he preferred playing in heavier, more stable boots.
Jordi tried on the Adidas Nitrocharges, the black and orange ones that Xavi wore right now. They were much thicker above his feet and felt more stable. He wanted to try kicking a football with them when Uncle Ferran interrupted.
"Do you like these? Let's get them."
Jordi, ever cognizant of his uncle's tone, agreed. Jordi followed Uncle Ferran as he paid 140 euros at the counter and walked over to a bench in the park outside.
"Reietó, I won't lie to you, my heart cannot see you play for any club other than our club. Heck, I never even thought I would entertain the thought of my nephew choosing another club over Barca. Yet, today, I realize I was very wrong. Barcelona is my home, and it is very important to me, but Reietó, you are much more important."
Ferran's eyes follow a baby magpie stumbling towards its mother. Jordi is keeping track of the football game happening not so far away. Jordi's hands, however, clench the bench when Ferran finishes his sentence. In that moment, he hopes his uncle knows how important he is to Jordi.
"Reietó, the new Barca president is the same as Sandro, the previous one. They treat Barca as a business, a machine with no soul. They have stopped caring about our identity, and they certainly don't care about La Masia anymore. Even with how good you are, you are at best some million euros in their eyes. Jordi, you agree, right?"
Jordi nods his head.
"Reietó, Thiago just went to Ba,yern and look how happy he is. They say that Guardiola has seen your clips and he is impressed. I talked to the spokesperson myself. They have a whole plan for you to join the first team by 17. I felt it, Reietó. They really want you. With Barca… it would be really difficult to get in at Barca, Jordi."
Ferran spoke in the manner of a man apologizing on behalf of someone. He had always tried to compensate for that glaring absence in Jordi's life, and Ferran felt like he had somehow failed Jordi today. He did not care about Barca at this moment. Ferran just wanted his nephew to be happy. His reietó, his miraculous little nephew, more than anyone in this world, deserved to be happy.
"Uncle," Jordi spoke in his quiet voice, "I'll stay. This is my club, my home. I won't leave."
Ferran sighed, "What if they force you to leave one day?"
Jordi stared at his uncle, "Why would they do that?"
Ferran just smiled back, melancholy escaping his eyes.
The next week, Layla Lloret signed Jordi's training agreement at La Masia. The news was welcomed by the various Twitter accounts and blogs that followed La Masia's teams.
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LaLiga Youth
@Laligayouth
Barca retains the extremely talented Infantil-A captain Jordi Lloret. A natural leader, he dictates the game with high intelligence and wonderful pausa. You can watch the 11-year-old next month in the LaLiga Futures U14 final between Barca and RM.
His stats for the season so far (according to La Masia website):
Games Played: 26
Goals: 5 (2 Freekicks)
Assists: 16
0.81 G/A per match while playing as a pivot for most of the season!
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La Masia
@youngcules
Pumped to hear that Jordi Lloret stays at La Masia. A prodigal talent! One for the future, most definitely.
Pep, I <3 You BUT Stay Away From Our Boy!
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