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Chapter 21 - Bayern Munich vs. Schalke.
It was Saturday afternoon and Lukas had decided to accept Daniela’s invitation to attend the match against Schalke with her and Lena. They’d arrived early at the Allianz, wanting to get to their seats before things got too hectic. Lukas was a little wary about getting so close to so many fans, but the girls stuck to his side, Lena wrapping her arm around one of his and telling him that for today, she’d make a little sacrifice and pretend to be his girlfriend and do her best to keep any annoying fans away. He laughed and agreed, but told her not to be too rude to his fans; he didn’t want her getting slandered by them, after all. Lena didn’t really care, though, and told him she’d do whatever it would take to make sure he wasn’t continually harassed during the day.
Firmly wedged in between the two girls Lukas let them navigate their way through the crowd while he just tried to look inconspicuous and not attract much attention. Unfortunately though, people seemed to automatically turn their heads when he walked by, almost as if they could all sense that it was him. Just as Lena had promised, she didn’t let him stop to be surrounded by fans. She forged her way through the crowd with a glare on her face, directing it at any fan screaming Lukas’ name (mostly girls, of course) and managed to get them inside and heading toward the gate that led down to the area where they had seats booked. They were sitting directly above the bench area in the middle, right in the front row. Lukas smiled when he thought of all the times they’d been on the field playing, those times when they’d be down a goal and the girls were always there, yelling at them to play better if they managed to get close enough to hear them.
Daniela left Lukas and Lena at their seats while she went off to buy beer and pretzels for her and Lena, deciding that it would be best to leave Lukas in the still mostly empty arena. It was starting to fill up though, as the pre-game warm up session was about to start in a few minutes. Lukas told Lena about Thursday’s excitement in the pool, which she found highly amusing. Lena remarked on the current issue of Bild and the article about Lukas and Daniela, which they proceeded to laugh over and wonder if any other pictures would make it in there. Daniela returned soon and joined in on the conversation about the tabloid paper.
Not long after that people started to filter into their section, but luckily for Lukas no one seemed to really notice him yet. A family of three claimed the seats one row behind and just to the left of the trio, parents and their young son. The boy was wearing a Bastian Schweinsteiger t-shirt, even though it was a little big on him. Lukas and Lena were engaged in conversation at the moment, but Daniela had looked at the family as they came into the section, immediately noticing the shirt and smiling. Every time she saw another kid wearing a shirt with her boyfriend on it, it just made her heart swell with pride. They’d been together before he’d really made it big, after all, so she knew how hard he’d worked to get to where he was and the fact that he’d garnered so much fan support never ceased to amaze her. She nudged Lukas in the arm and nodded at the family.
Lukas turned around to look at them, smiling too when he saw the little boy. Just then the kid turned his head away from his mother and looked in their direction, eyes spotting Lukas and his mouth dropping open in shock. Lukas smiled and waved at him and the boy slowly smiled too and waved back. By now it had drawn his parents’ attention and they also stared at Lukas, a little shocked to see him sitting there. Lukas called out to the boy. “I like your shirt.”
The boy smiled and looked down at the shirt for a moment. “He’s my favourite.”
Lukas grinned. “He’s my favourite too.” The boy looked at him again and laughed and Lukas made a split second decision that he would be really impressed with later when he thought back about it. “Do you want to come up here and sit with me while they’re training? Maybe I could get him to come up and say hi to you.” The boy looked up at his mother expectantly, a hopeful look in his eyes and she nodded her head and told him he could. He sprinted down to the end of the row, hopping down the step to get to the first row and then sprinting back along the seats until he reached Lukas. Lukas pulled the kid up onto his lap and held his arms around him, asking him what his name was and how old he was, if he played football too. The boy’s name was Christian, he was seven, and yes he did play football. He was a midfielder and Bastian was his idol.
Lukas couldn’t help but grin at every word the kid said. He definitely had to get this kid to meet Bastian at some point. Maybe he’d take him down to the field as the guys were going back in after their warm-up, catch them for a moment so Christian could at least say hello to them. Lukas just hoped Magath wouldn’t mind the little interruption, he hoped it wouldn’t get Bastian into trouble. He was already being penalized as it was, not in the starting line up for today’s match. Lukas had been annoyed to hear it. What was the trainer doing? They were closing in on the end of the season, they needed all the points they could get and putting Bastian on the bench wouldn’t help matters any.
Those thoughts were interrupted though as the players emerged for their warm up. Lukas watched them come out, automatically looking for his best friend. There he was, walking out with Andreas, deep in conversation about something. Lukas smiled and watched them and just before they started the warm up Bastian looked up into the stands, right where they were sitting and waved, a smile on his face. Lukas waved to his friend, telling the boy on his lap to do the same. Christian did and even from this far away Lukas could see the confused expression on Bastian’s face when he noticed the boy sitting on Lukas’ lap, but it was replaced with a smile and then Bastian turned around to warm up with the others.
Lukas sat with Christian during the warm up, answering every question that came out of the kid’s mouth. After he got over his initial bout of shyness, the seven-year-old didn’t stop talking. Lukas had always enjoyed interacting with the fans, but like most of his fellow professionals he’d always had a soft spot for the kids. This one was obviously getting the shock of his life right now and Lukas was feeling pretty lucky that he was able to be the one sitting up here with him. It just served as a bit of a reminder that even with the hassle of the inconsiderate and intrusive fans, there was always a reason to keep going back out and interacting.
When the warm-up was coming to an end Lukas took Christian with him, standing down near the entrance from the pitch to the stands, one that was always guarded by security during games. He made eye contact with Bastian and beckoned him over, pointing down at Christian with a smile on his face.
Bastian jogged over to them, a little surprised to see Lukas there. He’d been happy to hear that his best friend would be coming out to the game, but he hadn’t expected to see him make friends with a kid in the stands. It was a bit more than he’d expected out of Lukas at the moment. But it really just proved that he was indeed doing much better these days. As Bastian neared them he finally noticed the kid’s t-shirt, grinning and realizing why Lukas had brought him down.
“Christian, this is my best friend, Schweini. This is my new friend Christian; I could not help but notice his t-shirt when he sat behind us. I thought since he had such good taste I would let him sit with me during the warm-up and then bring him down to say hi to you.” Lukas grinned as he explained the situation to Bastian.
Bastian grinned back and leaned down to say hello to the kid. “Hi Christian, it’s nice to meet you!” He gave the boy a hug, who’d gone all shy again now that he was in front of his hero. He could only stay for a minute though before he had to re-join the team down below again. Right before he left though he gave Lukas a hug and thanked him for bringing down Christian. Lukas knew what he really meant by the comment, though, that Bastian was happy to see him eagerly interacting with a fan, even if it was just an adoring little boy. Bastian wouldn’t have to worry about Lukas having issues being surrounded by fans now. They parted ways and Lukas brought Christian back up into the stands, giving him another hug before he went and re-joined his parents, who thanked Lukas for granting their son his biggest wish. Lukas just smiled and told them it was the least he could do for such a devoted fan.
The match started out at a fast pace, with Mark van Bommel heading the ball down into Schalke territory, where Roy Makaay picked it up and had an early shot on goal, but it was blocked by Manuel Neuer and sent back down field by Rafinha. Possession passed back and forth quickly, shots taken and intercepted, runs challenged and balls won. By the time the tenth minute rolled around, both teams already had two shots on goal, all four of them good shots that had to be cleared by their respective keepers.
At the tenth minute Schalke currently had possession, Lincoln on the ball and heading into Bayern territory. Willy Sagnol made the challenge and got a bit of the ball, but Lincoln was barely able to hold on to it and managed to get a shot off toward the centre of the penalty area, where Halil Altintop was waiting, unmarked and suddenly looking very dangerous to the Bayern defense. Lucio and van Buyten converged on him but it was just seconds too late. One half of Schalke’s identical twins took a well placed and well timed shot, sending the ball curling over the fingers of Oliver Kahn and sailing into the net.
Halil ran immediately down field, jumping on his brother Hamit. They had a moment to themselves until they were joined by Lincoln and Levan Kobiashvili, who didn’t hesitate to join in on the twin’s private party. As the celebration went on the scene down at the Bayern net was a different story.
“Are the two of you asleep out there?! Keep your eyes open and cover, all the time!” Oliver Kahn was angry. An unfortunate part of being the keeper was that when shots went in, the majority of the viewing public wanted to blame it on you. But in cases like this, where your defenders simply didn’t do their jobs properly, there wasn’t really anything you could have done. A man could only reach so high and sometimes the ball just curled right on top of your fingers, teasing you and taunting you, burning itself into memory in your head. He never forgot a single shot he couldn’t get to, he had a stockade of images in his mind, memories of either mistakes he’d made or mistakes the defense had made that he hadn’t been able to clean up. Now he’d just added another picture to that pile and he wasn’t happy about it.
Play restarted and it didn’t take long for Bayern to answer. Philipp managed to challenge Hamit for the ball, winning it and sending it up to Sebastian Deisler. He outmaneuvered Rafinha to maintain possession, needing only a brief glance up toward the net and seeing his chance. He sent the ball up, right to the left where Mark had managed to find some unmarked space, the Schalke defenders paying a bit more attention to Makaay and Pizarro. Sebastian’s ball curled perfectly to Mark who headed it in, sending it over the arm of Neuer. It was now a Bayern convergence on the Schalke end of the field, Mark and the two forwards celebrating with a hug while Sebastian ran up to them to join in. Neuer, though nowhere near as angry sounding as Kahn had been, also yelled at his own defenders for ignoring Mark and letting him get so close. Nerves were definitely on edge now in the game.
The fast pace was kept up for the next eighteen minutes with more shots taken and either shot wide or deflected. The fans were so into the game, drums carrying on chants that were echoed throughout the arena. But once again things seemed to go a bit better for Schalke. Willy had shot a pass up to Mark but the pass was a little weak and was intercepted by Marcelo Bordon, who wasted no time in sending it up to Kevin Kuranyi. Kevin had room to shoot that he didn’t waste. The shot came off his boot perfectly, more than enough power behind it to carry it just past Kahn’s outstretched arm and into the left side of the Bayern net. He was immediately met by Kobiashvili, who hugged him and kissed him on the cheek in his usual fashion.
There was no yelling this time from Kahn. This time the shot had simply been a good one and there hadn’t been anything anyone could do about it. All he could do now was get the ball back into play as soon as possible so his team could score again. He did just that, sending it up to the centre for the kick off. He hoped his boys could manage to answer again quickly the way they had before. He hated being down goals.
The game continued on in that same aggressive manner, Bayern making it obvious that they wanted to score at least one more before the end of the first half. But aggression got a bit too high when, in the forty-fourth minute, Lucio slid into Halil, studs up dangerously. He didn’t get a piece of the ball but had managed to knock the twin off his feet, drawing from the official both a yellow card for himself as well as a penalty for Schalke. He didn’t have to look at any of his team mates to know how angry they were probably feeling at the moment. It had been a stupid challenge and he’d known that, only coming to the realization too late.
He now stood with the rest of the team, watching as Kevin came up to take the penalty. Penalties were always nerve-wracking but when you’re the cause of one, they’re ten times worse. Time seemed to drag on as Kevin set up his shot, eyeing Kahn and deciding where he wanted to place it. If he could manage to sink it then nerves on Schalke’s side would definitely be diminished as they headed inside for their half-time chat. Having made up his mind Kevin fired off the shot, aiming for the bottom right hand corner of the net. The Bayern keeper hadn’t been able to get to it and now Schalke were up two as they headed into half-time.
The mood was definitely tense and unhappy in the Bayern room. It wasn’t that they hadn’t played well in the first half. Aside from a few weak passes here and there, and Lucio’s foul, they’d played well. They’d challenged and the stats showed it. Possession was pretty much split down the centre and they’d managed to fire six shots on goal. It had been a fast-paced gamed and they had that killer instinct that they sometimes lacked. Manuel Neuer was just playing perfectly today in the net for Schalke.
After the usual pep talk and discussion, Magath left the men to finish getting ready for the second half, calling Bastian out into the hall with him. This was a conversation he didn’t want to have in front of the others. Felix Magath may have been a bit demanding and strict with his players, but he was fair. Private conversations were kept private and he preferred to leave it up to his players to decide if they wanted to discuss anything that was said to them by him with the others. He’d just grant them their privacy while saying it.
“You know why you were kept on the bench for the first half. It’s obvious that you are needed on the field and you’ll be going in at the start of the second, replacing Mehmet. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to say this, but I will. I expect nothing less than a win today, and you will be instrumental in making it happen in the next forty five minutes. I’m depending on you to carry the plays for the remainder of the game. This is your chance to prove that you’ve learned your lesson and that you’ve put this club first again. So go out there and win this game. If we lose, it will come down hard on your shoulders, I promise you that.”
Bastian nodded, feeling a mixture of anger, aggravation, and nervousness all accumulating inside his stomach. He had a feeling he would be coming on right away, but he hadn’t expected such a stress-inducing speech first. As though he alone could turn the game around, it was ridiculous. He’d do his best to set up plays and try for goals of his own, but it was wrong of the coach to put the outcome of the game on his head. He knew Magath was really only doing it to ensure he was fired up for the win, but it still stung. He walked back into the dressing room after Magath, who was currently informing Mehmet Scholl of his replacement. Bastian sat down on the bench, his mind focusing now on going out there and playing.
“Ah, you’re back. I was just going to go out there and give Magath a shovel.”
Bastian looked up next to him, seeing Philipp just sitting down beside him with a grin on his face. “What for? To hit me with?”
Philipp laughed and shook his head. “No, to use so he could pile the pressure on your shoulders a bit higher. He’s finally putting you in, isn’t he? Expecting you to win the game single-handedly I bet?” Bastian laughed at Philipp’s comment, feeling quite happy he’d made it at the moment. Philipp always seemed to have that way of knowing when to make the right kind of joke to lift his mood.
It was back out to the pitch for them and the second half kicked off quickly. Bastian was intent on showing Magath exactly why he should be out there. It was Bayern’s possession in the start and Bastian had the ball, passing it to Mark who carried it up before passing it back to Bastian, who’d managed to find himself in a very nice position on the right side in Schalke territory. He took three steps with the ball before locking eyes with Roy, who was just about to make his way inside the penalty area. Without so much as a second thought Bastian fired off the pass and at exactly 35 seconds into the second half it connected with Roy’s head and at 36 seconds it was over Neuer’s arm and in the net.
For once Bastian didn’t join in on the celebration, instead he walked calmly back down the field, his eyes looking over at the bench and finding the coach. Magath was sitting still in his seat, the way he always did even when they scored goals, but there was just a tiny bit of a smile on his face. This is what he wanted. He wanted his team on the attack and closing the gap to only one point within thirty six seconds is exactly the way he wanted this second half to start. He was pleased to see Bastian take the initiative and make it happen, his intent on firing up the play maker apparently working.
The first fifteen minutes of the second half were dominated by Bayern. They had another four shots on goal after that first one and Neuer was a busy man. They’d been awarded two free kicks and Bastian had taken both of them. The first had barely been edged out of line with the net by one of the Altintop twins, while the second, which found Pizarro’s head, was saved by Neuer, who just barely punched it away from the net. After a frightening first fifteen minutes for Schalke they found their form again and got back in the game. The energy displayed by both sides in the second half made it seem as though the first half couldn’t have been as fast paced as it had been, because both teams were still going just as hard.
Bayern won a third free kick at the sixty-seventh minute mark and once again Bastian stepped up to take it. These were the kind of shots he loved, the angle and distance exactly perfect for him to score on. Usually he’d try to fire the ball to one of his team mates, aiming for someone’s head. But right now he only wanted the net, adrenaline pumping through his system and giving him that desire to prove to Magath that the coach was an idiot for not starting him. He wanted to bury Schalke, not just to win the three points but to prove a point. This team needs him. Since Michael left at the end of the previous year for England, everyone had been saying that a central part of the team was lost. No one had been able to step up to the plate and take over. Mark had been supposed to, but that hadn’t quite worked exactly the way they’d imagined. As good as Mark van Bommel is, he’s not Michael Ballack.
But now Bastian was finding himself wanting to step up and prove that he’d be the one to take over. When he’d first been told that they were going to try changing him to the central play maker role, he’d been a bit nervous. He was used to playing on the left. He liked the left. It had taken him a while to settle into the new role but eventually things had started turning around and he’d been getting used to it. But now he was determined to own this role and own this team. Maybe the challenge Magath had laid down for him had been exactly what he’d really needed all along. Maybe he’d needed someone to come along and force him to prove himself, to dangle the possibility of it being taken away in front of him just to make him remember how important it all was. So now he stood in front of the ball, eyes on the wall in front of him. He knew exactly how hard and at what angle to kick the ball to make it bend into the top right corner, which is where it was going to go. His mind was solely on the game at the moment, thinking of nothing else but scoring this goal and tying the game.
Seconds later and he’d just hit it, with a lot of force, and stood now watching as it followed that curving path, tricking Neuer into jumping into the middle of the net before the ball quickly curved to the right. There was no way the defender was jumping high enough to reach it and now Bayern had tied the game. Bastian still didn’t celebrate in his usual manner with a smile on his face. He looked determined and hungry for a victory, aggression dominating his expression, but this time his team mates came to him, piling on him and making him forget, for only a second really, just why he’d been feeling so determined to play hard. It was easy to forget how serious things were when everyone was hugging you.
The next fifteen minutes were rough, the battle sticking more or less to the midfield. A few times the ball had gotten into dangerous territory but the tie had really sparked the defense to up their game and go after every ball that came near them. Finally there was a breakthrough in the eighty second mark. Lincoln made a pass up to the front, where Kevin connected with it, his right foot sending it past Kahn’s boot. The second it goes in the net though the Bayern defense are calling for an off-side decision against Kevin, which the official agrees with, raising his flag to indicate that the Schalke goal doesn’t count. It was a close call but moments before Lincoln sent the ball down, Kevin stepped out from his line.
It was a feeling of relief for Bayern. Four minutes later and the ball was back in Schalke territory. Philipp made a beautiful inside pass to Bastian, who pulled a 360 to block the ball from two defenders who converged on him, a move made famous by Zidane, before finally getting a clear shot up to Pizarro. The forward found it easily with his right foot but Neuer was there with a deflection, but the ball was a bit too heavy for him to hold on to. Unfortunately for Schalke the ball goes directly to an unguarded Roy Makaay, who heads it at the net but as luck had it, hits the crossbar. Pizarro managed to find the ball again as the Schalke defenders were currently not at their best and fired off another shot. It was out of Neuer’s reach but unfortunately for Bayern, Rafinha managed to get in between the ball and the open net, sending it back out. Unluckily for Schalke it gets sent right back to Bastian, who lofted it in to Roy and this time the Dutch striker didn’t miss with his header. The ball sailed into the net over Neuer’s hand and Bayern finally lead the game. It was a mass convergence on Makaay, every Bayern player down in that end jumping into the pile. The excitement and adrenaline from that action-packed minute was sending everyone over the edge momentarily and they had to calm down quickly because there was still four minutes left, along with whatever extra time would be added on.
It was the ninety minute mark now and the official had added on two extra minutes of stoppage time. It’s enough time for Bayern to win a corner on the left side. Bastian took it. His eyes slid over the assembled players in front of the net. Even though they were in the lead with less than two minutes left, Bastian wasn’t content to waste time and protect the victory. He wanted another goal.
He took the shot and sent it in to the centre of the penalty area, at the perfect height for a header from Martin Demichelis. The Argentinean found the net and any hope of a draw for Schalke was wiped. Everyone took their turn congratulating Micho on his perfectly placed header, and of course there were words of praise for Bastian’s perfectly aimed corner as well.
Kickoff was taken quickly and the ball was sent down into Bayern territory. Even though they were down two goals with less than a minute left to play Schalke hadn't given up. There was a shot on net which Kahn punched away, giving Schalke a corner. Lincoln took it, not wasting any time and aiming for Kevin. But Demichelis was there again for the save and got to the ball first, jostling Kevin to win the challenge and heading it away. Seconds later and the whistle was blown and Bayern were the winners. Coming from a 1-3 loss at the half-way mark and ending on a 5-3 win was exactly the kind of result the team had needed after the past two weeks.
Bastian had succeeded in proving his point and this had pleased the coach enough to smile and be among the first to offer a hug of congratulations to the midfielder, which surprised Bastian a little. But then he remembered that while Magath could pull off the aloof asshole role perfectly, underneath the gruff exterior there did exist a man who cared about his squad and who wanted to see them do well. Maybe that meant that he was finally off Magath’s shit list. Only time would tell.
Finally now with the game finished Bastian had found himself able to relax again, his usual smile back in place. He headed over to the sideline, laughing with Mark and Andi and feeling ridiculously pleased with himself. Everyone had stopped to hug him and tell him that he hadn’t played so well in such a long time, that he’d been ridiculously impressive and that he’d better continue to play that perfectly from now on. He grinned and laughed at every comment.
But then he looked over at that spot just above the bench, looking for Lukas and Daniela and Lena. They’d left their seats and Bastian saw them just now being admitted onto the field by the security guard. Bastian headed for them immediately, being met first by Lukas, who hugged him tightly and offered even more praise for his outstanding performance. Bastian just shrugged it off and laughed before greeting Daniela with a hug and a kiss, which she jokingly tried to squirm out of, stating that he was too sweaty and he’d ruin her sweater. That only made Bastian hold her tighter and for a bit longer.
When the others noticed Lukas out on the pitch they made their way over, the whole squad excited to see him. Most of them hadn’t seen him in a month, after all. Mark was the first person to greet him, wrapping his arms around him and picking him up off the ground in a tight hug, obviously excited to see him. He set him back down but didn’t remove his arms. “How have you been? You look great, and you look happy. Are you doing okay?”
Lukas couldn’t help but laugh at Mark’s reaction. It reminded him a bit of Michael’s initial reaction that night when they’d held the poker game at his apartment. He’d always gotten along well with Mark, it was hard not to after all. Even with Mark’s comment a few weeks ago that had sent him on that spiral downwards, he knew it hadn’t been personal at all. It was just the way Mark was. “I’m fine. No worse than I was that time when you injured me.” He couldn’t help but jokingly refer to that incident. It had been a bit of a sore spot for him at the time and he’d been just a little upset with Mark for it, but after coming back they’d put it past them and Lukas had taken to constantly bringing it up every time Mark said or did something that annoyed him. It always worked.
Mark laughed at the response and told him that he was pleased to see that he hadn’t changed much. Immediately after Mark let him go, Roy was there with another hug. It had taken Lukas a while to become used to playing with Roy, especially after becoming accustomed to the bond he’d forged playing nationally with Miroslav. But the two strikers had found their flow after a while and Lukas had come to appreciate playing with Roy just as much. He still felt like he had so much to learn from his partners, those two in particular. Roy appeared to be just as happy to see him as Mark had. “It’s good to see you, Lukas, I’ve missed you lately!”
Lukas smiled and returned the hug. It felt so much better to be out here reuniting with his Bayern team mates than he thought it would be. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed them all. He might not have as many close friendships on the Bundesliga squad as he had on the national one, but he still loved these guys in the same manner. Pizarro and Willy stopped by to prod at him too, chastising him for being such a stranger until now. It wasn’t until Bastian joined in on the conversation and pointed out that none of them had made a move to visit Lukas that the young forward realized he was right and he turned the tables on them. They all laughed when Willy tried to change the subject, asking Lukas if he’d done something different with his hair. It was laughs on the Bayern squad while they lingered on the field, crowding around Lukas.
Things finally settled down and the guys started making their way inside. But that wasn’t the last of the reunions for Lukas. When the crowd cleared around him finally it was Felix Magath who made his way over. Lukas wasn’t quite sure how to react to the coach. After an initial rocky start things had smoothed over between them once Lukas had found his place in the team, but he was still feeling a little cool toward him given the way he’d treated Bastian over the past week.
But it was a very friendly face the coach was putting forward as he approached his young star, very pleased to see him here. “Lukas, it’s good to see you. I’ve been hearing about your progress so far, but it’s much better to see it in person.” Though he wanted to react a little on the cool side, to subtly let the coach know that he wasn’t impressed with the way he’d handled matters concerning his best friend, Lukas just didn’t have it in him to do it. He could only respond with a smile and a comment that he was doing a lot better these days. Magath nodded, smile still in place. “I’ve heard that your physiotherapist thinks you might be able to start training again in as little as a month. While I have to say that I’d love to see that, I do want you to take as much time as you need. This is a very serious thing you’re recovering from; I don’t want you to feel pressured in the slightest to come back earlier than you should. Take your time; the game will wait for you.”
Lukas nodded, appreciating the words. Every now and then the usually gruff coach would show a bit of compassion and right now it was having the desired effect on Lukas. He did want to return as soon as possible, but he knew he couldn’t push it. They exchanged a few other words before the coach headed off the pitch himself. Bastian had been standing by, still with Daniela and Lena, trying not to make his listening in too obvious. When Magath left he turned to look at Lukas. “Well, that was nicer than usual.”
Lukas grinned. “Of course it was, you can’t be mean and crusty to a cripple, right?” He winked at Bastian.
Bastian grinned back at him. “You’ve got a point there, chubs.” He couldn’t help but use the new nickname he’d given Lukas; this was the first time he’d used it in front of others. The death glare Lukas was giving him made it more than obvious how much he still hated it.
“Chubs? Oh my god, that’s brilliant.” Lena nodded her approval of the nickname, for once agreeing with Bastian on something.
“Hey! No it’s not! It’s mean and cruel.” Lukas crossed his arms over his chest, not impressed that anyone else approved of it. Bastian stood behind him and wrapped his arms around Lukas, laughing at him for being so upset over a silly little nickname. As Bastian parted ways with the three, heading for the changing room for the post-game debrief, he was feeling very pleased with things. Magath had warmed to him considerably after his stellar performance and Lukas had come out to a game, sat in the stands with the fans, and enjoyed himself. Bastian couldn’t have asked for more.
It was Saturday afternoon and Lukas had decided to accept Daniela’s invitation to attend the match against Schalke with her and Lena. They’d arrived early at the Allianz, wanting to get to their seats before things got too hectic. Lukas was a little wary about getting so close to so many fans, but the girls stuck to his side, Lena wrapping her arm around one of his and telling him that for today, she’d make a little sacrifice and pretend to be his girlfriend and do her best to keep any annoying fans away. He laughed and agreed, but told her not to be too rude to his fans; he didn’t want her getting slandered by them, after all. Lena didn’t really care, though, and told him she’d do whatever it would take to make sure he wasn’t continually harassed during the day.
Firmly wedged in between the two girls Lukas let them navigate their way through the crowd while he just tried to look inconspicuous and not attract much attention. Unfortunately though, people seemed to automatically turn their heads when he walked by, almost as if they could all sense that it was him. Just as Lena had promised, she didn’t let him stop to be surrounded by fans. She forged her way through the crowd with a glare on her face, directing it at any fan screaming Lukas’ name (mostly girls, of course) and managed to get them inside and heading toward the gate that led down to the area where they had seats booked. They were sitting directly above the bench area in the middle, right in the front row. Lukas smiled when he thought of all the times they’d been on the field playing, those times when they’d be down a goal and the girls were always there, yelling at them to play better if they managed to get close enough to hear them.
Daniela left Lukas and Lena at their seats while she went off to buy beer and pretzels for her and Lena, deciding that it would be best to leave Lukas in the still mostly empty arena. It was starting to fill up though, as the pre-game warm up session was about to start in a few minutes. Lukas told Lena about Thursday’s excitement in the pool, which she found highly amusing. Lena remarked on the current issue of Bild and the article about Lukas and Daniela, which they proceeded to laugh over and wonder if any other pictures would make it in there. Daniela returned soon and joined in on the conversation about the tabloid paper.
Not long after that people started to filter into their section, but luckily for Lukas no one seemed to really notice him yet. A family of three claimed the seats one row behind and just to the left of the trio, parents and their young son. The boy was wearing a Bastian Schweinsteiger t-shirt, even though it was a little big on him. Lukas and Lena were engaged in conversation at the moment, but Daniela had looked at the family as they came into the section, immediately noticing the shirt and smiling. Every time she saw another kid wearing a shirt with her boyfriend on it, it just made her heart swell with pride. They’d been together before he’d really made it big, after all, so she knew how hard he’d worked to get to where he was and the fact that he’d garnered so much fan support never ceased to amaze her. She nudged Lukas in the arm and nodded at the family.
Lukas turned around to look at them, smiling too when he saw the little boy. Just then the kid turned his head away from his mother and looked in their direction, eyes spotting Lukas and his mouth dropping open in shock. Lukas smiled and waved at him and the boy slowly smiled too and waved back. By now it had drawn his parents’ attention and they also stared at Lukas, a little shocked to see him sitting there. Lukas called out to the boy. “I like your shirt.”
The boy smiled and looked down at the shirt for a moment. “He’s my favourite.”
Lukas grinned. “He’s my favourite too.” The boy looked at him again and laughed and Lukas made a split second decision that he would be really impressed with later when he thought back about it. “Do you want to come up here and sit with me while they’re training? Maybe I could get him to come up and say hi to you.” The boy looked up at his mother expectantly, a hopeful look in his eyes and she nodded her head and told him he could. He sprinted down to the end of the row, hopping down the step to get to the first row and then sprinting back along the seats until he reached Lukas. Lukas pulled the kid up onto his lap and held his arms around him, asking him what his name was and how old he was, if he played football too. The boy’s name was Christian, he was seven, and yes he did play football. He was a midfielder and Bastian was his idol.
Lukas couldn’t help but grin at every word the kid said. He definitely had to get this kid to meet Bastian at some point. Maybe he’d take him down to the field as the guys were going back in after their warm-up, catch them for a moment so Christian could at least say hello to them. Lukas just hoped Magath wouldn’t mind the little interruption, he hoped it wouldn’t get Bastian into trouble. He was already being penalized as it was, not in the starting line up for today’s match. Lukas had been annoyed to hear it. What was the trainer doing? They were closing in on the end of the season, they needed all the points they could get and putting Bastian on the bench wouldn’t help matters any.
Those thoughts were interrupted though as the players emerged for their warm up. Lukas watched them come out, automatically looking for his best friend. There he was, walking out with Andreas, deep in conversation about something. Lukas smiled and watched them and just before they started the warm up Bastian looked up into the stands, right where they were sitting and waved, a smile on his face. Lukas waved to his friend, telling the boy on his lap to do the same. Christian did and even from this far away Lukas could see the confused expression on Bastian’s face when he noticed the boy sitting on Lukas’ lap, but it was replaced with a smile and then Bastian turned around to warm up with the others.
Lukas sat with Christian during the warm up, answering every question that came out of the kid’s mouth. After he got over his initial bout of shyness, the seven-year-old didn’t stop talking. Lukas had always enjoyed interacting with the fans, but like most of his fellow professionals he’d always had a soft spot for the kids. This one was obviously getting the shock of his life right now and Lukas was feeling pretty lucky that he was able to be the one sitting up here with him. It just served as a bit of a reminder that even with the hassle of the inconsiderate and intrusive fans, there was always a reason to keep going back out and interacting.
When the warm-up was coming to an end Lukas took Christian with him, standing down near the entrance from the pitch to the stands, one that was always guarded by security during games. He made eye contact with Bastian and beckoned him over, pointing down at Christian with a smile on his face.
Bastian jogged over to them, a little surprised to see Lukas there. He’d been happy to hear that his best friend would be coming out to the game, but he hadn’t expected to see him make friends with a kid in the stands. It was a bit more than he’d expected out of Lukas at the moment. But it really just proved that he was indeed doing much better these days. As Bastian neared them he finally noticed the kid’s t-shirt, grinning and realizing why Lukas had brought him down.
“Christian, this is my best friend, Schweini. This is my new friend Christian; I could not help but notice his t-shirt when he sat behind us. I thought since he had such good taste I would let him sit with me during the warm-up and then bring him down to say hi to you.” Lukas grinned as he explained the situation to Bastian.
Bastian grinned back and leaned down to say hello to the kid. “Hi Christian, it’s nice to meet you!” He gave the boy a hug, who’d gone all shy again now that he was in front of his hero. He could only stay for a minute though before he had to re-join the team down below again. Right before he left though he gave Lukas a hug and thanked him for bringing down Christian. Lukas knew what he really meant by the comment, though, that Bastian was happy to see him eagerly interacting with a fan, even if it was just an adoring little boy. Bastian wouldn’t have to worry about Lukas having issues being surrounded by fans now. They parted ways and Lukas brought Christian back up into the stands, giving him another hug before he went and re-joined his parents, who thanked Lukas for granting their son his biggest wish. Lukas just smiled and told them it was the least he could do for such a devoted fan.
The match started out at a fast pace, with Mark van Bommel heading the ball down into Schalke territory, where Roy Makaay picked it up and had an early shot on goal, but it was blocked by Manuel Neuer and sent back down field by Rafinha. Possession passed back and forth quickly, shots taken and intercepted, runs challenged and balls won. By the time the tenth minute rolled around, both teams already had two shots on goal, all four of them good shots that had to be cleared by their respective keepers.
At the tenth minute Schalke currently had possession, Lincoln on the ball and heading into Bayern territory. Willy Sagnol made the challenge and got a bit of the ball, but Lincoln was barely able to hold on to it and managed to get a shot off toward the centre of the penalty area, where Halil Altintop was waiting, unmarked and suddenly looking very dangerous to the Bayern defense. Lucio and van Buyten converged on him but it was just seconds too late. One half of Schalke’s identical twins took a well placed and well timed shot, sending the ball curling over the fingers of Oliver Kahn and sailing into the net.
Halil ran immediately down field, jumping on his brother Hamit. They had a moment to themselves until they were joined by Lincoln and Levan Kobiashvili, who didn’t hesitate to join in on the twin’s private party. As the celebration went on the scene down at the Bayern net was a different story.
“Are the two of you asleep out there?! Keep your eyes open and cover, all the time!” Oliver Kahn was angry. An unfortunate part of being the keeper was that when shots went in, the majority of the viewing public wanted to blame it on you. But in cases like this, where your defenders simply didn’t do their jobs properly, there wasn’t really anything you could have done. A man could only reach so high and sometimes the ball just curled right on top of your fingers, teasing you and taunting you, burning itself into memory in your head. He never forgot a single shot he couldn’t get to, he had a stockade of images in his mind, memories of either mistakes he’d made or mistakes the defense had made that he hadn’t been able to clean up. Now he’d just added another picture to that pile and he wasn’t happy about it.
Play restarted and it didn’t take long for Bayern to answer. Philipp managed to challenge Hamit for the ball, winning it and sending it up to Sebastian Deisler. He outmaneuvered Rafinha to maintain possession, needing only a brief glance up toward the net and seeing his chance. He sent the ball up, right to the left where Mark had managed to find some unmarked space, the Schalke defenders paying a bit more attention to Makaay and Pizarro. Sebastian’s ball curled perfectly to Mark who headed it in, sending it over the arm of Neuer. It was now a Bayern convergence on the Schalke end of the field, Mark and the two forwards celebrating with a hug while Sebastian ran up to them to join in. Neuer, though nowhere near as angry sounding as Kahn had been, also yelled at his own defenders for ignoring Mark and letting him get so close. Nerves were definitely on edge now in the game.
The fast pace was kept up for the next eighteen minutes with more shots taken and either shot wide or deflected. The fans were so into the game, drums carrying on chants that were echoed throughout the arena. But once again things seemed to go a bit better for Schalke. Willy had shot a pass up to Mark but the pass was a little weak and was intercepted by Marcelo Bordon, who wasted no time in sending it up to Kevin Kuranyi. Kevin had room to shoot that he didn’t waste. The shot came off his boot perfectly, more than enough power behind it to carry it just past Kahn’s outstretched arm and into the left side of the Bayern net. He was immediately met by Kobiashvili, who hugged him and kissed him on the cheek in his usual fashion.
There was no yelling this time from Kahn. This time the shot had simply been a good one and there hadn’t been anything anyone could do about it. All he could do now was get the ball back into play as soon as possible so his team could score again. He did just that, sending it up to the centre for the kick off. He hoped his boys could manage to answer again quickly the way they had before. He hated being down goals.
The game continued on in that same aggressive manner, Bayern making it obvious that they wanted to score at least one more before the end of the first half. But aggression got a bit too high when, in the forty-fourth minute, Lucio slid into Halil, studs up dangerously. He didn’t get a piece of the ball but had managed to knock the twin off his feet, drawing from the official both a yellow card for himself as well as a penalty for Schalke. He didn’t have to look at any of his team mates to know how angry they were probably feeling at the moment. It had been a stupid challenge and he’d known that, only coming to the realization too late.
He now stood with the rest of the team, watching as Kevin came up to take the penalty. Penalties were always nerve-wracking but when you’re the cause of one, they’re ten times worse. Time seemed to drag on as Kevin set up his shot, eyeing Kahn and deciding where he wanted to place it. If he could manage to sink it then nerves on Schalke’s side would definitely be diminished as they headed inside for their half-time chat. Having made up his mind Kevin fired off the shot, aiming for the bottom right hand corner of the net. The Bayern keeper hadn’t been able to get to it and now Schalke were up two as they headed into half-time.
The mood was definitely tense and unhappy in the Bayern room. It wasn’t that they hadn’t played well in the first half. Aside from a few weak passes here and there, and Lucio’s foul, they’d played well. They’d challenged and the stats showed it. Possession was pretty much split down the centre and they’d managed to fire six shots on goal. It had been a fast-paced gamed and they had that killer instinct that they sometimes lacked. Manuel Neuer was just playing perfectly today in the net for Schalke.
After the usual pep talk and discussion, Magath left the men to finish getting ready for the second half, calling Bastian out into the hall with him. This was a conversation he didn’t want to have in front of the others. Felix Magath may have been a bit demanding and strict with his players, but he was fair. Private conversations were kept private and he preferred to leave it up to his players to decide if they wanted to discuss anything that was said to them by him with the others. He’d just grant them their privacy while saying it.
“You know why you were kept on the bench for the first half. It’s obvious that you are needed on the field and you’ll be going in at the start of the second, replacing Mehmet. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to say this, but I will. I expect nothing less than a win today, and you will be instrumental in making it happen in the next forty five minutes. I’m depending on you to carry the plays for the remainder of the game. This is your chance to prove that you’ve learned your lesson and that you’ve put this club first again. So go out there and win this game. If we lose, it will come down hard on your shoulders, I promise you that.”
Bastian nodded, feeling a mixture of anger, aggravation, and nervousness all accumulating inside his stomach. He had a feeling he would be coming on right away, but he hadn’t expected such a stress-inducing speech first. As though he alone could turn the game around, it was ridiculous. He’d do his best to set up plays and try for goals of his own, but it was wrong of the coach to put the outcome of the game on his head. He knew Magath was really only doing it to ensure he was fired up for the win, but it still stung. He walked back into the dressing room after Magath, who was currently informing Mehmet Scholl of his replacement. Bastian sat down on the bench, his mind focusing now on going out there and playing.
“Ah, you’re back. I was just going to go out there and give Magath a shovel.”
Bastian looked up next to him, seeing Philipp just sitting down beside him with a grin on his face. “What for? To hit me with?”
Philipp laughed and shook his head. “No, to use so he could pile the pressure on your shoulders a bit higher. He’s finally putting you in, isn’t he? Expecting you to win the game single-handedly I bet?” Bastian laughed at Philipp’s comment, feeling quite happy he’d made it at the moment. Philipp always seemed to have that way of knowing when to make the right kind of joke to lift his mood.
It was back out to the pitch for them and the second half kicked off quickly. Bastian was intent on showing Magath exactly why he should be out there. It was Bayern’s possession in the start and Bastian had the ball, passing it to Mark who carried it up before passing it back to Bastian, who’d managed to find himself in a very nice position on the right side in Schalke territory. He took three steps with the ball before locking eyes with Roy, who was just about to make his way inside the penalty area. Without so much as a second thought Bastian fired off the pass and at exactly 35 seconds into the second half it connected with Roy’s head and at 36 seconds it was over Neuer’s arm and in the net.
For once Bastian didn’t join in on the celebration, instead he walked calmly back down the field, his eyes looking over at the bench and finding the coach. Magath was sitting still in his seat, the way he always did even when they scored goals, but there was just a tiny bit of a smile on his face. This is what he wanted. He wanted his team on the attack and closing the gap to only one point within thirty six seconds is exactly the way he wanted this second half to start. He was pleased to see Bastian take the initiative and make it happen, his intent on firing up the play maker apparently working.
The first fifteen minutes of the second half were dominated by Bayern. They had another four shots on goal after that first one and Neuer was a busy man. They’d been awarded two free kicks and Bastian had taken both of them. The first had barely been edged out of line with the net by one of the Altintop twins, while the second, which found Pizarro’s head, was saved by Neuer, who just barely punched it away from the net. After a frightening first fifteen minutes for Schalke they found their form again and got back in the game. The energy displayed by both sides in the second half made it seem as though the first half couldn’t have been as fast paced as it had been, because both teams were still going just as hard.
Bayern won a third free kick at the sixty-seventh minute mark and once again Bastian stepped up to take it. These were the kind of shots he loved, the angle and distance exactly perfect for him to score on. Usually he’d try to fire the ball to one of his team mates, aiming for someone’s head. But right now he only wanted the net, adrenaline pumping through his system and giving him that desire to prove to Magath that the coach was an idiot for not starting him. He wanted to bury Schalke, not just to win the three points but to prove a point. This team needs him. Since Michael left at the end of the previous year for England, everyone had been saying that a central part of the team was lost. No one had been able to step up to the plate and take over. Mark had been supposed to, but that hadn’t quite worked exactly the way they’d imagined. As good as Mark van Bommel is, he’s not Michael Ballack.
But now Bastian was finding himself wanting to step up and prove that he’d be the one to take over. When he’d first been told that they were going to try changing him to the central play maker role, he’d been a bit nervous. He was used to playing on the left. He liked the left. It had taken him a while to settle into the new role but eventually things had started turning around and he’d been getting used to it. But now he was determined to own this role and own this team. Maybe the challenge Magath had laid down for him had been exactly what he’d really needed all along. Maybe he’d needed someone to come along and force him to prove himself, to dangle the possibility of it being taken away in front of him just to make him remember how important it all was. So now he stood in front of the ball, eyes on the wall in front of him. He knew exactly how hard and at what angle to kick the ball to make it bend into the top right corner, which is where it was going to go. His mind was solely on the game at the moment, thinking of nothing else but scoring this goal and tying the game.
Seconds later and he’d just hit it, with a lot of force, and stood now watching as it followed that curving path, tricking Neuer into jumping into the middle of the net before the ball quickly curved to the right. There was no way the defender was jumping high enough to reach it and now Bayern had tied the game. Bastian still didn’t celebrate in his usual manner with a smile on his face. He looked determined and hungry for a victory, aggression dominating his expression, but this time his team mates came to him, piling on him and making him forget, for only a second really, just why he’d been feeling so determined to play hard. It was easy to forget how serious things were when everyone was hugging you.
The next fifteen minutes were rough, the battle sticking more or less to the midfield. A few times the ball had gotten into dangerous territory but the tie had really sparked the defense to up their game and go after every ball that came near them. Finally there was a breakthrough in the eighty second mark. Lincoln made a pass up to the front, where Kevin connected with it, his right foot sending it past Kahn’s boot. The second it goes in the net though the Bayern defense are calling for an off-side decision against Kevin, which the official agrees with, raising his flag to indicate that the Schalke goal doesn’t count. It was a close call but moments before Lincoln sent the ball down, Kevin stepped out from his line.
It was a feeling of relief for Bayern. Four minutes later and the ball was back in Schalke territory. Philipp made a beautiful inside pass to Bastian, who pulled a 360 to block the ball from two defenders who converged on him, a move made famous by Zidane, before finally getting a clear shot up to Pizarro. The forward found it easily with his right foot but Neuer was there with a deflection, but the ball was a bit too heavy for him to hold on to. Unfortunately for Schalke the ball goes directly to an unguarded Roy Makaay, who heads it at the net but as luck had it, hits the crossbar. Pizarro managed to find the ball again as the Schalke defenders were currently not at their best and fired off another shot. It was out of Neuer’s reach but unfortunately for Bayern, Rafinha managed to get in between the ball and the open net, sending it back out. Unluckily for Schalke it gets sent right back to Bastian, who lofted it in to Roy and this time the Dutch striker didn’t miss with his header. The ball sailed into the net over Neuer’s hand and Bayern finally lead the game. It was a mass convergence on Makaay, every Bayern player down in that end jumping into the pile. The excitement and adrenaline from that action-packed minute was sending everyone over the edge momentarily and they had to calm down quickly because there was still four minutes left, along with whatever extra time would be added on.
It was the ninety minute mark now and the official had added on two extra minutes of stoppage time. It’s enough time for Bayern to win a corner on the left side. Bastian took it. His eyes slid over the assembled players in front of the net. Even though they were in the lead with less than two minutes left, Bastian wasn’t content to waste time and protect the victory. He wanted another goal.
He took the shot and sent it in to the centre of the penalty area, at the perfect height for a header from Martin Demichelis. The Argentinean found the net and any hope of a draw for Schalke was wiped. Everyone took their turn congratulating Micho on his perfectly placed header, and of course there were words of praise for Bastian’s perfectly aimed corner as well.
Kickoff was taken quickly and the ball was sent down into Bayern territory. Even though they were down two goals with less than a minute left to play Schalke hadn't given up. There was a shot on net which Kahn punched away, giving Schalke a corner. Lincoln took it, not wasting any time and aiming for Kevin. But Demichelis was there again for the save and got to the ball first, jostling Kevin to win the challenge and heading it away. Seconds later and the whistle was blown and Bayern were the winners. Coming from a 1-3 loss at the half-way mark and ending on a 5-3 win was exactly the kind of result the team had needed after the past two weeks.
Bastian had succeeded in proving his point and this had pleased the coach enough to smile and be among the first to offer a hug of congratulations to the midfielder, which surprised Bastian a little. But then he remembered that while Magath could pull off the aloof asshole role perfectly, underneath the gruff exterior there did exist a man who cared about his squad and who wanted to see them do well. Maybe that meant that he was finally off Magath’s shit list. Only time would tell.
Finally now with the game finished Bastian had found himself able to relax again, his usual smile back in place. He headed over to the sideline, laughing with Mark and Andi and feeling ridiculously pleased with himself. Everyone had stopped to hug him and tell him that he hadn’t played so well in such a long time, that he’d been ridiculously impressive and that he’d better continue to play that perfectly from now on. He grinned and laughed at every comment.
But then he looked over at that spot just above the bench, looking for Lukas and Daniela and Lena. They’d left their seats and Bastian saw them just now being admitted onto the field by the security guard. Bastian headed for them immediately, being met first by Lukas, who hugged him tightly and offered even more praise for his outstanding performance. Bastian just shrugged it off and laughed before greeting Daniela with a hug and a kiss, which she jokingly tried to squirm out of, stating that he was too sweaty and he’d ruin her sweater. That only made Bastian hold her tighter and for a bit longer.
When the others noticed Lukas out on the pitch they made their way over, the whole squad excited to see him. Most of them hadn’t seen him in a month, after all. Mark was the first person to greet him, wrapping his arms around him and picking him up off the ground in a tight hug, obviously excited to see him. He set him back down but didn’t remove his arms. “How have you been? You look great, and you look happy. Are you doing okay?”
Lukas couldn’t help but laugh at Mark’s reaction. It reminded him a bit of Michael’s initial reaction that night when they’d held the poker game at his apartment. He’d always gotten along well with Mark, it was hard not to after all. Even with Mark’s comment a few weeks ago that had sent him on that spiral downwards, he knew it hadn’t been personal at all. It was just the way Mark was. “I’m fine. No worse than I was that time when you injured me.” He couldn’t help but jokingly refer to that incident. It had been a bit of a sore spot for him at the time and he’d been just a little upset with Mark for it, but after coming back they’d put it past them and Lukas had taken to constantly bringing it up every time Mark said or did something that annoyed him. It always worked.
Mark laughed at the response and told him that he was pleased to see that he hadn’t changed much. Immediately after Mark let him go, Roy was there with another hug. It had taken Lukas a while to become used to playing with Roy, especially after becoming accustomed to the bond he’d forged playing nationally with Miroslav. But the two strikers had found their flow after a while and Lukas had come to appreciate playing with Roy just as much. He still felt like he had so much to learn from his partners, those two in particular. Roy appeared to be just as happy to see him as Mark had. “It’s good to see you, Lukas, I’ve missed you lately!”
Lukas smiled and returned the hug. It felt so much better to be out here reuniting with his Bayern team mates than he thought it would be. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed them all. He might not have as many close friendships on the Bundesliga squad as he had on the national one, but he still loved these guys in the same manner. Pizarro and Willy stopped by to prod at him too, chastising him for being such a stranger until now. It wasn’t until Bastian joined in on the conversation and pointed out that none of them had made a move to visit Lukas that the young forward realized he was right and he turned the tables on them. They all laughed when Willy tried to change the subject, asking Lukas if he’d done something different with his hair. It was laughs on the Bayern squad while they lingered on the field, crowding around Lukas.
Things finally settled down and the guys started making their way inside. But that wasn’t the last of the reunions for Lukas. When the crowd cleared around him finally it was Felix Magath who made his way over. Lukas wasn’t quite sure how to react to the coach. After an initial rocky start things had smoothed over between them once Lukas had found his place in the team, but he was still feeling a little cool toward him given the way he’d treated Bastian over the past week.
But it was a very friendly face the coach was putting forward as he approached his young star, very pleased to see him here. “Lukas, it’s good to see you. I’ve been hearing about your progress so far, but it’s much better to see it in person.” Though he wanted to react a little on the cool side, to subtly let the coach know that he wasn’t impressed with the way he’d handled matters concerning his best friend, Lukas just didn’t have it in him to do it. He could only respond with a smile and a comment that he was doing a lot better these days. Magath nodded, smile still in place. “I’ve heard that your physiotherapist thinks you might be able to start training again in as little as a month. While I have to say that I’d love to see that, I do want you to take as much time as you need. This is a very serious thing you’re recovering from; I don’t want you to feel pressured in the slightest to come back earlier than you should. Take your time; the game will wait for you.”
Lukas nodded, appreciating the words. Every now and then the usually gruff coach would show a bit of compassion and right now it was having the desired effect on Lukas. He did want to return as soon as possible, but he knew he couldn’t push it. They exchanged a few other words before the coach headed off the pitch himself. Bastian had been standing by, still with Daniela and Lena, trying not to make his listening in too obvious. When Magath left he turned to look at Lukas. “Well, that was nicer than usual.”
Lukas grinned. “Of course it was, you can’t be mean and crusty to a cripple, right?” He winked at Bastian.
Bastian grinned back at him. “You’ve got a point there, chubs.” He couldn’t help but use the new nickname he’d given Lukas; this was the first time he’d used it in front of others. The death glare Lukas was giving him made it more than obvious how much he still hated it.
“Chubs? Oh my god, that’s brilliant.” Lena nodded her approval of the nickname, for once agreeing with Bastian on something.
“Hey! No it’s not! It’s mean and cruel.” Lukas crossed his arms over his chest, not impressed that anyone else approved of it. Bastian stood behind him and wrapped his arms around Lukas, laughing at him for being so upset over a silly little nickname. As Bastian parted ways with the three, heading for the changing room for the post-game debrief, he was feeling very pleased with things. Magath had warmed to him considerably after his stellar performance and Lukas had come out to a game, sat in the stands with the fans, and enjoyed himself. Bastian couldn’t have asked for more.