Rise of a Football God

As soon as Sam got back home to his hotel room in Fulham, like usual, after meeting his dad who was equally as excited as he was, despite the fact that he was exhausted after putting his all to win today's game, Sam called his mom.

Through the video call, he saw his overexcited mom and sister.

Having watched the game back home on TV, Mrs. Moses was so excited she was literally dancing when the call went through.

She heaped praise on her son, describing his performance with all the superlatives she could despite the fact that she didn't understand 99% of what went on in a football pitch.
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Sam was left blushing due to her praise.

Sam also spoke to his sister, using the opportunity to brag before her, and then he told his family the good news from Coach Marco Silva on the pitch.

He never told his family before now that he confronted his coach. When they heard, they were shocked, especially Mr. Moses who knew a bit more about football and what happened in a football club.

It was risky but, in the end, it paid off. That was all that mattered.

After the video call session, still feeling signs of exhaustion, Sam finally laid down on his bed but he did not sleep immediately.

Lying down on his bed in the hotel room, he accessed his system interface, finally paying attention to notifications that he ignored before.

Immediately after the semifinal game came to an end in Craven Cottage, Sam received a barrage of notifications right there on the pitch while he still celebrated the incredible victory alongside his teammates.

He could not pay attention to the notifications then though due to the moment, but now, he could finally pay attention to them.

A long list of notifications opened before his vision.

~----~

[You have completed EFL Cup game system mission: Win the game!]

[You played over 30 minutes of this game and won the man of the match award!]

[Calculating reward…, please wait…]

[Calculation complete!]

[You have been rewarded with 5 Skill Points!]

…

[Due to the incredible state of mind and body you entered in today's game and due to your unreal man of the match winning performance, real-time game experience accumulation has triggered!]

[Your spatial awareness skill has improved!]

[Your zonal marking skill has improved!]

[Your shot accuracy has improved!]

[Congratulations! Your shooting attribute has improved by +2!]

[You have unlocked a new skill: Overhead Kick!]

[Your mastery over the football skill 'Overhead Kick' has improved to basic!]

…

[You have completed hidden system mission: Do it in England!]

>You've done it in Nigeria in the NPFL for Nigeria, now it is time to prove that you are not just a 1-season wonder and limited to the Nigerian league. Prove your talent in a game that England will never forget<

[Hidden mission completed!]

[Congratulations! The system has awakened to level 4!]

[You have unlocked level 4 perk: Match Analysis A.I!]

>The match analysis A.I is a unique A.I developed by the system and personalized for the host's use. After every game, the A.I breaks down your performance in a game, highlighting your high points and your low points<

>The A.I points out where you did good and where you did bad. It is a great tool for self-reflection and to identify areas of improvements and to know your strengths better than before<

…

[The system perk, Snooping Tool has been upgraded to level 4!]

[You can now access the mental profile of players!]

[Upgrade Snooping tool to level 5 to access real-time mental data to know the real-time mental state of players, both teammates and opponents!]

…

[The system perk, Inventory has been upgraded!]

[The system inventory slots have increased to 16 slots!]

~----~

After going through the series of system notifications that were waiting for him, Sam could not help it as a big grim came over his face.

'Yes!'

After months of his system staying stagnant since it's last awakening and upgrade, finally, his system finally awakened to level 4 and with it came a new system perk.

Since getting the system, after the first awakening, Sam got the snooping tool, then the skills market with the second awakening, the inventory with the third awakening, and now he had a 4th system perk.

Reading through the description of the match analysis A.I, Sam's grin widened. To improve, it was important to self-reflect and acknowledge your flaws.

One big problem of professional football players was recognizing their strengths and flaws, this was one major factor that separated truly world class players from the others.

Players like Lionel Messi were short and in football, it was supposed to be a weakness originally but recognizing his weakness, Messi worked his playstyle around it, amplifying his strengths so much that they masked his weaknesses.

You would rarely see Lionel Messi score a headed goal, but that did not make him an average player. He was still one of the best players in the world.

With the help of the match analysis A.I, Sam could do the same, recognizing his strengths and weaknesses and working his playstyle around it to make sure that he played at his best anytime he was on the football pitch.

And even more excitingly, Sam was happy because another of his attributes improved again. To a professional footballer, there was probably nothing more addictive than seeing actual improvement in your skills and ability.

And again, he got a new skill in his repertoire.

Throughout his career, even in his youth days, Sam had never been the flamboyant type of player, preferring to keep it simple and practical.

He had never attempted a bicycle kick until today, and somehow, his instincts were right and he managed to score the equalizing goal from that moment.

That moment clearly left an imprint, and now, the overhead kick skill became part of his repertoire.

After all these new additions, Sam was eager to view his system status again and that was exactly what he did.

~----~

[Player status!]

Host: Samuel Moses

Current Career Status: Premier League player, CAF champions league reigning champion

Talent Rating: A+

Player Position: Attacking Midfield

Player Attributes:

*Pace: 81

*Shot: 79

*Pass: 80

*Dribbling: 74

*Defending: 38

*Physicality: 70

*Stamina: 84

Overall Rating: 80

…

[Owned Football Skills:]

[Basic mastery level: La croqueta; body feint; Power shot; step overs, roulette, knuckle shot, overhead kick]

[Intermediate mastery level: Elastico, Cruyff turn]

…

[Legendary Inheritance: Elastico]

…

[System Remark: An elite young talent playing in one of the best leagues in the world!]

~----~

Compared to the last time he checked; Sam's talent rating already increased from B all the way to A+.

Sam grinned; he was addicted to growth.