"Pass the ball to me, I'm unmarked" Joe shouted to his teammate, who had the ball and was unsure what to do with it.
Joe made sure his positioning was perfect. He was good at that. His teammate obliged him and gave a sweet pass to Joe that sliced their opponent's defense. As soon as Joe got the ball, he smashed it into the net without a second thought. The pitch erupted with noise as Joe scored that goal. He just won them the game. Once again, he was the hero.
Joe was the star football player for his school's football team. They were popularly known as the Tigers, a nickname which sent shivers down the spine of their opponents. Joe was widely loved in the school. He carried his team so far in the inter-school competition. He was the best football player in the school and people adored him for that.
Joe loved the attention he got. He always had his way. He was the most popular person in school, and he was basically worshiped. Joe's teammates had an issue with him. He loved being the only one in the spotlight. On the field of play, he demanded his teammates to always pass to him in order to score. He always wanted to be the one scoring goals. He was selfish, and it annoyed a lot of other players.
Another match day came and everyone thought it was going to be an easy win for the Tigers. Their coach, Tom, had devised a game plan. Tom believed his boys would stick to the game plan, and it would be an easy win for them. Both teams weren't on the same level, judging from current form and previous results. The game kicked off, and the Tigers pounced on their opponents. Halfway into the game, the Tigers were losing. The opponents had scored a goal, and they couldn't find an equalizing goal.
Eventually, there was an opportunity. Paul, Joe's teammate, got the ball in the opponent's half after an error from one of the opposing players. He looked up, to see Joe waving his hand, demanding the ball from him. But Joe was surrounded by 3 players who were ready to take that ball back from him. Paul decided to pass to Liam instead, who was unmarked and had a higher chance to score. After receiving Paul's pass, Liam let out a heavy shot that ended up in the net. Everyone celebrated, but Joe's happiness seemed to be incomplete. He wasn't happy that he was not the one who scored that goal.
"You should have passed the ball to me Paul" Joe said, as the two walked back to their positions on the pitch.
"Are you being serious right now? We just scored a goal and that's all you can think about?" Paul asked.
"I would have scored that goal better."Joe replied.
"You were heavily marked and there's no way they would have let you score. I chose the best option." Paul said without remorse.
The game restarted, and the Tigers decided to push for the winning goal. Joe got the ball, and just as he was about to shoot, he felt a sharp pain. He couldn't move his legs like before. He tried to keep standing, but he couldn't, so he laid on the floor. Immediately, the medical team came in to attend to him. After assessing him, they concluded that he couldn't continue the game. A stretcher was used to take him off the pitch. The game ended in a draw.
The next day, after a series of tests, Joe was sitting one on one with the physiotherapist who was about to give him his diagnosis.
"Joe, you sustained a hamstring injury during yesterday's game. I'm sorry."
Joe was heartbroken. He knew what it meant. He couldn't believe this was happening to him.
"So how long will I be out?" Joe asked
"Three months", the physiotherapist replied.
Joe couldn't imagine what his life would be like without playing football for that long. He's never had that kind of injury.
Coach Tom had to look for a replacement for Joe as soon as possible. He decided to try out a newcomer in the team, George, in that position. It was a huge shoe to fill, but the coach kept faith in George. In the Tigers' next game, George repaid Tom's faith in him. He scored three goals, which were enough to ensure victory for the team.
Joe went through rehabilitation and was back to full fitness. George was now the star of the team, but he was so humble. George scored at least one goal in every game, thereby keeping them in the running for the title. He also helped his teammates score. He provided the crucial passes for them.
Joe couldn't get his spot in the team back due to George's form. He wasn't happy that the team faired so well without him. He was pained that he was not missed at all. Everything talked about how good George was, and it made Joe more agitated. He began making an enemy out of George during training.
Coach Tom noticed this and decided to talk some sense into Joe.
"Joe, I can see you're jealous of George. It's not right. You should support him and stop giving him a hard time." Tom said.
"But coach, I'm fit, and you don't give me enough time on the pitch." Joe said
"The few times I've played you, you haven't performed well. You also don't do well in training. You are not back to your best. George has been so phenomenal. I can't just drop him for you. You should put the team first and not yourself. Now listen, as long as you keep being selfish, you're not going to play." Coach Tom said furiously as he walked away.
Joe could see how serious Coach Tom was. He took some time to reminisce over what the coach said. He saw the error in his ways. He understood why his teammates didn't like him much. He always wondered why they loved George, and were willing to support him in every way. Joe decided that he would start being a team player.
The Tigers got to their final game of the season. Winning that game would make them champions, otherwise, their opponent would be crowned champions.
The game was a very difficult one. Neither team was able to score. Joe was introduced into the game with 10 minutes left to play. At the very last minute, Joe got a pass from Liam. He had the urge to shoot, but he realized he might not score from there, so he decided to pass the ball to George, who scored. The noise that erupted from the stadium was deafening. The final whistle was blown, Joe was genuinely happy for George, and he gave him a handshake.
Joe also showed good sportsmanship by consoling the opposing players as they were devastated by the loss. He knew how shattering it was getting that far and losing, so he tried to cheer them up.
