Chapter 156: Homecoming

Beside him at the press table, Magath straightened up, his jaw tightening.

He'd seen enough young players walk straight into this exact media trap over the years. A seventeen-year-old, exhausted, running on post-match adrenaline, gets baited by an aggressive local journalist, snaps back with something raw, and wakes up the next morning to headlines about a hot-headed foreign kid who can't handle himself. Magath reached forward, ready to pull the microphone across and shut down the question himself.

Mateo handled it before his manager could intervene.

He let a brief, comfortable silence hang in the air. The small smile returned to his face, relaxed and completely unfazed, speaking in a pleasant, conversational rhythm.

"I think there may have been a misunderstanding," Mateo said. "When I point to my name after a goal, I'm not doing it at anybody. I'm doing it for the people who travelled to support us, and for the ones back home watching. It has nothing to do with mocking your home crowd."

He paused.

"And I'd actually like to thank the Valencia fans. They were loud all night. They never stopped backing their team, even when the score got away from them. That's real support, and I respect it." He offered a small nod toward the journalist. "It pushed me, honestly. A quiet stadium is easy to play in. Yours wasn't. So thank you for that."

The reporter started to speak, but Mateo kept going smoothly.

""As for the return fixture, we have the second leg coming up at the Veltins-Arena. I know our home supporters are going to give Valencia the exact same passionate welcome we received here tonight." His grin widened slightly. "As for my performance, I am simply one piece of an eleven-man unit. Every single player in our squad worked tirelessly to earn that result."

The room instantly lit up with a storm of camera flashes.

Reporters from the international outlets raised their hands at once, shouting follow-up questions over one another. The local Valencia journalist slowly sank back into his chair, completely silenced after attempting to to embarrass a teenager and been handled by one instead.

Beside him, Magath kept a stoic, professional expression, though inside he was thoroughly impressed and quietly laughing at the whole spectacle.

He had walked into the room prepared to protect the kid's temper. Instead, he had watched his young star defuse a loaded question, turn it into a gracious compliment for the home supporters, and subtly remind fifty thousand Valencia fans that their team still had to face the Veltins-Arena in two weeks. Delivering that with a polite smile while claiming to be just an ordinary squad player right after scoring a European hat-trick showed remarkable maturity.

Magath leaned back, quietly looking forward to seeing how far the kid could go.

The European hat-trick dominated every major sports back page the following morning.

Four Round of Sixteen fixtures had wrapped up across the continent that evening, yet stories of Liverpool winning in Milan, Roma edging past Dortmund, and Chelsea cruising in Copenhagen were pushed to the margins. The international press focused almost entirely on the teenager eclipsing Raúl's historic European record on Spanish soil. Marca, L'Équipe, La Gazzetta dello Sport, and Kicker all featured Mateo's celebration on their front covers.

Valencia Sports News went in a completely different direction.

They published a full-page editorial titled The Outlaw of the Football Desert, picking through Mateo's unconventional journey, his rise through youth football, and the rapid nature of his signing with Schalke. The writer even included dramatic details about his initial trial match, constructing a harsh, bitter piece that clearly reflected the sting of the four-goal defeat.

Annan carried a printed copy of the paper right onto the charter flight.

The cabin was filled with the relaxed hum of a victorious squad heading home.

A few rows ahead, Jones was loudly recounting the moment he gave his match jersey to the kid in the front row, adding extra dramatic flair with each sentence. Jamie was leaning over the aisle chewing gum, while Huntelaar worked through a magazine puzzle. Annan held the Spanish newspaper open with both hands, reading excerpts out loud with pure amusement.

"Hey Mateo, you really have to listen to this translation," Annan called out, laughing as he tapped the page. "They literally wrote that you used cunning tricks to embarrass your markers during your Schalke trial." He dropped the paper onto his lap, shaking his head. "They dedicated a full spread to your background, man. That is more ink than they gave their entire starting lineup."

"Pass that over for a second," Mateo said, reaching across the aisle.

Mateo smoothed the paper across his tray table and skimmed through the Spanish text, his expression turning curious rather than annoyed.

"This part is actually kind of wild," Mateo said, pointing at a descriptive paragraph. "The journalist wrote about the trial as if he were sitting in the dugout. He described the weather, the training gear, the tactical drills, all of it." He looked up at Annan with a puzzled smile. "How would a Spanish reporter even get specific details about a private session in Germany? Nobody was allowed to record those pitches, right?"

Annan gave him an exasperated look. "Come on, man, that is the detail you're focusing on? You broke a Champions League scoring record last night, and instead of reacting to a bitter piece you are analyzing its sourcing?"

"I mean, I am just wondering where he got the background," Mateo replied, folding the newspaper carefully. "And do I really look that aggressive when I celebrate? He describes it like I'm trying to intimidate the whole stadium. I thought I was just pointing at the jersey."

Vardy popped his bubblegum and poked his head past the seat. "To be fair, mate, you do look pretty intense when you don't crack a smile. You look like you're about to run through a brick wall. A little grin wouldn't hurt."

"I will definitely keep that in mind for next time, Jamie," Mateo said with a laugh.

Annan chuckled and turned back to his seat, while Mateo tucked the folded paper into his backpack as a memorable keepsake from the trip.

The team charter touched down in Gelsenkirchen just after midday. The players gathered their carry-on bags, filed through private customs clearance, and walked down the main corridor toward the terminal exits, expecting their usual quiet walk to the team bus.

Annan stopped in his tracks as they pushed through the double glass doors into the main arrivals hall.

A massive sea of supporters packed the terminal, waving royal blue and white banners, scarves, and flags against the interior railings.

"Wait, are all those people waiting for us?" Annan asked, staring at the crowded concourse. "I have been here for years and we usually just walk straight out to the bus after an away game. We only won the first leg, right?"

"Looks like the whole town showed up," Vardy said, peering over Mateo's shoulder with wide eyes. "Is this how German supporters usually react to a knockout win?"

"I honestly have no idea," Mateo admitted, adjusting the strap of his duffel bag. "I've never seen a reception like this at the airport either."

As the squad stepped fully into view of the concourse, the crowd erupted into a thunderous chorus.

The noise rolled across the high-ceilinged terminal in structured, rhythmic waves. Thousands of supporters clapped in unison, chanting a melodic tune that echoed off the glass walls. As Mateo walked forward, he realized the lyrics carried a specific melody, rising and falling like an anthem.

He caught his own name echoing clearly through the chorus.

"Listen to that, kid," Jones shouted over the noise, slapping Mateo firmly across the shoulder with a massive grin. "The fans went ahead and wrote a whole chant for you overnight. That is how you know you have properly arrived."

Mateo stopped near the front of the group, taking in the sight of thousands of fans singing his name at the top of their lungs. Feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sudden attention, he raised his hand and offered a warm wave toward the barriers. The crowd responded with an even louder cheer, treating the gesture like another goal.

A massive banner unfurled across the airport terminal's upper mezzanine railing, catching everyone's attention immediately.

The artwork spanned several yards of canvas, hanging out over the crowded arrivals concourse. Painted across the fabric was a striking rendition of Mateo in his royal blue Schalke jersey, right arm raised high in his signature celebration. Below his stance, the artist had painted a group of trembling cartoon pirates sporting eyepatches, wooden peg legs, and white Valencia shirts, cowering under his shadow.

Mateo stared up at the painting with a mix of shock and amusement.

He had stood in the Mestalla press room twelve hours earlier, calmly telling Spanish reporters that the Gelsenkirchen crowd would provide Valencia with a memorable atmosphere for the return leg.

He had intended the comment as a polite, clever way to defuse a hostile question.

The Schalke supporters had interpreted it as a direct rallying cry.

"Look at that artwork," Jones laughed, pointing directly at the pirate banner while shaking his head. "You practically gave them the blueprint in your post-match interview."

Mateo looked from the painted Valencia pirates back to the thousands of supporters packing the airport terminal and singing his anthem, realizing how quickly a single interview quote had turned into a full-blown matchday identity.

The second leg was two weeks away, and the Veltins-Arena was going to be absolutely rocking.

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