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debinhas-bicycle · 9 months

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Now that the World Cup is over, I'm reflecting on my personal journey that brought me here. Apologies for the long post, but there's so much I wanted to say.

On December 18th, 2022, I woke up in the afternoon and, upon opening Twitter, saw that the Qatar world cup final between Argentina and France was going into penalty kicks. I rushed onto my computer and managed to pull it up in time to watch Messi score on his shot, and a few minutes later, Argentina won. That was pretty fun, I thought.

I'd been hearing about this world cup for months. Despite never seeking anything out, the news was thrust in my face that This. Was. Happening! Given the time differential between here and Qatar, and the fact that I've never followed soccer closely, I wasn't very interested in watching, to say nothing of the controversies surrounding that world cup and its host nation.

I hadn't watched a game of any sport since the 2019 World Series, and I felt a pang as Argentina celebrated on the pitch, suddenly realizing that this was something I'd been missing. I was raised playing baseball and soccer, and sports has always had a place in my heart and my house, but it was something I lost when the pandemic stoppages happened, and I hadn't found my way back yet. This feeling began to simmer in the back of my mind.

On January 21st, 2023, I finally made the decision to start watching women's soccer. It was the culmination of moments and thoughts that started during that penalty shootout, as well as the long brewing determination that I wanted to follow some form of women's sports, and the coincidence that the USWNT happened to be playing against New Zealand on HBO Max at exactly the right time for me to see it. I turned on the game and I had a blast.

During the game, I learned that the women's world cup was taking place later this year (something that had not been made well known to me). The stars had aligned perfectly, and I was ecstatic! I was finally going to get back into sports, and I had seven months to acquaint myself with everything WoSo before July 20th.

I couldn't have imagined that 8 months later I would've gone to a Kansas City Current match (my first time at any professional sports game in four years). I couldn't have imagined just how much fun I was going to have following the NWSL or this World Cup. I couldn't have imagined that I would spent the better part of three weeks staying up past dawn to watch football all night long (okay, that one does sound like me, I would've believed it). I might've even believed all of those, but most of all I couldn't have imagined the friends I was going to make here along the way.

I thought I was going to watch the USWNT matches and nothing else; after all, the timezones were once again not in my favor.

But it didn't matter. It was too much fun. You all made it too much fun. I had to stay up and watch every match I could, because everything was just too exciting. Debutants were holding their own, there were upsets happening left right and center. I got invested in so many teams and so many players. I learned so much about the game over these past four weeks: about the rules (like Ted Lasso, I too would come to finally understand offsides, thanks VAR🙄), about the players and their histories, about the pains and gains that have been taking place in this sport around the world.

I learned all of this and more from you all who welcomed me into this community with open arms. From the anon in my inbox that first night on January 21st who kindly corrected my mispelling of Alyssa Naeher's name (Nair lol), to all of the mutuals I've made whose posts I found funny and informative and made it so easy to get more invested in this sport. I started posting so much that about a week into the tournament I finally made a dedicated sideblog, named after my favorite player, who I got to see score two goals when I was at Children's Mercy Park on April 30th! I was surprised when every one of you followed me back, after all I'm just some guy that just got into woso, surely there must be more to it than that right?

But there wasn't. You all saw me standing in the corner and moved over to make room for me. You said here, come sit down with us, there's a game on and you can't see it from over there! You handed me drinks and snacks and made me feel included like it was nothing. I've been looking forward to this world cup all year, and thanks to you it was the highlight of my whole year.

I cheered, I gasped, I cried, and I did it with all of you, which was more than I ever expected or hoped for, and I'm so grateful. If I stopped watching football today, I would take this experience with me for the rest of my life. And I certainly don't plan to stop watching it any time soon! This world cup might not have reached the conclusion any of us wanted, but the journey to get here truly was a life-changing one for me.

Thank you for including me in this wonderful community, I love you all so much, and I can't wait to watch more football with you. 🫶🫶🫶

#and I take full responsibility for the England/Australia match #wwc 2023 #woso #woso community #personal

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wonderatmywoman · 9 months

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Overall this tournament has been an incredible display of football. There have been spectacular goals, amazing saves, tension, penalties, drama on and off the field. It's been everything you want from a world cup.

The only thing that has let it down is the refereeing. In my opinion there are still far too many incorrect decisions being made throughout the tournament and honestly VAR has helped with this but not enough.

#posts from moi #wwc23 #wwc 2023 #fifa wwc #fifawomensworldcup2023

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rosyjuly · 2 years

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saw these gifs https://rosyjuly.tumblr.com/post/69882566823498547 and blacked out imagining: prince au, a few months after they've broken up, charles convinces alex to go to a rugby game with him and pierre (big strong men wrestling in the mud! what's not to like! it will be good for you to see some sexy men so you stop moping all the time) and they have some beers and it is quite fun actually, and alex can't think of the last time he did something like this, and then they get on the dance cam during half time and alex does a sheepish little boogie and charles starts grinding on pierre and the camera quickly cuts away-

MEANWHILE george is up in idk the royal box having a miserable time, but in the kind of placid way that he’s always having a miserable time these days so it’s not exactly standing out, but then he gets a glimpse of alex on the big screen, first time he’s seen him in months and he looks so happy, laughing and smiling… and the friends he’s with are so obviously gay. It makes a shamefully jealous self-hatred curdle inside him, that he was forcing alex to hide away with him, could never have him so joyful in public like this, how selfish was he to want to shackle alex to him forever ETC!!

when george ends up on the screen during a stoppage towards the end of the game, alex is completely unprepared for it, only looks up in time to see him smiling (which looks just like his normal smile except for all the ways it’s completely wrong) and then the smile falling off his face to this awful, hollow look. barely even notices the beautiful girl under his arm, heart is in his throat because george looks so unhappy and he shouldn’t care, it’s not his responsibility to care anymore, george made sure of that, but he can’t just turn it off.

so then they’re both just sitting in a stadium, together but so far away, feeling heartsick and miserable and missing each other. probably go home and have the world’s most despondent wanks.

UM as you can see this au has completely taken over my brain!! thank you (and the coauthors!) so much for sharing it with the world.. truly love to see those pretty boys suffer

anon the pure JOY you and this scholarly, brilliant ask brought to me and @prettydangrotten ... obviously i was at work when i received it and had to share your genius and how PERFECTLY it fits into prince au with gabby immediately and gaby was like "ROSY DID WE WRITE THIS????" meanwhile i had to carry on with work conversations as if my whole world hadn't shifted...

this is the gifset in question and your analysis... scarily accurate. gabby and i talked about football (european football) being a passion george somewhat shares with his posh 'mates' and the princes have gone to some games (in full suits lol). kiss and dance cams look so fun but unfortunately we don't have them here in europe :( to anglicize the scenario a lil bit so it can fit into the not-so-fun british context...

pierre gets a three tickets to a premier league game from the other department's manager (otmar? rossi?) who's trying to fuck him. it's an arsenal - manchester united game (don't think i have forgotten or forgiven pierre for being a man u fan) and although charles isn't much into football, he still comes because PL tickets are ridiculously expensive so. they take alex who already wants to die in advance because the sexual tension between pierre and charles has been even worse than usual.

and oh my god-- gabby said george'd arrive late due to a prior engagement and then they show him on the screens while waiting for a VAR decision or Xhaka arguing with the ref (ooohh he would never) and alex has that exact reaction you described... and it gets me SO BADLY every time i think of post-breakup alex because he can't get rid of george! he's there on the telly, he's trending on twitter, he'll be on the bbc radio in fifteen years giving his new years speech... and alex hates himself how he still cares for him, even though it was GEORGE who eradicated that possibility! feels pathetic for it, for how george clearly didn’t care enough for their relationship to even break up with him when he started dating his future wife!

meanwhile george barely catches a glimpse of someone who looks like alex and then when he's at home he keeps rewatching the clip over and over again. as gabby said: "Alex sips his drink, rolls his eyes at something his friend says, and then just as the three of them work out they’re on camera (one of his mates starts grinding on the other; George’s stomach flips), just as Alex’s face changes to like happy shock —-It cuts away." and i'm FERAL over how while alex can't ignore george, george's issue is that he doesn't know shit about alex anymore. he asks jenson every six months to check on alex, but only tell him if he's 1) alive 2) healthy 3) not in need of anything. he can't bear the thought of not helping out alex if he'd need it but he won't take advantage of the secret service or MI6 or whatever.

thank YOU so much for sending this ask, we feel so so so honored for the interest for this au... it makes us so happy that you're sharing your ideas and interpretations with us and i'm in absolute awe about how perfectly it fits into the universe? anon i will be personally delivering your invitation to the prince au picnic with a wax stamp and violins!!!!

#and they DO have the world's most despondents wanks with the absolute worst guilt hitting after #you are SO right anon i love you #this ask was what helped me through this hellish day thank you so much anon i'm sending you a KITH #excuse the usual incoherency in my reply lolll #prince au #rosy.ask

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alexbkrieger13 · 2 years

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P article

https://www.dr.dk/sporten/fodbold/em-kvinder/hvem-var-harder-foer-hun-blev-superstjerne-kaeresten-foraeldrene-og

this is so cute

It started on the campsite's football field. Here she was called Per because she had her short hair cut. The young Harder believed the national team was reserved for men.

A few years later, she arranged an agreement with FC Midtjylland, so she could train with the Superliga team's U17 boys in the hunt to get better.

The extra work later resulted in more than 130 international matches, a successful career abroad and the title of the world's most expensive football player.

And on Tuesday, she scored the decisive goal in the victory against Finland, which breathed new life into Denmark's European Championship dreams, before the decisive group match against Spain on Saturday.

DR Sporten has asked Pernille Harder's parents, after-school friend, national team colleague and boyfriend how they remember Harder before she became a superstar:

Annie Harder and Mogens Harder, Pernille Harder's parents.

- The talent was obvious from an early age. Do you not agree, Mogens? Yes, he nods, says Annie Harder.

- She is always looking for challenges. She even arranged morning training with the U17 boys from FC Midtjylland. The rest of us were not involved, and that has always been the case, says Mogens Harder.

- But when you have to train so much, you can not do everything 100 percent. I once asked her if she would rather have 9 in German or be well prepared for the U18 World Cup in New Zealand? Football is an experience of a lifetime - school should probably go well, says the mother.

- Now it sounds as if she was an adult as a 12-year-old. She has also just been a kid, a gunpowder owl, played with lego, had fucking fun and such. But if there was something she thought was unfair, she went all in, says Annie Harder.

- Pernille has played a huge role in the development of women's football. Partly with its performance and high level. Partly with his eternal belief that there was a future for women in the sport. It has been amazing and touching to follow her and the national team. We are all so proud, says Mogens Harder.

Anne Sofie Hjort, psychologist and former professional handball player. Attended the after-school Idrætsskolerne Ikast with Pernille Harder in 2008/2009.

- We met late in the year on a ski holiday , where we were just bad on the slopes and found each other in it. We fell in love because Pernille, in addition to being skilled and focused, is also someone I can always laugh with. She is very down to earth and lovely Jutlandic.

- We were just distracted and had fun with everything but sports. Even then, she laid the foundation stones for her shuffle moves (dance steps, ed. ).

- As I remember it, she was also one of the best back then. She had a good portion of talent, but was at least as focused. She knew it would take a lot of training and opting out to drive it to something big.

- Sportingly, it does not occur to me that she has come this far. But conversely, she is also my good friend Pernille from Ikast, so it's pretty crazy to think about what it developed into.

Magdalena Eriksson, professional football player in Chelsea and Swedish national team player. Has been dating Pernille Harder since 2014.

- When it comes to football, everything is under control, but when it comes to other things, Pernille is quite forgetful.

- She has one job at home, and that is to go out with the garbage. At the end of the week there is always a mountain of rubbish and you have to look for a place to put your things because she is waiting until the last minute to clean up. I often have to remind her of that.

- When Pernille and I grew up, there were no gay athletes we could look up to, find security with and make us think it's okay to be gay . We are very conscious of using our platform as football players. There are many who listen to us and we can make a difference.

- Pernille is very generous and caring. She has strong values and views when it comes to being a role model. She is comfortable in the role and is not afraid to be herself. It's very inspiring.

#pernille harder #magdalena eriksson #denwnt #chelsea fcw

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nahkyl · 3 months

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The way they talk about ligue 1 is infuriating. When kylian had a masterclass against brest they said it was against farmers when brest could easily destroy any la liga team other than madrid and maybe girona and atletico. But when madrid needed 3 false var decisions to beat the bottom of the table team in la liga, they still hyped up their performances and their win. It's just bad faith

I don’t want to speak on Madrid’s games because as O said I don’t watch them. But I genuinely think Ligue 1 deserves its spot in the top 5 best European teams especially since it keeps improving year after year.

Teams like Brest, Monaco, Nice and Lens are prime example of that. We’re also the league with the smallest budget out of all top 5 so achieving such level of football isn’t to be undermined.

Every single person that ever comes to Ligue 1, be it coaches or players, they all come up with the same conclusion : “it’s a harder league than I ever expected.”

Neym*r, Messi, Lucho, our new arrivals this year. Everyone says the same thing: it’s a physical tournament.

Most people who discredit it are people who do not watch it. I kid you not.

If Qatar ever decides to invest in other Ligue 1 clubs, then we WILL finally see it thrive and I kid you not : I believe we have the potential to be too 3.

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scarsbecomearmor · 8 months

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I'm still trying to process how there was "human error" when the purpose of VAR is to check EVERY goal in the first place.

Like, what were they doing in that room, that they couldn't be bothered to do their job?

You know you've done a shit job when people who can't stand liverpool are even voicing their support in how poor the decisions were in this game. (I know footballs very tribal and all but bloody oath, the PGMOL will screw over every team at least once this season & all we'll get is a hindsight apology - it's not good enough.)

I just hope the team know that they did their thing even against so much adversity throughout the game. That was a proper performance and they all stood up and were accounted. Mind you, 11 vs 9 & they only won through an OG, that's a statement right there.

#liverpool fc #lfc #personal thoughts #I have so many thoughts but it's literally Sunday morning I should prob go do something useful and not work myself up again.#this is a hard result to take though....

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moomin279 · 10 months

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womens football is developing cuz the VAR decisions are as shit as the mens

#wwc 2023 #wwc23 #lauren james #queen you were robbed

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lanfastonewin · 6 months

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please rant i'm very curious 🙏 also i'm missing arsenal already in the first 5 seconds of int break and i would die for anything about them rn please and thank you

…i don’t wanna cause any arguments but ok 🤭

this isn’t anything that hasn’t been said before but the difference in reactions from media/neutrals/general football community when arsenal get fucked over vs FOR EXAMPLE THAT CERTAIN RED TEAM who got everyone and their nan having a tantrum bc of dodgy refereeing/var is MENTAL. and i know everyone thinks their own team is so hard done by and the media have an agenda (not saying we have the most refereeing/var decisions against us it’s more about the reaction) but it’s so evident with arsenal that it’s always made out to be not that big of a deal (whether we’re doing well or having stuff go against us, it’s always “arsenal need to calm down they’re being so emotional” eeeeenough)

#u are now the third person i’ve ranted this to so it is well and truly out of my system (this part at least) thank you everyone 🤪#also i miss them tooooo but there’s still the girlies don’t forget to watch them this week🥰

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unitedbydevils · 6 months

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Match Review: Fulham 0-1 Manchester United

It wasn't an easy game, or a comfortable result, but it was one where United showed desire and determination, and were it not for some extremely suspect refereeing it might have been a much clearer gulf between the two sides...

The game started with a dramatic injury to Harry Maguire, whose missed header saw him faceplant a player's shoulder. A swollen eye socket for his troubles, but thankfully it wasn't serious enough to warrant substitution and Maguire managed to put in another very solid performance.

A nasty foul on captain Bruno Fernandes in the 8th minute led to a free kick; swung left side to Garnacho who played a beautiful ball back across to McTominay at the back post. The jubilation was short-lived however, with appeals for offside leading to a VAR check. In a highly unusual turn, the referee also took a look from the sideline - something PGMOL argue was because of the technical rules of the incident rather than the normal "clear and obvious error" from the on-field referee. In this case, Harry Maguire was adjudged offside. This despite not touching the ball or interfering with a defender who could stop Garnacho, but instead because he showed intent to attack the ball and thus was guilty. An interesting inconsistency compared to some other decisions made this season.

Fulham's reaction to the goal being disallowed was one of increased tempo and determination. In many ways it felt like they had taken a 1-0 lead and had that confidence boost, the wind in their sails, that allowed them to play more expressive football.

The first half drew to an end slightly in United's favour but the second was a far more open affair. Brazilian winger Antony was notably awful on the right side, which saw him substituted fairly quickly for Facundo Pellistri, and it was a remarkable change of intensity, desire, and competence down that right side for United. The scrappy little Uruguayan with his low centre of gravity and a tenacious approach to duels caused Fulham trouble - trouble which opened up opportunities.

An 84th minute chance nearly led to a sensational goal from substitute Anthony Martial, but it was the Captain who became the man of the hour in the 90th minute. Good pressure from Martial, McTominay and Pellistri allowed Fernandes a chance on the edge of the box. A feint left, cut back right, and ping bottom corner past Leno. 1-0 United, and a deserved 3 points for the Red Devils after it felt like perhaps fate had intervened and stolen away a much needed win.

After heavy criticism of Fernandes and Ten Hag in the past few days, both men will be relieved to have claimed the win away at Craven Cottage. The hope now is that a run of form can begin.

Ten Hag spoke to TNT Sports post-match and was questioned by Rio Ferdinand on the lack of team identity or play style this season. Ten Hag's response was that injuries had curtailed any sense of a predictable XI and that had hindered synergy or familiarity, but it is something the Dutchman needs to address quickly. November is upon us - there have been enough games and training sessions now for players to gel.

There are concerns to be had about many players; Bruno Fernandes being too stroppy, Rashford's lack of goals, players not finding enough passes to Højlund up front, but most pressing is the Antony situation. He has been the Manager's Favourite for a while, to the ire of Jadon Sancho. Poor club operations led to United paying double the asking price for him, but even if United had paid £40m, Antony hasn't even lived up to that. He's pacey and holds the ball up well, but he's unfathomably one-footed and fails take-ons almost every time. United's fatal flaw on the attack for years had been a lack of midfielders, and then it switched to being heavily LW-orientated.

If Ten Hag wants to keep the good times rolling he needs to work on Antony - whether that's tactical changes to encourage better match habits from him or benching him for the eager Pellistri. Something has to change if United want to retain a top 4 spot this season, and games against København, Luton and Everton are the perfect time to act.

#manchester united #man u #man united #man utd #manchester reds #erik ten hag #harry maguire #alejandro garnacho #facundo pellistri #anthony martial #bruno fernandes #scott mctominay #var #fulham #craven cottage #antony #TNT Sports #Rio Ferdinand

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pensat-i-fet · 2 years

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The Journalist’s Footballer- Chapters Twenty Three and Twenty Four (Rúben Dias)

Word count: 3604

Chapter 23:

Christina

The next month goes by so quickly. I luckily get adapted to the new team I’m working with really really fast. I was surprised it was formed by almost the same amount of men and women, which means I’m no longer the odd one out.

Out of everyone, I connected immediately with Kirby. We’ve been hanging out outside of work a lot, and Rúben even mentioned I should have her around the apartment if I wanted to. But it still doesn’t feel right, with him not being there. The only person that has stayed here a couple of nights is Sarah.

I have also fallen in love with the area where the apartment is located. I wish it wasn’t so expensive so that I could rent my own place near Rúben’s. I love having a park next to me to go on runs. And all the little shops around the neighbourhood are just lovely.

Even though Rúben told me a hundred times that no area in the apartment was off-limits, I try to avoid going into his room. It just doesn’t feel right. But I do have to go there every day to open the window and let some fresh air in.

Also, I have gotten into the habit of smelling the Tom Ford cologne he wore during the time we spent together in Manchester. And I might or might not have sprayed a bit on my Portugal top, so it smells like him. A top that I wear as my pyjamas more often than not.

Coming back from work, I get ready to watch the first knockout match of the tournament. It’s Portugal vs France. A really tough match for the Portuguese.

I’ve already sent my good luck message to Rúben and I can only imagine how nervous he must feel.

I’m sitting on the edge of the sofa the whole match, wearing my Rúben shirt, of course. And barely touching my snacks because of how nervous I am myself.

No team manages to score until the 87th minute when the referee gives a penalty against Portugal.

“What!!!???”, I scream to the tv. “No way that’s ever penalty. What the fuck, ref?”

Everyone can see that’s not a penalty. The player clearly touches the ball. The commentators are saying the same and so is everyone on social media. The referee is called to check the penalty on the VAR screen and I relax a bit. Surely he’s going to see his mistake, right?

But he doesn’t. He still maintains that it’s a penalty. And Mbappé gets ready to take it.

I don’t think I’ve ever wanted someone to miss a penalty as much as I do right now. But there is no point in wishing because the French player scores easily to put France ahead in the game.

The decision is a huge blow for the Portuguese, who are clearly affected by it. And 10 minutes later, the match is over. Portugal is out of the World Cup.

I can see the French players celebrating, while the Portuguese are totally devastated by the defeat. The cameras show them one by one. Some are on their knees, covering their faces. Some are already up, shaking their opponent's hands. And then, there is Rúben. He’s still standing, head up but his eyes are closed. I would love to know what’s going through his head, but I can imagine it. He’s probably blaming himself for the defeat. That’s the kind of player he is.

Throughout this month, I’ve been able to get to know him more during our daily facetime calls. We talked about everything, including work. And he allowed me to see that he’s one of those players who takes defeats to heart. He will blame himself for losing, even if he was the best player on the pitch.

He’s been praised by everyone during the group stages, but I know he won’t care.

I pick up my phone to send a message to him. I don’t want to overwhelm him more, so I send a simple “I’m sorry ❤️". I don’t even expect an answer. He can have all the time he needs to process what just happened.

A couple of hours later, I get ready for bed. Before I put my phone away, it buzzes with a message from Rúben.

“Thank you. Excuse me if I don’t talk much in the next couple of days. I know you understand why. I’m going to go to Portugal for a couple of days before I go back to City. See you then ❤️”.

I totally understand him wanting to visit his family. They couldn’t go to Qatar and I know he’s missed them so much. But there is a part of me that’s disappointed he’s not coming back to Manchester right away. I really wanted to see him and show him I’ll be there for him in difficult times.

I answer his message before trying to fall asleep. I close my eyes and try really hard to sleep, but the only thing I see is him on the pitch with his eyes closed. And it breaks my heart.

Two days later, I’m at the office when Kirby asks me if I want to have a coffee with her after work.

“Sure, let me get this done and I’ll be ready to leave”, I say, smiling at her.

Kirby, and everyone else, have been asking me about how Rúben is doing after the defeat. Everyone here knows about our friendship but no one has made me feel bad or weird about it.

When I get home later, I decide to do some laundry. I definitely need to step up on my getting ready to leave this place. Rúben is coming back and I still don’t have a place to go. There are a couple of apartments that could be good options, but I don’t want to rush it.

Once I’m folding all the dry clothes, I start to hear a noise outside the door. And then I hear a key going into the lock. I panic thinking about who it could be. No one has a key to this apartment apart from Rúben and me. Not even the cleaner.

Instead of doing something, I just stand there staring at the door. Yeah, well, I wouldn’t be a final girl in a scary movie. That’s for sure.

When the door finally opens, I see him.

“Rúben?”

I immediately run towards him. I put my arms around his neck to hug him tightly and he puts his around my waist to hold me.

“Hi”, I say, putting my feet back on the floor and looking up at him. “I didn’t expect you here so soon. You scared me. I thought someone was trying to break in”.

“Sorry, I decided not to go to Portugal very last minute and even forgot to call you or something”.

“Are you ok?”, I ask, looking at his beautiful face. He seems so sad.

“I’ll be fine”, he answers.

I get out of his embrace but don’t break the eye contact.

“Well, I’m here, ok? If you need anything. I kind of need you to hear it because the last couple of days I felt like you didn’t know it. So…yeah”.

“I know, Christina”, he says, his features softening for the first time since he walked inside the apartment.

“Umm…are you hungry? I’ve gotten really good at meal planning, so the fridge is full of food ready to be eaten”, I tell him, wanting to change the subject.

“That sounds good. I’m not too hungry though”.

“Chicken and some salad?”

He nods.

I go to the kitchen to prepare everything for him as quickly as possible. When he moves next to the kitchen table, he sees the laundry basket I left there.

“I see you were busy”, he says.

“Yeah, kinda”, I laugh. “I’ll finish folding that in a second”.

“I can help”, he says. And before I can say anything, he grabs something from the basket.

When I turn, I see him holding a black thong. Yes, I was going to fold my underwear and socks. I can’t help but chuckle at his expression.

“I mean, if you tell me you can fold underwear and delicate lingerie properly then go ahead”, I laugh. “But maybe you should just do the socks. Safer option”.

And that gets a laugh from him. I’m so happy to hear that sound again.

Then he seems to realise he is still holding my thong and lets it fall back into the basket.

When the food is ready, I put it on the table for him to eat and move the basket so I can finish my folding. But then an idea crosses my mind. I could go to my room to do this, or I could do it in front of him.

I’m not looking forward to teasing him. I just want to distract him again from those negative thoughts still going through his head.

I can notice him looking at me every time I get a new piece out of the basket. When I look at him, he just looks away and clears his throat. I can’t hide my little smile.

“So”, he says. “Everything ok at work, right?”

“Yeah, just missing you guys so we can produce better content”.

“Well, some of us are back already”, he says, this time looking away with a frown on his face.

I put the basket away so I can sit next to him.

“Rúben, I know this is painful, ok? I know it’s going to be painful for a while. But you have to move on”.

“I know”, he says with a hurt expression. “But it’s just so hard to lose, especially with my country”.

“I get it”, I tell him, putting my hand on his arm. “But you did the best you could. It wasn’t your fault. Hell, it wasn’t even your teammate’s fault. It was a referee's decision fucking it all up for you guys”.

“Well, we could have taken any of the opportunities to score that we had. And we didn’t”.

“Sure, that’s true. But France had chances too and didn’t score either. It was such a tight match. You were playing against the current world champions, Rúben”, I remind him. “You did so well and a stupid decision from a stupid referee was what made the difference, ok? So don’t beat yourself up too much”.

I get up to take my clothes back to my room.

When I come back to the kitchen, I see Rúben staring at me.

“What?”

“Nothing”, he says. “I just missed you”.

Rúben

I was worried about choosing to come to Manchester instead of Portugal. But it was the right decision. Not only has seeing Christina made me feel a hundred times better, but I also know that she won’t make me talk about the match. Reminding me that she’s there for me is one thing, but I know my family will also want me to talk about it and…I’m not ready for that.

I also wasn’t ready to see Christina’s underwear but it definitely distracted me for a second. Every time she took a new piece from the basket, I couldn’t help but imagine her wearing it. She knew what she was doing.

After a long chat, mostly about her time at City, we decide to go to bed. It’s so hard to separate myself from her after being away for so long. I wish I could just hold her all night, while I try to sleep. It has been a bit difficult these last couple of days.

At 2 am, I find myself staring at the ceiling and decide to go to Christina’s room. I don’t really know what she can do for me at this time of the night but, I just feel like I need to see her.

I knock softly on the door, but there is no response. I knock again and nothing. So I decide to open the door to see if I can call her and manage to wake her up gently.

But when I open the door, something makes me freeze. The blankets are only covering up to her waist, and I can see the top that she is wearing. My Portugal shirt that I left for her before leaving. A huge grin invades my face. How many nights has she slept wearing it?

I turn back to go to my room and lie in bed awake all night. But when I close my eyes, I see her. Wearing my shirt. And I finally fall asleep with a smile on my face.

Chapter 24:

Rúben

I wake up earlier than I wanted to because of the jet lag, so I decide to make Christina and me something to eat for breakfast.

When I’m done finishing the first batch of protein pancakes, she shows up in the kitchen. No longer wearing my top, sadly, but her City clothes.

“Morning”.

“Morning, I made us some breakfast”.

“Thank you”, she says, studying my face. “You look better. Did you sleep well?”

“It took me a while to fall asleep, but then I had a good rest”.

“Nice”.

We sit at the table to eat when she asks me for my plans for the day.

“Well, I’m going to drive you to work and I’ll stay there at the gym”.

“Rúben”, she says, sounding annoyed. “Can’t you take a day off? Really?”

I chuckle. “Going to the gym will help me mentally. You’ll thank me later. You don’t want to live with a grumpy version of me”.

“Whatever you say”, she says, playfully rolling her eyes. “And, speaking of that, I’ll go see another apartment after work. I have a couple of options I like, so I might be able to move there soon”.

That was not something I wanted to hear. A part of me had forgotten that was her plan. I just want her to stay here with me forever.

“Right”, I say, not knowing how to approach this subject. “Just know that there is no hurry, ok? Make sure you find the perfect place. And in a safe area. There are so many things you have to think about”.

She gives me an amused look. “Do you have a map of the areas with the highest rate of crimes or something?”, she laughs.

“Ha ha. Excuse me for worrying about you”.

She chuckles again and gets up to finish getting ready for work. And I’m left here, wondering when she’ll leave me. Will just seeing her at work be enough?

“I’ll walk you to your office”, I tell Christina when we get to the training centre.

“What a gentleman you are”, she winks.

On our way there, I find a lot of people who come to give me their support. Yeah, it’s nice being back here. I know I’ll be taken care of.

“Hey Chris!”, I hear Kirby say. “And Rúben! Hi!”

“Hi Kirby, you ok?”

“Yes, happy to have you back”, she says, and then adds. “I mean, not happy you lost. You know what I mean. Right?”

“I do”, I say with a chuckle.

“So yeah, that. Happy to have you back, but…don’t steal Christina from me now, ok?”, she says laughing and hugging Christina.

“Awww, you’re going to fight over me? Cute!”

“No, we won’t”, says Kirby looking at me. “Because we know who will win”.

When I look at Christina, she’s blushing.

“Well, I’ll go to the gym and you two can go to work. I’ll see you later?”, I say, looking at Christina.

“Yeah, I should be back around 6, after visiting the apartment I told you about”.

“Right”, I say, trying not to sound too annoyed by that. “See you then”.

A couple of hours at the gym and then a whole afternoon waiting for Christina. Though I guess I could occupy myself with something to pass the time. And I know exactly what to do.

Christina

“So, was there a nice reunion last night?”, says Kirby, nudging me with her elbow.

I shake my head. “It’s not like that”.

“And why? Why? You like him and he likes you. You are literally living with him. God! You two are so stupid!”, she says rolling her eyes.

“It’s not that simple”.

“Make it simple then!”

I know she’s right. But I also don’t know how to approach this. Should I wait until I move out of his house? Should I worry about him finding someone else if I don’t make a move soon?

Ugh, so frustrating.

I forget about Rúben for a couple of hours, so I can concentrate on work. Now that the players are coming back from Qatar, we need to plan how to create content with them. I check the schedules to make sure we don’t make them do too many things on days with heavy training sessions.

Two hours after starting to work, I hear a knock on my door.

“Come in!”, I say, not lifting my eyes from the screen.

“I got you a coffee”, I hear Rúben say.

“Thanks”, I smile. “You didn’t have to”.

“It’s fine. I’m also going home now and I wanted to check on you”.

My smile gets bigger. “Well, no one has kidnapped me at work today, thankfully. Thursdays are usually wild”.

“You know what I mean”, he says, rolling his eyes.

We stare at each other again, not breaking eye contact. It’s almost as if we were trying to read each other’s minds.

“Right”, says Rúben, being the one who broke the contact this time. “I’ll let you work. See you later”.

“Bye. See you!”

When he closes the door, I just stare at it. I really need to make a move.

The apartment I came to see looks as good as in the photos. However, there hasn’t been a moment of silence since we walked inside. Probably why the price is so low for such a good apartment. The neighbours are unbearable.

I still pretend to look, politely. Even though I know there is no way I could live here.

Defeated, I make my way home. I mean, to Rúben’s place.

Even without opening the door, I can smell the food. It smells like heaven. I open it and make my way inside, hearing some Portuguese music coming from the kitchen. Well, someone is feeling better.

“Rúben?”

“Kitchen!”

“What is this?”, I say when I see all the food he has been preparing. And, is that a cake he’s putting into the oven?

“I wanted to make you dinner”, he says, casually.

“Me? It looks like you are preparing dinner for the queen”, I say, laughing.

“You are more important than the queen. Go get changed and I’ll have everything ready so we can eat”.

I walk towards my room, looking back to see him putting everything on the table. I won’t be going to bed hungry tonight, that’s for sure.

I thought about just wearing my loungewear to be around the house but I feel like I’d be underdressed for such a feast. Plus, Rúben was looking like a meal himself with his black jeans and green shirt.

I decide to put on a simple white dress. Comfortable but cute.

“You look gorgeous”, says Rúben when I get to the kitchen.

“Thanks”, I smile. “You don’t look bad yourself”.

“Ok, so, I cooked a few things”, he says, showing me all the dishes on the table.

“That’s an understatement”, I joke.

“I didn’t know what you would prefer and I had the time, so…”, he says, looking nervous. “And dessert will be ready when we are done eating”.

“Are you baking me a cake, Rúben?”, I ask, making him blush.

“It’s a Portuguese cake. The only one I know how to bake”.

“I’m sure I’ll love it”.

And I love everything he cooked. I want to try everything to show him how much I appreciate his effort, but now I think I’ll have to roll to bed instead of walking.

An alarm on his phone tells him the cake should be ready, so he gets up to check the oven. My eyes never leave him. I can’t stop staring at him.

I hear him muttering in Portuguese while he places the cake on a plate. What did I do to be so lucky? To have this amazing man baking me a cake and treating me like a princess?

“Here”, he says, putting a plate with a piece of cake in front of me. “It doesn’t look great but it tastes good”.

I take a bite and my mouth explodes with the flavour. “Wow. That’s so good, Rúben. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever had but so good”.

When I look up at him, he is smiling widely. So proud of his cake. He’s adorable.

Once we are done eating, I have to tell Rúben that no matter how much he complains, I’ll help him tidy up. After everything he did, it’s the least I can do.

When the dishwasher is on, I make myself a cup of tea, which I take with me to the sofa. Rúben is sitting there finding something we can watch.

Looking at him almost takes my breath away. And then I remember Sarah and Kirby asking why nothing has happened yet. Why? And they are right.

So I go to the sofa, put the cup on the coffee table, sit next to Rúben, turn his face so he’s looking at me and I kiss him.

#ruben dias #footballer x reader #ruben dias fluff #ruben dias imagine #ruben dias x reader #footballer imagine

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