MidReal Story
Rising Above: A Soccer Star's Journey
Scenario: becoming a professional soccer player
Create my version of this story
Alex Torres
aspiring soccer player, friends with Mia and coached by Javier, athletic build with determined eyes, resilient and passionate.
Mia Rodriguez
supportive friend and fellow soccer enthusiast, friends with Alex, petite with curly brown hair, optimistic and loyal.
Javier Mendez
dedicated coach to Alex and Mia, mentor to both, tall with graying hair, wise and strict.
I was ten years old when I first met Mia Rodriguez.
We were both at the park, and I was practicing my soccer skills.
She came over to me and asked if she could play, too.
I didn’t want to, but she was so cute with her curly brown hair and big brown eyes that I couldn’t say no.
So we started kicking the ball back and forth.
She was actually pretty good for a girl, and I was having fun playing with her.
After a while, she asked me if I wanted to be her boyfriend.
I didn’t know what that meant, but I said yes anyway because she was cute and I liked her.
We’ve been friends ever since.
Mia is the only one who has been there for me through everything—the good times and the bad.
She’s always been my biggest supporter, even when everyone else thought I was crazy for wanting to be a professional soccer player.
But Mia never doubted me for a second.
“Hey, you want to play?”
I looked up at the girl standing in front of me and shook my head.
I was busy, and I didn’t have time to play with a little girl.
I had been coming here every day for the last three months to practice my soccer skills, and no one had ever asked me that before.
But I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I smiled and said, “Maybe some other time.”
The girl looked at me with her big brown eyes and said, “Please, I really want to play with you.”
I sighed and put my hands on my hips.
“Fine,” I said.
“But you have to be good.”
The girl smiled and nodded.
I’m really good,” she said.
“Okay.” I motioned for her to follow me.
“We’re going to start off easy, but we’ll work our way up to passing drills.”
The girl followed me onto the field, and we started kicking the ball back and forth.
“I’m Mia,” the girl said as she kicked the ball back to me.
“What’s your name?”
I caught the ball with my foot and kicked it back to her.
“It’s Alex,” I said.
“You’re really good, Alex,” Mia said as she ran after the ball.
“Thanks,” I said.
“No one ever wants to play with me because they say girls can’t play soccer.”
“Well, they’re wrong,” I said as I kicked the ball back to her.
“You’re the best player I’ve ever played with.”
Mia smiled as she caught the ball and passed it back to me.
“You’re pretty good too,” she said.
We continued playing for a few more minutes before Mia asked me if I wanted to have a mini-game with her.
I agreed, and we played until we were both out of breath and laughing so hard that our sides hurt.
That’s when we saw him.
He was tall with graying hair and a mustache.
And he was watching us from the sidelines with his arms crossed over his chest.
“I wonder who he is,” Mia said as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“But he looks like he could be a professional soccer player or something.”
Mia raised an eyebrow at me.
“Do you think he’s here to recruit you or something?”
I laughed and shook my head.
“I don’t think so.” Then I motioned for Mia to follow me as we walked toward him together.
He waited until we were standing right in front of him before he knelt down on one knee so that he was at our eye level.
“Are you two siblings?”
he asked as he looked from me to Mia.
“No,” Mia said with a shake of her head.
“We’re not related at all.”
I looked at Mia in confusion before turning back to him and shaking my head too.
“We look alike because we both have dark hair and brown eyes,” Mia said with a smile.
“Yeah,” I added with a nod.
“Are you two friends?”
We both nodded.
“Alex is my best friend,” Mia said with a smile.
“And Mia is my best friend,” I added.
He paused for a moment before he turned his attention back to us.
“Do you want to play soccer?”
he asked as he stood up.
Mia and I both nodded enthusiastically.
“Then come with me,” he said with a smile.
He led us over to the soccer field where he showed us various drills before having us scrimmage against each other.
Afterward, he pulled us aside.
“I’m Javier Mendez,” he said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
“And I’m the coach of the LA Galaxy.”
Mia gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
“Wow,” she whispered in awe.
I smiled at her before turning my attention back to Javier.
Mia looked up at him with wide eyes.
And I could tell she was excited about the opportunity just as much as I was.
Javier smiled at her before turning his attention back to me.
“Do you want to play for the LA Galaxy one day?”
I thought about it for a moment before nodding.
I want to play professional soccer,” I said.
Javier smiled at that.
“Well, I think you have what it takes,” he said as he ruffled my hair.
“Just keep working hard, and who knows?Someday your dream might just come true.”
I smiled up at him before Mia stepped forward and hugged him.
“Thank you so much, Javier,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“I really appreciate everything you’re doing for us.”
Javier smiled before hugging her tight.
“You’re welcome, Mia,” he said.
“I believe in both of you, and I know you’ll go far if you never give up on your dreams.”
I knew we would go far too.
Because Mia was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
And together, we were going to make our dreams come true.
I woke up feeling like someone was watching me.
But when I opened my eyes, all I saw was Mia sitting on the edge of my bed with a huge smile on her face.
“Hey, Alex,” she said as she held up a piece of paper.
“What do you think?
I sat up and took the paper from her before I read what was written on it.
Be my boyfriend?”
I looked up at Mia in confusion.
“What does that mean?”
Mia shrugged as she blushed.
“I’m not sure, but I think it means we get to play soccer together forever.”
I thought about it for a moment before nodding my head.
“Then, yes,” I said with a smile.
“I want to be your boyfriend too.”
Mia squealed and jumped into my arms as she hugged me tight.
“I love you, Alex,” she whispered into my ear.
“I love you too,” I whispered back.
We were nine years old when Mia asked me to be her boyfriend.
And even though I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, I liked her, so I agreed.
Plus, she made it seem like it was really important to her.
So how could I say no?
After that day, we continued practicing soccer every single day after school until we collapsed from exhaustion.
Our coach, Javier Mendez, was known for discovering talent.
But he was tough too.
Mia never gave up, no matter how tired she was, and even though Javier made us run until our legs felt like Jell-O, she never complained either.
After a few months of training, Mia and I were better than we ever thought possible.
Our families were still skeptical about us becoming professional soccer players, but Mia and I refused to let them bring us down.
My dad worked two jobs to support us because he had five children to feed, and even though he couldn’t afford to pay for the best soccer camps, I didn’t let that stop me from playing either.
When I begged him to let me practice with Javier after school, he said no at first, but then he saw how much it meant to me, so he relented and agreed to take me every day after work.
Mia’s family was more supportive than mine, especially her older brother, who shared our dream of playing professionally someday too.
And even though he was older than us, he practiced with us every single day and never once complained either.
But Javier was tough too, just like he had been when we first started playing.
He made us run laps until we couldn’t stand up anymore, and sometimes he made us carry heavy medicine balls while we kicked the ball back and forth to each other too.
And even though Mia and I would be sore for days afterward, it didn’t matter because this was what it took to be the best.
We knew that if we wanted to play professionally someday, we had to be willing to do whatever it took to make our dreams come true.
And even if it was hard and even if our bodies hurt, it didn’t matter because Mia and I were in this together.
And together, nothing could stop us.
I got up early the next morning to meet Mia at the field for practice, but when I got there, she was already waiting for me with the ball at her feet.
She smiled and ran over to me before she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tied it in place.
“Hey, Alex,” she said as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me close for a hug.
“I missed you.”
I smiled and hugged her back before I took the ball from her and started dribbling toward the goal on the other side of the field.
“Are you ready to train today?”
I asked her as she followed close behind and kicked the ball away from my feet before she passed it back to me again with a smile on her face.
Mia was always ready to train, and that was one of the things I loved most about her.
She never gave up, no matter how tired she was, and she never complained either, even when she was so exhausted, she could barely stand up straight.
