“Y yo, de idiota, pensando que me amaba'”
You hadn’t expected much from the match. It was a routine game with the B team, one of those nights where you gave your all, knowing only a fraction of the usual crowd was watching. But you loved football, and that was enough. What you didn’t expect was to see him there. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona’s golden boy, leaning casually against the railings after the final whistle. His hoodie was pulled low over his head, but you’d recognize him anywhere.
“Nice game,” he said, his voice low but warm. You froze for a second. You’d seen him on the field, lighting up Camp Nou with his skill and confidence. But here he was, up close, and he was… smiling at you?
“Thanks,” you managed, though your voice came out shakier than you’d hoped. He didn’t walk away like you thought he might. Instead, he stepped closer, his dark eyes studying you like you were more than just another player on the pitch. “You’ve got something special. You don’t just play—you fight for it.”
Your face burned. “I just… love the game.”
He smiled, a lopsided grin that made your stomach flip. “I noticed.”
That night, you didn’t sleep. His words played on repeat in your head, and when you saw a notification pop up on your phone—Lamine Yamal started following you—you nearly dropped it. At first, you thought it was nothing. He was probably just being polite, right? But then came the DMs. Simple things at first. “Great match today.” “How’s training?” “What’s your favorite goal you’ve ever scored?” Each message felt like a secret just for you. Soon, late-night conversations about football turned into talks about everything else—favorite music, family, dreams. He wasn’t just Barcelona’s rising star. He was kind. Funny. Smart.
One evening, as you walked together through the streets of Barcelona, he pulled you to a stop outside a little café. “I know it’s not easy,” he said suddenly. You blinked, caught off guard. “What isn’t?” “The hate,” he said, nodding toward your phone, where the latest comments from trolls still lingered. “They don’t see what I see.” Your chest tightened. The criticism was something you’d learned to live with, but hearing him acknowledge it made the weight feel heavier somehow. “It doesn’t matter,” you lied. “I can handle it. Lamine’s gaze softened as he reached for your hand. “You shouldn’t have to handle it alone. You’re amazing, Y/N. I don’t care what they say.”
That night, as you lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, you realized you were falling for him. And, little by little, he made it impossible not to. At first, everything was perfect. You spent as much time together as your schedules allowed, and when you couldn’t, his texts and calls filled the gaps. He’d show up to your matches, cheering louder than anyone else.
“Y/N,” he said one night, his head resting on your shoulder as you sat on his couch, a movie playing in the background. “I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”Your heart swelled. “You mean that?” He tilted his head up to meet your eyes, his expression serious. “I’ve never meant anything more.”
But nothing perfect lasts forever.
The first time he snapped at you, it caught you off guard. “Why didn’t you answer my call?” he asked, his tone sharper than usual.
“I was at training,” you explained, confused. “I told you—”
“You always have an excuse,” he muttered, cutting you off.
You wanted to argue, to defend yourself, but something about the look on his face made you stop. Instead, you apologized, hoping it would blow over.
The little things started piling up. He’d get annoyed if you didn’t text him back fast enough or if you missed one of his games. “Do you even care?” he snapped one night when you said you couldn’t make it to a match because of your own training. “Of course I care!” you shot back, your voice trembling. “But I can’t always drop everything—”
“Forget it,” he said, turning away.
You wanted to believe it was just stress. He was under so much pressure, constantly in the spotlight. You told yourself it would pass.
The night of the awards ceremony was the breaking point. You’d spent hours getting ready, excited to finally go public with your relationship. You’d been spamming his phone all day, asking what time to meet, what you should wear, if he was as nervous as you were.
Your stomach churned as you scrolled through Instagram that evening, your heart sinking when you saw the first photo. There he was, dressed in a sleek suit, his arm casually draped around… Alexia.
Your hands shook as you stared at the screen. Alexia, his ex. The girl who had cheated on him, the one he’d sworn he was over. And now she was there, smiling beside him like nothing had ever happened. You didn’t cry that night. Not at first. You felt too numb, too betrayed to process it. But as the hours passed, the hurt set in. The boy who had promised to be by your side had left you behind without a second thought. The next morning, your DMs were flooded with screenshots and TikToks. “Lamine and Alexia are back together!” “Y/N who? Alexia is where she belongs.” “She never stood a chance.”
It was like the universe was mocking you.
You tried to call him, desperate for an explanation, but every call went straight to voicemail. Days turned into weeks, and still, you heard nothing from him. All you had were the endless photos and videos of him and Alexia, laughing together, looking like they belonged.
When he finally texted, it was too late.
“Y/N, please, it’s not what it looks like.”
“I swear, Alexia and I are just friends.”
You ignored him at first, but the messages kept coming. He called you nonstop, leaving voicemails that you couldn’t bring yourself to listen to.
Finally, you opened Instagram and posted the picture you’d been saving—a candid shot of Lamine and Neymar at the awards.
“I think he took the ‘trying to be like my role model’ a little too seriously.”
And underneath, in smaller text:
“For everyone saying I was going to cheat—what a surprise that I was the one being cheated on.”
The post went viral instantly. Fans flooded the comments, some defending you, others accusing you of being dramatic. But you didn’t care.
For the first time in weeks, you felt free.
The pain didn’t go away overnight. You still thought about him—about the boy who had once held your hand and told you he’d always be there. But as you walked onto the pitch that evening, the floodlights illuminating the field, you felt a spark of hope. You didn’t need him. You never had. Football was your first love, and it would be enough.
And as the whistle blew, you let the game take over, knowing you’d be okay.