Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Brighton's 1-0 partial victory over Real Madrid quickly had repercussions throughout the soccer world.

Social networks were flooded with comments about the English team's performance.

On Twitter, the hashtag #BrightonVsRealMadridU20 quickly became one of the most talked about topics of the night within the soccer bubble.

Influential soccer profiles, sports journalists and fans were ecstatic about Brighton's achievement.

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"Incredible! Brighton beat Real Madrid 1-0 and take the lead into the second leg. Lucas Tanaka and Co made history today. #BrightonVsRealMadrid."

@brfootball:

"Huge win for Brighton against Real Madrid in the Champions Youth League! #UCL."

@SkySports:

"Lucas Tanaka: a future star of European soccer? Another incredible performance from the young midfielder! Brighton 1-0 Real Madrid! #ChampionsLeague."

Big names in soccer have also spoken out. Former player and commentator Gary Lineker praised Brighton's attitude:

@GaryLineker:

"Football never ceases to amaze us. What a game from Brighton! Disciplined, organized and, above all, patient from Brighton! (Watchful eyes)"

On Instagram, videos of Lucas' performance went viral. His daring shot from midfield, his runs against Hakimi, and his physical tussle with De la Fuente were widely shared.

The official Champions League profile (@championsleague) posted a story of the goal:

"Brighton take the lead into the second leg!"

Even Real Madrid players spoke out after the match. Hakimi posted on his Instagram:@@novelbin@@

"A splendid game today. That's soccer. Sometimes you lose, but there's always a way back. See you in Brighton! #HalaMadrid!"

The Spanish newspapers treated the defeat of a small English team as a shock, while the English media praised Brighton's achievement.

Marca (Spain): "Painful defeat for Real Madrid! Brighton holds off the Merengues and opens up a lead. Tough job in the return leg."

AS (Spain): "Real Madrid needs a turnaround. Brighton surprise with a goal from Englishman Arthur and defend with everything."

The Guardian (England): "The underdog of the Champions League? Brighton holds off Real Madrid's pressure and takes home advantage. Lucas Tanaka shines!"

BBC Sport (England): "Brighton take an important step towards qualification."

The following day, on a TV sports program, "El Chiringuito", the defeat was the subject of a quick debate:

"How did Real Madrid lose to a team that has never won the Champions League in any category?" asked one commentator.

On Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville highlighted Brighton's disciplined tactics and Lucas' intelligence on the pitch:

"He has an impressive game IQ for someone so young. This boy has a future!" said Carragher.

With so much attention and eyes focused on Brighton, coach Jimenez gathered the players in the dressing room and, despite the joy, asked for total concentration for the second game.

"We did a great job today, but don't be fooled. They'll be coming for us next week!"

Brighton's training sessions over the next few days were intensified. Eddie and Jimenez worked with the team to maintain defensive discipline and improve their efficiency on the counter-attack.

Tickets for the second leg sold out within hours.

The local Brighton fans were ecstatic, dreaming of a historic qualification against the most successful team in history.

Lucas knew that the war was not yet won. But one thing was certain: the soccer world had its eyes on him. And he was ready to show, once again, what he was capable of. However, the night before the match, a piece of news took him by surprise while he was reading some reports on a sports website.

{Bayern Munich sign young Japanese center forward Tsuyoshi Nishida!}

Lucas's eyes widened instantly.

"What?!" he exclaimed and jumped up from his bed.

Wasting no time, he clicked on the article and read frantically.

{Bayern Munich sign young Japanese center forward Tsuyoshi Nishida!

Bayern Munich today made official the signing of Tsuyoshi Nishida, a young Japanese center forward who has been outstanding for Kashima Antlers with 27 goals and 2 assists in 28 games this season.

With Kashima Antlers, Tsuyoshi Nishida won the Japanese National Cup and the Japan Super Cup and is currently second in the J-League.

The 17-year-old striker has signed a five-year contract and will be integrated into the Bavarians' first team.}

Lucas blinked several times, trying to process the information. Nishida... at Bayern? He didn't even know that his old friend was already playing professionally in Japan, let alone that he had been signed by one of the biggest clubs in the world.

He continued reading, his mind completely absorbed in the news.

{Nishida's speed, precision and coolness in front of the goal caught the attention of European scouts, and Bayern stepped up to secure his signature. Alternative sources say that there was a big offer from Liverpool on Nishida's table, even bigger than Bayern's, but he opted for the German side for an as yet undeclared reason.}

A nostalgic smile formed on Lucas' face.

Tsuyoshi Nishida was his old strike partner when they played together at Wushia High School. The two had grown up dreaming of becoming professional footballers, but their paths parted when Lucas moved to Europe.

He scrolled further down the article and saw a recent photo of Nishida holding a Bayern shirt, smiling next to coach Carlo Ancelotti.

"Unbelievable..." Lucas muttered.

He lay back on the bed, still processing it all. Memories flooded his mind: the two of them training on that futsal court when Lucas had copied his <Star Boost> skill, and the matches they had played side by side, the countless promises they had made to each other throughout their childhood and also the last one that one day they would play as rivals.

"Just like last time, you became a professional before me... He really is at a top level of talent, but I'll definitely catch up."

The news rekindled something inside Lucas. It wasn't just admiration. It was motivation. If Nishida could do it, then so could he. His childhood friend had reached the elite of European soccer. That meant the dream wasn't impossible. It meant that he was closer than ever to realizing his own destiny.

He picked up his cell phone again and opened the chat with Nishida. Their last conversation had been months ago.

Lucas thought about typing something, like a congratulatory message, but Nishida hadn't done that or sent a message in the last few months.

This meant that at this point, rather than being best friends, they were rivals who would only speak to each other when they were both wearing shirts with their surnames, Nishida and Tanaka, on the back and on opposite sides of the same pitch.