Every time he returns to Tocopil from Cama, Sánchez feels as if he is moving from a ghetto to a war zone.
The rugged roads filled with potholes, broken tiles, and ruins are everywhere along the roadside. Garbage is scattered all around, and when the wind blows, sand and pstic bags dan the air.
For all this, Sánchez and his patriots have long bee aced to it.
Before, every time he came back from Cama, he would feel a little lost, but today it was even more overwhelming.
Because he finally saw the outside world.
...
His family lives in an old house with mottled exterior walls in Tocopil by the sea. There is a small courtyard in front of it, with only a rusted iron gate guarding the entraanding in front of the house, you see the blue sea, with fishing boats in the distance. Occasionally, a rge ship carrying copper ore will pass by, and the sound of its whistle will trigger cheers from the locals.
Once upon a time, Sánchez, like all the other children, would lie on the seaside railings, cheering at the big ships.
Back then, he vowed to take his family out of Tocopil ahem live in a big city like Cama.
This has been his dream since he was a child, and it is also the dream of everyone who lives here.
Up until now, he has not realized it.
Even if he is already a member of the Chilean national team.
...
Sánchez's father left home when he was very young to dig in the mines.
But after he left, he never came back, and no one knew whether he was alive or dead.
Perhaps, like tless others, he was buried alive in that dark mine.
It was not easy for his mother to raise five children by herself, so she found another man his stepfather who, while not very respectable in Cama, had a job that was enviable enough in Tocopil.
His stepfather brought the family to Cama, where Sánchez was introduced to football. He showed his talent, joined Cobreloa's academy, and became a first-team pyer.
At the age of 16, he represented Cobreloa in a match, and in his sed game, he pyed in the Copa Libertadores, breaking the record for the you pyer to ever appear in the petition.
He performed well at Cobreloa and was called up to the national team by Chilean coaelson Acosta.
Yes, he is oeen years old, and he has bypassed all the age groups to ehe national team directly.
Not long ago, the national team started training, left Chile, ao Europe for a series of friendly matches. Sánchez was fortuo be one of the pyers selected to go to Europe and pyed two matches against Ivory Coast and Sweden.
He was a substitute in the first game and a starter in the sed.
Those two games, and the half-month stay in Europe, were eye-opening for him.
Och, he saw Drogba, Koné, Kolo Touré, Yaya Touré, Seydou Keita, and Eboué, among other Ivorian stars. They are also from poor and underdeveloped tries, but they have made a lot of money in Europe by pying football, and everyone looked happy and full of ughter.
In Sweden, he saw superstars like Ztan Ibrahimovi?, Henrik Larsson, and Freddie Ljungberg all from wealthy Northern Europe. Everyone seemed carefree.
The match against C?te d'Ivoire was held in Nancy, Fra is not a big city, but the roads are very wide, the air is fresh, and even the sky is blue. The people there are very aly dressed, each with a det job, driving, drinking coffee...
In the Swedish stadium, he saw those middle- and lower-css people from Northern Europe. They are the most respectable group in Cama.
This made Sánchez and Chile's iionals feel inferior.
Because the kind of people they dreamed of being, in Frand Sweden, were just sidered poor people.
What made him even more unfortable was that from entering Frao Sweden, and to leaving Europe, they were prohibited from moving privately throughout the entire process. Every time they went out, they were strictly trolled because the authorities were afraid that they would leave secretly and not return with the team.
Captain Jiménez, who pys in Italy, would tell them many stories about European football. He would ence his teammates to go abroad whenever possible. He told them that just this summer, a 25-year-old ese coach led one of the world's top clubs, Real Madrid, under seemingly impossible circumstao win both La Liga and the Champions League, which was a miracle!
"He showed us with facts that in the world of football, nothing is impossible!"
Sánchez always remembers that when the captain said this, his hands were ched into fists and his teeth were gritted.
He is ashamed of the situation with the national team!
Sánchez remembered the name of the man who created the miracle Gao Shen!
...
After returning from training in Europe, Sánchez went baa, and after hearing that his mother could not stay there, he returo Tocopil. And so, he had to go back to Tocopil.
From the picturesque, air of Europe, back to this small town that has been seriously polluted by heavy industries like copper mining, Sánchez experienced a huge psychological gap. He always felt depressed and uo lift his spirits.
He doesn't know when he will be able to take his family out of this disaster.
Yes, he is the most promising person in the whole family and the hope of the entire household.
"Is the club still unwilling to sign a new tract with you?"
The family sat around the dining table, and his mother asked with .
"Yeah," Sánchez nodded sullenly.
"Didn't you say before that a European team is ied in you? Is there a ce?" his mother asked again.
Sánchez shook his head. "I don't know; they didn't say anything."
"They" referred to the ma of the Cobreloa club.
Although Sánchez is already a Chilean iional, he still has no say in front of the club because he and his whole family his job. Even now, his sary is still quite meager, but pared to his mother, stepfather, and u is already pretty good.
The entire family is now living on his sary. He doesn't dare to make trouble with the club; he 't afford to take risks.
"If you , go to Europe. There is hope when you go," his stepfather finally spoke, his eyes red.
He was only about forty, but he looked as old as a man in his fifties or sixties.
So was his mother.
This is the price of long-term bor-intensive work.
But there is no other choice; if they don't do those jobs, they will starve to death.
"Yes, we have hope if you go. If we don't go, we will stay here without any hope," his mother said, sobbing.
Their son is getting older and rarely es home. They didn't want to say this in front of the child, adding so much pressure on him. After all, he is oeen years old.
But they really 't hold on any longer!
If, like everyone else, Sánchez couldn't py football, they would accept their fate.
But he py football and py well, which gives them hope and allows them to see an opportunity to escape this devil's fate. They must seize it firmly.
This is the life of poor children!
It's not just Sánchez; in Chile, there are tless families like this, children like this, who have been indoated with this belief.
"Don't worry, I will work hard!" Sánchez said resolutely.
From childhood to adulthood, he has always been a smart and sensible child, matured very early, and has seen the world.
But upon hearing his words, his mother couldn't hold bad cried directly on top of him. His stepfather's eyes were also red, full of shame.
They were supposed to be the bae of the family, to take good care of the children, but...
...
After dinner, Sánchez walked out of the yard to the side of the road overlooking the blue sea, and his brothers and sisters stood around him, just like when they were children.
"You know what? In Europe, people don't seem to have to work. The gover gives them money every month; they wear nice clothes, eat delicious food, drive brand new cars, and py football or watch games every weekend," Sánchez muttered.
"Is that heaven?" the you brother asked ily.
Sánchez ughed, "Yeah, it's a pce like heaven."
With that, he turned around, gently scratched his brother's dusty head, and asked, "Let's live there iure, okay?"
"Okay, I want fries and a hamburger every day."
"I want a Coke."
"I'm going to buy a doll."
"I don't want to wear ragged clothes anymore."
Sánchez listened in sileaking it to heart.
What humble dreams these are, but right now, even these humble dreams, he 't help them realize.
Yesterday, wheuro Cobreloa, he was told by the club that Udinese in Serie A was ied in him, but they had not made an offer yet.
He was afraid to tell his family the news because he was scared of disappointing them.
I times, suews has circuted more than once, bringing them hope again and again, but also disappointing them again and again. It's cruel.
"Don't worry, I will definitely py harder. I will give my best in every game and every training session!"
Sánchez shouted to the sea with all his strength.
"I want you all to wear nice clothes, buy fun toys, eat the most delicious food, live in the biggest house, and I want you to live in paradise every day!"
"I must succeed!" Sánchez roared, his voice hoarse.
Before he realized it, tears were already streaming down his face.
He had such determination, but he didn't know when the opportunity would e.
...
While Sánchez was shouting at the seaside near his home in Tocopil, just a few dozen kilometers away in Cama, an old, rented Jetta was rattling along the road headi.
In the fro, Roman Díaz, who was driving, cursed the disho car rental agent.
"That damn bastard! He promised it was fortable, but he rented us this old, beat-up car that's about to fall apart!"
"Haha, don't worry about it. Maybe this is the most fortable luxury car they have in the shop," Gao Shen said, taking it in stride.
"Yeah, I get it. That's just how things are in pces like this," Lucas chimed in with a ugh.
Roman Días looked frustrated. "We could have hahis with a phone call. Why are we going out of our way to make this trip? Is that kid really as talented as you say?"
"Talented? He's going to bee one of the best pyers in the world!" Gao Shen replied with absolute fidence.
"Pfft! I don't believe you for a sed! You really think you're some kind of prophet, don't you?" Roman Días almost raised his middle finger in disbelief.
