CHAPTER 67— "THE WORLD COMES KNOCKING"
Date: July 2023
Árman Azevedo — Age: 13
São Paulo FC — U-15
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It didn't start with an announcement.
It started with noise.
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THE MOMENT IT BROKE
On a quiet Tuesday morning in July, São Paulo FC's official youth channel uploaded a routine highlight video:
> "Árman Azevedo — U-15 Season Compilation (2023)"
No fancy editing.
No dramatic music.
Just goals, assists, movement, domination.
Within one hour, the video passed 1 million views.
By noon, it was trending in Brazil.
By night, it had crossed continents.
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THE INTERNET LOSES ITS MIND
Twitter (X) exploded first.
> "THIS KID IS 13???"
"He's not a prodigy. He's a cheat code."
"Someone check his birth certificate."
"Brazil just spawned another monster."
Football pages started clipping single moments:
• A dribble that froze five defenders
• A no-look pass that split an entire backline
• A goal struck so clean it looked scripted
Every clip ended the same way:
> "This is not normal."
Instagram followed.
Árman's account—previously large because of modeling—tripled overnight.
Fans didn't comment emojis.
They wrote essays.
> "I've been watching football for 30 years. I've never seen this at 13."
"This is what happens when talent meets destiny."
"Protect him at all costs."
Fan edits appeared within hours.
Slow-motion goals.
Comparisons to legends.
Montages titled:
> "THE MONSTER OF SÃO PAULO."
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THE STADIUMS CHANGE
The next home match wasn't televised.
It didn't matter.
People showed up anyway.
Parents brought kids.
Teenagers skipped school.
Grown men wore club colors just to see him.
They didn't chant the team name.
They chanted his.
> "ÁR-MAN! ÁR-MAN! ÁR-MAN!"
When he touched the ball, the crowd stood.
When he passed, they clapped.
When he scored?
The place detonated.
A U-15 match sounded like a continental final.
Security had to expand the perimeter.
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THE TEAMS ARRIVE
Not scouts.
Delegations.
Black cars with tinted windows began parking near the training complex.
Different plates.
Different languages.
Inside São Paulo FC offices, meetings stacked on meetings.
Names whispered, never written on boards:
• Real Madrid
• Barcelona
• Manchester City
• Bayern Munich
• PSG
• Juventus
• AC Milan
Even clubs with no history of South American youth investments showed interest.
Because this wasn't scouting anymore.
This was fear of missing out.
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"WE WANT HIM."
Offers didn't ask if he was available.
They asked how soon.
One European director said it bluntly:
> "This isn't about potential.
This is about securing history before someone else does."
Another said:
> "If we don't get him, our rivals will."
Contracts were drafted without numbers.
Numbers came later.
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THE CRAZY FANS
Outside the training ground, kids waited for hours just to see him walk by.
They didn't ask for autographs.
They asked:
> "How do I play like you?"
Parents asked for photos.
Adults bowed their heads slightly when greeting him.
A mural appeared overnight near the complex.
It showed a boy with white hair standing over a football pitch, the city behind him.
Spray-painted words beneath:
> "NOSSO FUTURO."
(Our future.)
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ÁRMAN HIMSELF
And through all of this?
Árman stayed unchanged.
He didn't read comments.
He didn't watch edits.
He didn't care about offers.
At training, he arrived first.
He warmed up quietly.
When teammates asked:
> "Does it feel crazy?"
He smiled, gentle as always.
> "I just like football."
That answer unsettled adults more than arrogance ever could.
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LEONARDO'S MEETING
Leonardo Azevedo sat in a private room with São Paulo's directors.
Folders lay on the table.
Offers stacked like weapons.
He listened.
Then spoke calmly:
> "He's thirteen."
Silence.
> "You don't buy him.
You wait for him to choose."
No one argued.
Because everyone knew—
This wasn't a boy to be owned.
This was a force to be negotiated with.
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THE WORLD'S VERDICT
By the end of July 2023, the football world agreed on one thing:
Árman Azevedo wasn't just the best talent of his age.
He was the most terrifying thing football had seen in decades.
Too skilled.
Too complete.
Too early.
And he hadn't even stepped into professional football yet.
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ENDING
Every club wanted him.
Every fan adored him.
Every rival feared him.
But Árman?
He went home.
Did his homework.
And slept peacefully.
Because monsters don't rush.
They wait.