Morning light crept into the apartment earlier than usual. Jonas woke up before his alarm. The quiet hum of the city outside mixed with the sound of Linas soft breathing from her room. He lay there for a minutes letting the reality settle again. Two days of training had already shown him how sharper his mind felt in this young body. The improvements. Better scanning, crisper weight on passes. Were real, not just memories.
He got up quietly. Headed to the kitchen. Today was Saturday. Pre-season didn't pause for weekends. A light recovery session was scheduled for the morning followed by an afternoon meeting. Coach Lehmann had mentioned a match coming up mid-week against a local Oberliga side. Nothing glamorous but Jonas knew every minute on the pitch counted now.
Anna was already preparing breakfast humming a song as she sliced apples. "You're up with the birds again " she said, glancing over with a smile. "Lina will be thrilled you're home this weekend."
Jonas helped set the table placing Linas colorful plate at her spot. "I promised her garden time today. Maybe we can all do something together later. A walk in the park or ice cream if Papas not too tired."
Thomas walked in rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Ice cream sounds good. Work was brutal yesterday. I'm off tomorrow. How's the leg feeling, son? No niggles after those sessions?"
"Feeling strong " Jonas replied honestly. In his life he would have ignored minor tightness until it became an injury. Now he was foam rolling at night proper hydration and mindful of load management. "Coach is happy with how I'm moving."
Lina burst into the kitchen like a tornado, her pajamas twisted and hair wild. "Jonas! You didn't wake me up for cuddles!" She climbed onto his lap at the table wrapping her arms around his neck. "Tell me about training. Did you do fast runs? Can we play lions and football today? My lion wants to be the goalkeeper."
Jonas laughed, hugging her close. She smelled like strawberry shampoo and innocence. "Super fast runs? Not yet. Mostly. Thinking games.. Yes, lions and football after breakfast.. First you eat your apple slices like a champion."
Breakfast unfolded slowly. Lina chattered about a dream where she scored a goal against a dragon Thomas read snippets from the sports section of the newspaper and Anna reminded everyone about the grocery list. Jonas contributed quietly asking Lina about her drawing and promising to help color it later. These moments grounded him. Football was the vehicle. This. Family at the table no rushing out the door with barely a goodbye. Was the destination he had missed entirely in his first life.
After helping dishes Jonas changed into light training clothes and headed out with his father for the short drive. The youth center was quieter on Saturday the committed players showing up for the optional recovery-focused session.
Coach Lehmann greeted them with a nod. "Keller, good to see the dedication. Today is mobility, some passing triangles. Then we'll review video from yesterdays small-sided games. I want everyone fresh for the friendly on Wednesday."
The session started with dynamic mobility work: hip openers, lunges with twists and ankle mobility drills on the grass. Jonas moved deliberately focusing on areas that had betrayed him before. Hip flexors from years of uneven loading. He paired with Tim Hartmann for the passing triangles.
The drill was German youth coaching: three players in a triangle one-touch or two-touch passes with constant movement and verbal calls. "Man on!" "Switch!" They varied it. Adding receptions, quick turns and progressions where one player had to dribble out under pressure.
Jonas excelled without trying to dominate. He received on the turn played weighted passes that allowed Tim to run onto them comfortably and offered support angles that opened space. His experience let him read the cues: a defenders body lean, the weight of an incoming pass.
During a break Felix jogged over wiping sweat. "You're making the rest of us look slow Keller. What's your secret? New boots?"
"Just paying attention more " Jonas said with a shrug. "Watch how the ball comes. If its spinning a way you know the next touch needs to be softer."
Coach Lehmann observed closely during the video review in the classroom. Clips from the days 7v7 played on the screen. Jonass diagonal switch appeared twice.
"See that?" Lehmann pointed with his pen. "Keller scans early drops the shoulder. Plays the ball into the space behind their press. That's elite-level anticipation for this age group. Everyone. Copy that habit."
Jonas felt a satisfaction but kept his expression neutral. He couldn't afford to stand out dramatically yet. Scouts visited these sessions occasionally. Sudden leaps raised suspicions of supplements or worse. Steady believable progress was the plan.
After the session Jonas stayed for an individual technical block on the artificial pitch. He worked on first-touch control under pressure: receiving aerial balls with chest or thigh then quick turns and short passes against a rebounder wall. He remembered how poor first touches had cost him possession in midfield battles during his twenties. Small margins.
By the time he returned home mid-afternoon the apartment smelled of baking. Anna had made Apfelkuchen and Lina was waiting impatiently by the door with her stuffed lion and a small football.
"Garden time!" she declared, grabbing his hand. "Lion is ready to save all your shots!"
They spent an hour outside. Jonas set up the water bottle goals again. This time he focused on fun fundamentals for Lina. Gentle volleys, stopping the ball with the inside of the foot and silly celebrations when she succeeded. She squealed with delight every time the ball rolled past a bottle.
"You're getting kicks, kleine Maus " he praised, kneeling to high-five her. "Soon you'll be bending them like the pros."
Lina puffed out her chest. "Because you teach me best! When you're famous I'll tell everyone my brother showed me."
The words hit Jonas with emotion. In his life he had chased "famous" and ended up with nothing but regrets and missed birthdays. He pulled her into a hug. "Famous or not I'll always be here for you. Promise. Now one more shot before we go help Mama with the cake."
Later the family gathered for coffee and cake in the living room. Thomas flipped through channels. Landed on Bundesliga highlights from the previous season. A clip showed a central midfielder dictating play with calm distribution.
"Looks smooth " Thomas commented. "You've got that kind of vision on days, Jonas. Keep working one day…"
Jonas nodded, but inside he reflected deeply. He knew the names rising now in 2025. Players like Assan Ouédraogo at RB Leipzig, Hugo Larsson at Eintracht Frankfurt or emerging talents in the U19 setup. He wouldn't try to copy their flash. His edge was experience: understanding when to hold possession when to release and how to protect the team shape when tired.
That evening after Lina was tucked in Jonas sat with his parents. Anna knitted while Thomas relaxed with a beer.
"You've been different since the start of pre-season " Anna said gently. " Helpful around the house more time with Lina. Is everything alright at the club? No bad news from the coach?"
Jonas chose his words carefully. "Everything's good. Better than before. I just... Realized I don't want to look and wish I'd spent more time with you all. Football is important. So is this." He gestured around the living room. "Helping with groceries playing with Lina, family dinners. I let it slip much last season."
Thomas set his beer down eyes. "We've always been proud, son. Even when things didn't go perfectly. Moneys tight sometimes with the training costs. We manage. Just don't burn yourself out."
"I won't " Jonas assured them. "I'm smarter about recovery now. Eating better sleeping more. It'll pay off."
The conversation drifted to topics. Linas upcoming school play, Thomass funny coworker stories, Annas hospital gossip. Jonas. Laughed, feeling the warmth of a second chance. He knew challenges lay ahead: opponents in the U19 DFB-Nachwuchsliga potential interest from bigger academies, injuries that could still happen if he wasn't careful.. With family as his anchor he felt steadier.
Before bed Jonas reviewed some notes in his room. The friendly, on Wednesday would be his real test. Not a full 90 minutes probably, but enough to show consistent performance. He visualized scenarios: breaking presses, supporting backs arriving late into the box for surprise shots. No heroics. Solid, veteran-level decision-making disguised as natural talent.
He glanced at the Schweinsteiger poster one time.
Step by step. Train hard love harder and let the results build naturally.
Tomorrow was another day to rest and get better. I spent the morning with my family, which was really nice. Then I did some preparation. The foundations of what I'm doing were getting stronger and stronger. The foundations were really. That felt good.