"He must not be close to his phone," he muttered as he turned to greet the Gimenez family goodnight and head home when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"How is he, Javi? Were you able to reach him?" Anne's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Not yet, Anne. It seems he's not with his phone. He will call back when he sees it."

"He's going to be alright, hon, okay?"

"But... he looked like he was in so much pain," Javi said, trying to keep himself composed. "He was on the verge of crying."

"I know, dear. I was heartbroken too when I saw it. But I'm sure the medics will administer something to quell the pain. I promise he will be alright. Lukas is a warrior."

"Yeah... You're right... He is a warrior."

A beep sounded from Javi's phone as he was speaking with Anne, and Lukas's number appeared on the screen.

"He's calling me now, Anne. I'll call you back after we talk, okay?"

"Alright, go. Wish him a speedy recovery for me," she responded before ending the call.

"Hello, Lukas. How are you? How's your foot? Does it hurt?"

"Dad... I'm fine. It doesn't hurt as much anymore. The medical staff gave me something for the pain. I also got a numbing spray."

"That's great. So what are they saying about the severity of the injury? Is it serious?"

"There's no definite conclusion yet, but they said it's unlikely to be a fractured bone or a ligament tear. It's likely just an overstretched ligament. But I'll have to undergo some scans tomorrow morning in Frankfurt before they can confirm anything."

"I hope the results come out favorable. Don't overexert yourself, okay? Be careful. I'll see you in Frankfurt tomorrow morning."

"Alright. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, Luke. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad."

* * *

{IT:} "And Roma are in the playoffs! The final whistle couldn't have come at a more perfect time for them. A thrilling game at the Stadio Olimpico. A goal from Angelino and Shomurodov, and in between them, a beautiful goal from Brandt. And the match ends Roma 2, Eintracht Frankfurt 1. Have a good night, everybody." The commentators signed off as AS Roma celebrated the win.

On the pitch, Mario Götze, Mahmoud Dahoud, Nnamdi Collins, and Ansgar Knauff were chatting with their former clubmate Mats Hummels. They had all played for Borussia Dortmund at some point in their careers, with most of them even graduating from the BVB Evonik Fußballakademie, highlighting Borussia Dortmund's ability to produce great players.

Dahoud: "Good game, Mats. You sure you want to stop doing this by the end of this season? The game will miss you..."

Hummels: "Yeah... They say leave the game before the game leaves you. I'm just enjoying my final season now."

Götze: "You've done well, my friend."

Hummels: "Thank you... That Lukas kid, he's the real deal. I watched the game against Dortmund. He looked unplayable that day, and even worse today!" He shook his head with a smile. "I hope he's okay, though."

Knauff: "Yeah, he's incredible, really." He took off his shirt and exchanged it with Hummels's.

Götze: "That tackle from your guy was too dangerous."

Hummels: "You know the game, Mario, there's no hard feelings. He felt it was something he had to do. Please extend my regards to Lukas."

Knauff: "No problem."

Collins: "Nice seeing you again. We've got to go now though. Congratulations on the win."

They all shook hands and exchanged hugs with Hummels before heading down the tunnel and to the dressing room.

In the dressing room, Lukas was sitting on the bench using his phone. He had already showered, and his ankle was wrapped in bandages as he waited for the match to end.

"Yo! Look who's here. Decided to take a break, huh?" Larsson asked as he rubbed Lukas's hair.

"Hugo, get your sweaty hands off me!" Lukas replied, smiling and brushing Larsson's hands off his head.

A few laughs echoed in the dressing room but died down instantly when Toppmöller stepped in.

"Not our best performance today. They wanted it much more than we did; they fought harder... But I am proud of you guys. We made them work for the three points. We made them beg for the final whistle. That is good. Now we have to shake off this loss and prepare for the next game."

He turned to Lukas, who was listening attentively. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better, Coach. It's still throbbing, but the medics said that's normal."

"That's okay. I spoke to them. They will take care of you. After the scans tomorrow, we will know how serious it is. Don't put too much pressure on it."

"Yes, sir. They even gave me a pair of crutches, so I will be able to walk."

"Good." He turned to Larsson, "Help him if it gets too difficult. The rest of you, prepare to head back to the hotel. We fly back home first thing tomorrow morning."

Toppmöller turned and left the players to freshen up as he headed to the press conference room.

"Alright, Mr. Crutches, how can I assist you?" Larsson asked.

"Who needs your assistance? Get your hands off me and go take a shower."

* * *

The next morning, 31st January 2025, at the B-section of the ProfiCamp dedicated to sports facilities, Lukas was in a white hospital robe as he lay on the bed in a spacious room.

His left ankle was wrapped and propped up at a slight angle with a pillow, while Javi and Anne sat to his left with worried expressions.

Lukas: "Dad, Anne, I've told you many times over, I really am fine. I already did the scans. There were no fractures. They're still assessing it, but they said it looks like just an overstretched Anterior Ligament. It's quite common, really."

Javi: "That doesn't matter, Luke. You were in so much pain when it happened. That was heartbreaking to watch."

Anne: "He's right, Luke. Your father was so distraught last night. But still, I am glad it doesn't appear to be very serious."

Lukas: "I promise you, I am fine."

In a room down the hallway, Dr. Fabian Plachel, Eintracht Frankfurt's first-team doctor, was communicating with Toppmöller, Buck, and Marco.

Plachel: "It's a grade 1 sprain. Thankfully, there are no fractures. The knock overstretched his Anterior Talofibular Ligament. We will start rehabilitation in a couple of days. Since he's young, he should heal faster. But just to be safe, he should be out for 2 to 3 weeks."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Dr. Plachel's words. They had been concerned Lukas might have sustained a more serious injury.

Plachel: "Also, I will monitor his psychological state during the rehabilitation period. He will receive sessions from the club's psychologist to determine his overall mental state before he's back on the pitch. Even minor injuries like these can have deeper psychological effects than physical ones."

Toppmöller: "Please do everything that needs to be done. I looked at his files, and he hasn't been injured since joining the club. This is his first. So it might affect him more than it normally would. He's a crucial part of the team, and we need him to be 100% healed."

Plachel: "He will be okay."

Marco just listened and nodded as the conversation went on. He saw how much the club, and especially the coach, cared for his client.

"I am glad Lukas chose to stay here," he thought with a smile as he stood to shake hands with the doctor after the discussion.