Champion

In his world where money was almost nonexistent, respect was the currency. In this world, thirteen year old Raj was a millionaire. When he walked, the other kids of the street would move away. They knew who he was. He had earned this respect slowly, staying up all night to watch the FIFA world cup matches on the huge projector the villagers would set up, reading all the newspaper articles and of course, practice. Give him a ball and he could give you a headache. He acted as if it was a part of his body. When the other boys split into teams, they prayed that Raj won't come. Because if he did, he was a one-man army. Of course, only his best friend Ajin and the other would support him in football. His mother and father strongly disagreed. According to them, they were a lucky family. They had a single child, that too a boy. They did not intend to waste him to stupid things like football

It was a bright summer day. Raj dribbled the ball through the field, overtaking his many friends. He saw a clear shot. He took it. BAM!!! A clear shot in to the post. The opposing team let out a collective groan. They were about to lose fantastically, again. After defeating the others humiliatingly, he went to "SPORTS FOR 6", his favorite sports store. He knew the shopkeeper very well. He went in and looked at the new balls, boots and jerseys. Of course, he couldn't afford anything, but he liked to look around. Today however, something caught his eye. A poster. As he read it, his eyes widened. He read it again. He plucked the poster and ran. Back all the way.

"AJIN!!!", he screamed. Ajin came out frowning. He was disturbed during his afternoon nap. "What ?" Ajin snapped. Without a word, Raj unfurled the poster." Football selections, U-16 at Newward ground" Ajin read. He raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, so ?" he asked. "SO ?, this is my chance. If I win this, I can go to SAI" replied Raj enthusiastically.

The day of selection was upon them. Raj got up quite early and put on his best clothes. By seven, he was waiting in line to sign-in. He had fought with his father to be here. He could not waste this opportunity. He looked around. Newward was a big ground for him. When it was his turn, he came forward and submitted his form. The man at the counter looked at him and laughed. "Where are your boots and jersey ?" he asked. Raj was surprised." I don't have any" he confessed. That resulted in peals of laughter from everyone present. Wants to take part in a selection without boots, it seems! Raj asked the man " can I have one of them ?", pointing to the colorful boots on the stack." I'll pay you too" he said as he dug through his pockets. His search gave about 50 rupees. More laughter. Thoroughly embarrassed, he ran back.

Ajin couldn't understand why Raj was running back, his eyes wet. At Raj's house, he found Raj laying on the bed, crying his eyes out. When Ajin asked, Raj told everything expecting Ajin to comfort him. Instead, Ajin walked out without a word. Raj lost it. He began to sob uncontrollably. His father was right. Football was not meant for him. At around ten minutes to eight, he heard a knock. At the door, he found Ajin and all his other friends. Without a word, Ajin dragged Raj ti Sports for 6.

He pushed Raj inside the shop and ordered " choose a pair of boots and jerseys. We -" he pointed to his friends " will pay for it". Raj stood there motionless for a second. Then, with pride in his eyes, he went and selected the pair of boots which he always wanted for years and a jersey. The boys turned towards the shopkeeper and asked " how much ?". "Five hundred", came the shopkeepers timid reply.

The man at the counter raised his eyebrow. It wasn't every day when you saw a dozen boys walking towards him, seemingly led by a boy. The boy who came earlier without boots. Now, however, he was fully dressed. He slapped the registration form on the table, the same one which was earlier dismissed. The man took the form with a smile on his face. This boy is gonna play football apparently, somebody teaches him what a ball is, he thought. He was so wrong.

The other kids who came for selection stood in awe. The very same boy who they had earlier ridiculed has come back. And he was good. His friends stood in the sidelines with a knowing smile on their faces. They had seen this so many times. The other boys were flattened like an ant under a rock. By the time they recovered from the shock of being absolutely schooled, Raj had already scored. Everyone except his friend were in a trance. Trying to spot the ball. They most usually found it in the goalpost.

A few days after, Raj was running towards the ground where his friends were seated. He had a letter in his hand. He reached the ground and gave the letter to Ajin. " Dad agreed," he said panting. " For what ?" asked Ajin, though he already knew the answer. Raj smiled and pointed to the letter. Ajin read it out aloud " Mr. Raj Malhotra, we are very happy to tell you that you have accepted to the SAI institute for sports.

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"It's about to begin, the Asia cup match between Bangladesh and India," said the commentator." The men in blue have been doing very well, carried by their captain- and oh! here they come. Team India led by their captain RAJ MALHOTRA!!!."