[Football] Green and Black, Molten Fire

At a young age, he's arranged by his father to join a Bundesliga club as a nepotism hire. He's signed to a twenty-year contract with a one-billion-euro release clause, but he's struggling to adapt and plays terribly in every training match. What does he do when he gets his first start of the season and is called upon in a crisis to play against Bayern, the Southern Kings?

Mikhail: Do I look like I volunteered?

They kicked him around like a ball, but he was good enough to power through with three defenders hanging off him and score twice, successfully holding on to his starting spot.

The media: Holy crap, he's only seventeen and already this good! Did Gladbach just hit the jackpot with another young Russian star?

Just as the media were rubbing their hands together, ready to celebrate the rise of the Russian wonderkid, Mikhail followed up with the glorious feat of squandering eighteen chances in three matches, turning their articles into a joke.

Then, just as the media were blasting him as a Siberian flop, he shut them all up with a few perfect solo runs and goals, plus a stunning goal from midfield.

The media, exhausted: You're incredible, you're above it all, you're a complete wild card.

Weak acid is still acid, weak alkali is still alkali, an idiot is still intelligent, and a wild card is still a card. No need to lose sleep over it.

His coach watched him play from the sidelines, clutching his head in anguish as his heart nearly stopped. Fortunately, the Russian wonderkid wasn't always so erratic. Once he could reliably convert the chances fed to him by the midfield maestro, Mikhail won the Bundesliga Golden Boot. He was just about to reach the peak of his career...

When the veteran midfielder he'd fallen for at first sight suddenly announced he was transferring.

Mikhail: ?

After the veteran rejected his pleas to stay and left without looking back for the place he'd dreamed of since childhood, Mikhail felt those familiar growing pains again. This time, though, it wasn't his knees that hurt.

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1. The protagonist is Russian, and plays for Russia's national team and Borussia Monchengladbach. He doesn't transfer. Let's have a little football fairy tale.

2. The pairing is De Bruyne. It's not a typical angsty coming-of-age story, and Kevin is a kind of unattainable first love.

3. A 60/40 balance between career and romance, with a light everyday feel and plenty of dark jokes. Some out-of-character moments are unavoidable.

4. The timeline runs from 2010 to 2018, ending with Russia winning the World Cup. There's only one champion and one trophy, so let's all pay our respects first.

Theme: Hard work always pays off.