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**Daleks**

CPT 8

As Voda stands at the peak of the mountain, a surge of memories pass by.

He had no idea what was ahead of him when he first got the news that he was going to join the SSL academy. His stint in Istanbul was short, but it gave a view on the future of what the SSL would be. The golden generation of S20 has changed the landscape forever, and Voda was one of the leading figures behind it.

He did not expect to be drafted 1st overall, he did not expect this journey that he ended up partaking in the newly formed organisation of Shanghai Dragons/Rapid Magyar SC. However, this opportunity was not one that Voda would pass up on. What followed has been several wonderful seasons full of memories, joy, and of course the occassional tears as well.

What he ended up finding was true purpose. A team full of camaraderie the likes SSL and even other sport league giants have never witnessed. A team willing to sacrifice everything for eachother, and to be there for eachother when it truly mattered.

Voda is not a player padded with awards or statistics, but he is a star in his own right. Shanghai and Magyar are not teams that have reinvented the league or had an era of their own as of yet, but the foundations laid by its first generation of players is a legacy that will be remembered forever, no matter how much success both teams will see in their future. And Voda truly believes in said future. A team whose motivations and culture is unwavering. Spirit, which will bring them success and joy no matter the circumstance.

Humility is one of the greatest virtues one can strive for. Inside all of us is a person that strives to be the best they can be, even when things look grim. A person who knows that no matter what the future holds, they will one day be able to look back and feel proud of how far they've come.

Voda's career is far from over, but the peak of the mountain is one very few get the chance to enjoy.

As he looks beyond the horizon, he has just one final thing to say:

'Remember to hydrate!'

Approved

**DivogoJota**

CPT 8

The quiet hush of the wind serenades Andre Caetano as the breeze surrounds him.

Age waits for no one, and run from it as he mays, Andre is a man just as any other. Flesh and bone was not built to last forever. Andre will return to the earth like all others. The midfielder runs a finger through the dirt, sitting on top of a hill near his hometown, watching the kids play on the field and kick the ball around. He has begun to appreciate these quiet moments more often now. Perhaps that is the true sign that the end is approaching.

Long gone are the days of sugar highs and boundless energy. Everything is purposeful now. Precise. Measured. Practiced.

But Andre, above it all, wants future players to remember the kid within. The reason for playing this game. The heart.

Andre Caetano will play with his heart. The glee that comes with the sport. And if it brings him to the pinnacle of the sport, to the podium -- his smile will be as wide as a kid's in a candy store.

But regardless, Andre Caetano will exit this sport with his head held high and a smile on his face. Enjoy the show.

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**Ghost**

Career PT8 – Nearing the Summit
Word Count: 1564

---

Greetings from an old position. It is I, your grateful and now more certain beat writer for James Asprey. What changed since my last update to make me certain this time around? The answer to that came from my latest conversation with Asprey a few days ago following the conclusion of Season 26 in the SSL.

---

Asprey and I happened to meet in a quiet bar near Port Royal’s training ground purely by coincidence. I often come back to where it all began in Jamaica following each season’s post-draft chaos. There’s something therapeutic about being here and evidently Asprey felt the same. Though, I guess it is less unusual for him to visit here. We all know by now how much he cherishes his former Academy club and the memories he made here – and of course the rum distillery he purchased and continues to invest in.

It was fairly late that night by the time I arrived and Asprey was already there, sat at the bar alone with a rum and ice. He looked so deep in thought that I second guessed whether or not I should greet him but before I could decide, the barman greeted me, catching Asprey’s attention in the process.

“Hey-” Asprey’s voice cracked as he snapped out of his thoughtful trance. “-can I get you a drink?”

I accepted of course but was surprised by how unusually inviting he was. For as long as I’ve known him, Asprey has never automatically assumed you would like to spend time with him and prefers instead for you to make the suggestion to him.

We exchanged the usual pleasantries as I sat at the bar next to him, sipping away at my Asprey’s Distillery branded rum of course. It was obvious to me that Asprey had something heavy weighing on his mind, the telltale signs I’ve picked up on from our past seasons together were all there. Less smiles, eyes that gazed off into a distance that wasn’t there at times, even his body language this time was giving off the signals. By now I had settled back into my old job of beat writing for Asprey, but it was a much older, caring instinct that came to the forefront in me and made me ask;

“So what’s going on with you, James? You look like you have the World on your shoulders.”

My question warranted a slight smirk from Asprey, one of both disbelief and at the same time expectancy.

“I knew it was coming, but I thought you might just have a day off too-” he said, stifling a slight chuckle throughout. “-Alright. I’ll bite.”

Asprey took a deep breath and leaned back on his bar stool a little in preparation.

“I’m retiring-”

I almost spat my drink out in response. “YOU’RE RETIRING?”

“Hold your horses,-” Asprey chuckled, holding his hand out as if I were a feral creature readying an attack. “-I’m retiring in the near future. I have set a date.”

“Oh?” I enquired, still somewhat surprised and or shocked at his choice of wording. The S20 class of players were by now all at their peak. They should be some of the best players in the entire league at present, and they all have many seasons left to go before inevitable retirement. To ‘have a set date’ already suggested this was perhaps different from the norm.

“Yes,-” continued Asprey, taking a sip of his drink after a brief pause. “I’ll be retiring earlier than what I guess is expected of me.”

I choose not to respond, hoping instead that my silence would invite further explanation.

“I’m never going to shake the feeling… no, the understanding, that I’ve wasted much of my career in the SSL. But I have come to accept that this is fine. I learned a heck of a lot about the league and the folk in it. Learned a heck of a lot about myself too,-” Asprey pauses, taking another sip of his drink before continuing. “-Yeah, I think I’m good. I’ve had my fill.”

His gaze drifts off as he finishes the last sentence, he looks troubled still.

“Are you saying you have no motivation to continue? Tenochtitlan should be challenging for a title this coming season, no?”

Asprey’s focus shifts back to the room, his eyes glance over at me.

“I sure hope so! No, I am definitely motivated for the coming couple of seasons. We may have spent the entire season in or near the bottom of the table, but the division was real close. We were only a couple of points away from finishing 2nd on the final day! The team now has a great opportunity to go for the title next season and perhaps the season after, so hopefully we can achieve this together.”

Before Asprey can drift off into deep thought again I chime in, pressing for clarification.

“Then I’m not sure I follow exactly, James?”

He glances back at me again, pressing his lips into a slight smile, silently acknowledging that he knew what I was doing.

“I think within the last few seasons, or at least those before I arrived at Tenochtitlan, deep down I knew an early retirement was looming. Now I have just come to terms with it. The reason I seem to still be conflicted or troubled by the decision is that…”

Asprey trails off again, looking off into the distance as he carefully chooses his next words.

“The manager at CDT. He has been just… wonderful. He signed me from Shanghai despite the risks I come with and behind the scenes has been completely understanding and accepting of anything and everything – and not just with me! But the whole team too, who are also fantastic by the way. Linking up with Elliott and Roger again has been amazing.”

Now looking at me directly, he leans towards me with a look of seriousness in his eyes.

“I took my thoughts about early retirement to him privately and do you know what he did? Instead of trying to talk me out of it, he listened to my reasoning, understood, acknowledged and then accepted.”

“And… this troubles you?” I probe, unsure at this point why Asprey is troubled at all. It all sounded so perfectly reasonable.

“Yes.” Asprey replied bluntly. “I feel like I’m letting him down now. I wish I could feel differently about the SSL. Maybe my particular career path has made it this way for me, I don’t know… but I do know I can’t go the expected distance and I do hope my manager truly understands, even if in doing so he has made this more difficult for me.”

For the next few minutes we sit in silence. Asprey in contemplation while I process everything as best I can. The longer I thought about it the more sense it seemed to make to me – and then it hit me. What will I do after Asprey retires? Do I start all over again following another SSL talent? No. No that didn’t sit right with me. It was in this moment that Asprey’s plans made sense to me, and in turn decided my future too.

“Thank you, Asprey-” I said, breaking the silence. I finished off the last of my drink and stood up from my bar stool, patting Asprey on the shoulder as I passed. “-I completely understand and in turn you’ve helped me understand my situation too. So thank you. It has been a pleasure working around you and briefly with you too. Best of luck to you and CDT for the coming season, and where ever your future takes you.”

Asprey nodded in acknowledgement and smiled slightly. I headed over to the door and looked back over my shoulder at him for what felt like probably the last time. He raised his glass at me in acknowledgement once again and then I left. It felt like in those gestures we spoke a thousand words more than we had and had come to a complete understanding of each other and of our futures.

---

James will go on to do his best for CDT now this coming season, and for however many seasons he intends on sticking around… and me? I’ll continue following him for as long as he chooses to stick around. Once he calls it a day with the SSL, I feel it will be time for me to go too and without complaint. It is his story that tied me to the SSL and once that story is finished, without any interest or other ties to the SSL World, I believe my work here will also be finished.

What legacy are we leaving behind? None, I don’t think. At least none that will be remembered. Asprey has come to terms with having wasted most of his career through wrong choices or other circumstances beyond his control, and all I leave behind are these journals detailing his career. It no longer matters what everyone else thinks, I understand that now. I am content knowing I made a good friend and discovered wonderful places – Jamaica and Port Royal’s training grounds in particular. The legacy is not important, but the memories you make… they are what’s important.

So, it is for the final time that I thank you again for reading.
Your very content, soon to be retired beat writer. Thank you.

Approved!

Jumbo

CPT 8

It has been a long road to get to this point. It has had its ups and downs. But mostly I seems to be just a middle of the road player. I am proud to know that I have stuck through tough rebuild seasons with Schwarzwälder FV. I have tried to lead the team as best as I can both on the pitch and off. I am honored to have worn the Captains band for the team for the past few seasons. I know I wish I could have achieved more in my career up to this point. With only a few accolades to my name, one has to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Yea individual awards are great and important for League recognition but knowing that I stepped up and kept with a team when they possibly needed me the most is what is important. But I still got alot left in the tank and still ready to add to the SFV legacy.

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Malino8444

[CPT 8]

“Legacy, the lasting impact, values, and memories you leave behind in the lives of others, extending far beyond physical or material possessions.”

If you ask Ryan van Eyndhoven what he wants his legacy to be, he’ll give you one word. ‘A Champion’. Which is technically 2 words, but that's besides the point.

Now at the peak of his game, Ryan can once again reflect on his career, and what he has achieved, or rather, what he hasn’t. Because his trophy cabinet is dustier than that of a certain London based club in another universe.

The only real memorable thing he has done (Atleast according to some) is his infamous Panenka for the Benelux. Which he really doesn’t want to be reminded of.

But Ryan isn’t one to give up, even with age catching up to him soon, he still has the ambition to become a champion, and he will do whatever it takes to lift that trophy.

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