Quadri

The Last Penalty The Bernabéu was a cauldron of noise… until the referee pointed to the spot. 90,000 voices fell silent. This was my final match. My final penalty. And the taker walking up? He didn’t know what I did. But I remembered everything. My name is Andrés Morales. 38 years old. Real Madrid legend in the making… until tonight. The kid taking the penalty? Lucas Vega. We came up together in La Fábrica at 13. Best friends. Until that one night changed us forever. Back then, the academy coach told us only one of us would get promoted to the first team. We made a pact: whoever made it would look after the other. But on the night before the youth final, I found Lucas talking to a rival scout… offering to throw the game for money. I confronted him. We fought. I threatened to expose him. He looked me dead in the eyes and said: “If you ruin my dream, I’ll ruin yours.” The next day, I played the match of my life. He got dropped. I got promoted. He never forgave me. Fifteen years later, here we are. Champions League final. 1-1. Last minute. I’m retiring after this match. One last save and I lift the trophy as a hero. But Lucas… he’s their star striker now. And he’s staring at me like that night never ended.