From Practice to Pitch: The Ultimate Test
The next day, Arghana arrived early at the training ground.
His enthusiasm was burning brighter after watching Cristiano Ronaldo's footage the night before.
Today, he wanted to try it himself—to test how far his body could follow the movements of the megastar.
With the ball at his feet, he started experimenting.
A quick step-over—failed, too stiff, the ball ended up touching an imaginary opponent he was supposed to bypass.
A cut inside at high speed—his control was messy, the ball slipped away before he could shoot.
A hard shot from outside the box—it soared high, almost leaving the training area.
Arghana stopped, wiping his sweat-soaked face.
His jaw clenched, then he sighed deeply. It's not as easy as it looks...
On the sideline, some of his teammates began to notice.
Their gazes were mixed—between confusion and amusement.
"Bro, is he really trying to be Ronaldo?" one player chuckled.
"Scored a few goals and now he's got the star syndrome?" another added, laughing lightly.
One of the assistant coaches sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "His effort is tremendous, but if he gets too caught up in copying others, he could lose his own identity."
Arghana stood still for a moment.
Those comments didn't reach his ears, but inside, he began to realize—imitating Cristiano Ronaldo was not a shortcut to success.
It wasn't about becoming Ronaldo. It wasn't about becoming anyone.
He had to find his own way to grow.
===
At the end of the Eerste Divisie season, the battle for promotion to Eredivisie reached its climax.
There was only one automatic promotion spot, while the other teams had to fight through the grueling playoffs.
Go Ahead Eagles were now on the verge of a life-and-death match—the final game against league leaders, FC Volendam.
However, their fate didn't depend on winning alone, but also on the results of other teams.
If FC Volendam won, they would be promoted!
No more calculations, no more hopes for the competitors.
With a win, they would lock up the Eerste Divisie title and secure their spot in Eredivisie without further challenges.
If Go Ahead Eagles won, they would still have to wait for MVV's result.
A victory over Volendam would shake up the top of the standings and open up a chance for Go Ahead Eagles to move into the upper bracket.
But there was one major hurdle: if MVV also won their match, Go Ahead Eagles would still be in the lower bracket and have to go through the lengthy playoff route!
A cruel fate, as even a victory over the league leaders would not guarantee promotion.
If Go Ahead Eagles won and SC Cambuur also won their match, a big surprise would happen!
In another dramatic scenario, if Go Ahead Eagles managed to defeat Volendam while SC Cambuur won their match, it would be SC Cambuur that became the champions and secured the automatic promotion spot!
Volendam, which had previously been comfortable at the top, would suddenly lose everything in just 90 minutes of pressure!
With all these possibilities, the match against Volendam was not just an ordinary game for Go Ahead Eagles.
They weren't just fighting for three points, but to open the path to Eredivisie, even though uncertainty still loomed.
===
The Go Ahead Eagles coaching staff was still observing Arghana's performance.
It couldn't be denied that Arghana wasn't lacking in work ethic compared to his teammates, but the concern was his technical performance, which was still so weak that it left people speechless!
Although Arghana had trained like Ronaldo and failed, the coaching staff and his teammates still had an excessive level of confidence in him due to his goal-scoring performances in previous matches.
No need to evaluate his strengths objectively anymore.
This hard-working striker from Indonesia surely would find a chance in the match.
It seemed that Arghana already had a "goal-scoring aura" in his mind.
Arghana, who was focused on team training and preparation, couldn't wait for the next match.
However, by midweek in the Eerste Divisie, Arghana paid more attention to his rest, hoping to have enough stamina for the match.
But after training with the team, Arghana felt that today's session didn't increase his focus like before, let alone bring him closer to that feeling of the moment.
So, after training, he ate at the club's restaurant and went back to his apartment early to rest.
However, what he didn't expect was that for three days in a row, strangers kept bothering him.
A few middle-aged men in suits handed him business cards and recommended themselves as Arghana's agents.
They already knew about Arghana's contract with Go Ahead Eagles—that he could cancel the contract at any time and leave without penalty—and the fact that he didn't have an agent.
Arghana repeatedly opened the door with patience, politely accepting the business cards before turning down each person who came.
He was eager to sign a professional contract with a club and get a salary to support himself, but he also knew he didn't have time to understand the background of the agents approaching him.
After living independently for almost 1.5 years, he had always been highly cautious, and now he had to dedicate all his energy and time to training and club matches!
If, in the end, he could earn a living from football, it was only a matter of time. No need to rush to find an agent and hand over his future to someone else.
Go Ahead Eagles would face FC Volendam on Sunday night.
Go Ahead Eagles would play a crucial match on Sunday night in the final Eerste Divisie match at De Adelaarshorst, a match that could determine the fate of both teams in the Eerste Divisie.
FC Volendam sat atop the standings and only needed one more win to secure the title and automatic promotion to Eredivisie.
A win would secure their top position without needing to watch other results.
However, if they lost, the situation could change drastically.
On the other hand, Go Ahead Eagles came in with great ambition, but they needed more than just a win—they needed a miracle.
If they managed to defeat Volendam, their hopes of moving to the upper bracket would still depend on MVV's result.
It would be impossible for Go Ahead Eagles to play openly against FC Volendam, even though they were playing at home, so Eric Ten Hag applied a defensive counter-attack strategy.
Arghana was once again a starter.
In reality, he knew well—his time to prove himself was running out.
With a few of the team's main strikers suspended, this was his golden opportunity to secure a place as a starter.
But FC Volendam came without fear.
Despite being the away team, they played aggressively and disciplined, marking Arghana as their main threat.
As soon as Go Ahead Eagles launched a counter-attack, his movements were immediately locked down tight.
Two matches in one week were starting to take a toll on his body.
His breath wasn't gone yet, but he could feel his steps were heavier.
He couldn't run as intensely as last week, but his team still managed to create plenty of counter-attacking chances.
His teammates tried to rely on him, sending the ball his way.
But the first 30 minutes proved that those expectations were too much.
Leon Tol and Gerry Koning—Volendam's wing-back and center-back—frustrated him.
Time and time again they intercepted his dribbles, closed his movement, pressed him with the calmness of veterans.
Even before the ball reached his feet, they were already there, anticipating his every move.
On the sideline, Volendam's assistant coach glanced at Hans de Koning, the head coach.
"We didn't hear wrong, did we? This player scored four goals in three matches?"
De Koning merely crossed his arms.
"Scoring one or two goals might be a fluke.
But if you want to score every week, that's a different story."
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Arghana began to feel something strange.
Volendam pressed high, opening up many gaps in the backline.
Go Ahead Eagles had so many counter-attacking options—but the ball kept coming to him.
Even when he received the ball in the middle of the pitch, the distance to the goal was still far.
Why did they keep passing me the ball in such difficult positions?
Do you think I'm Ribery? Robben? Ronaldo? Messi?
Three weeks ago, you guys ignored me!
Why now are you suddenly treating me like a world-class winger?
Arghana wanted to shout, but he could only clench his fists.
Go Ahead Eagles players started to hesitate.
But this time, no one blamed him.
Everyone knew—without Arghana's four goals in the last three games, they wouldn't be in this position.
The team started to adjust their strategy.
The next attack, the ball was no longer forced to him.
Go Ahead Eagles built the attack from the right side.
Marnix Kolder controlled the ball in the middle and passed it to Quincy Promes, who immediately broke into Volendam's backline.
The opposing defenders were still focused on Arghana—and that was a fatal mistake.
Quincy sent a cross into the penalty box in an inverted triangle pattern.
From the second line, Deniz Türüç appeared unmarked.
With one touch, he took a powerful shot!
The ball flew sharply into the corner of the goal!
GOOOOOOL!!!
Go Ahead Eagles led at De Adelaarshorst!
On the sideline, Eric Ten Hag clapped in satisfaction.
"Yes!
Go Ahead Eagles can't rely on Arghana alone.
In a counter-attacking setup like this, midfielders from the second line can become even more dangerous!"
On Volendam's bench, Hans de Koning sighed.
"So… the Indonesian striker isn't the main threat?"
"35 minutes in, and his performance is no better than our substitute players."
"Did we misgather information?"
Or... is this part of Go Ahead Eagles' strategy?
If Arghana didn't score those goals, then this was one hell of a deception.