The Leeds Lesson

Date: Saturday, August 24, 2027

Location: Emirates Stadium, North London

It was matchday again.

For most players, matchdays came with a sense of routine — a checklist. Warm-up. Nutrition. Tactical notes. Focus.

For Tobi Oliveira, every matchday still felt like a final.

The stadium glowed against the late summer sky, red and white banners fluttering in the breeze as fans flooded through the gates. They chanted names, waved flags, and called for magic.

Tobi's name was already on the back of hundreds of shirts.

"Number 21," one kid screamed. "Oliveiraaa!"

But inside the tunnel, Tobi's stomach churned.

The opponents today — Leeds United — had come with a purpose. Fast, direct, ruthless on the counter. No respect for reputation.

And from the way Mikel Arteta talked in the pre-match team talk, he knew Leeds could smell blood.