Greatest Of All Legends

528  The Stuff of Legend III

"So you are saying your performance today just happened?" the reporter asked, his voice not concealing his surprise.

"Wasn't there an excellent feeling, or did you have a different vibe before getting on the pitch or something?" he further asked.

"Not really. I just got on the pitch like I normally would and played as best as I could, making sure to take the chances that came and create the ones that didn't come," Jason replied, tilting his head a bit as he thought back to the game.

"Oh wow, that's an interesting frame of mind." the reporter nodded and moved to the next question.

"Moving on, It's clear that you did not give up on the game even after the opponents equalized in the dying minutes of the game, but how did it feel when you watched the lead your team had painfully strived to build be eaten away by the opposition?" the reporter asked Jason.

"Ah, well, about that, it shouldn't have happened in my opinion." Jason began.

"I'm not saying it's impossible for Hellas Verona to play us to a draw, but how it happened was a bit distasteful. Their first goal is not something I can complain about, but they really shouldn't have gotten that penalty,"

"After all, that guy ran into me and not me into him. I had given up on the ball as it was impossible to get to, but that guy hadn't, and he jumped on me while trying to miss a header even Christiano wouldn't reach. All of a sudden, it's a penalty?"

"Frankly, I'm disappointed with the refereeing of that whole situation. As if that wasn't enough, even after Woljie saved the penalty the first time, the referee had the penalty taken again,"

"I know it wasn't against the rules, but their player stepped into the penalty box before the ball was kicked, not us."

"They were at fault, but they were the ones who got the benefit of having to retake their penalty, which literally makes no sense,"

"To be honest, I think that refereeing was a disgrace, but since we didn't end up losing, I guess it doesn't matter too much," Jason stopped his criticism of the referee there and didn't say more than that.

Saying anymore would be too much, and he had already made his feelings about the refereeing of the game clear enough, so he believed that the referee should be checked for his mistakes at the very least.

"Would you say the extreme emotions you felt after the equalizer from the opponents pushed you to take on them to score that beauty you did personally?" the reporter asked, skillfully avoiding talking about the referee as that was not a rabbit hole he wanted to put his hand into just yet.

"I can't say it didn't. I initially planned to go as far as I could before sending the ball to a teammate, but somehow, I ended up at the forefront and had no one to pass to, so I kinda just kept going."

"Somehow, I made it past everyone and was able to score,"

"Thank God I did, though. I wouldn't have been able to live it down if I missed after all that," Jason laughed, internally cringing as he considered the possibility of missing the goal at the last minute.

"Thank God you did then," the reporter laughed with Jason.

"Thank God I did," Jason raised his hands in surrender and laughed even more.

"It really was a beautiful goal. It is a kind of goal that is usually hard to see very often. It reminds me of some of Messi's similar goals, though you used a few more complicated skills to get past your opponents, unlike just dashing past them. Do you think this goal has the potential to win a Puskas award at the end of the year Balon d'Or ceremony?" the reporter asked Jason.

"Well, the end of the year is still quite far away, so I can't give any opinions on that matter. Don't want to eat my own words," Jason laughed.

"Come on. We know that there is a good chance that you could win it. Though, speaking of awards, do you think you could lay claims to any other award by the end of the season or the end of the calendar year?" the reporter asked, clearly interested in hearing Jason's opinion about the awards he hoped to receive, but unfortunately for him, Jason was the wrong target for such questions.

Jason was someone who loved football and was happy just being on the pitch and winning games and trophies.

He, more than anyone, knew that awards that weren't based on stats were mere redundancies, as they didn't change one's status as a top player.

They were nice to have, but if he didn't have them in his cupboard, he wouldn't mind.

Only awards like top scorer, assist leader, MVP, and trophies truly mattered to him as they were things he had gotten with his own strength, not because some reporters felt he was more likeable as a person and more deserving. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Like I said, the end of the year is still a long way from now. I'm more focused on the present,"

"Winning the next game is all that matters to me right now and is what will continue to matter to me, awards wouldn't change that,"

"They would be nice to have, that's for sure. After all, who wouldn't want a few more physical representation of their achievements?" Jason said.

"Nobody," the reporter answered.

"Right. Nobody. I wouldn't mind getting a few awards, but if I don't then I'll just keep playing football and enjoying myself on the pitch," Jason spoke, nodding to himself.

"Hmmmm. That will be all, thank you for your time, and I hope you can keep playing good football for all the fans to watch," the reporter nodded and said to Jason with a smile, dismissing him.

"Thank you for having me," Jason nodded with a smile, shook the reporter's hand, and walked off, heading to his team's locker room.

With that section of the show over, the screen went back to showing the guys in the studio.

"And there we have it folks, the thoughts of today's man of the match, Jason Bolu,"

"Let's look at the highlights of the match. We will be back," the show host spoke into the camera and the screen changed once again.