Chapter 59: The Reaction
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Before Tristan could even count how many rewards the FA Cup had brought him, Mahrez grabbed his neck with a smile and said, "Tristan, let's take a selfie!"
"No problem!" Tristan grinned, ready for the photo op.
As soon as the two finished posing with the shiny trophy, Vardy, holding a bottle of champagne, suddenly sprayed it all over them.
Laughing, Tristan reached up to wipe the champagne off his face. The two teammates worked together to grab Vardy from both sides, but Vardy, ever the prankster, begged for mercy as they doused him in more champagne, causing him to struggle until they finally released him.
After all the fun and games, the "The Three Musketeers" posed for one last memorable photo in front of the team reporter's camera.
Tristan then went around taking pictures with his coach and teammates. After collecting nine photos, he uploaded them all to his social media account with the caption:
"Perfect season!"
For Leicester City and Tristan, this season was nothing short of perfect.
As the team's core player, he helped Leicester City win both the Championship and the FA Cup, and he shattered several team records along the way. In terms of personal honors, Tristan had a list of achievements:
Championship assists leader
Championship double best
Championship season best team
FA Cup best playerFA Cup best team
FA Cup assists leader and top goal scorer
While the Golden Boot went to Vardy, Tristan had almost every individual award he could win.
It was even more notable that the number of championships he'd claimed in just half a season surpassed the total of Harry Kane's entire career!
The next day, Leicester City organized a grand championship parade. For a club that had waited 130 years for its first FA Cup, this was a monumental event.
The parade route started from King Power Stadium, circled around Leicester's main streets, and returned to the stadium. As the dark blue championship bus rolled out of the stadium, Tristan noticed the crowd had already lined the streets, cheering and waving Leicester City flags. The mood was electric.
He couldn't believe his eyes—there were people hanging out of windows on the second and third floors of buildings, all singing Leicester's praises. For the people of Leicester, winning the FA Cup for the first time in their club's history felt like a historic moment.
On the bus, first-team players wore special championship T-shirts and waved flags in celebration. Captain Wes Morgan and vice-captain Andy King proudly held the trophies, displaying them for the ecstatic fans. The players kept waving at the crowd, and Tristan, overwhelmed by the energy of the parade, found himself staring in awe at the sea of excited fans.
He never expected a city to come alive like this.
Football is truly magical.
In honor of Leicester's first-ever FA Cup title, the city council had approved the parade, with traffic police helping maintain order. As the bus made its way around the city, the championship bus finally reached the makeshift stage outside King Power Stadium, where tens of thousands of Foxes fans gathered. Led by Vardy, they all sang the Leicester City team song in unison.
Under blue ribbons fluttering in the air, loud cheers and singing echoed across the entire city, creating a powerful sense of unity between the club and its supporters.
The parade continued for three hours, and though the event finally ended, it was clear that this almost perfect season would be etched into the memories of everyone in Leicester for a long time.
As Tristan basked in the glory of his achievements, the media couldn't help but highlight his extraordinary performance in the FA Cup Final against Arsenal.
With two assists and a crucial last-minute goal that sealed the win, he had delivered a perfect 10 out of 10 performance in the most important match of the season.
Gary Neville on Sky Sports couldn't hold back his praise:
"Tristan Hale, the 18-year-old wonderkid from Leicester, has just delivered one of the most sensational performances we've seen in an FA Cup final in recent memory. Nine goals, six assists in the tournament—the most ever in FA Cup history.
It's been a breakthrough season, and today he's capped it off with a perfect performance—a goal and two assists, including that dramatic winner in the final moments of the game against Arsenal. It's an incredible story, and he's making a strong case for a spot on the plane to Brazil with performances like that. At just 18, he's already reaching heights that most players can only dream of."
Jamie Redknapp chimed in, his voice excited as always:
"You've got to say, this kid's something special. He's got pace, vision, creativity—everything you want in a modern-day midfielder. And that finish, the composure in the final minutes... to do that against Arsenal, in a final? Absolutely world-class!"
The commentators continued, highlighting Tristan's impact on the game and his contribution to Leicester City's remarkable double-title season. His FA Cup stats—record-breaking in goals and assists—had made him a household name, and his stock continued to rise as one of England's brightest young talents. His perfect 10-rated performance only solidified his place as one of the best young players England right now, despite not playing in the Premier League yet.
Tristan had truly cemented his legacy in Leicester's storied history, and the football world was taking notice.
The first FA Cup in 130 years.
The first Championship team to win the FA Cup.
The first Championship team to reach European competition.
The UK's major newspapers were all covering Leicester City's fairy tale season. The Guardian, The Times, and other outlets focused their coverage on the club's incredible achievements. They dissected every angle—from the club's management model and tactics under Nigel Pearson to the players' contributions.
Among the headlines was one from The Telegraph, which credited Tristan with a massive part in Leicester's success. The article stated that, since joining the first team, 80% of Leicester's goals had been tied to Tristan—whether directly through goals or assists or indirectly through creating plays that led to goals.
This level of impact helped solidify Leicester City's double title achievement.
In addition to the praise, The Telegraph conducted a poll asking readers if Tristan should be included in England's 23-man World Cup squad, and the results were overwhelming—over 90% of readers voted yes.
A few days later, on May 22nd, at 8:00 PM, the English Football Association made their official World Cup squad announcement.
Among the players named was none other than Tristan, alongside Vardy. The Foxes' dynamic duo had made the cut for the 2014 World Cup.
Watching the announcement with his parents at home, Tristan couldn't believe his eyes. When he saw his name on the list, he had just one thought: "Oh fuck me."
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Chapter is way shorter than normal, but if I remember correctly, I was having finals when I was writing and editing those chapters. So just bear with me for, like, the next few chapters.