His dominant performance away at Leeds United had thrown Leo Hale straight back into the headlines.
Social media, newspapers, magazines.
Everyone was talking about him.
Eighteen years old.
Good-looking.
Ridiculously talented.
He had every label that draws attention and makes you the center of it.
The Championship might be England’s second tier.
But its intensity and quality rank among the top ten leagues in Europe.
Its influence, both in England and across the continent, is not to be underestimated.
So after that match, Leo appeared in the sports pages of quite a few media outlets again.
No one who had watched him play, whether on TV or live in the stadium, could deny one simple fact.
Leo Hale was a rising star in English football.
When this kid played, the talent and flair just poured out of him.
And coming off the bench match after match, delivering assists to win games.
That proved his immediate impact beyond any doubt.
He still had not started a single game for Leicester City.
Yet he was already the brightest star in the whole county.
The day after the match, the local paper, the *Leicester Mercury*, ran a photo on its front page.
The one of Leo with his arms spread wide, drinking in the cheers of the fans.
The headline was a single word, bold and black.
“Genius!” To the people of Leicester, this good-looking kid with local roots was one of their own.
Their own boy was playing out of his skin, and they were proud.
They wanted to show him off to the world.
So it was no surprise the *Mercury* gave him a full two-page spread.
The article traced his steady climb through the youth ranks, his explosion onto the scene in the FA Cup, his promotion to the first team, and his run of substitute appearances.
A quick sketch of his short professional career so far.
Then they brought in a football analyst to break down his playing style and walk readers through every facet of his game.
And at the end of the piece, the *Mercury* ran a fan poll with a prize.
The question: how many assists would Leo Hale finish the season with?
Fans could vote on the paper’s website.
Anyone who guessed the exact number would win a free one-year subscription.
Beyond the local paper cashing in on the hype, plenty of football media and magazines were lining up for a fresh round of praise.
Or overhype.
Depending on how you looked at it.
…
Leicester, Belvoir Drive.
The team massage room.
Leo and Mahrez, along with a few other players, were stretched out on the massage tables.
The club physios were working them over after a tough fitness session.
Leo had his eyes shut, sinking into that deep, aching relief in his thigh muscles, when Mahrez’s voice cut in.
“Hey, mate.
You see the *Mercury* yesterday?
You made the front page.” Leo did not even open his eyes.
“Didn’t see it.
But my parents bought a copy this morning.
They called and told me.” His reaction was so casual it threw Mahrez off.
The thought crossed his mind again.
*Is this guy really only eighteen?* If it were him, he would have been on the phone to his parents, his brothers and sisters, his friends.
Showing off to everyone.
He watched Leo lying there with his eyes closed and just had to ask.
“Why don’t you look even a little bit excited?” “It’s just a front page.
Not that big a deal.” That was what he said.
Inside, Leo was absolutely buzzing.
His first time on the front page of a newspaper!
What Mahrez did not know was that Leo had already told his mom to save that paper.
Keep it safe.
A memento.
But to maintain his calm, steady image in front of his teammates, he could not tell anyone that.
Not even Mahrez.
The guy he was closest to in the whole first team.
“Hey, Leo.
How many followers do you have on Twitter now?” Leo finally opened his eyes.
He blinked at Mahrez.
“Twitter?
I don’t have Twitter.” Mahrez stared at him, genuinely shocked.
“What?
You don’t have Twitter?!” As a kid who lived and breathed football, Leo’s previous self had poured every ounce of focus into the game.
No time for making friends, let alone messing around on social media.
“Then you definitely haven’t seen the club’s official Twitter.
The fans are going absolutely crazy.” “Going crazy about what?” “Look.” Mahrez handed over his phone.
Leo looked at the screen.
Leicester City’s official Twitter feed was completely flooded.
Foxes fans had swarmed the comments.
“Leo Hale is the next midfield maestro!” “Just start him already.
I’m begging you!” “He’s earned a starting spot!” “Coach.
Leo.
Start.
You get it?” Most of the comments were praise.
The rest were fans demanding the club and the manager give him more minutes, or just start him outright.
But one comment caught Leo’s eye.
It had the most likes.
It was from Gary Lineker.
Gary Lineker.
Former England international.
Played for Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona.
Won the Premier League Golden Boot, the English Footballer of the Year award, the World Cup Golden Boot.
Second on England’s all-time scoring list.
Forty-eight goals in eighty caps.
Only Bobby Charlton had more.
After retiring, he moved into punditry.
In 1999, he became the host of the BBC’s flagship football program, *Match of the Day*.
He had been there ever since.
With the massive reach of *Match of the Day*, the longest-running football show in the world, this guy’s standing in English football was untouchable.
His nickname was the “Football Gentleman.” He was witty, sharp, and knew the game inside and out.
The public loved him.
And his most famous moment was not a piece of analysis or his well-known status as a Messi fanboy.
It was a self-deprecating line.
After England were knocked out of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1996, both times by Germany on penalties, Lineker had said something that still echoes through football today.
“Football is a simple game.
Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.” The rivalry between England and Germany on the pitch is a story that could take ten days and ten nights to tell.
That quote became a permanent, aching scar for a lot of English fans.
As a well-known die-hard Leicester City supporter, Lineker kept an eye on the club’s matches.
He would pop up in the comments on the club’s official Twitter now and then, just to say his piece.
But this time, his comment was a stunner.
“Leo Hale is absolutely the most creative midfielder in Leicester City’s history!
From today on, I’m his fan…” Reading that kind of praise from a legend, Leo felt a rush of surprise and humility.
The last player Lineker had hyped like this was Messi.
And the power of a celebrity endorsement was real.
Lineker’s comment had already racked up over fifty thousand likes.