Julien Moreau’s office occupied a rented room above an accountancy firm in central Metz.
Rafael arrived with his mother shortly after four on Tuesday afternoon, still carrying the bag he had taken to school. A small plaque beside the door displayed Moreau’s name and licence number without a company logo beneath them.
Inside were two desks, several filing cabinets and a narrow table positioned beneath the window. Framed photographs covered part of one wall. Rafael recognised two professional players and a goalkeeper from a lower division. The remaining pictures showed Moreau beside academy players holding their first contracts.
There were no photographs with famous managers, club owners or international trophies.
Moreau had worked in football long enough to establish himself. He had not become influential enough to pretend every club would answer his calls.
He stood when Rafael and his mother entered, offered them the two chairs facing his desk and waited until they had settled before speaking.
"Did you bring everything Bell gave you?"
Rafael’s mother placed a folder on the desk. "Copies. The originals are at home."
"Good."
Moreau opened the folder and began with the representation agreement Bell had brought to their house. He checked each page, then moved through the earlier forms and written proposals beneath it. He compared the dates, examined the spaces reserved for signatures and separated two duplicate pages without commenting on them.
Rafael watched without interrupting. His mother sat beside him with both hands resting on her bag.
Moreau eventually returned the papers to their original order.
"You did not sign the representation agreement," he said. "Neither did your mother."
"So he has nothing?" she asked.
"Based on the documents you’ve brought me, Bell has no written authority to represent Rafael. He cannot negotiate with clubs, accept proposals or make decisions on Rafael’s behalf. If he contacts anyone, he cannot properly claim that he is doing so as Rafael’s authorised agent."
The tension across his mother’s shoulders eased, although she did not relax completely.
"What about the other forms?"
"They don’t appoint him as Rafael’s representative. Most record discussions or describe services he intended to provide. They don’t give him a mandate."
Rafael looked at the agreement. "What would have happened if I signed it?"
Moreau tapped three sections with the end of his pen. "The expenses are vague, the exclusivity is broad and several of the services are poorly defined. Bell wanted the right to act for you without clearly stating what work he had to perform in return."
He closed the folder and pushed it toward Rafael’s mother.
"Refusing prevented a serious problem. That is all you need to know today."
Moreau did not call Bell a thief or speculate about what he might have done. He limited his answer to the words Bell had placed on the page.
Rafael’s mother returned the folder to her bag. "If Rafael chose you, what exactly would you do?"
"I would review any proposal made to him, communicate with a club when you authorise me to do so and protect his interests during negotiations. I would also make sure both of you understand every document before either of you signs it."
"You wouldn’t find him a new club?"
"I can speak to clubs when there is a reason to speak to them. Rafael is playing regularly for Metz and has four league fixtures remaining. Moving him immediately would not automatically improve his career."
Rafael had expected that answer. Moreau knew he had scored in three consecutive appearances, yet he was not using those goals to sell an imaginary transfer.
"What about a professional contract with Metz?" Rafael asked.
"That decision belongs to Metz. If they make an offer, I can review and negotiate it. I cannot promise that they will make one."
Moreau leaned back slightly.
"If you want someone to promise a professional contract, a transfer and a large salary during the first meeting, I am not the right person."
Rafael’s mother looked toward him. Rafael kept his attention on Moreau.
"What would you charge?" she asked.
"Rafael is seventeen. I will not receive payment for arranging a playing contract involving him while he remains a minor, and I’m not going to build this meeting around what I might earn after he turns eighteen."
Moreau opened a drawer and removed two copies of a short proposal.
"This states the services I would provide, the duration of the arrangement and that it is non-exclusive. It also records the prohibition on payment connected to contracts Rafael enters while he is a minor."
Rafael’s mother reached for one copy, but Moreau kept his hand on it for another moment.
"Take it home. Do not sign it today. Have an independent lawyer examine it and return only if you are satisfied."
"You don’t have a solicitor you normally use?" she asked.
"I know several sports lawyers. I can provide their details, but whoever examines this must act for you, not for me. You are also free to find someone yourselves."
Only then did he release the document.
The meeting ended without photographs, promises or a handshake announcing Moreau as Rafael’s new agent. Moreau walked them to the door and told Rafael to concentrate on Metz’s remaining matches while his mother handled any further communication.
Outside, Rafael’s mother placed the unsigned proposal beside Bell’s documents in her bag.
"He is careful," she said as they descended the stairs.
"That’s good."
"It is better than someone rushing us. It does not mean we trust him yet."
Rafael nodded. "Then we check everything."
The following morning, Rafael received his examination timetable at school. Several revision sessions fell during the final weeks of the U19 season, including one on the Friday before Metz’s final league match.
He copied the dates into his academy calendar and divided his remaining assignments across the available evenings. Training occupied most afternoons, while matches took away part of every weekend. The hours left between them would have to be enough.
No System window appeared to shorten his reading or complete the work for him.
By the time Rafael reached the academy that afternoon, his examination notes were folded inside the same bag as his training kit.
The session began with movement work and a short possession exercise before the attacking players separated near the penalty area. A coach stood beside a supply of balls near the byline, while the strikers formed a line outside the box. One defender applied controlled pressure from behind as each striker adjusted to a cutback and finished against the goalkeeper.
Before Rafael began his first attempt, blue light appeared at the edge of his vision.
[TRAINING MISSION]
[Finish Through Contact]
[Objective: Score seven of ten attempts while under defensive pressure.]
[Reward: Finishing +0.3]
[ACCEPT]
Rafael accepted and moved to the front of the line.
The defender placed a forearm against his back as the coach prepared the first delivery. Rafael remained still for too long, waiting to see where the ball would travel. By the time the cutback reached him, the defender had moved close enough to block the shot.
"Move before the pass," the coach said. "Don’t wait beside him and then ask for space."
Rafael collected another ball and returned to the line.
On his second attempt, he moved early but rushed the finish. His right foot struck across the ball, sending it wide of the far post.
Two failures from his opening two shots left no room for careless finishing.
Rafael changed his approach. Rather than fighting the defender after the pass arrived, he began creating separation before the delivery. A short movement toward the near post forced the defender to shift his weight, allowing Rafael to move backward and meet the next cutback near the penalty spot.
He guided the finish into the bottom corner.
The following delivery arrived closer to his left foot. Rafael allowed it to travel across his body, protected the ball from the defender and scored with his second touch. He finished the next two first time, placing one beside the goalkeeper and driving the other beneath his outstretched hand.
The goalkeeper saved Rafael’s seventh attempt after reading the direction of his first touch. Rafael scored the remaining three, completing the exercise with seven successful finishes from ten attempts.