Thiago's Saturday morning began not with drills or data, but with the faint scent of laundry and home-cooked feijoada drifting through the open window of his childhood home. His mother had insisted he visit, and for once, he hadn't argued. The familiar creak of the floorboards beneath his feet, the distant chatter of neighbors in the courtyard, the way sunlight filtered through the thin curtains—it all wrapped around him like a well-worn jersey.
He had the day off. A rarity, gifted after consistent performances and Palmeiras' solid standings in the table. Eneas had dismissed most of the squad after light regeneration work and a brief tactical review, instructing them to recover before the next big clash.
But Thiago didn't know how to switch off entirely.
