Michael Stilson
An action-packed YA novel about soccer, performance anxiety, dreams, doubts and hopes. Fredrik from Just Play Ball is 17 and already a star player for Mjøndalen. Rumours are flying about bigger clubs and generous contracts, and one day his father turns up with an offer from top German club Hertha Berlin. Fredrik travels to Germany, but soon he discovers that something doesn’t add up. Why has he been picked to play at the Bundesliga series opener, against no less than Bayern München, just days after arriving in Berlin? What’s up with agent Marko? And why has Hertha spent so many millions on bringing over a player when nobody in the club knows who he is? Fears and dreams collide in front of 75,000 spectators at the Allianz Stadion, and there’s a fine line between success and disaster. Is the price Fredrik is paying for life as a professional footballer too high? And what happens if he lets down his team, his father, his manager and Line? Who really cares about Fredrik? Are millions in the bank really any help against loneliness and the fear that everyone will forget you when the storm is at its height?
