After everything that had happened outside, the tunnel now felt ordinary.
It was like the euphoric cover one wore on the pitch during the game, shed at the end.
The stadium noise, the tears and applause that had followed Cristiano Ronaldo from the pitch, the concrete corridor leading toward the dressing rooms offered none of it.
Staff members stood along the passage, some smiling, others looking just as exhausted as the players, and Izan barely made it through the first few yards before hands began landing on his shoulders.
"Brilliant."
"Unbelievable, Izan."
"That was some finish."
He answered most of them with tired smiles and nods, while still trying to make sure he didn't pass out from how much the game had taken out of him.
"Max," Izan muttered in his mind.
"Get me on a few of the recovery fluids," he added.
The system gave a little buzz before it began infusing the fluids right into Izan's bloodstream, a new feature he had gotten after a World Cup update.
