A moment later, the hotel had grown quiet.
Each player had retreated to his room after the pre-match activities.
Some filled the silence with music playing softly through portable speakers as they stretched out on their beds.
Others lay scrolling through their phones, chatting with family, watching highlights, or simply passing the time.
The excitement of the day had settled into a calm, thoughtful atmosphere. Tomorrow, the real work would begin.
Gabriel Silver lay flat on his bed, his hands folded behind his head as he stared at the white ceiling above him.
The curtains beside the open window swayed gently as a warm afternoon breeze drifted into the room from outside.
In the distance, he could hear the steady hum of traffic moving through São Paulo, mixed with the occasional sound of birds.
For once, he wasn't thinking about tactics or training drills.
His mind was somewhere else.
Tomorrow.
The word kept repeating itself.
After weeks of waiting, travelling, and preparing, his league debut for Palmeiras was finally here.
It wasn't next week anymore. It wasn't next month.
It was tomorrow—less than twenty-four hours away.
He smiled to himself.
He thought back to everything that had happened since leaving FC Curitiba.
The pre-season had taken him across continents.
There had been demanding training sessions in Brazil, friendly matches in the United States, the long trip to Japan, and finally the journey back home.
It had been exhausting, but every mile had been worth it.
He remembered walking into packed stadiums and hearing thousands of Palmeiras supporters chanting his name before he had even played a competitive match.
He remembered seeing banners with his face printed across them, messages welcoming him to the club, and fans calling him one of the future stars of Brazilian football.
The media had spoken about him almost every day.
Television analysts debated whether he was ready for such a big step.
Former players praised his confidence and composure, while others warned that pre-season performances meant little once the league began.
Abel Ferreira had spoken positively about him after several matches, praising not only his ability with the ball but also his willingness to learn.
Those comments had only increased the expectations surrounding him.
Gabriel knew people expected something special.
It wasn't just because Palmeiras had signed him. It was because he had shown enough during pre-season to make people believe he could become one of the club's next great players.
That belief was exciting.
It was also heavy.
He closed his eyes for a moment and imagined tomorrow.
He pictured himself standing in the tunnel wearing Palmeiras' green shirt, waiting for the referee's signal.
He imagined the stadium lights shining down on the pitch, the roar of tens of thousands of supporters growing louder with every passing second.
Then another picture formed in his mind.
The stadium announcer reading the starting line-up.
"…Number…"
He imagined hearing his own name echo around the stadium before the supporters erupted into applause.
A smile spread across his face.
But another possibility crossed his mind.
Maybe he wouldn't start.
Maybe Abel Ferreira would introduce him from the bench in the second half.
He pictured himself warming up along the touchline before the fourth official raised the electronic board.
The supporters would notice him removing his training bib, and the noise inside the stadium would rise.
He imagined jogging onto the pitch while the commentators introduced him to viewers across Brazil.
He imagined looking into the stands and seeing his family smiling proudly.
No matter how it happened, he only wanted one thing.
To make his debut.
He believed he had prepared as well as he possibly could.
Every training session, every recovery day, every video analysis meeting had been another step towards this moment.
Still, he couldn't deny the small knot of pressure sitting in his stomach.
It wasn't the size of the crowd that worried him.
He had already played in front of large audiences during pre-season.
It was the expectations.
People expected him to justify why Palmeiras had invested in him. They expected him to deliver immediately.
Football rarely gave anyone time to settle.
With a quiet sigh, Gabriel reached over to the bedside table and picked up his phone. The screen lit up as he unlocked it with his thumb.
His notifications seemed endless.
Messages from childhood friends wished him luck. Former teammates from Curitiba sent encouragement, reminding him to enjoy the occasion.
Even old coaches had reached out, telling him how proud they were to see how far he had come.
He smiled as he replied to a few of them.
While scrolling through Instagram, he noticed a post from Gustavo Gómez earlier that morning.
It was a training-ground photo showing the Palmeiras captain making a perfectly timed tackle on Gabriel during one of his first sessions with the club. The caption simply read:
"Sharp tackles, stronger friendships. Ready for tomorrow."
Gabriel laughed softly.
He tapped the heart icon before leaving a comment with a laughing emoji and the words, "Still waiting for my revenge, Cap."
He continued scrolling.
His feed was filled with photos of him.
Some pages had posted pictures from his days at FC Curitiba.
The comments from Curitiba supporters were emotional.
"We'll miss you."
"Thank you for everything you gave us."
"There won't be another player quite like you."
"Good luck tomorrow. We'll always support you."
Reading those messages filled him with gratitude.
Curitiba had given him his first opportunity in professional football.
No matter where his career took him, it would always feel like home.
Further down his feed came the Palmeiras posts.
The tone was completely different.
"The future is here."
"Our new hope."
"Ready to shine."
"A player to watch this season."
Some supporters even called him Estêvão's replacement, a comparison that made him uncomfortable.
He respected Estêvão too much to think about replacing anyone.
He wanted to write his own story.
Not live in somebody else's shadow.
As more posts appeared, Gabriel felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety building inside him.
He locked his phone for a moment, took a deep breath, then unlocked it again.
One more notification caught his attention.
It was a verified account.
The Brazilian Football Confederation.
His eyebrows lifted.
Surely not…
He opened the post.
There he was.
A photo from Palmeiras' final pre-season match, celebrating after creating a goal.
The caption spoke about young Brazilian talents to watch during the new league season, and Gabriel's picture was the first one displayed.
For a second, he simply stared at the screen.
It almost didn't feel real.
He blinked twice, wondering if he had somehow imagined it.
Then he opened the comments.
Thousands of supporters had already reacted.
Some praised his talent.
Some predicted he would become one of Brazil's next stars.
Others debated whether he deserved a place in the national team in the future if he continued developing.
Gabriel slowly lowered the phone onto his chest.
His heartbeat quickened.
Until that moment, he had believed only Palmeiras supporters were waiting to see what he could do.
Now he realised something much bigger.
People from all over Brazil would be watching.
Scouts.
Journalists.
Former players.
Children who dreamed of becoming footballers.
Supporters who had never even seen him play in person.
Everyone wanted to know whether the young man who had impressed during pre-season could handle the pressure when the league finally began.
Gabriel looked towards the open window once more as the afternoon breeze drifted into the room.
His phone vibrated again.
It was a message from his older brother.
"We've arrived safely. We're staying at a hotel near Allianz Parque. Mum keeps asking what time we should leave tomorrow because she doesn't want to miss a second of your debut. Just focus on your game. We're proud of you already."
Gabriel read the message twice before smiling to himself.
Knowing his family was so close made tomorrow feel even more real.
He placed the phone beside him and looked back at the ceiling.
Tomorrow wasn't just another football match.
It was the beginning of a new chapter in his career.
It was an opportunity to make his family proud, reward the faith Palmeiras had shown in him, and prove that the club had made the right decision in bringing him from FC Curitiba.
The hard work had been done.
The preparation was over.
Now, all that remained was for the referee to blow the whistle and let the football speak for itself.