The emails arrive twelve minutes apart.
Klaus reads his in England, boots still by the door, heart steady.
Brazil U-21 National Team — Call-Up Notification
He scrolls down the squad list. Stops at the S's.
Santos, Klaus — Queenspark City FC
He keeps scrolling.
Santos, Lucas — Léon FC
His jaw tightens.
Lucas reads his in France, sweat still drying after an extra session.
Brazil U-21 National Team — Call-Up Notification
He already knows Klaus will be there. He scrolls anyway.
Santos, Klaus — Queenspark City FC
Santos, Lucas — Léon FC
He locks his phone and stares at the wall.
Emma texts both of them within minutes:
Emma: "YOU'RE BOTH ON THE U-21 TEAM!!! 🇧🇷⚽🎉"
Klaus replies: "Yeah. Saw it."
Lucas replies: "Thanks, pequena."
Brazil U-21 training camp. São Paulo. Three days before the tournament.
They arrive from different countries, different flights, different moods.
Klaus arrives first. The staff welcome him, show him to his room. Single occupancy. Good.
Two hours later, Lucas arrives.
The team coordinator checks his clipboard.
COORDINATOR: "Lucas Santos? You're in room 214."
LUCAS: "Thanks."
COORDINATOR: "Oh, wait—your brother's in 216. Right next door. That's nice, eh?"
Lucas says nothing.
Training pitch. Morning. The full squad gathers.
The coach, Fernando Costa addresses the team.
COSTA: "We have four matches. Qualify from the group, win the knockout rounds, lift the trophy. Anything less is failure. Understood?"
The squad nods.
COSTA: "Good. Let's get to work."
Klaus and Lucas are in the same attacking unit for the drill small-sided possession game.
They don't acknowledge each other during the warm-up.
The drill starts.
Klaus receives the ball centrally. Lucas makes a run in behind.
Klaus sees him. Doesn't pass. Turns and plays it wide instead.
Two minutes later, Lucas gets the ball on the wing. Klaus is unmarked in the box, pointing.
KLAUS: "HERE!"
Lucas cuts inside and shoots. Wide.
Klaus throws his hands up.
KLAUS: "I was OPEN!"
Lucas jogs back, silent.
The assistant coach, Rafael, notices. Leans to Costa.
RAFAEL: "The Santos brothers aren't connecting."
COSTA: "They will. They're just adjusting."
RAFAEL: "You sure about that?"
Costa watches them for a moment.
COSTA: "They'll figure it out. They have to."
MATCH 1: Brazil U-21 vs. Chile U-21
Klaus starts. Lucas is on the bench.
Klaus scores in the 34th minute a composed finish after a defensive error.
Brazil 2-0 Chile.
Lucas comes on in the 78th minute. Twelve minutes. He creates one chance. Nearly assists. The pass is cut out.
Full time. Brazil wins.
In the tunnel, Klaus walks ahead. Lucas walks behind.
No words exchanged.
MATCH 2: Brazil U-21 vs. Colombia U-21
Lucas starts. Klaus is on the bench.
Lucas plays well direct, aggressive, creating problems down the left.
He assists in the 29th minute, cutting inside and threading a pass through for the striker.
Brazil 3-1 Colombia.
Klaus comes on in the 81st minute. Nine minutes. One touch in the box, blocked.
Full time. Brazil wins.
In the locker room, they sit on opposite sides.
Teammates notice.
MATCH 3: Brazil U-21 vs. Uruguay U-21 (Group Stage Final)
Both are subbed on in the second half. Brazil is already winning 2-0.
They play for twenty-three minutes together.
Zero combinations.
Klaus calls for the ball twice. Lucas ignores him both times.
Lucas makes a run. Klaus doesn't pass.
The match ends. Brazil tops the group.
They qualify for the knockout stage.
Training session. Two days before the semifinal.
The team is running an attacking drill build-up play, final-third combinations.
Klaus and Lucas are paired together in the same unit.
Lucas receives the ball on the left wing, 1v1 against a defender.
He tries to dribble past. The defender holds firm. Lucas tries again, forcing it.
He loses the ball.
Klaus, standing centrally, shakes his head.
KLAUS: "Just play the pass, Lucas."
Lucas jogs back, ignoring him.
Next sequence.
Lucas gets the ball again. Same situation. This time he cuts inside, trying to create magic.
The ball is intercepted.
Klaus explodes.
KLAUS: "LUCAS! STOP FORCING IT! PLAY SIMPLE!"
Lucas turns.
LUCAS: "I don't need advice from you."
KLAUS: "Clearly you do, because you keep losing the ball."
LUCAS: "At least I'm trying to create something. You just stand there waiting."
KLAUS: "I'M OPEN! YOU JUST DON'T PASS!"
LUCAS: "Maybe if you made better runs—"
KLAUS: "BETTER RUNS?!"
Klaus steps forward. Lucas steps forward.
Their teammates immediately move in.
TEAMMATE: "Yo, yo, relax—"
KLAUS: "You're playing like it's all about you!"
LUCAS: "And you're not?!"
Lucas shoves Klaus.
Klaus shoves back.
Coaches rush in. Rafael and Costa step between them, grabbing both.
COSTA: "ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!"
The team stands frozen, stunned.
Costa pulls them aside, voice low and venomous.
COSTA: "I don't care what history you two have. I don't care about your issues. When you wear this shirt, you play for BRAZIL. Not yourselves. Understood?"
Both are silent.
COSTA: "I asked you a question."
KLAUS: "Understood."
LUCAS: "Understood."
COSTA: "Good. Now run. Ten laps. Both of you. And think about what it means to be a team."
They run in opposite directions.
MATCH: Brazil U-21 vs. Argentina U-21 — Tournament Final
The stadium is packed. Scouts from every major European club are in attendance.
This is the stage.
Costa pulls both Klaus and Lucas aside before kickoff.
COSTA: "You're both starting. I need you to work together. Just for ninety minutes. Can you do that?"
They both nod.
COSTA: "Good. Because if you can't, I'll sub both of you off and end your tournament in shame."
Kickoff.
For the first twenty minutes, it works.
Lucas dribbles, creates chaos. Klaus finds space, finishes.
12th minute: Lucas beats two defenders on the left, cuts inside, and slips a pass to Klaus at the top of the box.
Klaus strikes first time.
Goal. 1-0 Brazil.
The celebration is brief. Professional. Klaus pumps his fist. Lucas jogs back.
No embrace.
But it worked.
23rd minute:
Lucas gets the ball again, 1v1 on the wing.
He tries to dribble past. The defender holds firm.
Klaus is open centrally, pointing, screaming.
KLAUS: "LUCAS! SQUARE IT!"
Lucas doesn't pass. He tries to cut inside.
The ball is intercepted.
Argentina counters. Fast. Dangerous.
Brazil's defense scrambles. They clear it.
Klaus glares at Lucas.
KLAUS: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
LUCAS: "Playing football."
KLAUS: "You're playing for yourself!"
Klaus walks away, furious.
38th minute:
Lucas receives the ball deep, near halfway.
An Argentina midfielder closes him down hard late, reckless.
Lucas goes down.
WHISTLE.
Free kick.
Lucas gets up slowly, jaw tight. The Argentina player is in his face, talking.
ARGENTINA PLAYER: "Get up, princess."
Lucas shoves him.
WHISTLE.
REFEREE: "Hey! Enough!"
Yellow card. Lucas.
Klaus jogs over.
KLAUS: "Are you SERIOUS right now?!"
LUCAS: "He fouled me!"
KLAUS: "And now you're on a yellow! Use your head!"
LUCAS: "Don't talk to me like I'm—"
KLAUS: "Like you're WHAT? Acting like an idiot?!"
Costa is screaming from the sideline.
COSTA: "KLAUS! LUCAS! FOCUS!"
Half-time: Brazil 1-0 Argentina.
In the locker room, Costa doesn't yell. He just stares at them.
COSTA: "Forty-five more minutes. That's all I'm asking. Play for the team. Not your egos."
Second Half.
61st minute:
Lucas gets the ball on the left. He tries to dribble past two defenders.
He loses it.
Argentina counters. This time, they score.
1-1.
Klaus slams his hands together, furious.
KLAUS: "THAT'S ON YOU!"
Lucas doesn't respond.
68th minute:
Brazil wins a corner.
Klaus is in the box, marked tightly.
The ball comes in. Cleared.
Argentina counters again.
Lucas chases back, desperate to recover.
He lunges in late, reckless, frustrated.
WHISTLE.
The referee reaches for his pocket.
Yellow card.
Second yellow.
Red card.
The stadium erupts.
Lucas stands there, stunned.
Klaus is already running toward him.
KLAUS: "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
LUCAS: "GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Klaus gets in his face.
KLAUS: "YOU JUST COST US THE GAME!"
LUCAS (shoving Klaus): "I SAID GET AWAY!"
Klaus shoves back harder.
The referee runs over, whistle screaming.
REFEREE: "THAT'S ENOUGH!"
He reaches into his pocket.
Straight red card.
Klaus.
The stadium falls silent.
Both brothers stand there, chest heaving, staring at each other.
Then they walk off.
Final Score: Brazil U-21 1 - Argentina U-21 3.
Brazil collapses without them. Argentina scores twice more in the final fifteen minutes.
Brazil loses the final.
Locker room. Post-match.
The team sits in silence. Some are crying. Some just stare at the floor.
Costa walks in.
He doesn't yell. He doesn't lecture.
He just says one sentence:
COSTA: "You embarrassed the shirt."
He walks out.
Klaus sits in his corner, head in his hands.
Lucas sits across the room, staring at nothing.
Neither speaks.
Later that night:
Klaus leaves the camp at 11 PM. No goodbye.
Lucas leaves the next morning at 9 AM. No goodbye.
They leave twelve hours apart.
Neither says goodbye to the other.
END OF CHAPTER 12 ….