#7

what happened to our bromance? this is the part where you're supposed to tell me i'm fooling myself because i'm too good at seeing love everywhere around me... & i'm way too handsome to focus on just one person. i don't think this whole royalty thing is for us. maybe we should go and tell the princess that pedri is the one who's in love with her. i think you'd make a great influencer, especially now that you're the hero of an entire nation. would you ever start your own youtube channel? i'd never give up football to become royalty, though, i'm just not that kind of person. i'm always pinching your cheeks and giving them kisses. you're way too adorable, fer. you and nico, both are. you're absolutely hilarious when you're drunk. we need spain to win every world cup from now on, just so i can keep dealing with drunk-you after every final. and one more thing... if you ever leave barça, i'll cry every single day for the rest of my life.

dude, i have so many bromances: pedri, marcos, lamine, you. and they're all very much alive, trust me. i just don't want you to close yourself off to love because of me. even if i'd still demand all your attention if you got yourself a little princess. you're way too handsome to only focus on one person. well, there you go, i said it. how many people are you seeing, man? that would be so much fun for us, but probably not so much for pedri. imagine us telling her all of that while he's in china… when he came back, he'd definitely get his revenge. thank you for the validation! i don't know if i'd actually be any good at it. but are influencers even good? most of them are just pretty in front of a camera, and i can definitely do that part pretty well. i'd just make tiktok dances. i'm adorable? i should be the one saying that about you, 'cause you're younger. should i start getting jealous of nico now? i'm at my funniest when i'm drunk, but just the right amount… enough to be entertaining, not enough to make a fool out of myself. the 2030 world cup is ours, just wait and see! don't do this to me, i don't want to leave you all. we won the fucking world cup together, i got attached to all of you. don't let me go.

A few of them? What do you mean? I know Millie attended an England game and I assume Charlie probably supports them as well, but that's like two people. Oh... and then you have Jamie and well, Joseph Quinn, of course. Okay, yeah, maybe a few, but that's nothing compared to who's been on your side this entire time. You should know, I was fully backing you because the American team are shit and you're my buddy. Imagine my surprise, the first world cup I pay attention to and my friend scores the winning goal. I've been touring, actually, so a little bit of both. Being on the road has been fun and also... kinda gross. Tour buses suck, by the way. That sounds like fun and after the tournament, I'm sure a vacation was well earned. When does your season pick up? I don't know all that much about soccer, but I'll try and make a game. Are you still hungover from all the celebrations?

sadie did too! i can't even blame her because i know why she was there, but she had the audacity to tell me she supports more than one team, and i really don't see anything wrong with that... (i'm lying, obviously). thank you for backing me, mate. the fact that the first world cup you actually paid attention to ended with your friend scoring the winning goal is pretty surreal when you think about it. i'm glad i could make your football debut a memorable one. i've seen bits of the tour! it looks incredible, although i believe you when you say tour buses are grim. tour life seems so... weird to me. my season starts again in august. whether i'm staying at barça or not is one big question mark at the moment. there's been loads of speculation, but the truth is nobody knows anything until i get back from my holidays. we'll see what happens. if you ever came to a laliga match, people would absolutely lose their minds. can't exactly be hungover if i haven't stopped drinking since we won, can i? whenever i finally do stop, though... it's going to hit me like a freight train.

Your sources are a pain in my ass. Is it just you they've told this information to or do I need to worry about other people asking too? Okay, no restraining order, but you're on thin ice, Farran, very thin! Oh no, are you going to try and steal Jude from me now? He is handsome, right? Why can't I support multiple teams? I know everyone says you can only really be committed to one, but I love all you guys and want you to do well. Thank you for believing me. I was cheering you on like an idiot. If anyone saw me watching that match, they'd have thought I was possessed. Your entire country is proud of you, and most of the world. You're incredible. Yeah. I can picture the reception you recieved when you touched down on home soil. Is everyone losing their minds? For what it's worth, I'm really happy you were able to lift the world cup. Forget about them, they don't matter. What does matter is you and your team and the happiness surrounding the game. You did that. How did it feel to score the winning goal?

i'm pretty sure a few other people know about it too. maybe i'm just the bold one and i'll be the only person shameless enough to ask you about it. i might steal him from you. he's a very handsome bloke, and everyone wants a little piece of him. if you catch me making my move, just look the other way. that's exactly what makes you such a lovely person, though. i think competitiveness is a great thing in sport, and i love that people support different clubs throughout the season, and certain countries in the world cup or euros, but if everyone had that same mindset, we'd have a lot fewer fights in the stands. it felt incredible. i'd been criticised so much throughout the tournament, especially by barça fans, so to score the winner in a world cup final was the best possible answer i could've given. i was absolutely over the moon because i knew i'd get to celebrate it with my people. we got home and saw everything they'd organized for us, all those people waiting, cheering... i was a bit overwhelmed. slightly embarrassed by all the attention, but unbelievably happy at the same time. i've lifted it, kissed it, hugged it... it's basically my best mate now. more than anything, though, i'm just so proud of my teammates. they're the ones who always keep me grounded. i genuinely didn't believe we'd done it, not even hours later. it all felt surreal, just pure euphoria. they never should've ruled out those other goals. felt like the game was a little rigged at times. but at least they couldn't take that one away from me.

Okay, how do you even know that happened? It's not like there were any photos of us. Are you stalking me, Farran? This is scary territory. Should I start considering getting a restraining order? No, I'm sorry. You know how much you mean to me and I was so excited for that win. I don't know, I've been spending a lot of time with Jude and it's hard not to root for him when he looks at you with those big, puppy dog eyes. Don't worry though, we were both cheering so loud when you won and I think I actually damaged my vocal chords by how loud I screamed when you scored that goal. So proud of you. Please tell you you've been celebrating. You deserved that. Argentina were sore losers.

first of all, i have my sources. a footballer never reveals his informants, so don't even try. no no no, this is nowhere near restraining-order territory... yet. i'll let you off because i know those puppy dog eyes are difficult to say no to, he's a quite handsome lad! and i can't exactly blame you for wanting jude to do well. but i'm choosing to focus on the important part here, you were cheering when we won and apparently almost sacrificed your vocal cords when i scored, so i'll happily take that as proof you were team spain when it mattered most. thank you, though! hearing you say you're proud of me genuinely means a lot. we've definitely been celebrating, although i think it's only just starting to sink in now. i think it didn't start to sink in until i stepped on spanish land. it's one thing to dream about winning the world cup, it's another to actually lift the trophy. as for argentina... let's just say emotions were running pretty high, but i suppose that's what football does to people. i'll choose to remember the celebrations rather than everything that came afterwards.

i don't think there was any spark! or maybe i'm just too blind to recognise true love when it's right in front of me. pedri needs to shut up! i swear, every time he opens his mouth, the most ridiculous things come out of it. do you think she isn't into bald guys? because if she blushed, i'd say that's the beginning of something. i think you'd make a brilliant flynn rider, if this whole football thing doesn't work out, you've definitely got a future as an actor. i don't want the title of prince, though. if we become royalty, don't we have to give up football? if that's the deal, then i'm out. every time i see you, i want to tell you how proud i am of you and i also get the urge to pinch your cheek and then kiss it. thank you for making an entire nation happy. i'd say ibiza, but that wouldn't exactly count as a vacation, would it? have you got anywhere else in mind?

you are genuinely hopeless when it comes to recognising true love, even when it's being served up to you on a silver platter. pedri is a wise man! imagine if i had to chop off my glorious hair because the future prince consort of spain was expected to look a bit more respectable. i don't think i'm ready to make that kind of sacrifice. i don't think acting's for me at all. if this thing didn't work out i'd probably be working alongside my dad as an electrician, or be an influencer, who knows. besides they already got a flynn rider, and he's been over in spain filming while cheering us on from here as we were out in the states, so i think that role's already taken. yeah, probably. letizia gave up journalism when she married felipe and became queen, so there's a precedent. i'll allow the cheeks pinching and the kiss, baby, always. you know, nico is to thank here, without him i wouldn't have been able to do it. it absolutely counts! i have been here for less than a week and i've been plastered the whole time, dude. i don't think i've been sober since we won.

oh my gosh yes! random songs too! i didn't even think about that one. i'll just be vibing out and doing my thing when suddenly "Karma Chameleon" starts playing in my head like it's my new theme song. but commercial jingles are the bane of my existence. believe it or not... i haven't watched it either. i just know the beginnings of the theme song and literally only know the first few notes of the little piano intro. and that alone is what will play in my head over and over again. i've heard it's a really hilarious show worth watching but i haven't had the time to get around to watching it. if you get to it before i do i expect your honest review! tell me whatcha think about it. but for now, what is a show that you get into? when you're not on the pitch of course. that is the right term? being on the pitch? or is it just a field? i think i might have my terminology right. but i don't know much about soccer either.

ha! that's exactly it, the weirdest taste imaginable… the human brain is a complicated thing. and thank you for making me feel better about not having seen the office! i was starting to think i was the only person left. if i get to it before you do, you've got a deal, you'll get my completely unbiased review. yes, you've got the football (or soccer for you americans) terminology spot on! we call it the pitch, not the field, so full marks there. as for what i watch when i'm not on the pitch, i'm pretty easy to please. i love a good documentary, especially anything about sport or nature, and i'm a sucker for a series with loads of twists where every episode ends on a cliffhange. i'm terrible at stopping once i'm invested.

¡tengo una pregunta! at what point did you decide to embrace "el tiburón" nickname? it feels like you leaned into it fully, from the stuff i've seen. i know some would have gone the other way with it, but you fully went for it. which? honestly, respect that level of commitment. @ferrantcrres

¡gran pregunta! it all started as a joke in the barcelona dressing room, and then i just leaned into it. the more people used it, the more i started using it myself. after everything i've been through in my career, i like to think i'm resilient and ambitious, a bit like a shark? i mean, i haven't met any personally but i think they are? once i set my mind on something, i don't really stop until i've achieved it, and that's what "mentalidad de tiburón" means to me…being persistent, staying hungry, and not letting setbacks change where you're trying to go. does it sound a bit cocky without knowing the reason?

Being forced to "slow down" has made me realise two things. Number one: I suck at relaxing. Number two? Whoever said "rest is productive" never took little ol' me into account. My house is spotless and I've reorganised cupboards I didn't even know needed reorganising. On top of that, I've watched enough true crime documentaries to convince myself I'd be a pretty good detective. Don't worry though, I'm still bored. So, entertain me. What's something you've become weirdly obessed with? This is a judgement free zone. Kinda.

i have to say, reorganizing cupboards you didn't even know needed reorganizing indicates a pretty high level of boredom, i don't know how to feel about it. mine's probably football... which sounds like the most boring answer imaginable considering it's literally my job, but i can spend a day off watching matches, tactical breakdowns, or random clips from games that happened years ago without getting bored. it's a bit of an occupational hazard at this point. although i have gone down a few ridiculous youtube rabbit holes before, those videos where people restore rusty old tools or clean filthy carpets? don't ask me why, but they're strangely impossible to stop watching.

apparently, i've reignited some grand romance just by meeting princess leonor. the problem is, there was never a spark in the first place. how exactly am i supposed to explain that to people? why can't it be you? you go have a thing with princess leonor, i'm way too busy celebrating the world cup.

are you sure there wasn't some spark there? pedri later whispered in my ear how cute y'all would be. she knew i was supposed to shave my head bald if we won, and she blushed a little, but i don't see myself as spain's future prince consort... as much as people keep saying i would've made a good flynn rider. i'll leave that title to someone else, maybe you, who knows! i'm perfectly happy sticking to the bloke who scored the world cup-winning goal, who everyone kept criticizing too. far less paperwork. i'll celebrate with you instead! where are we going on vacation?

now that i've spent five weeks doing nothing but watching football, how does one move on from the world cup?? do i have to pick a professional team to support now or what? while my team didn't make it too far, i loved wearing my Brazil jersey and repping my culture. does anyone else feel more patriotic while watching sports or is it just me? i haven't felt this Brazilian in a long time. / @limelightblvdstarters

that's one of the things i love about the world cup. everyone's wearing the shirt, feeling the colors, singing the anthem together (or in the case of spain just listening), calling all your family to talk about the match…so no, i don't think it's just you. i think with football you really feel closer to where you come from. as for what you do now, i'm a little biased here. i'd say the logical next step is picking a club team to follow. the football calendar never really stops, so it's the perfect cure for those post-world cup blues. you'll miss the international atmosphere because nothing quite compares to it, but you'll quickly find yourself getting just as invested in league matches. if my word counts, fc barcelona is where it's at!

is it just me or do other people go to sleep with television commercial jingles running through their head? oh, or even better, old sitcom television show intros. like Friends, or Cheers or oh good God the piano intro for the Office? i feel like those are just on a never ending loop in my brain that only gets turned on the minute i go to close my eyes and take a nap or lie down for the evening. please tell me that i'm not alone!

you're definitely not alone. mine's less sitcom themes and more random songs my brain digs out from somewhere deep in storage. i'll be lying there ready to fall asleep when a commercial jingle i haven't heard in ten years starts playing on a loop in my head and i just hate it. these days it's been "dai dai" by shakira and burna boy cause it was playing at all times during the world cup. i know i'll get so much hate for this, but i haven't watched the office. i'm genuinely curious about it, i hear my mates talking about it and making references all day.