The Great Shift: World Cup
The world can come together for a great many things. However, it is the season in which the world unites for a very specific sport. While it goes by many names, the World Cup has sparked excitement among fans, passion among athletes, and after the Great Shift a means to expect the unexpected.
After 90% of the world swapped bodies, many found themselves in new countries as well as new bodies. Some managed to not only adapt to their new settings, but completely embraced it. Taking on a new body, but embracing the culture, the people, and the sport that body had mastered… well. That’s how legends are born.
The Great Shift News Crew wanted to hear from the very athletes that are making up this year’s World Cup.
Hola! Lo siento. ¿Hablas inglés? Haha sorry. Sometimes I can’t help speaking and thinking in Spanish these days. You wanted to talk about how I got started in soccer right?
It’s kinda a funny story. Guess I’ll start at the beginning. My name is Weilin Wu, from Portland Oregon! I was in college working on my degree in international studies with a minor in linguistics last year. But… that interest had to be put on hold when the Great Shift happened.
I was probably the furthest from a prime athlete in college that you could imagine. In fact, up until recently my idea of a marathon would have been binging a few seasons of the anime My Hero Academia or Delicious in Dungeon. Being 5’0 with a pension for chocolates and milk tea didn’t exactly give me the best physique. And I didn’t have that much confidence when I couldn’t grow any facial hair to safe my life. Let’s just say I didn’t have a lot of confidence in my physical appearance my freshman year.
Well. I can honestly say after the Great Shift happened everything changed. I went from typing notes in my dorm room to running through a grass soccer field barefoot!
The first thing I did? Immediately fall over…
I mean can you blame me? I was sitting at my desk and suddenly I was running 20 miles per hour shirtless and barefoot in a foreign country.
I immediately tumbled to the ground and got acquainted with how this new body of mine can take a fall. When the world finally stopped spinning I realized just how much everything changed. I mean… look at me.
Going from a short Asian American to a Mexico pro athlete was like a dream come true!
I’d gone from five foot nothing to 6’4 in the span of mere moments. When I tried to stand for the first time I nearly fell over again. People don’t tell you that you can get vertigo from a sudden growth spurt. And the height was just part of it. My snacking habit made it more difficult for me to see past my sizable stomach, so when I stood up straight for the first time and looked down to see a 6 pack, I nearly fainted. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. And it wasn’t just any 6 pack, I had a thick treasure trail where previously I had no hair at all. That sexy strip led straight to my new vicious V and… well I don’t think I can say the next part for the audiences at home.
What I can say though is how big my feet became. Being over 6 feet tall I expected to have pretty sizable feet, but size 16s kinda blew my mind. That’s literally twice the size of my former feet!
When I finally managed to catch my breath and take in my new body the rest became history. News broadcasts about the Great Shift, people panicking, and others… choosing to help those displaced.
The teammates around me immediately asked if I was ok and helped me get acquainted with who I became when I told them what happened. It helped that I was already semi fluent in Spanish, otherwise I’d be completely lost. To this day, the team still likes to tease me when I say something with a gringo accent though.
Long story short I found I was in the body of César Huerta, the 6’4 Winger for the team that would be playing in the World Cup for Mexico. César landed in my body and was equally confused.
With some help from the team and some patience we eventually reunited. César understood he probably wouldn’t be playing soccer anytime soon, so instead he asked if I was interested in taking his place on the team.
It wasn’t unheard of. Countless people began to start a career in pro sports after the shift. I’m pretty sure Nick and Joey Bosa’s bodies were now occupied by a brother and sister from Thailand.
I wasn’t sure. I had never played a game of soccer in my life. However, with some encouragement and coaching from César I found I was a natural. His body had all this muscle memory waiting for me to use! After a few practices I was playing just as good as he was, if not better.
From that day on I became a part of the team. My new teammates have been super welcoming and let me stay with them until I found a place of my own.
I’ve been living in Mexico ever since. The language already felt natural to me after a few months. I’m not sure if it was me adapting to this culture… or perhaps this body just feels more comfortable speaking that language.
My parents visit on the holidays. It helps that my older parents swapped into two handsome European backpackers who love to travel. My mom likes to compare who has more abs these days and my dad always makes sure we finish a full bottle of whatever he brought on his last trip.
As for me, getting used to the mundanities of César’s bodies has been the best part. From the very beginning he warned me to make sure I keep up his shaving routine. That wasn’t something I was used to considering I’d never had to shave. Only now I had a thick beard by 5 o'clock if I wasn’t careful. After that I made sure to listen to all of César’s advice.
He taught me the proper way to care for my curlier hair, he showed me the best exercises for his body, and he even showed me a shoe store that catered to my larger size. That last one was important. Walking around with size 16s is more difficult than it looks. I stubbed my toes several times the first week in César’s body. And my feet got so sweaty all the time I just preferred to walk around barefoot most places.
I’d need all the help I could get as I wasn’t the most… composed during my first actual game in his body.
There was something about seeing a huge crowd of people staring at you… yearning from some relief after all the stress the Great Shift had caused… it was a bit overwhelming. All that expectation to be the source of entertainment for the masses really got to me that day… I missed so many passes for that one game. But it wasn’t the end of the world. I kept at it. I kept practicing.
To my surprise César was practicing right beside me most days. He enjoyed coaching sure, but even in my body he enjoyed playing the most. In this last year he lost over 40lbs in my previous body and is even considering rejoining the team once he feels ready.
I really appreciate how César and the rest of the team have been making sure I improve each game. Without their help I don’t think my transition into this body would’ve worked. And of course without their help I don’t think we would’ve been able to win the first game of the World Cup!
My team and I can’t wait to celebrate. They say my face is all over social media after our last play. It used to feel so… strange thinking that was me. But now… Now when I look in the mirror I don’t see a stranger. I see a handsome, confident Mexican man. I see me. I see the person who is going to bring home the World Cup for Mexico this year!
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