Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh, hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh
…
Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young
Take the girls tonight
Sling this sleighing song…
It was that time of the year again.
For the first time in months, there was no training to rush to, no whistle echoing across floodlit pitches, and no physio shouting "stretch deeper!" The season paused, and Christmas was around the corner.
With it, footballers scattered like migrating birds.
Mbappé flew to Paris, draped in fur coats, cameras chasing him through Charles de Gaulle, while Vinícius jetted to Rio, samba drums and fireworks waiting.
Pedri returned to Tenerife, surfboard already packed for an enjoyable winter holiday. Even Raphinha, usually restless, carried his daughter through El Prat with a smile wider than any he'd worn on the pitch.