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But I’m making a comeback to where I belong.
The thing that woke Ingrid from her nap was a rather perturbed grumble coming from her left.
The Norwegian was a light sleeper, and Mapi knew that by now, nearly three years into their relationship. Which was exactly why the center-back knew that her noises wouldn’t go unnoticed by the dark-haired woman, even if she was asleep.
Ingrid turned over in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she attempted to cuddle into her girlfriend. It had been a light day, and after returning from recovery in the morning the two women had climbed right back into bed. It seemed that while sleep had claimed Ingrid rather easily, it had not been so kind to Mapi.
The defender attempted to cuddle into her girlfriend’s thigh, but she was only met with another round of disgruntled noises. She was beginning to rapidly realize that her attention was required, and apparently right at this second.
The Norwegian opened her eyes, allowing herself to blink rapidly for a moment before she looked up at Mapi, a silent question on her face. The center-back was sitting against the headframe, with Ingrid’s head next to her lap.
What she found looking down at her was rather adorable, the green-eyed woman had to admit.
Mapi’s hair was tousled, likely from rolling around in bed trying to sleep. Her eyebrows were furrowed together with great concern - which would have been worrying if not for the pout that also seemed to be gracing her features.
Overall, the Spaniard looked like a grumpy toddler. Ingrid ached to memorize and catalog it in her mind to keep forever, even if she had seen it a hundred times before.
“You weren’t nominated,” Mapi complained softly, her scowl deepening as she looked back at her phone, which was sitting in her lap.
Ingrid was struggling to keep up with the conversation, even if it had only been a three word sentence so far.
“Huh?” She asked dumbly, her mind still thick with sleep, voice raspy as she spoke.
Mapi turned her phone toward the defender, and it took Ingrid a second to focus on the screen, but she quickly realized that it was the Ballon D’Or nominations.
It was pretty instantaneous, her confusion. She looked from the screen to Mapi and back again, one eyebrow raised.
“You weren’t nominated?” She tried to clarify, not understanding what the brunette was saying. “You didn’t play enough of the year to be nominated, my love.”
Mapi shook her head insistently at Ingrid’s words, clearly unimpressed.
“No, you were not nominated,” the center-back frowned as she spoke, and Ingrid’s bewilderment turned into surprise as she sat there for just a second. When she had finally managed to gather herself, she spoke again, her words bordering on teasing.
“Me? I wasn’t ever going to be nominated María, don’t be silly,” Ingrid rolled her eyes, uninspired by the Spaniard’s joking attitude.
She saw it then though, a flash of real hurt in Mapi’s eyes that had her sitting up, any teasing tone she held before slipping away.
“María?” She inquired gently, as the brunette continued to simply stare down at her phone.
“You had an amazing year. You covered for my ass the entire time after I got hurt, you converted to the backline practically seamlessly, you stepped up. You didn’t just step up, you excelled! You had some of the highest stats in the Champions League, even with how hard everything was,” as the childlike annoyance gave way to true irritation in Mapi’s tone, Ingrid softened slightly.
She reached out very gently, taking Mapi’s phone out of her hands and forcing the Spaniard to look at her. The Norwegian could tell how crestfallen the center-back was now that she was looking at her directly.
“María, you are endlessly sweet to say those things, but I did all of that happily, and I would again. Just because I persevered doesn’t make me the best in the world, not yet at least. There are a lot of players out there who are amazing and deserve accolades. Maybe I will be one of them one day like you were, maybe I won’t, and either way it would be okay with me,” Ingrid tried to explain, but Mapi shifted away from her slightly, her frown only deepening. Mapi’s agitation was palpable in her next words, as frustration dripped from her tone.
“This was supposed to be something tangible, a piece of proof. Something to show you that all the shit last season was worth it!”
There’s a clear subtext, and Ingrid hated that she could feel guilt present in the statement. There was nothing that the Spaniard needed to feel guilty for. In all honesty, she probably deserved to be told thank you more often, given all the good she had done for Ingrid last season.
“María, I need no proof. All of those things I did - which really wasn’t much - I would do again. I don’t need an award to prove to me that I am a good player, not when you tell me every single day,” Ingrid began, her words gentle.
“I won’t sit here and say I had the easiest time last season. It was challenging, of course it was, but the ability to endure and find that grit within ourselves is what makes us great athletes, no?”
“I remember at the start of last season feeling so worried about my place in the team. There was no space in the midfield for me, I wasn’t needed there! Even when I did play, I never felt as though I truly worked within the team, and it scared me that there was the possibility I never felt it. But when I shifted back into the central defense, as much as it took adjusting, I loved it. I excelled, and I felt like I belonged in the team, in the squad. I could keep up, and I was needed,” Ingrid stated, and even now the relief at having found her place in the team was present.
“I don’t need an award to prove my worth. I know that I am a good player, a great player. I never needed or expected validation from all these external people. If anything, it only makes me want to work harder, to prove that their nominations don’t mean much. I want to be the best in the world not to win some stuffy award, but because that’s been my goal ever since I was a little girl.”
When the Norwegian looked at her girlfriend, she still saw worry looking back at her, and she softened even more, unable to help herself as she reached forward to cup Mapi’s cheek gently.
“You helped me through it every day, even when you were injured. You were, and are, perfect. You were my shoulder to cry on, my greatest teacher, and my biggest supporter. That is more than I ever could have asked for during a hard season of life, and I’d take that love and support over any award,” Ingrid promised, as she allowed her hand to fall and rest on Mapi’s arm soothingly.
“Especially when the system to decide the winner is so vague and biased,” Ingrid snarked slightly, unable to hold back a laugh when Mapi blanched at her tone. The Spaniard looked over at her girlfriend for a second before she completely dissolved in giggles, unable to contain herself.
“I am still going to file a complaint,” Mapi said seriously after a moment, fighting to keep her composure and seem diplomatic about the whole thing.
It didn’t help that her face was turning pink as she tried desperately not to laugh.
“Oh yes my love, you tell them. I’m sure they’re going to listen to us - the women - of all people,” Ingrid replied simply, her face entirely neutral.
Mapi groaned, but Ingrid still continued, though a smile began to crack through her features.
“Especially an organization that didn’t even tag you when they posted your nomination, but one of your fan accounts!” She cried triumphantly, as Mapi’s head fell into her hands with a scoff.
“Okay enough enough, I get your point! Stop teasing,” the brunette begged, entirely annoyed with her girlfriend's logic.
“But you make it so easy,” Ingrid sported her own pout now, with the addition of her best puppy dog eyes as she leaned further toward her girlfriend, clearly searching for attention.
“You’re going to be the death of me woman,” Mapi tutted, but she still pulled the dark-haired woman’s body into her own regardless. Ingrid tucked herself into the Spaniard’s side with a self satisfied smile.
“Well good thing you’re stuck with me until then,” she teased, and Mapi chuckled slightly before she pressed a kiss to Ingrid’s forehead, only affirming her words.
“Come on now, you interrupted my nap and I’m still tired,” the Norwegian demanded, shuffling them down to lay back down before reaching forward to grab Mapi’s arm, which she then wrapped around herself.
The amber-eyed woman couldn’t even find it within herself to be mad, not when she got to nestle herself into the defenders side. She might not be able to protect Ingrid from everything, but she loved her enough that she would never stop trying either way.
Cause the sign on your heart said it's still reserved to me.
—
But I’m coming back so strong.
They were training together on an empty pitch in a park, running laps around the field and doing dynamic stretches despite the fact that it was an off day.
But Mapi León rarely took off days, far too energetic to do nothing but sit at home all day. And as much as Ingrid grumbled and complained about having to wake up early, she appreciated the push. She wanted to play at the same level that she was right now, and this was how she had gotten there.
As much as the 2023-24 season had been amazing, the 2024-25 season had been phenomenal. The nervous feeling that seeped into her legs when she had first started as a center-back had drifted away, brushed aside by her burgeoning confidence and honed skills.
If she had been a good defender the season before last, she had been a lethal one this past year. Being back consistently beside Mapi led to a partnership that seemed to function on a completely different level. The combination of their own individual brilliance festered with palpable chemistry both on and off the field. The whole setup proved to be a killer for their competition.
As offensive of a team as Barcelona was, when they needed their defense? They really needed them.
And Ingrid showed up, each and every time. She played well with Mapi, but after a while it didn’t even matter who she stood next to. Between her height, pace, intelligence, and grit, she earned the name “Rolls Royce of a defender.”
She never would have gotten to this point without Mapi, though.
Through it all, it had been the Spaniard who had held her, pushed her, loved her. She owed herself credit, absolutely, but she owed Mapi so much more. The brunette was utterly selfless when it came to Ingrid, and it only made the Norwegian love her even more.
She never would have pictured her life like this when she first transferred from Wolfsburg. She had felt so scared and anxious that she would never fit in, that she would never be able to hack it with a team so successful and tight knit.
But now?
Now, they were her friends.
Now, they were her teammates.
Now, they were her equals.
And while she might have worried at the start that she would never come close to their playing style, she no longer needed to be worried.
Because when she stopped running for a moment to catch her breath, she found her answer looking back up at her in the form of a Twitter post.
Nominated for the 2025 Women’s Ballon d’Or
@ingrid_engen
@FCBfemeni
@nff_landslag
She felt all the breath leave her lungs in a second, and her head shot up with excitement.
“María!” She called out, the Spaniard across the pitch from her. The center-back’s head popped up in an instant, a smile already slipping across her features simply when Ingrid called her name.
The dark-haired woman wasn’t sure if it was her face or the way she called her name, but before she knew it Mapi was taking off across the field, running right for her.
And then she was right there, slamming into Ingrid with the force of a bulldozer, the defender dropping her phone in favor of keeping both herself and her girlfriend upright. The brunette was practically buzzing with excitement it seemed, even though Ingrid hadn’t told her what was going on.
She just…knew somehow.
Mapi leaned back so that she could look Ingrid in the eye, both of her hands coming to cup the Norwegian’s cheeks softly. The smile on her face was blinding, and the amount of love and belief in her eyes told Ingrid everything she needed to know.
“I am so proud of you. You earned this, and you deserve it more than anyone I know.”
There was no chance, trying to be the greatest in the league.
Where’s the trophy?
She just comes running over to me.