“I don’t know if you do this when you win a football trophy,” Fred began. He then stopped for a second, as he’d never heard his voice through a microphone before and it sounded really strange. “Is that what my voice sounds like?”

Everyone nodded.

“Weird. Anyway, I’ve seen it done when people win an award – like an Oscar and stuff – and they thank people. Other people, I mean. The people who’ve helped them get where they are. Sometimes they thank God, don’t they? Anyway, I’d like to do that …”

“Thank God?” said Eric.

“No.”

“Thank God,” said Eric. “Thought he’d gone mad.”

“I’d like to thank … well, you two. To start with. My mum and dad. Eric and Janine Stone …”

There was a ripple of applause. Eric and Janine beamed.

“When people get an award, they often thank their mum and dad, don’t they? And they say, ‘for always believing in me – when the rest of the world didn’t’ or something. I don’t really know how much my mum and dad believe in me. I think what my dad believes in, mainly, is bacon sandwiches and what my mum believes in, mainly, is Cash in the Attic …”

Eric and Janine stopped beaming.

“… but it doesn’t matter. Because that’s who they are and I love them, and they’ve come here now to support me and that’s great!”

Everyone clapped. Eric and Janine went back to beaming.

“I’d also like to thank Mr Barrington.”

Mr Barrington beamed.

“Even though he didn’t believe in me much either … He only put me in the team for the first time in the last game. And he nearly took me off at half-time in this one.”

Mr Barrington stopped beaming.

“But still, another manager wouldn’t have put me in the team at all. And he’s really nice.”

Everyone clapped. Mr Barrington went back to beaming.

“I’d also like to thank – for helping me in lots of ways, especially techno ones – from Years Two and Three, Scarlet and Stirling!”

Everyone clapped.

“You can call us iBabies!” shouted Scarlet.

“Yes!” shouted Stirling. “We like it. Although I was going to suggest iBabies OX 10.4 as, like, an upgrade!”

Luckily, the applause covered up whatever else Stirling went on to say. Meanwhile, Fred realised his speech was starting to go on a bit – and was also possibly not the speech he thought he was going to make – so he decided to hurry it up.

“And I’d also like to thank my team-mates, and Oakcroft, and even Isla and Morris Fawcett, despite them being the school bullies …”

“Are you?” said Mr Fawcett, looking at them sharply.

“… who have tried to beat me up lots of times, including just now, when I was on my way here …”

“Did you?” said Mr Fawcett, his sharpness becoming even sharper.

“… but if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t even have got good at football because it was them who knocked the computer over in the first place and – well, it’s a long story, but I think I’m going to tell it. Because it brings me to the person I most want to thank …”

He looked up and found her in the crowd.

“My sister, Ellie,” he said. “And here’s why.”

He was about to launch into it – to tell the whole thing, to everybody – when he saw that she was mouthing: NO.

Why not? he mouthed back. I want to. I want everyone to know that you’re the one. That you’re the genius basically. That I didn’t do it all by myself.

Ellie smiled. Her eyes were moist. No. YOU did. You DID do it all by yourself, she mouthed.

What do you mean?

She held up the Controller. Fred squinted at it.

It’s run out of power, she mouthed. Or rather it RAN out of power. Before I even came back in the ground. Before the start of the second half.

Huh? So why did you hold it up at me? Why did you operate it? I saw your fingers on it, all the time.

I was pretending. I could tell you were looking. So I pretended it was working.

Fred frowned.

Why?

Ellie smiled more. Because I know you. Because you’re my twin. I knew that you were brilliant. I knew you could be an amazing player. You just had to BELIEVE that something was making you brilliant.

Fred shook his head. I did all that – four goals, all those amazing tricks, the backflip penalty! – by myself?

Yes, mouthed Ellie. Because all you really needed to believe in … was yourself.

There was a long pause. And then Mr Bodzharov said: “Are you all right, Fred? You seem to be opening and closing your mouth a lot with no words coming out. Are you having some sort of fit?”

Fred shook himself out of the trance all that mouthing had put him in. “No! I’m fine.” He turned back to the crowd. “That’s it really. Ellie. I’d like to thank Ellie. Just for being such a brilliant sister. Come up here, please!”

Ellie looked like she didn’t really want to. She wasn’t entirely sure about going up there and lifting the trophy with him and sharing the moment. But then Rashid, who was standing next to her, gave her a gentle little push.

Sometimes that’s all we need.