Messi & The Magical Football Card ⚽️🦥 Soothing Kids Bedtime Stories

[00:00:10] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. Tonight we're doing a big Mexican wave around the clubhouse to welcome in our newest members Ellie and Remy from Canada, Prudence and Ada from Maine and Eden and Ezzie from Lexington.

[00:00:37] Can you hear the crowd going wild? That's all for you! Thank you for signing up for a year of premium membership. We are thrilled to have you join us and hope you enjoy the extra stories coming your way. Now then, before we get into tonight's incredible story, I have a recommendation for you. Our roller skating pals, Potato and Beans, recently went on a crazy adventure over on Koala Shine,

[00:01:05] tracking down a mysterious yodeling ghost that has taken the money from their till. It's so silly and fun. And it's out now on Koala Shine, so go on over there and hit follow so you can listen to it tomorrow. Before we begin, a quick message for the grown-ups. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, unlock four bonus stories per month and much, much more, you can join Coco Club.

[00:01:35] Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now, here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey Koala Moon listeners! If your family loves imaginative adventures like the ones we share here, you'll absolutely love our friends over at the Stories Podcast. Every week they bring a new story to life, from retellings of classics like Snow White and Peter Rabbit, to completely original tales you won't hear anywhere else.

[00:02:04] Safe for all ages, and perfect for sparking little imaginations, Stories Podcast is a must-listen for kids and grown-ups alike. Whether you're looking for screen-free fun at the weekend, or something to help you wind down after school, just search Stories wherever you get your podcasts and discover a new adventure together. Hey parents, my name is Jessica Porter, and I'm the host of Sleep Magic, the sleep hypnosis podcast.

[00:02:33] As a hypnotherapist, I've helped many parents tackle their sleep troubles, whether it's letting go of bedtime worries or getting back to sleep after tiny bedroom intruders. I know finding peace amidst all that life brings can be tough, but since 2021, I've been delivering weekly episodes of solution-focused sleep hypnosis, which have now helped with over 5 million restless nights.

[00:03:01] Sleep magic has proven to help you relax really deeply, maybe more deeply than you have in years. With a mix of hypnosis techniques, meditations, and classic bedtime stories, each week there's brand new episodes to help you unwind and fall asleep effortlessly. You can find me and Sleep Magic on all major podcast platforms. Just search Sleep Magic and hit follow so that you can find it easily when you go to bed.

[00:03:32] Relaxation is truly closer than you think. I'll see you there. Back to tonight, though, on Koala Moon, and we are dusting off our football boots. If you've met our friend Slow Moe the sloth by now, then you will know that Moe loves soccer.

[00:03:53] And, just like many soccer and football lovers, Moe has a little hobby on the side of his goalkeeping for the Sleepy Forest soccer squad. One that is about to have magical repercussions. And, just like many soccer ones, Moe is about to meet one of his football idols in tonight's tale. In the most amazing way. So, strap up your soccer boots, snuggle yourself into bed,

[00:04:21] and transport yourself between the trees of Sleepy Forest for tonight's story. Messy and the Magical Football Card by Alicia Ainsley Slow Moe the sloth had earned himself a wonderful reputation around Sleepy Forest. He was the goalkeeper for the Sleepy Forest soccer squad,

[00:04:50] and he had helped the team shoot to victory on multiple occasions, thanks to his impressive defending skills. Not many goals managed to make it past Moe's powerful long arms and his laser-sharp slow-motion vision. He could see a shot coming from a mile off. Moe loved his role in the local soccer squad, but his love of football wasn't reserved just for his time on the pitch.

[00:05:20] Like many avid football fans, Slow Moe the sloth collected football trading cards. Each palm-sized card had a picture of a famous footballer on it, along with their name and a little information about the player. Every now and then, Moe would treat himself to a new box of cards and add them to his growing collection. Sometimes he would get duplicates of cards he already had,

[00:05:48] so he would trade them with his friends for cards he didn't possess yet. The aim was to collect all possible cards and have a full collection. Slow Moe had been collecting and trading cards for a while, and his collection was becoming quite extensive. He'd even brought a book to stick all of his cards in, so he could see which football players he was missing.

[00:06:14] He kept his prized collection tucked away in his treehouse and regularly flipped through the pages while relaxing on his own. There were still quite a few big football players that he hadn't got hold of cards for yet, but he hoped that soon he would acquire them. One seemingly normal day, Moe decided to treat himself to a new pack of cards,

[00:06:42] in the hopes that he would find some of the missing ones he could add to his collection. Moe sat at the base of the tree he called home and opened the new pack. He laid all the cards out on the ground and inspected the photos, reading the player names. As his eyes glanced over them, his attention was captured by a twinkling shimmer coming from behind one of the cards.

[00:07:12] He reached underneath and slid out a rare, super sought-after shiny card. And it wasn't just any shiny card. It was a shiny card with the world-famous football player Lionel Messi on the front. Messi is an Argentinian footballer regarded as one of the best players in the world.

[00:07:40] Moe could hardly believe his luck. He'd never got a shiny card before. Not to mention, he still needed a card for Lionel Messi to complete his collection. It was a very lucky card to find. Moe held the shiny card tight so that he wouldn't misplace it and rubbed the silky cardboard fondly between his fingers.

[00:08:07] Messi was one of Moe's favourite football players, so this card automatically became Moe's prized possession. As Moe had never got his hands on a shiny trading card before, he didn't know what to expect. But he would soon find out why shiny cards are so rare and special. For, you see, in Sleepy Forest, shiny collector's cards

[00:08:36] come with a special enchantment. As Moe instinctively rubbed the shiny card between his fingers, his fingertips began to tingle and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed tiny sparks of light growing brighter around the card. To Moe's amazement, the whole card began to twinkle and shake. And when he let go,

[00:09:05] the card hovered in midair, magically levitating before his eyes. Bright silver light surrounded the outline of Messi's image and the picture trembled. In a flash of light, the card fell to the floor, no longer sporting a photo of Messi on the front. The footballer's image had gone. Instead,

[00:09:35] right before Moe's eyes, the real-life Lionel Messi stood looking around, rather confused. Moe's mouth hung open with awe. The shiny card had magically transported Messi here to Sleepy Forest. Moe stuttered. Uh, L-L-Lionel Messi?

[00:10:05] Is that really you? The famous footballer nearly jumped as high as a kangaroo when he noticed Moe, the sloth, talking to him. Uh, yeah, it is me, Messi replied with disbelief. Lionel Messi, Slo-Mo repeated, gasping with glee.

[00:10:34] It is an honour to meet you in person. Messi replied, It is very nice to meet you too, kind sloth. But I do have a question. Where am I? How on earth did I end up here? Slo-Mo chuckled a slow laugh and answered that he was as perplexed

[00:11:03] as the football star was. He explained that it was probably to do with the magic of Sleepy Forest. The footballer scratched his head with bewilderment. Wow, he exclaimed. It's pretty incredible to experience real magic for the first time. And what an enchanted place I've turned up in.

[00:11:32] Slo-Mo proudly described to his favourite footballer the wonders of Sleepy Forest and all of the enchanted creatures that live here. Messi was enthralled by Slo-Mo's tales of talking animals, mystical fairy tale creatures and bewitching happenings. But most of all, Messi was intrigued by Mo's explanation of their Sleepy Forest

[00:12:02] soccer squad and the fact that Slo-Mo, a sloth, was the goalkeeper. You are the goalkeeper? Messi repeated with surprise. How do you catch the ball when it moves so fast? Mo smiled drowsily with amusement. This wasn't the first time he'd been asked this question.

[00:12:29] Everyone was always surprised to hear that a sloth could be a successful goalkeeper. But Slo-Mo had a superpower that nobody else could quite wrap their head around. Suddenly, Mo had a great idea. If you like, I could show you, he said. Slo-Mo led Messi

[00:12:58] through the woods towards the Sleepy Forest soccer squad's training ground. Mo's glacial pace allowed Messi plenty of time to take in his surroundings and admire the colourful, whimsical beauty of the forest. Messi admitted that he had never seen anywhere quite like it before. He loved it. But Messi hadn't seen

[00:13:28] anything yet. On the way, they bumped into several other enchanted creatures. Some who knew who Messi was and some who had no idea. Peanut the Armadillo didn't recognise Messi, but was happy to meet the stranger nonetheless. He was more interested in picking Messi's brain over the best spots to visit in France rather than asking him

[00:13:57] questions about his glamorous soccer star life. On the contrary, Camo the Chameleon knew exactly who Messi was and excitedly begged the famous footballer to sign his shirt since he didn't have a piece of paper on him. Messi was equally amazed by each talking creature they bumped into and thanked his lucky stars that he was getting to experience such a unique place. However,

[00:14:27] it was Slow Mo who felt like he should really be counting his lucky stars. It wasn't every day that you got to meet one of your idols. Eventually, they made it to the Sleepy Forest soccer pitch. It was empty today as the team had no practice to attend and there was no match for the fans to watch. Slow Mo and Messi had the whole pitch to themselves.

[00:14:59] So, Mo began, you asked how I, a sloth, manage to stop balls from going in the net. Let's have a little practice and I can show you. Messi politely agreed, but inside, Mo wondered if the famous footballer found his offer quite amusing.

[00:15:29] Messi was one of the best football players in the world. He had played in World Cup matches and scored hat-tricks that won matches for several big teams like Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. Surely, a mild-mannered, slow-moving sloth like Mo didn't stand a chance at defending one of Messi's strikes from shooting straight into the net. Regardless

[00:15:59] of his hesitations, Mo was willing to find out. The pair began their practice by warming up their bodies and stretching their muscles. Then, they jumped straight into strike practice. Messi stood back with the ball while slow-mo waited in the goal with his padded gloves strapped to his hands. Mo shifted from foot to foot while Messi

[00:16:28] took a running start towards the ball placed on the ground. The famous footballer struck the ball with his formidable foot and Mo attempted to lock into his slow-motion vision. However, Messi's kick was so powerful that it bypassed Mo's usual astute vision. The ball flew past Mo and hit the net with a powerful

[00:16:58] thwack. Mo was flabbergasted. Don't worry, Mo. Nobody is successful every time, Messi encouraged a slightly deflated Mo. Even Emiliano Martinez let shots pass by him sometimes. If goalkeepers were perfect every time, there would be no point in playing football

[00:17:28] because nobody would ever score points. Messi was right. Mo wouldn't let this fall at the first hurdle get him down. It wasn't the first time Mo had missed the ball. He had just hoped that he would be able to impress Messi with his soccer skills. Mo got back to his feet and shook it off. Let's go again, Mo said with a

[00:17:58] cheerful smile, throwing the ball back to Messi. Over and over again, Messi however, Mo was no match for Messi's skills. Every single time, Messi's shots flew past Mo into the back of the net, escaping Mo's usually inescapable hands.

[00:18:29] With each shot he missed, Mo started to feel less confident. He began to doubt his abilities and felt a bit embarrassed in front of the acclaimed and clearly highly skilled famous footballer. As Messi's fifth shot successfully collided with the net, Mo joked timidly, usually much better

[00:18:58] than this. I think you've caught me on an off day. But Messi was not the least bit phased by Mo's inability to defend his strikes. He said with a mischievous wink, Isake, you've just never played soccer with me before. While they practiced together, Slow Mo and Messi talked about football

[00:19:28] and how much they both enjoyed it. Mo asked Messi if he had ever had a dream to be anything other than a soccer star. The footballer thought for a moment before admitting, I have only ever had one dream and that is to be a professional football player. How about you? Do you have any dreams?

[00:19:58] Mo the sloth considered Messi's question. He replied, I have dreams every night technically. Messi laughed. I mean, do you have any big dreams? Dreams that you wish would come true? Mo thought harder about Messi's question. He eventually responded,

[00:20:29] no, I don't think so. Sloths like me don't usually amount to much. We're too slow to manage much besides eating, crawling and sleeping. But I suppose making it onto the sleepy forest soccer

[00:20:59] squad was a dream come true. Nobody believed I could do it. Not even me. But Coach Chase saw something in me. He believed in me. With his belief and a lot of training, I've become one of the best goalkeepers in the

[00:21:29] sleepy forest league, even if I'm not proving it right now. Messi chuckled and the pair decided to take a break before switching up their practice. As they both sat and each enjoyed a glass of water and a banana, Messi observed the humble talking sloth and said,

[00:21:58] For what it's worth, Mo, I think you're a pretty special sloth. You definitely amounted to more than just eating, crawling and sleeping. Messi's words of encouragement gave Slow Mo a little lift and once they'd finished their snacks, they hopped straight back into practice. This time, Messi suggested

[00:22:28] they try a different exercise. Messi placed three flat circular mats on the ground in front of the goal and gave Mo instructions for the next exercise. To get Mo moving around the goal a little more and encourage him to be less reliant on his slow motion vision and long arms, Messi gave Mo orders to sidestep to the next marker between each shot.

[00:22:59] Messi would kick the ball towards each marker and as long as Mo made it there in time he should easily be able to catch the ball. It seemed like an easy exercise however for an animal as naturally slow moving as Mo tried to move his legs as quickly as they could carry him between each marker

[00:23:28] but at the leisurely pace that his limbs could manage Messi's kicks were firing far faster than the sloth could keep up with. Mo just couldn't make it to each marker in time to catch the ball. Breathless and weary Mo asked if they could take another break. And he slumped in his goal defeatedly. Noticing the

[00:23:58] change in Mo's demeanour, Messi sat next to Mo and asked him what the matter was. Slow Mo admitted that he was feeling embarrassed about his lacklustre performance today. He usually had no problem defending goals, but it was as if he had lost his magic touch in the presence of his idol. Messi patiently listened

[00:24:28] to his new friend's worries. After a few silent moments, Messi asked Mo, do you know how old I was when I first started training to be a professional footballer? Mo shrugged his shoulders lethargically. he had no idea. Messi continued, three

[00:24:57] years old. I trained almost every day from three years old. Football was literally my life. Was I the best at six years old? No. Was I the best at ten years old? No. I didn't start playing football with a professional team until I was seventeen years old. And

[00:25:27] even then, I was not the best. But I work hard every single day to be better. When I stumble, I get back up again. When I miss a shot, I am disappointed but I try again. If you let yourself get too down about the things you're not great at, you will never get better. Try and try again. Eventually

[00:25:57] you will succeed. Mo listened to Messi's inspiring speech and felt encouraged. Mo hadn't been playing soccer for that long in the grand scheme of his life. How could he expect to catch a shot kicked by one of the greatest football players in the world on the first go? Mo stood back up on his

[00:26:27] feet, took a deep breath and said, You're right, Messi. Can we go again? Slow Mo and Messi kept training for hours. Messi lined up his shots from different angles and slow-mo practiced trying to defend them all. Messi's dynamic kicks shot past Mo into the

[00:26:57] back of the net over and over again, but Mo did not give up. As time went on, Mo started to get closer and closer to reaching the ball when it came his way. It was hard work training so much and Mo was getting more and more tired as the afternoon went on. He was a sleepy sloth by nature

[00:27:26] and he was hardly a match for Messi's never-ending energy. They regularly took breaks and in those breaks Messi demonstrated to Mo some of his fancy footwork and football tricks. Mo loved watching and admiring the footballer's skills. He was more skilled than any player he had ever seen.

[00:27:55] After some time Messi noticed that Mo was exhausted. The determined sloth could barely keep his eyes open and he was moving even slower than usual which was saying something for a sloth. Messi asked Would you like to stop Mo? We can stop any time you like.

[00:28:25] Mo was determined to keep going until he had defended a strike but he also could recognise within himself when he was too tired to continue. There was no point in making himself so exhausted that he couldn't even make his way home after training. There was always tomorrow to keep practising. Once he had recharged his

[00:28:55] batteries with a good long sleep. Mo slowly nodded his head and agreed that he could use a rest but he wanted to have one more go before they finished for the day. Who knew if Messi would still be here tomorrow? Messi placed the ball on the ground and lined up his shot. Mo stared at the ball intensely

[00:29:25] and attempted to predict which direction the would it be the left would it be the right or would it be straight down the middle? Messi might go for a corner shot on the diagonal. There were so many options that it was almost impossible to predict. All that slow-mo could do was

[00:29:54] make a guess and go for it. Messi backed up away from the ball started running on the spot picking up speed and then lunged forward with a sweeping kick making contact with the football. The ball hurtled through the air towards Mo's goal and the sloth reached out his long gangly

[00:30:24] arms towards the top left hand corner with his palms wide. Mo watched in slow motion as the ball spun through the air heading directly towards the corner of the goal. Mo stretched a little bit further mustering up the last of his energy reserves and reached for the ball in his line of

[00:30:54] sight. Miraculously his palms connected with the fast flying ball batting it away from the net and Mo gracefully tumbled to the floor holding the ball in his arms. Realising what he had done Mo gasped with surprise. Messi clapped his hands and laughed with joy. Bravo!

[00:31:24] Bravo Mo! You did it! The famous footballer cried. Mo could hardly believe it. He had defended a goal from one of the best footballers in the world. Mo felt like a champion. Mo laughed and held up the ball victoriously. I

[00:31:53] did it. Thank you Messi for never letting me give up, he gushed. Messi smiled and held out his hand to the sloth. Ah, it's my pleasure Mo, he replied. Training with you has been so much fun. All of a

[00:32:22] sudden, Mo noticed that his palm was beginning to tingle. He glanced at his hand that was holding Messi's and saw that sparkling pinpricks of light were dancing across the soccer star's skin. Messi noticed the change too and sighed, I think this means it's time for me to go.

[00:32:53] Mo nodded his head disappointedly. It certainly seemed that way. Mo said goodbye to his soccer idol. Messi disappeared with a smile and a wave as mystical swirls enveloped him, whisking him away back to wherever it was he came from. Still holding the ball, Mo collapsed

[00:33:23] to the ground to rest his tired, aching body. He may have been exhausted but the sloth felt happy. Unbeknownst to Mo, somebody had been watching his incredible soccer practice from the other side of the pitch. Coach Chase the cheater approached Mo who was happily sitting in his goal and

[00:33:53] asked, did my eyes deceive me or was Lionel Messi just here playing on our soccer pitch? Slow Mo sleepily smiled and replied, If your eyes deceived you then mine did too. This

[00:34:22] whole afternoon has been a dream come true. Mo pulled out his pack of trading cards from his back pocket and rifled through them in search of the shiny card that had started this whole incredible day. His fingers eventually came across the card for Lionel

[00:34:52] Messi and as expected the football star's picture was back in its rightful place. However, it was no longer shiny now it simply looked like a normal trading card. Mo assumed this meant that there was only enough magic in the shiny trading card for one visit

[00:35:21] from the player. Mo smiled and sighed while it was a shame that he likely wouldn't get to meet Messi again. This afternoon had been a dream come true and how lucky he was to get the chance to live out a dream. be be to be