The UEFA European Under-17 Championship was the biggest tournament in youth football.
Held in Malta over two weeks in May, it brought together Europe's best young players—future stars who would one day headline Champions League finals and World Cups. For scouts, it was a goldmine. For players, it was a showcase.
For Ethan Loki, it was a mission.
France had been drawn into Group C alongside Germany, Netherlands, and Republic of Ireland. Tough group. No easy matches.
Coach Ferrier gathered the squad in their team hotel. "Gentlemen, we are not here to participate. We are here to win. France expects excellence. I expect excellence. You should expect it from yourselves."
He pulled up video footage of Germany's team. "They're organized, physical, disciplined. But they lack creativity in the final third. If we can control possession and break their shape, we'll create chances."
His eyes found Ethan. "Loki, you're our false nine. Drop deep, drag their center-backs out, create space for our wingers. Can you do that?"
"Yes, Coach."
Match Day 1: France vs Germany
The stadium in Ta'Qali was modest but packed. Scouts from every major European club filled the stands—clipboards out, eyes sharp, hunting for the next generation of talent.
Germany started strong, pressing high, winning physical battles. Their center-backs were massive—over six feet tall, built like men rather than teenagers.
But Ethan had faced bigger. He'd trained against Monaco's first-team defenders. Size didn't intimidate him.
In the twenty-third minute, he dropped into midfield to receive. Germany's center-back followed him, leaving space in behind. Ethan played a one-touch pass to the winger making a run, who crossed for Baptiste to head home.
1-0.
In the fifty-sixth minute, Ethan scored himself. A corner kick, chaos in the box, the ball falling to him at the penalty spot. Gerd Müller instinct—he knew where the goal was before the ball even arrived. Side-foot finish, bottom corner.
2-0.
France won 3-1. Ethan: one goal, two assists.
Match Day 2: France vs Netherlands
The Dutch were different—technical, quick, comfortable with the ball. They played possession football, trying to control the tempo.
But Ethan saw the pattern. Three moves ahead.
Netherlands' weakness was transition defense. When they lost the ball, they took a moment to reorganize. In that moment, space existed.
France hit them on the counter repeatedly. Ethan scored twice—both from turnovers, both from exploiting the space behind their high line.
Final score: 4-2. Ethan: two goals, one assist.
Match Day 3: France vs Republic of Ireland
Ireland parked the bus—eleven men behind the ball, defending deep, making the pitch small.
Frustrating football. Negative football. But effective if you couldn't break them down.
For sixty-eight minutes, France dominated possession but couldn't score. Ireland's defense was organized, disciplined, physical.
Then Ethan produced magic.
Receiving the ball twenty-five meters from goal, surrounded by three defenders, he executed a move that would be replayed thousands of times on social media: a double elastico followed by a roulette turn, leaving all three defenders on the ground, then a curling shot with the outside of his left foot into the top corner.
1-0.
Pure Lavinho technique. Pure genius.
France won 2-0. Ethan: one goal, one assist.
France topped Group C with nine points. Ethan had scored five goals and created four more. He was the tournament's top scorer after the group stage.
The media attention intensified. Every match, more scouts arrived. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Liverpool—all the giants were watching.
But Ethan stayed focused. The knockout rounds were coming.
Quarter-Final: France vs England
England had a talented squad—players from Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal academies. Physical, fast, tactically smart.
The match was cagey, tense, defensive. Neither team wanting to make a mistake.
0-0 at halftime.
In the sixty-second minute, Ethan changed the game.
Receiving the ball in midfield, he saw England's right-back out of position. Saw Baptiste making a run. Calculated the weight of the pass needed.
He struck a forty-meter diagonal ball that dropped perfectly at Baptiste's feet. The striker controlled, turned, and finished.
1-0.
France held on. Quarter-final: won.
Semi-Final: France vs Spain
Revenge match. Spain had improved since their May friendly. They dominated possession, created chances, pushed France deep.
But Ethan had learned from that match. He knew their weaknesses now.
In the thirty-seventh minute, he scored from a counter-attack—a clinical finish after a seventy-meter run.
1-0 at halftime.
Spain equalized in the sixtieth minute. 1-1.
The match went to extra time. Both teams exhausted, legs heavy, minds foggy.
In the one hundred and sixth minute, Ethan received the ball on the edge of the box. The Spanish goalkeeper had come off his line slightly, anticipating a pass.
Ethan chipped him from twenty meters. The ball floated over the keeper's outstretched hand, dropped under the crossbar, and settled into the net.
2-1.
France held on for the final fourteen minutes. Semi-final: won.
Final: France vs Portugal
The final was held at the National Stadium in Malta. Ten thousand fans packed the stands. The French Federation sent senior scouts. This was more than a youth tournament—this was a statement.
Portugal had their own prodigy—a quick, skillful winger who'd scored six goals in the tournament. The media had built it up: Loki vs the Portuguese star. The future of European football on one pitch.
The match lived up to the hype.
Portugal scored first—a stunning individual goal from their winger. 1-0.
France equalized through Ethan—a header from a corner, rare for him. 1-1 at halftime.
The second half was chess at the highest youth level. Both teams probing, looking for weaknesses, afraid to commit too many forward.
In the seventy-eighth minute, Ethan dropped deep to receive. Portugal's center-back followed. Space opened up. Baptiste made the run.
Ethan played the perfect through ball—weighted precisely, cutting through three defenders. Baptiste was one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
He finished calmly. 2-1.
France defended for twelve agonizing minutes. Portugal threw everything forward. Hit the post. Hit the crossbar. Forced incredible saves from the French goalkeeper.
But they couldn't equalize.
Final whistle.
France U-17 European Champions.
Ethan Loki: eight goals, six assists in six matches. Golden Boot winner. Best Player of the Tournament. European Champion at fifteen years old.
On the podium, receiving his medals and trophies, Ethan looked into the crowd. His parents were there, having flown to Malta for the final. Marie was there, crying and cheering. Monaco's scouts were there, filming everything.
And somewhere in France, he knew Kylian Mbappé was watching, probably smiling, probably already planning how to one-up this achievement.
The Princes of Monaco.
One had just conquered Europe at youth level.
In two years, they'd conquer professional football together.
End of Chapter 14