August 2018 - Back to Monaco
After the World Cup triumph, Ethan returned to Monaco for one final season.
The deal was already done. Barcelona had agreed to pay €160 million for his transfer, to be completed in summer 2019. He'd signed a five-year contract. But Monaco wanted one more season. One more title push.
Mbappé was gone—now at PSG for a world-record €180 million. The Princes were separated for the first time in eight years.
Jardim rebuilt around Ethan. Brought in Cesc Fàbregas from Chelsea. Signed young talents. Trusted the academy.
But everyone knew: this was Ethan's team now. His responsibility. His final season as a Prince of Monaco.
August-December 2018 - Domination
Without Mbappé, skeptics predicted Monaco would struggle. But Ethan elevated his game to another level.
He wasn't just scoring anymore. He was creating. Leading. Carrying.
August: 5 goals in 4 matches September: 6 goals in 5 matches
October: 4 goals in 4 matches November: 5 goals in 4 matches December: 6 goals in 5 matches
By Christmas, Ethan had 26 goals in 22 matches across all competitions. He was on pace to break Ligue 1's single-season scoring record.
Monaco sat top of the table, three points clear of PSG (and Mbappé).
Champions League - Group Stage
Monaco were drawn with Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Club Brugge.
Tough group. No guarantees.
But Ethan was unstoppable:
Matchday 1: Monaco 3-1 Brugge. Ethan: 2 goals Matchday 2: Dortmund 2-3 Monaco. Ethan: hat-trick Matchday 3: Monaco 2-2 Atletico. Ethan: 1 goal Matchday 4: Atletico 1-1 Monaco. Ethan: 1 goal Matchday 5: Brugge 0-4 Monaco. Ethan: 2 goals Matchday 6: Monaco 3-1 Dortmund. Ethan: 1 goal
Monaco topped the group. Ethan: 10 goals in 6 matches. Again.
European defenders had no answer.
February 2019 - Champions League Round of 16Monaco vs Real Madrid
The ultimate test. Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. Defending three-time champions.
First leg in Madrid. Eighty thousand hostile fans.
Real Madrid attacked from the first whistle. Benzema, Bale, Modrić, Kroos. World-class quality everywhere.
But Monaco's defense held firm. And on the counter-attack, they were lethal.
In the thirty-eighth minute, Ethan scored.
A long ball from Fàbregas. Ethan controlled on his chest, turned Sergio Ramos with a Lavinho roulette, and finished past Courtois.
1-0.
Real Madrid pushed desperately in the second half. Equalizing through Benzema in the sixty-seventh minute. 1-1.
Crucial away goal for Monaco.
Second leg at Monaco. Real Madrid needed to win.
They started aggressively, dominating possession, creating chances.
But in the twenty-ninth minute, Ethan struck again.
Receiving the ball on the left, he cut inside and unleashed a curling shot from twenty-five meters. It flew into the top corner, past Courtois' outstretched hand.
1-0. 2-1 aggregate.
Real Madrid equalized through Ramos in the seventy-fifth. 1-1 on the night, 2-2 aggregate.
The match went to extra time.
In the ninety-eighth minute, Ethan completed his brace.
A counter-attack. He received the ball at halfway, drove forward, beat two defenders, and finished with ice-cold precision.
2-1. 3-2 aggregate.
Monaco held on. Real Madrid eliminated.
Ethan had scored all three goals across both legs. At nineteen, he'd knocked out Real Madrid from the Champions League.
March-May 2019 - The Run
Quarter-Final vs Juventus: Won 3-2 aggregate. Ethan: 2 goals. Semi-Final vs Liverpool: Won 4-3 aggregate. Ethan: hat-trick over two legs.
MONACO IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL. AGAIN.
Three finals in three years.
2017: Lost to Real Madrid 2018: Beat Liverpool 2019: ???
June 1, 2019 - Champions League FinalMonaco vs Barcelona - Madrid
The Wanda Metropolitano. Sixty-eight thousand fans. Ethan's future club vs his current club.
Barcelona—Messi, Suárez, Coutinho. Arguably the best attack in the world.
Monaco—Ethan Loki and a team of warriors.
Pre-Match
In the changing room, Jardim addressed the team one final time.
"Ethan. This is your last match for Monaco. Three years ago, you were seventeen years old, making your debut. Now you're nineteen, a world champion, about to play your third Champions League final."
Ethan felt tears forming. This was really it. The end.
"Go out there and show Barcelona—show the world—what Monaco made you. Show them why you're worth €160 million. Show them what a Prince of Monaco can do."
The Match
Barcelona dominated possession from the start. Messi dropped deep, orchestrating. Suárez pressed high. Coutinho drifted wide.
But Monaco defended with incredible discipline. And when they won the ball, they hit Barcelona on the counter with devastating speed.
In the thirty-third minute, Ethan opened the scoring.
A long ball from Fàbregas. Ethan controlled, turned Piqué with a roulette, and finished past ter Stegen.
1-0.
Camp Nou's future star scoring against them in a Champions League final. The irony.
Barcelona equalized just before halftime. Messi, inevitably. 1-1.
The second half was end-to-end. Both teams attacking. Both creating chances.
In the sixty-eighth minute, Barcelona took the lead. Suárez headed home from a Messi cross. 2-1.
Monaco pushed desperately for an equalizer. Threw everyone forward.
In the eighty-ninth minute, Ethan delivered.
A corner kick. Chaos in the box. The ball fell to him at the edge of the six-yard box. He struck it first-time, low and hard.
2-2.
Extra time.
Neither team could score in the additional thirty minutes. Exhausted. Empty. Nothing left to give.
Penalties.
Monaco: scored, scored, missed, scored, scored. Barcelona: scored, scored, scored, scored, scored.
5-5 after five penalties each.
Sudden death.
Ethan stepped up for Monaco's sixth penalty. If he missed, they lost.
He placed the ball on the spot. Looked at ter Stegen. Remembered this moment. His last act as a Monaco player.
He struck it. Bottom corner. Perfect.
Barcelona's sixth penalty taker: Messi.
The greatest player of all time vs Danijel Subašić.
Messi placed the ball. Ran up. Struck it low to his left.
Subašić dove. Got a hand to it. The ball deflected. Hit the post. Bounced away.
MONACO WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. AGAIN.
On penalties. Against Barcelona. With Ethan scoring the decisive penalty.
The stadium erupted. Ethan collapsed to his knees, crying. His teammates mobbed him. Jardim was crying on the touchline.
At the trophy presentation, Ethan lifted the Champions League trophy for the second time in his career.
Two Champions League titles before turning twenty. World champion. Ligue 1 champion.
The Prince of Monaco had delivered everything he promised.
Post-Match
As the celebrations continued, Ethan found a quiet moment alone on the pitch. He looked around the Wanda Metropolitano—the confetti, the banners, the trophies.
This was it. The end of his Monaco story.
Jardim approached. "You did it. Everything we dreamed of. Two Champions Leagues. One Ligue 1. World Cup. And now you leave as a legend."
"Thank you for everything, Coach. For believing in me when I was eleven years old."
"Go to Barcelona. Become the best in the world. Make us proud." Jardim hugged him. "You'll always be a Prince of Monaco. Always."
End of Chapter 25