The spring sun blazed over Barcelona as April arrived, bringing with it the decisive phase of La Liga's title race.
Barcelona sat two points clear of Atletico Madrid and four ahead of Real Madrid with eight matches remaining. Every game was a final. Every point was precious. The pressure was suffocating.
Ethan Loki, wearing the number 10 and the captain's armband, understood what was at stake. This was his first full season as Barcelona's leader. The post-Messi era. If he failed to deliver a title, the criticism would be merciless.
"You okay?" Griezmann asked in the training ground changing room before their match against Valladolid.
"Just thinking," Ethan replied, taping up his ankles with practiced precision. "Eight matches. Twenty-four points available. We need probably eighteen to guarantee the title."
"You're doing the math already?"
"Always. Three moves ahead, remember?"
Griezmann smiled. "That's why you're captain. That's why we'll win."
April 10, 2021 - Matchday 31Barcelona vs Real Valladolid - Camp Nou
Twenty-three thousand fans were allowed into Camp Nou under COVID restrictions. Still below capacity, but the noise they generated made it feel like twice that number. They sensed history—Barcelona's first La Liga title since 2019, the first without Messi since 2006.
Koeman gathered the team in the tunnel before they walked out.
"Gentlemen, this is where champions are made. Not in August when everyone's fresh. In April when legs are tired, minds are foggy, and pressure is at its peak." His eyes found Ethan. "Captain, lead us."
Ethan nodded, feeling the weight of the armband. He led the team onto the pitch to thunderous applause.
Valladolid, fighting relegation, came to defend. They parked the bus—literally putting eleven men behind the ball, compacting the space, making Camp Nou's enormous pitch feel like a phone booth.
For thirty-seven minutes, Barcelona dominated possession but couldn't find the breakthrough. Pass after pass. Probe after probe. No space. No openings.
Then, in the thirty-eighth minute, Ethan saw it.
Three moves ahead.
Receiving the ball thirty meters from goal, he noticed Valladolid's right-back had drifted too narrow, anticipating a pass to the wing. The goalkeeper was positioned slightly to his left, expecting a cross. And the center-back marking him had his weight on his heels, not his toes.
Ethan took one touch forward with his left foot—just enough to create the angle—and struck with the outside of his right foot.
The ball curved wickedly, bending away from the goalkeeper's dive, kissing the inside of the far post, and settling into the net.
1-0.
Camp Nou erupted. Ethan didn't celebrate wildly—just pointed to the badge on his chest, then to the fans. Professional. Focused. Leaders don't get carried away.
In the sixty-third minute, he sealed the victory.
A corner kick. Chaos in the box. The ball ricocheted off two defenders and fell at Ethan's feet at the edge of the six-yard box. Pure Gerd Müller instinct—he knew where the goal was before the ball even arrived. Side-foot finish. Bottom corner. 2-0.
Barcelona won. Three points. The title race continued.
April 17 - Matchday 32Real Betis vs Barcelona - Benito Villamarín
Away matches in title races are crucibles. Hostile crowds. Nervous players. Referees under pressure.
Betis, safe in mid-table, played with freedom. They attacked with flair, pressed with energy, made Barcelona uncomfortable.
The match was 1-1 at halftime—Griezmann scoring for Barcelona, Fekir equalizing for Betis.
In the changing room, Koeman was calm but firm. "They're giving us space on the counter. Ethan, drop deeper. Let them push up. Then hit them."
The instruction was clear. Ethan understood immediately.
In the fifty-sixth minute, the tactic worked perfectly.
Betis pushed forward, committing seven players into Barcelona's half. Busquets won the ball in midfield. One touch to Ethan, who'd dropped into the center circle.
Suddenly, Barcelona had a four-on-three situation. Ethan drove forward, ball at his feet, two Betis defenders backpedaling frantically.
He saw Griezmann making a run left. Saw Pedri overlapping right. Saw the goalkeeper coming off his line.
Three moves ahead, he calculated: If I pass left, the defender will intercept. If I pass right, it's too far for Pedri. But if I shoot now, from twenty-five meters, the keeper is too far off his line...
He struck. Low. Hard. The ball skidded across the turf, beat the goalkeeper's desperate dive, and crashed into the bottom corner.
2-1 Barcelona.
They held on. Another three points. Another step closer.
April 25 - Matchday 33Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid - Camp Nou
The big one. First versus second. Barcelona leading by two points.
A win would give Barcelona a five-point cushion with five matches remaining—effectively sealing the title.
A loss would put Atletico level on points with a better head-to-head record—giving them the advantage.
The tension at Camp Nou was palpable. Thirty thousand fans now allowed due to relaxed restrictions. The noise was deafening.
Atletico Madrid under Diego Simeone were masters of defensive football. Compact. Disciplined. Hard to break down. They'd conceded the fewest goals in La Liga all season.
The first half was a tactical stalemate. Neither team willing to commit too many forward. Chess on grass.
0-0 at halftime.
In the changing room, Koeman made an adjustment. "They're dropping too deep. We need to pull them out. Ethan, when you receive the ball, turn and drive at them. Force them to make decisions. Create chaos."
Ethan nodded. He understood. Atletico's strength was organization. If he could disrupt that organization, create uncertainty, spaces would appear.
In the sixty-first minute, he got his chance.
Receiving the ball thirty-five meters from goal, he turned and accelerated directly at Atletico's defense. Three defenders converged on him—exactly what he wanted.
At the last possible second, he slipped a pass between two defenders to Griezmann, who'd found space in the channel. The Frenchman controlled and shot.
Oblak saved. But the rebound fell to Pedri.
1-0 Barcelona.
Atletico pushed desperately for an equalizer. Threw everything forward. Suárez—Ethan's predecessor at Barcelona—had two great chances. Both saved by Ter Stegen.
In the eighty-ninth minute, Barcelona sealed it on the counter.
Ter Stegen's long goal kick. Ethan won the header against Giménez. The ball fell to Dembélé, who drove forward. Ethan sprinted to keep up, demanding the pass.
Dembélé obliged. One touch to control. One touch to finish.
2-0.
Final whistle. Camp Nou exploded. Barcelona were five points clear with five matches remaining.
The title was within reach.
May 2 - Matchday 34Granada vs Barcelona
Another away trip. Another must-not-lose situation.
Granada, fighting relegation, played with desperation. They pressed high. Tackled hard. Made the match ugly.
But Barcelona, led by their captain, stayed calm.
Ethan scored in the twenty-third minute—a tap-in after brilliant work from Dembélé.
He scored again in the fifty-fifth—a header from a corner, rare for him but perfectly timed.
2-0. Another three points. Another step closer.
May 9 - Matchday 35Barcelona vs Levante - Camp Nou
Three points needed to mathematically clinch the title.
Levante, another relegation battler, came to defend. Barcelona attacked relentlessly.
Ethan opened the scoring in the eighteenth minute—a brilliant solo goal, beating three defenders before finishing.
Griezmann made it 2-0 before halftime.
In the seventy-second minute, Ethan completed his hat-trick with a stunning free-kick from twenty-eight meters. The ball curled over the wall and dipped under the crossbar. Unstoppable.
3-0.
But they needed one more goal to guarantee the title on goal difference if Atletico won their remaining matches.
In the eighty-sixth minute, Ethan turned provider. A perfect through ball to Pedri, who finished calmly.
4-0.
Final whistle.
BARCELONA - LA LIGA CHAMPIONS 2020-21
Camp Nou exploded. Fans invaded the pitch. Fireworks. Confetti. Joy.
Ethan collapsed to his knees at the center circle, arms raised to the sky, tears streaming down his face. His first La Liga title. His first major trophy as Barcelona's captain and leader.
His teammates mobbed him. Griezmann grabbed his face. "YOU DID IT! CAPTAIN CHAMPION!"
Koeman pulled him into a bear hug. "You led us. You scored the goals. You carried the pressure. This is YOUR title."
At the trophy presentation, Ethan lifted La Liga trophy above his head. The crowd chanted his name: "LOKI! LOKI! LOKI!"
In the post-match press conference, exhausted but elated, he addressed the media.
"This is for Barcelona. For the fans who believed in us after Messi left. For my teammates who fought every single day. And for everyone who said we couldn't win without Leo." His voice was steady, confident. "This is just the beginning. Next season, we go for the Champions League."
Season Statistics (2020-21):
Ethan Loki - Age 21-22:
52 appearances (all competitions) 47 goals (32 La Liga, 8 Champions League, 7 Copa del Rey) 21 assists La Liga Champion ✅ Copa del Rey Winner ✅ La Liga Top Scorer (Pichichi) Champions League Quarter-Finalist
Team Awards:
La Liga Champions Copa del Rey Winners
The post-Messi era had begun successfully. Ethan Loki, at twenty-two years old, had proven he could carry Barcelona.
But he wanted more. Much more.
The Ballon d'Or. The Champions League. Immortality.
Three moves ahead, he could see it all.
End of Chapter 31