June 10, 2023 - Champions League FinalBarcelona vs Manchester City - Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul
The biggest club match in world football.
Seventy-one thousand fans filled the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The atmosphere was electric. Half the stadium in Barcelona's blaugrana. Half in Manchester City's sky blue.
This was it. The moment Ethan had been chasing since leaving Monaco. The Champions League with Barcelona.
Pre-Match - Changing Room
Koeman addressed the team one final time.
"Gentlemen, ninety minutes. Maybe more. Between us and immortality. Between us and bringing the Champions League back to Barcelona after eight years."
He looked around the room. At Ter Stegen. At Pedri and Gavi. At Lewandowski. At his captain.
"Ethan, anything to say?"
Ethan stood. The armband felt heavier than usual. The weight of expectation. The weight of history.
"We've fought all season for this. Beaten Bayern. Beaten Milan. Now we face the best team in England. Maybe the best team in the world. But we're Barcelona. We don't fear anyone."
He looked at each teammate. "When you're tired. When your legs are burning. When you want to give up. Remember why we're here. Remember the fans. Remember the history. And give everything."
The team roared their approval.
The Match - First Half
Manchester City started aggressively. Guardiola's game plan was clear: dominate possession, press high, suffocate Barcelona.
For twenty-three minutes, it worked. City controlled the ball—64% possession. Barcelona couldn't get out of their own half.
Then, against the run of play, Barcelona struck.
In the twenty-fourth minute, Ethan scored.
A counter-attack. Ter Stegen's long kick. Pedri flicked it on. Suddenly, Ethan was through on goal.
One-on-one with Ederson. The Brazilian goalkeeper rushed out.
But Ethan had already decided. Three moves ahead. He dinked it over Ederson's dive.
The ball floated toward the empty net. Dias sprinted back desperately. Dove. Couldn't reach it.
The ball crossed the line.
1-0 Barcelona.
The Barcelona section of the stadium erupted. Ethan ran to them, arms spread wide, screaming with joy.
City responded furiously. Attacked relentlessly. Haaland had three great chances. All saved by Ter Stegen.
In the forty-second minute, City equalized.
De Bruyne's brilliant through ball. Haaland through on goal. Clinical finish.
1-1.
The match was level. Everything to play for.
Halftime arrived with the score 1-1. Both teams had their moments. Both teams believing they could win.
Halftime - Tactical Adjustments
In the changing room, Koeman made tweaks.
"They're pressing us too high. We need to draw them out. Ethan, drop deeper. Receive between their lines. When you turn, we'll have space."
Ethan nodded. He understood immediately.
Second Half - Chess Match
The second half was tactical chess at the highest level.
Both teams probing. Both teams cautious. Neither willing to make the mistake that would cost them.
In the sixty-seventh minute, Barcelona retook the lead.
Pedri's brilliant pass split City's defense. Lewandowski was through. He shot. Ederson saved. But the rebound fell to Ethan.
Empty net. Three yards out. He couldn't miss.
2-1 Barcelona.
Camp Nou erupted—well, the Barcelona fans in Istanbul erupted. This was it. The lead.
City threw everything forward. Guardiola made attacking substitutions. Sent on fresh legs.
In the seventy-ninth minute, they equalized again.
Grealish crossed. Haaland headed home. 2-2.
Extra time loomed.
The Decisive Moment
In the eighty-eighth minute, with two minutes of regular time remaining, Ethan produced the moment of magic Barcelona needed.
Receiving the ball thirty meters from goal, he saw space. Saw Ederson slightly off his line. Saw the opportunity.
Three moves ahead, he'd already decided.
He struck from thirty meters. The ball flew like a rocket. Dipped viciously. Ederson backpedaled desperately.
Too late.
The ball crashed into the top corner. Unstoppable. Goal of the season. Maybe goal of the decade.
3-2 Barcelona.
The stadium exploded. Ethan ran toward the Barcelona fans, sliding on his knees, screaming, crying, laughing.
His teammates buried him in a pile of blue and red jerseys.
Two minutes plus stoppage time remaining.
City attacked desperately. Threw everyone forward. Even Ederson came up for a corner in the ninety-fourth minute.
Barcelona defended with everything. Bodies on the line. Desperate blocks.
The corner came in. Cleared.
Final whistle.
BARCELONA 3-2 MANCHESTER CITY
BARCELONA - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS 2022-23
Celebration - Ecstasy
The Barcelona players collapsed in joy. Ethan fell to his knees, hands covering his face, sobbing.
He'd done it. He'd brought the Champions League back to Barcelona.
Pedri pulled him up. Hugged him. Both crying. "YOU DID IT! YOU'RE A LEGEND!"
Koeman found him. Embraced him. "Three goals in the final. You're going down in history."
At the trophy presentation, as captain, Ethan lifted the Champions League trophy above his head.
Confetti exploded. Fireworks lit up the Istanbul sky. "We Are the Champions" blared over the speakers.
This was it. This was everything.
Post-Match
Ethan was named Man of the Match. Three goals in the Champions League final. One of the greatest individual performances in the competition's history.
At the press conference, exhausted but euphoric, he faced the media.
"Ethan, three goals in the Champions League final. How does it feel?"
"Indescribable. This is what I came to Barcelona for. To bring this trophy back. Eight years without it. Now it's home."
"Fifteen Champions League goals this season. Third-highest ever in a single season. Are you the best player in the world?"
"Tonight, yes. But I have to prove it again next season. And the season after. Greatness isn't one night. It's consistency over years."
"The Ballon d'Or—are you the favorite now?"
Ethan smiled, tired but happy. "If winning the Champions League, scoring 43 La Liga goals, and scoring 15 Champions League goals—including three in the final—doesn't make you the favorite, I don't know what does."
June 11 - Barcelona Celebration
Barcelona returned home to a heroes' welcome. One million fans lined the streets from the airport to Camp Nou.
The open-top bus parade took three hours. Fans singing. Players celebrating. The Champions League trophy gleaming in the Barcelona sun.
At Camp Nou, Ethan addressed the ninety-nine thousand fans who'd gathered.
"THIS IS FOR YOU!" he screamed in Spanish, holding the trophy high. "WE BROUGHT IT HOME! VISCA EL BARÇA!"
The crowd roared. Chanted his name. "LOKI! LOKI! LOKI!"
This was it. This was what he'd worked for. This was immortality.
End of Chapter 45