June 1, 2024 - Champions League FinalBarcelona vs Liverpool - Wembley Stadium, London
The Champions League final. Barcelona seeking back-to-back titles. Liverpool seeking their seventh European Cup.
Ninety thousand fans at Wembley. The atmosphere was electric.
This was it. History beckoned.
The Match - First Half
Liverpool started aggressively. Klopp's high press. Intensity. Chaos.
But Barcelona stayed calm. Controlled. Waited for their moment.
In the thirty-fourth minute, Ethan delivered.
A brilliant individual goal. Receiving the ball on the left, he cut inside, beat Van Dijk with a Lavinho roulette, beat Konaté with pace, and finished past Alisson.
1-0 Barcelona.
Liverpool responded immediately. Salah equalized in the forty-first minute.
1-1 at halftime.
Second Half - Ethan's Masterclass
The second half belonged to Barcelona's captain.
In the fifty-eighth minute, he put Barcelona ahead.
A counter-attack. Pedri to Ethan. One-on-one with Alisson. Clinical finish.
2-1 Barcelona.
In the seventy-ninth minute, he sealed it.
A brilliant free kick from twenty-eight meters. Curled over the wall into the top corner.
3-1 Barcelona.
His third goal of the final. Hat-trick in back-to-back Champions League finals.
Liverpool pulled one back in the eighty-seventh minute. Núñez.
3-2.
But Barcelona held on.
Final whistle.
BARCELONA 3-2 LIVERPOOL
BARCELONA - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS 2023-24
BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONS!
Historic Achievement
Barcelona had won back-to-back Champions Leagues for the first time since 1992.
Ethan Loki had scored three goals in back-to-back finals. Six goals across two finals. Historic.
At twenty-five years old, he had:
4 Champions League titles (2 Monaco, 2 Barcelona) 4 La Liga titles (consecutive) 1 World Cup 2 Ballons d'Or Multiple records
He was building one of the greatest careers in football history.
At the trophy presentation, he lifted the Champions League trophy for the fourth time in his career.
"THIS IS FOR BARCELONA!" he screamed. "BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONS! WE'RE THE BEST IN EUROPE!"
Post-Match
"Ethan, hat-trick in the Champions League final. Again. How does it feel?"
"Incredible. To defend this trophy. To win it back-to-back. This is what dreams are made of."
"Four Champions Leagues at twenty-five. Are you the best of your generation?"
"I'm part of an incredible generation. Mbappé, Haaland, so many great players. But yes, I want to be remembered as the best. That's why I work so hard."
"The Ballon d'Or—can you win three in a row?"
Ethan smiled. "If I win the Euros this summer with France and maintain this form next season, why not? But that's not my focus. My focus is winning trophies. Making Barcelona the greatest team in Europe. Creating a dynasty."
Legacy
At twenty-five years old, Ethan Loki had established himself as one of the greatest players of his generation.
The comparisons to Messi and Ronaldo were no longer premature. They were legitimate.
Career Totals (Age 25):
4 Champions Leagues 4 La Liga titles 1 World Cup 2 Ballons d'Or 300+ career goals
And he was just getting started.
Three moves ahead, he could see it all:
Euro 2024 this summer More Ballons d'Or More Champions Leagues World Cup 2026 Immortality
The journey continued.