Paris était magnifique sous la pluie de novembre. Le 18 novembre 2024. Le Théâtre du Châtelet brillait comme un phare au cœur de la ville, sa façade classique drapée de bannières dorées arborant le logo du Ballon d'Or. Des limousines bordaient la rue, déposant les plus grands noms du football mondial.
Dans l'une de ces limousines, Ethan Loki était assis, vêtu d'un smoking Tom Ford sur mesure – bleu nuit à fines rayures bleu clair qui ne se révélaient que sous certains éclairages. Sofia, à ses côtés, portait une élégante robe noire et lui serrait la main.
« Tu vas gagner », répéta-t-elle pour la dix-septième fois ce soir-là.
« Tu n'en sais rien », répondit Ethan, la voix étranglée par la tension.
« Je suis journaliste. Je sais ces choses. Croyez-moi. »
La voiture s'arrêta sur le tapis rouge. Les flashs des appareils photo crépitèrent comme des éclairs. Des centaines de photographes hurlaient son nom, réclamant le cliché parfait.
"Prête ?" demanda Sofia.
«Non. Mais faisons-le quand même.»
La porte s'ouvrit et le son le frappa comme une force physique. « ETHAN ! ETHAN ! PAR ICI ! REGARDE PAR LÀ ! »
Il s'avança, tendant la main à Sofia pour l'aider à descendre. Ils posèrent ensemble pour les photographes : le footballeur et la journaliste, tous deux au sommet de leur carrière respective.
« Ethan ! Qui penses-tu qui va gagner ce soir ? »
« Ethan ! As-tu parlé à Mbappé ? »
« Ethan ! C'est ton année ? »
Il sourit, fit un signe de la main, puis s'éloigna sur le tapis rouge sans répondre. L'attaché de presse avait été très clair : sourire, faire un signe de la main, et surtout, ne pas donner de déclarations avant la cérémonie.
À l'intérieur du théâtre, l'atmosphère était électrique. Trois mille invités : joueurs, entraîneurs, journalistes, célébrités, légendes du football. Ethan reconnaissait des visages partout. Ronaldo en pleine conversation avec Neymar. Messi en discussion avec Xavi. Lewandowski riant avec Müller.
C'était la plus grande soirée du football. Les Oscars du sport.
« Le voilà », murmura Sofia en désignant du menton l'autre côté de la pièce.
Kylian Mbappé, entouré de dirigeants du Real Madrid, portait un smoking blanc immaculé qui, étonnamment, ne paraissait pas ridicule. Il semblait confiant, à l'aise et prêt.
Leurs regards se croisèrent à travers la salle bondée. Mbappé sourit et leva légèrement son verre. Ethan lui rendit son sourire.
Ce soir, l'un d'eux allait devenir le meilleur joueur du monde. À nouveau.
Deux heures plus tôt - Le vote
Le vote pour le Ballon d'Or s'est clôturé le 31 octobre. Cent journalistes, un par nation au classement FIFA, ont chacun soumis leur top 10 des meilleurs joueurs. Les points étaient attribués selon un barème progressif : quinze points pour la première place, et un point pour la dixième.
Les critères de vote étaient clairs : performance individuelle, succès de l'équipe, classe et fair-play tout au long de l'année civile.
Pour 2024, les arguments en faveur d'Ethan Loki étaient convaincants :
Back-to-back Champions League titles with Barcelona (2023 and 2024) La Liga champion (4th consecutive year) Copa del Rey winner Euro 2024 winner with France (scored in the final) 47 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions in 2024 Already 17 goals in the first 10 matches of the 2024-25 season
But Mbappé's case was equally strong:
Led PSG to Ligue 1 title before moving to Real Madrid Euro 2024 Golden Boot (6 goals) Transferred to Real Madrid and immediately made an impact 15 goals in first 10 La Liga matches for Madrid 43 goals in 48 appearances in 2024 Finally escaped PSG's shadow to join a true global giant
The football world was split. Some argued Ethan's team success—particularly the back-to-back Champions Leagues—was decisive. Others pointed to Mbappé's individual brilliance and his Euro 2024 heroics (despite France losing in the final).
It was the closest Ballon d'Or race in years. Possibly ever.
The Ceremony Begins
The lights dimmed at 8:00 PM sharp. A video montage played on the massive screen above the stage—highlights from the past year in football. Goals, saves, celebrations, heartbreak.
Didier Drogba walked onto the stage as the host, looking distinguished in a black tuxedo.
"Welcome, everyone, to the 2024 Ballon d'Or ceremony," he began in French, then repeated in English. "Tonight, we celebrate the beautiful game and the incredible players who make it special."
Applause filled the theater.
"We'll begin with some special awards before announcing the men's Ballon d'Or. First, the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper..."
The ceremony moved through its early segments. Emiliano Martínez won the Yashin Trophy for the second straight year. Gavi won the Kopa Trophy for best young player under twenty-one. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona's sixteen-year-old sensation, came second.
Each award brought applause, speeches, photo opportunities. But everyone was waiting for the main event.
At Ethan's table sat the Barcelona delegation—Laporta, Xavi (now in a director role), Lewandowski, Pedri, and several board members. They made small talk, but the tension was palpable.
At Mbappé's table sat Florentino Pérez, Ancelotti, Vinícius, Bellingham, and Real Madrid's power brokers.
The two tables were positioned deliberately close to the stage. One of them would be celebrating very soon.
The Announcement Begins
At 9:47 PM, Drogba returned to the stage with a golden envelope.
"And now," he said, drawing out the moment, "the moment we've all been waiting for. The 2024 Ballon d'Or."
The theater fell silent. Three thousand people holding their breath.
"This year's race has been extraordinary. Two phenomenal players. Two incredible seasons. One trophy."
The screen behind him showed a montage of both finalists. Ethan scoring at Camp Nou. Mbappé celebrating at the Bernabéu. Both holding trophies. Both at the absolute peak of their powers.
"We'll count down from tenth place," Drogba continued. "Starting with number ten..."
The screen changed. A photo appeared.
"Number ten: Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid and Brazil."
Applause. Vinícius stood, waved, sat back down. Respectable finish but not a real contender this year.
"Number nine: Phil Foden, Manchester City and England."
More applause. Foden had won the Premier League but his Euro 2024 performance had been disappointing.
"Number eight: Rodri, Manchester City and Spain."
The Spanish midfielder stood, accepted the applause. Euro 2024 winner with Spain, but playing in midfield always made it harder to win the Ballon d'Or.
"Number seven: Harry Kane, Bayern Munich and England."
Kane had scored 40 goals for Bayern but won no trophies. The curse continued.
"Number six: Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen and Germany."
The young German had an incredible season with Leverkusen's unbeaten run, but it wasn't enough.
"Number five: Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid and England."
Bellingham stood, looking disappointed. He'd been brilliant for Madrid but this wasn't his year yet.
Four players left. Everyone knew who three of them were.
"Number four: Erling Haaland, Manchester City and Norway."
Haaland accepted the applause stoically. Another 40-goal season, another year without the Ballon d'Or. The striker's curse.
Three players left. Ethan felt his heart trying to break through his ribcage. Sofia squeezed his hand so hard it hurt.
"Number three: Vinícius Júnior— wait, no." Drogba looked at the card again. "Apologies. Number three: Lamine Yamal, Barcelona and Spain."
The theater erupted. The sixteen-year-old prodigy, already third in the Ballon d'Or voting. Unprecedented. Yamal looked shocked, standing and waving, clearly emotional.
Two players left. Ethan and Mbappé. One would be second. One would be first.
This was it.
The Final Moment
Drogba held the golden envelope, milking the moment for every second of drama.
"The 2024 Ballon d'Or has been one of the closest races in the history of this award. Two players who have redefined excellence. Two players who have pushed each other to heights we've never seen before."
The screen split, showing both finalists side by side. Their career statistics. Their 2024 achievements. Two titans of the modern game.
"Both players scored in the recent Clásico. Both players won Euro 2024 with France. Both players have broken records that seemed unbreakable."
Ethan couldn't breathe. His entire body felt numb.
"But only one can win."
Drogba opened the envelope slowly, deliberately. Read the card inside. Looked up with a smile.
"The runner-up for the 2024 Ballon d'Or is..."
The pause lasted forever.
"...Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid and France."
Time stopped.
The theater exploded with applause. Mbappé stood, accepting congratulations from his Real Madrid teammates, but his face showed disappointment. Second place. Again. For the third time in his career.
Which meant—
"And the winner of the 2024 Ballon d'Or is..."
Ethan's heart stopped completely.
"...ETHAN LOKI, BARCELONA AND FRANCE!"
The Barcelona table erupted. Laporta jumped to his feet. Pedri was screaming. Lewandowski grabbed Ethan in a bear hug.
Sofia was crying, holding his face, kissing him, saying something he couldn't hear over the roar of applause.
Three Ballon d'Ors. At twenty-five years old. Only Messi and Ronaldo in their primes had achieved this.
Ethan stood on shaking legs. The spotlight found him. Three thousand people on their feet, applauding.
He walked toward the stage in a daze. Shook hands with Mbappé as they passed each other—his best friend looking devastated but managing a smile, whispering "Congratulations, hermano."
Ethan climbed the steps to the stage. Drogba handed him the golden ball—heavier than he remembered, solid, real.
"How does it feel?" Drogba asked.
Ethan looked out at the audience. Found Sofia in the crowd, tears streaming down her face. Found his parents in the balcony section, his father on his feet, his mother sobbing with joy. Found Marie, his sister, recording everything on her phone.
"It feels like everything I've ever worked for," Ethan said into the microphone, his voice shaking with emotion. "It feels like validation for every sacrifice, every early morning training session, every moment of doubt."
The applause swelled again.
"But more than that," Ethan continued, "it feels like responsibility. This award means I'm considered the best player in the world. That's a responsibility I don't take lightly. It means I need to be better tomorrow than I was today. It means I need to keep pushing, keep improving, keep striving for excellence."
He held up the golden ball.
"This is for my family, who believed in me when I was just a kid from Bondy with impossible dreams. This is for Barcelona, who gave me the platform to become the player I am today. This is for France, who trusted me to help win Euro 2024. And this is for everyone who said I couldn't do it, who said I'd never be as good as Messi or Ronaldo—thank you for the motivation."
The theater rose to its feet again. Standing ovation. For three minutes straight, they applauded while Ethan stood on that stage, holding his third Ballon d'Or, trying not to cry.
After the Ceremony
The after-party was at the Pavillon Cambon, a stunning venue near the Tuileries Garden. The rain had stopped and Paris sparkled under clear November skies.
Ethan spent the first hour taking photos—with the trophy, with his family, with teammates, with legends of the game who'd flown in for the ceremony.
Messi approached him with a warm smile. "Three Ballon d'Ors at twenty-five. You're ahead of where I was at your age. Enjoy it. You've earned it."
Coming from the eight-time winner, the compliment meant everything.
"Thank you," Ethan managed. "You've always been an inspiration."
"Keep going," Messi said. "You can win eight. You have time."
Ronaldo was next, the Portuguese legend looking sharp in an all-white suit.
"Congratulations," Ronaldo said, shaking his hand firmly. "Three is impressive. But you know what's better than three?"
"What?"
"Four. Five. Six." Ronaldo smiled. "Don't stop at three. Never be satisfied. That's the secret."
These moments—these legends of the game offering advice, showing respect—meant more than the trophy itself.
At midnight, Ethan found Mbappé standing alone on the venue's terrace, looking out at the Paris skyline. His best friend still wore his white tuxedo, holding a glass of champagne he hadn't drunk.
"Hey," Ethan said softly.
"Hey." Mbappé didn't turn around. "Third time I've come second. You'd think it would hurt less by now."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You deserved it. Back-to-back Champions Leagues. Euro 2024 winner. You had the better year." Mbappé finally turned to face him. "But next year will be different. Next year, I'm winning. I promise you that."
"I'd expect nothing less."
They stood in silence for a moment, two friends who'd traveled impossible journeys together, who'd pushed each other to heights neither could have reached alone.
"I'm happy for you," Mbappé said, and despite everything, Ethan believed him. "Genuinely. You're my brother. Seeing you succeed makes me proud, even when I wish it was me."
"You'll get yours. I know you will."
"Damn right I will." Mbappé raised his glass. "To the two best players in the world?"
"To the two best players in the world," Ethan agreed, clinking glasses.
They drank, looking out at Paris—the city where they'd both been born, where they'd both dreamed impossible dreams as kids, where one of them had just achieved something only a handful of players in history had accomplished.
"March 16th," Mbappé said after a moment. "The return Clásico at Camp Nou. I'm scoring. Multiple times."
"Not if I score more."
"It's on."
"Bring everything you've got."
"I will. And Ethan?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For pushing me. For being the standard I measure myself against. I wouldn't be here without you."
Ethan felt his throat tighten. "Same, hermano. Same."
2:00 AM - The Hotel
Ethan and Sofia finally made it back to their hotel suite at the Four Seasons George V at 2:17 AM. The Ballon d'Or sat on the room's coffee table, golden and surreal.
Sofia immediately kicked off her heels. "My feet are killing me. How do models do this for a living?"
Ethan loosened his bow tie, collapsed onto the couch beside the trophy. "I can't believe it's real. I keep thinking I'll wake up and it'll be the day before the ceremony."
"It's real. You won. Third time. At twenty-five." Sofia sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Do you understand how insane that is? Only Messi at twenty-five had three. You're literally tied with the greatest player ever at the same age."
"Messi won eight total. Ronaldo won five. I've got a long way to go to match them."
"Ever the perfectionist."
"That's why I win."
They sat in comfortable silence, processing the evening's events. The announcement. The speech. The photos. The conversations with legends. All of it surreal.
"What are you thinking about?" Sofia asked.
"About how far I've come. From Bondy to here. From a kid playing street football to winning three Ballon d'Ors. It's insane when you actually stop and think about it."
"Your parents must be so proud."
"My mom wouldn't stop crying all night. My dad kept hugging me and saying 'That's my son' to everyone who would listen. It was embarrassing and beautiful at the same time."
Sofia laughed. "That's what parents do."
Ethan picked up the trophy, feeling its weight. "You know what's crazy? This doesn't feel like the end of anything. It feels like the beginning. Like I've just proven I belong in this conversation with Messi and Ronaldo, and now the real work starts."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I've won three. They won five and eight. I want to win more. I want to keep improving. I want to be undeniably the best, not just the best right now but the best ever when my career is done."
"That's a lot of pressure to put on yourself."
"I know. But that's who I am. I can't help it."
Sofia shifted to look at him directly. "Just promise me something?"
"What?"
"Promise me you'll enjoy this. Tonight. This moment. This achievement. Before you start worrying about the next one."
Ethan looked at her—this woman who'd been with him through everything, who understood him better than anyone, who kept him grounded when the world tried to convince him he was superhuman.
"I promise," he said. "Tonight, I celebrate. Tomorrow, I get back to work."
"That's my fiancé," she smiled. "Insatiable ambition tempered by the ability to actually enjoy success for five minutes."
Ils s'embrassèrent et, l'espace d'un instant, la pression disparut. Les attentes s'évanouirent. Il était simplement Ethan, et non plus Ethan Loki, le triple Ballon d'Or. Juste un homme assez chanceux pour être fiancé à la femme de ses rêves.
Le lendemain matin
Ethan s'est réveillé à 9h23, son téléphone saturé de notifications. Des milliers de messages de félicitations. Instagram affichait 10 millions de « j'aime » sur sa publication où il brandissait le trophée. Sur Twitter, les hashtags #Loki et #BallonDor étaient simultanément en tendance.
Mais le message qui a attiré son attention provenait d'un numéro inconnu :
Félicitations pour votre troisième victoire. Mais la quête n'est pas terminée. Quatre victoires suivront. Puis cinq. Puis plus encore. N'arrêtez jamais. Ne vous contentez jamais de peu. Le trône attend ceux qui refusent de se satisfaire de la médiocrité. - CR7
Cristiano Ronaldo. La légende en personne. Je vous envoie mes encouragements personnels.
Ethan a conservé le message. Il l'a assimilé mentalement. Voilà à quoi ressemblait la grandeur : des champions qui poussent d'autres champions à se surpasser.
Sofia dormait encore, épuisée par les festivités de la veille. Ethan se leva prudemment, se dirigea vers le salon de la suite et contempla le Ballon d'Or baigné par la lumière du petit matin.
Trois coups à l'avance, il pouvait déjà entrevoir le chapitre suivant :
Première étape : remporter le Clásico retour au Camp Nou en mars. Prouver que le match nul d'octobre dernier était un coup de chance. Dominer Mbappé à domicile.
Deuxième étape : remporter une nouvelle Ligue des champions avec Barcelone. Et enchaîner avec un troisième titre consécutif. Un exploit qu'aucune équipe moderne n'a jamais réalisé.
Troisième étape : Remporter un quatrième Ballon d'Or en 2025. Égaler le total de Cristiano Ronaldo. Se rapprocher encore un peu plus des huit Ballons d'Or de Messi.
La soif de réussite ne s'est jamais éteinte. La motivation est restée intacte. C'est ce qui a distingué les bons des excellents, les excellents des légendaires.
Mais pour l'instant, en ce matin de novembre à Paris, Ethan s'accordait un instant de pure satisfaction.
Trois Ballons d'Or. À vingt-cinq ans. Le meilleur joueur du monde.
Et ce n'était que le début.
Fin du chapitre 60
RÉALISATIONS PROFESSIONNELLES À 25 ANS :
Distinctions du club :
5 titres de Ligue des Champions (Monaco 1, Barcelone 4) 5 titres de Liga (Barcelone) 3 titres de Copa del Rey (Barcelone) 2 titres de Ligue 1 (Monaco)
Distinctions internationales :
1 Coupe du Monde de la FIFA (2018) 1 Championnat d'Europe de l'UEFA (2024)
Distinctions individuelles :
3 Ballons d'Or (2022, 2023, 2024) 3 titres de Joueur de l'année UEFA 4 titres de Meilleur buteur de la Ligue des champions 3 trophées Pichichi de La Liga 1 Soulier d'or de la Coupe du monde de la FIFA (2022) 1 Soulier d'or de l'Euro 2024
Statistiques de carrière :
427 buts en 512 matchs (toutes compétitions confondues), soit 0,83 but par match, 156 passes décisives
Saison actuelle (2024-25) :
17 buts en 10 matchs. En voie d'en marquer plus de 64.
Suite : Chapitre 61 et suivants – La quête de l'excellence se poursuit
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