5 janvier 2025. Le vingt-sixième anniversaire d'Ethan. Il se réveilla dans son appartement barcelonais au son de Sofia qui chantait « Joyeux anniversaire » faux, tout en portant un plateau avec le petit-déjeuner et un petit gâteau orné d'une seule bougie.
« Fais un vœu », dit-elle en posant le plateau sur le lit.
Ethan ferma les yeux et réfléchit à ce qu'il voulait. Plus de buts ? Plus de trophées ? Un autre Ballon d'Or ?
Non. Ce qu'il voulait était plus simple : rester en bonne santé, continuer à prendre du plaisir à jouer au football et battre le Real Madrid en mars.
Il souffla la bougie.
« Qu'as-tu souhaité ? » demanda Sofia.
« Si je vous le dis, ça ne se réalisera pas. »
« Les souhaits ne fonctionnent pas comme ça. »
« Bien sûr que oui. C'est littéralement tout le concept des souhaits. »
Elle lui a lancé un oreiller. Ils ont ri. Ces moments de normalité — plaisanter pour un rien un dimanche matin tranquille — étaient ce qui lui permettait de garder les pieds sur terre.
Son téléphone vibra. Les messages affluaient : de ses coéquipiers, de sa famille, de ses amis, même de ses rivaux. Mais un message se démarquait :
Mbappé : Joyeux anniversaire, mon frère. 26 ans. Tu as déjà accompli plus que la plupart des joueurs en une carrière entière. Mais tu sais ce qui rendrait cet anniversaire encore plus mémorable ? Marquer un triplé contre le Real Madrid en mars et perdre. 😉
Ethan a répondu : Merci. Et bien essayé, mais j'en marque quatre et on gagne 5-0.
Mbappé : Confiant. Ça me plaît. Rendez-vous le 16 mars. Donne le meilleur de toi-même.
Ethan : Je le fais toujours.
Leurs joutes verbales étaient saines. Cela signifiait qu'ils étaient toujours amis malgré la rivalité. Certaines relations survivent à la compétition. La leur en faisait partie.
10 janvier - Camp d'entraînement
Le FC Barcelone a repris l'entraînement le 6 janvier, offrant aux joueurs une journée de fête avant la reprise des compétitions. L'ambiance à Sant Joan Despí était empreinte de concentration : chacun savait ce qui l'attendait.
Les trois mois suivants allaient être décisifs pour la saison du FC Barcelone. Le titre de champion d'Espagne était encore indécis. Les huitièmes de finale de la Ligue des champions se déroulaient en février. Les quarts de finale de la Coupe du Roi approchaient. Et le Clásico retour, le 16 mars, planait sur tout comme une menace.
Hansi Flick a réuni l'équipe sur le terrain d'entraînement à 10h00.
« Messieurs, bienvenue à nouveau. J'espère que vous vous êtes bien reposés car les douze prochaines semaines seront les plus importantes de votre carrière. »
Il appuya sur sa télécommande. Un programme apparut sur le grand écran qu'il avait installé à l'extérieur :
Janvier:
12 janvier : La Liga contre Alavés (à domicile) 16 janvier : Copa del Rey QF contre Real Sociedad (à l'extérieur) 19 janvier : La Liga contre Getafe (à l'extérieur) 23 janvier : La Liga contre Valence (à domicile) 26 janvier : La Liga contre Villarreal (à l'extérieur)
Février:
Feb 2: La Liga vs Espanyol (Home) Feb 6: La Liga vs Athletic Bilbao (Away) Feb 12: Champions League R16 1st Leg vs PSG (Away) Feb 16: La Liga vs Osasuna (Home) Feb 19: Champions League R16 2nd Leg vs PSG (Home) Feb 23: La Liga vs Rayo Vallecano (Away) Feb 27: Copa del Rey SF 1st Leg (TBD)
March:
Mar 2: La Liga vs Real Sociedad (Home) Mar 5: Copa del Rey SF 2nd Leg (TBD) Mar 9: La Liga vs Cádiz (Away) Mar 16: La Liga vs Real Madrid (Home) ⚠️
"That's sixteen matches in sixty-six days," Flick said. "Including the most important match of the season—the return Clásico at Camp Nou on March sixteenth."
Every player stared at that date. March 16th. The day that could define everything.
"Right now, we're one point ahead of Real Madrid," Flick continued. "One point. That's the difference between first place and second. We cannot afford any slip-ups. Every match is a final from now until the end of the season."
He changed the slide to show Real Madrid's recent form: five straight wins, twenty goals scored, three conceded. Mbappé had scored in all five matches.
"They're coming for us. Mbappé is playing like a man possessed. Vinícius is in the form of his life. Bellingham is creating chances at will. They are dangerous. But we're better. We have the best player in the world—" he gestured at Ethan "—and we have the best team chemistry in Europe. If we play our game, we win."
Simple. Clear. Confident.
"So let's go prove it. Starting with Alavés on Sunday."
January 12th - Barcelona 4-1 Alavés
The first match back was professional but not spectacular. Alavés defended deep, Barcelona controlled possession, and eventually the quality gap showed.
Ethan scored twice—both from inside the six-yard box, both simple finishes. Pedri added one, Raphinha another. The three points were secured with minimal fuss.
But the real story happened ninety minutes later when Real Madrid kicked off against Mallorca.
Ethan watched from his apartment, Sofia beside him, both of them analyzing Madrid's every move like scouts.
Madrid won 5-2. Mbappé scored a hat-trick. His movement was sharper than ever, his finishing clinical. He looked hungry—like losing the Ballon d'Or had ignited something primal in him.
"He's scary good right now," Sofia observed.
"I'm better," Ethan replied automatically.
"Are you? Because those three goals he just scored looked pretty world-class to me."
"I scored two today."
"He scored three."
"Quality over quantity."
"He scored a bicycle kick from twenty yards, Ethan. That was quality."
She had a point. Mbappé was playing at an absurd level. The gap between them—never wide to begin with—was closing fast.
Current Standings:
Barcelona - 46 points (15-1-0) Real Madrid - 45 points (15-0-1)
One point. The margin for error was zero.
January 16th - Copa del Rey QF: Real Sociedad 2-3 Barcelona
The Copa del Rey quarterfinal at Anoeta was brutal. Real Sociedad, playing at home in front of a hostile crowd, pressed high and took the game to Barcelona.
They scored first in the twenty-third minute. Then again in the forty-first. Barcelona went into halftime down 2-0, looking shaky and uncertain.
Flick's halftime talk was direct: "We're Barcelona. We don't lose to Real Sociedad. Show some pride."
The second half was different. Barcelona came out with intensity they'd lacked in the first forty-five minutes. Gavi scored in the fifty-second minute. Lewandowski equalized in the sixty-seventh.
2-2 with twenty minutes left. Everything to play for.
In the eighty-fourth minute, Ethan received the ball thirty yards from goal. Three Sociedad players immediately closed him down—they'd clearly been instructed not to give him space.
But Ethan had already seen the opening. Raphinha had made a run in behind, exploiting the space created by the defenders focusing on Ethan.
The through ball was perfect. Raphinha finished clinically.
3-2 Barcelona.
They held on for the final six minutes. Advanced to the Copa del Rey semifinals. Crisis averted.
In the locker room afterward, Ethan sat in his stall, frustrated despite the victory. He hadn't scored. Two matches, two goals total. Mbappé had scored five in the same period.
The gap was closing.
January 19th - Getafe 0-2 Barcelona
Getafe away was always difficult—physical, aggressive, willing to use every dark art in football's playbook. But Barcelona handled it professionally.
Lewandowski scored in the thirty-fourth minute. Ethan added another in the seventy-eighth—a brilliant solo goal where he beat three defenders before finishing.
Three more points. Top of the table maintained.
Real Madrid also won their match, 3-1 against Osasuna. Mbappé scored twice. Again.
Current tally:
Ethan: 30 goals in 20 matches Mbappé: 29 goals in 20 matches
The Pichichi race was absurdly close. So was La Liga.
January 23rd - Barcelona 3-0 Valencia
Valencia came to Camp Nou and parked the bus. Eleven men behind the ball, zero ambition to attack. The kind of match Barcelona usually struggled with.
But not today. Today, Barcelona was clinical.
Ethan scored in the nineteenth minute—a header from Kimmich's corner. His thirtieth goal already, and it was only January.
Pedri scored in the fifty-sixth. Ferran Torres added a third in the eighty-second after coming off the bench.
Professional. Controlled. Exactly what champions do.
Real Madrid faced a tougher test—away at Athletic Bilbao. The match went to extra time before Madrid finally won 2-1. Mbappé scored both goals, naturally. But he looked exhausted afterward, having played the full 120 minutes.
The relentless schedule was affecting everyone.
January 26th - Villarreal 1-1 Barcelona
The dropped points came at the worst possible time.
Villarreal, managed by the excellent Marcelino, set up perfectly to frustrate Barcelona. They defended deep but with intelligence, always keeping passing lanes closed, always staying compact.
Barcelona dominated possession—seventy-two percent—but created few clear chances. In the sixty-seventh minute, Villarreal scored on the counter. A sucker punch that had Camp Nou groaning.
Ethan equalized in the seventy-ninth minute with a brilliant free kick from twenty-five yards. Top corner. Unstoppable. His thirty-first goal of the season.
But Barcelona couldn't find a winner. The match ended 1-1.
Two points dropped. Potentially catastrophic in such a tight title race.
As Ethan walked off the pitch, he checked his phone in the locker room (breaking team rules, but he needed to know).
Real Madrid vs Sevilla: 4-1 to Real Madrid. Mbappé had scored a hat-trick. Again. His third hat-trick in January alone.
La Liga Table (January 26th):
Real Madrid - 54 points (18-0-1) Barcelona - 53 points (16-2-1)
One point behind. For the first time all season, Barcelona weren't top of the table.
The locker room was silent as a tomb. Players sat in their stalls, processing what had just happened. Flick stood at the center, furious but controlled.
"One match," he said quietly. "One match where we didn't execute, and now we're behind. That's how tight this race is. That's how unforgiving football at this level can be."
Nobody responded. What was there to say?
"We have one week before the next match," Flick continued. "One week to fix our mentality, refocus, and come back stronger. Because if we don't, Real Madrid will run away with this title and we'll have nobody to blame but ourselves."
January 28th - Crisis Meeting
Laporta called an emergency meeting at Barcelona's offices. Present: Flick, Ethan, Ter Stegen, Xavi (as technical director), and several board members.
"We need to address the situation," Laporta began. "We're behind Real Madrid for the first time this season. The media is questioning whether we can maintain our dominance. Some are even suggesting Mbappé has surpassed Ethan as the best player in the world."
That last part hit Ethan like a punch. He'd seen the articles, the Twitter debates, the endless comparisons. Mbappé's January: 11 goals in 5 matches. Ethan's January: 4 goals in 5 matches. The numbers told a story Ethan didn't like.
"The Champions League starts in two weeks," Xavi added. "We face PSG—Mbappé's old club. The pressure will be enormous. Then the return Clásico on March sixteenth. These next six weeks could define our entire season."
Flick leaned forward. "We don't need panic. We need focus. We're one point behind with fifteen league matches left. One win puts us back on top. The season is far from over."
"What about Ethan?" Laporta asked. "He's been quieter than usual this month. Is something wrong?"
All eyes turned to Ethan. He felt the weight of their expectations, their concerns, their barely concealed worry.
"Nothing's wrong," Ethan said, his voice steady. "I had a quiet January. It happens. But I'm fine. I'm focused. And I'm going to make February count."
"The Mbappé comparisons don't bother you?" Xavi pressed.
"Of course they bother me. But letting them affect my performance would be stupid. Mbappé's having a great month. Good for him. I've had plenty of great months too. This isn't a sprint—it's a marathon. And I intend to finish first."
Laporta seemed satisfied with that answer. "Good. Because Barcelona invested everything in you. We built this team around you. We need you to be the best player in the world, not just someone who won the Ballon d'Or once."
The implied criticism stung but was fair. Winning the Ballon d'Or meant nothing if he couldn't maintain that level.
"I will be," Ethan promised. "Starting in February."
January 31st - Reflection
Late at night, alone in his apartment while Sofia slept, Ethan sat on the balcony looking at Barcelona's skyline. His laptop was open beside him, showing statistics:
January 2025 Summary:
Ethan Loki:
4 goals in 5 matches 2 assists 1 point dropped vs Villarreal Currently 2nd in La Liga Pichichi race
Kylian Mbappé:
11 goals in 5 matches 3 hat-tricks 0 points dropped Currently 1st in La Liga Pichichi race
The numbers were damning. Mbappé had outperformed him significantly. The media narrative had shifted from "Ethan Loki is untouchable" to "Is Mbappé actually better?"
Ethan's phone buzzed. A text from his father:
Saw the match today. Tough result. But remember—you're a champion. Champions don't panic when things get difficult. They get better. Love you. -Papa
Simple words, but they hit home. His father was right. Panicking accomplished nothing. Working harder, training smarter, executing better—that's what separated champions from everyone else.
Three moves ahead, Ethan could see exactly what needed to happen:
Move one: Dominate February. Score in every match. Remind everyone why he won the Ballon d'Or.
Move two: Destroy PSG in the Champions League. Show Europe that Barcelona was still the best team on the continent.
Move three: Obliterate Real Madrid in the return Clásico on March 16th. Prove once and for all that he was better than Mbappé.
He opened his notes app and typed:
February Goals:
Score minimum 10 goals Win every match Retake first place in La Liga Eliminate PSG from Champions League Be undeniably the best player in the world
Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? No. He'd achieved harder things before.
Ethan ferma son ordinateur portable et entra. Sofia dormait encore, blottie sur leur lit, l'air paisible. Il la contempla un instant, reconnaissant de sa présence, de son soutien, de sa capacité à le rassurer.
Demain, 1er février, l'entraînement a repris. Le mois le plus important de la saison allait commencer.
Et Ethan Loki était prêt à prouver exactement pourquoi il avait remporté trois fois le Ballon d'Or.
Les sceptiques seraient réduits au silence. Les comparaisons cesseraient. Et le Real Madrid apprendrait ce qui se passe lorsqu'on réveille un géant endormi.
Février devait être son mois.
Il pouvait le sentir.
Fin du chapitre 62
Classement de La Liga (31 janvier 2025) :
Real Madrid - 54 points (18-0-1, +48 de différence de buts) Barcelone - 53 points (16-2-1, +43 de différence de buts)
Statistiques de la saison (après janvier) :
Ethan Loki : 31 buts, 11 passes décisives en 21 matchs. Kylian Mbappé : 30 buts, 8 passes décisives en 21 matchs.
Prochains matchs cruciaux :
12 février : Ligue des Champions – PSG vs Barcelone 19 février : Ligue des Champions – Barcelone vs PSG 16 mars : EL CLÁSICO – Barcelone vs Real Madrid
Chapitre 62 : Principaux développements :
Barcelone perd la première place de la Liga pour la première fois. L'incroyable mois de janvier de Mbappé (11 buts) contraste avec le mois discret d'Ethan (4 buts). Le discours médiatique évolue : « Mbappé est-il meilleur ? » Ethan promet de dominer février. La pression monte avant la Ligue des champions et le Clásico.
Suite : Chapitre 63 - La fureur de février (Le duel au PSG commence)
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