Chapter 70: The Fifth Crown
Word Count: 3,892Date: November 2026 - Ethan is 27 years old
November 18th, 2026. Paris. The Théâtre du Châtelet. The Ballon d'Or ceremony. Again.
Ethan sat in the audience wearing a tailored black suit, Sofia beside him in an elegant maternity dress—she was seven months pregnant now, their baby due in February. Her hand rested on her belly, feeling the baby kick during the ceremony.
This was his fifth nomination in a row. But this time felt different. This time, there was no suspense.
He'd won the World Cup as captain. Scored twelve goals in the tournament. Led Barcelona to all five trophies. Scored 68 goals across all competitions in 2026.
The Ballon d'Or was his. Everyone knew it.
But the ceremony still had to happen. The theater still had to play along with the drama.
Didier Drogba walked onto the stage at 9:47 PM.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've been waiting for. The 2026 Ballon d'Or."
The screen showed highlights from the year. Ethan's bicycle kick against Real Madrid. His World Cup final goals. His Champions League heroics. A year of pure dominance.
"We'll count down from tenth place," Drogba said.
The countdown began:
10th: Vinícius Júnior 9th: Jude Bellingham 8th: Rodri 7th: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona's young star, only 19 years old) 6th: Harry Kane 5th: Erling Haaland 4th: Kylian Mbappé
Mbappé finished fourth. Another year without the Ballon d'Or. Ethan saw his friend's face on the screen—disappointment masked by professionalism.
3rd: Vinícius Júnior (wait, he was 10th and 3rd?)
Drogba corrected himself. "Apologies. Third place: Lamine Yamal."
Two players left. Ethan and one other.
"The runner-up for the 2026 Ballon d'Or is... Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid."
Which meant—
"And the winner of the 2026 Ballon d'Or is... ETHAN LOKI, BARCELONA AND FRANCE!"
FIVE BALLON D'ORS.
The theater erupted. Ethan stood, kissed Sofia, and walked to the stage. He'd done this four times before, but it never got old. Each one felt as significant as the first.
Drogba handed him the golden ball. Ethan held it up, the cameras flashing, three thousand people applauding.
"How does it feel to win your fifth?" Drogba asked.
"It feels like validation," Ethan said into the microphone. "Validation that hard work pays off. That dedication matters. That you can achieve anything if you're willing to sacrifice for it."
He paused, looking out at the audience.
"Five Ballon d'Ors. I've now tied Cristiano Ronaldo. That's surreal. Growing up, Ronaldo was one of my idols. And now I'm tied with him. It's humbling and motivating at the same time."
"What's next? Do you chase Messi's eight?"
"Of course. I'm twenty-seven years old. I have years left at the top. Why not chase eight? Why not chase nine? The only limits are the ones we put on ourselves."
Perfect answer. Ambitious. Confident. Pure Ethan.
When he returned to his seat, Sofia was crying. Happy tears.
"Five," she whispered. "You actually did it."
"We did it. You and me. I couldn't have done any of this without you."
"That's very sweet, but also not true. You're the one scoring goals."
"And you're the one keeping me sane. That's harder."
She laughed through her tears.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur. More awards. More speeches. More photos. But Ethan's mind was already moving forward.
Three moves ahead:
Move one: Win another treble with Barcelona in 2026-27. Cement the dynasty.
Move two: Be an incredible father when the baby arrives in February. Balance football with family.
Move three: Chase Ballon d'Or number six, seven, eight. Surpass everyone. Become the undisputed greatest.
November 19th - The Morning After
Ethan woke in his Paris hotel room at 10:23 AM. The Ballon d'Or sat on the nightstand—his fifth one, glinting in the morning sunlight.
Sofia was still asleep, exhausted from the previous night. Pregnancy plus late-night ceremonies weren't a great combination.
Ethan's phone showed a message from Mbappé:
Mbappé:Five. You're tied with Ronaldo. Fourth place for me. Again. I'm happy for you, hermano, but I'm also tired of losing to you. When does it end?
Ethan stared at the message for a long time before responding:
Ethan:It doesn't end. That's what competition means. But your time will come. You're 27. You have years left.
Mbappé:Do I though? I've spent my entire career in your shadow. PSG? You were better. Real Madrid? You're still better. Maybe I need to accept that I'll never be number one as long as you're playing.
Ethan:Don't talk like that. You're one of the greatest players in the world. You've just had the misfortune of playing in the same era as me. That doesn't diminish what you've achieved.
Mbappé:Easy for you to say with five Ballon d'Ors.
The conversation ended there. Mbappé went offline.
It troubled Ethan. His best friend sounded defeated. That wasn't like him. Mbappé had always been confident, even arrogant. But now? Now he sounded broken.
December 2026 - Back to Barcelona
Ethan returned to Barcelona for the 2026-27 season's continuation. The team was flying—first place in La Liga by eight points, through to the Champions League Round of 16, still in the Copa del Rey.
Another treble was within reach.
But Ethan's focus was split now. Football, yes. But also the baby. Sofia's due date was February 14th, 2027—Valentine's Day. Poetic, really.
They'd decided on names:
If it was a boy: Lucas Loki If it was a girl: Emma Loki
Simple names. Not too flashy. They didn't want their child growing up defined by Ethan's fame.
On December 15th, Barcelona played their final match before the Christmas break. A routine 3-0 win over Getafe. Ethan scored twice.
Season stats at Christmas break:
31 goals in 23 matches On pace for another 60+ goal season
The numbers were becoming routine. Expected. Almost boring in their consistency.
Christmas 2026 - Family Time
Ethan and Sofia spent Christmas in Paris with both families. His parents. Her parents. His sister Marie (now married to Laurent, the history teacher). Everyone together, celebrating.
The Christmas dinner conversation inevitably turned to football.
"Five Ballon d'Ors," Ethan's father said, raising his wine glass. "My son has five Ballon d'Ors. I still can't believe it."
"When will you retire?" Sofia's father asked. "You've won everything. You're going to be a father. Maybe it's time to step back?"
Everyone looked at Ethan. Even Sofia seemed curious about his answer.
"I'm twenty-seven," Ethan said. "I probably have five, maybe six more years at the very top. Then another three or four years where I'm still good but declining. I'm not ready to retire."
"But the baby—" Sofia's mother started.
"The baby will have a father who's present," Ethan interrupted gently. "I'll make time. I'll be there for everything important. But I'm not retiring. Not yet."
Sofia squeezed his hand under the table. She understood. Football wasn't just his job—it was his identity. Taking that away would be taking away part of who he was.
February 14th, 2027 - The Birth
Sofia went into labor at 3:47 AM on Valentine's Day. Ethan rushed her to the hospital, both of them terrified and excited.
The delivery took eleven hours. Eleven agonizing, beautiful, terrifying hours.
At 2:31 PM, Lucas Loki was born.
Seven pounds, four ounces. Healthy. Perfect.
Ethan held his son for the first time and felt something shift in his soul. This tiny human—this perfect little person—was his responsibility. His legacy. More important than any trophy or award.
"He has your eyes," Sofia said from the hospital bed, exhausted but glowing.
"And your nose, thank God," Ethan replied.
They laughed. Then cried. Then laughed again.
Lucas. Their son. The next chapter of their lives.
February 15th - The Announcement
Ethan posted a photo on Instagram the next day: him holding Lucas, both of them looking at each other, Sofia in the background smiling.
The caption: Lucas Loki. Born February 14th, 2027. The greatest achievement of my life. ❤️
The post got 47 million likes in six hours. Every football club, player, and celebrity congratulating him.
Mbappé commented: Congratulations, hermano. Fatherhood looks good on you. ❤️
Messi commented: Welcome to fatherhood. It changes everything. Congratulations! 🙌
Ronaldo commented: Beautiful baby. Enjoy every moment. It goes fast. 👶
Barcelona granted Ethan two weeks of paternity leave. Flick insisted—family came first.
Those two weeks were the most important of Ethan's life. Feeding Lucas at 3 AM. Changing diapers. Learning how to soothe him when he cried. Being present.
Sofia was incredible. Exhausted but incredible. She'd carried their child for nine months and now she was teaching Ethan how to be a father.
"You're pretty good at this," she said one night as Ethan rocked Lucas to sleep.
"Better than I expected," he admitted. "I was terrified I'd drop him."
"You're not going to drop him. You have the best ball control in the world."
"That's different."
"Not really. Both require gentle hands and focus."
He laughed. She always knew how to put things in perspective.
March 2027 - Return to Football
Ethan returned to training on March 1st. Barcelona had managed fine without him—winning three out of four matches, still eight points clear in La Liga.
But now the crucial part of the season was approaching. The Champions League quarterfinals. The Copa del Rey final. The final push for La Liga.
Three trophies still available. The treble within reach.
Flick pulled him aside after his first training session back.
"How's fatherhood?" the German manager asked.
"Exhausting. Beautiful. Terrifying. All of the above."
"Good. Keep that balance. Football is important, but it's not everything."
"I know."
"Do you? Because I've seen players lose themselves in football. They win everything on the pitch and lose everything at home. Don't be that person."
Ethan nodded. Flick was right. Balance was everything.
Epilogue of Part One: The Legend So Far
On March 15th, 2027, Ethan sat in his Barcelona home office late at night. Lucas was asleep upstairs. Sofia was asleep beside him. The house was quiet.
He opened his laptop and looked at his career statistics:
Age: 27 years, 2 months
Career Trophies:
7 Champions League titles 6 La Liga titles 1 World Cup (2018) 1 World Cup as Captain (2026) 1 European Championship (2024) 5 Ballon d'Or awards 612 career goals Countless other trophies
This Season So Far (2026-27):
34 goals in 27 matches Barcelona 8 points clear in La Liga Champions League quarterfinals vs Bayern Munich upcoming Copa del Rey final vs Athletic Bilbao
He was only twenty-seven. He had years left. Maybe he could reach 1,000 career goals. Maybe he could win eight Ballon d'Ors. Maybe he could win another World Cup in 2030.
The possibilities were endless.
But as he closed his laptop and walked upstairs to check on Lucas, Ethan realized something important:
Football had given him everything. Fame. Wealth. Legacy. But Lucas—this tiny human sleeping in his crib—Lucas was what mattered most.
Three moves ahead, Ethan could see his future:
Move one: Win the treble this season. Make it back-to-back trebles. (Chapters 71-80)
Move two: Dominate the next few seasons. Collect more trophies. Chase Ballon d'Or #6, #7, #8. (Chapters 81-150)
Move three: Eventually retire. Become a father first, legend second. Build a life beyond football. (Chapters 151-450)
But that was future Ethan's problem.
Present Ethan just needed to be the best footballer in the world.
And the best father to Lucas.
Simple.
Right?
End of Chapter 70 - End of Part 1
THE LEGEND SO FAR (Age 27):
🏆 TROPHIES:
7 Champions League titles 6 La Liga titles 2 World Cups (including 1 as captain) 1 Euro 5 Ballon d'Or awards 612 career goals
👨👩👦 PERSONAL:
Married to Sofia Father to Lucas (born Feb 14, 2027) Living in Barcelona
📊 CURRENT SEASON (2026-27):
34 goals in 27 matches Chasing another treble Balancing fatherhood and football NEXT: PART 2 - THE GOLDEN YEARS (Chapters 71-150)