16 mars 2027. Premier match d'Ethan après son congé paternité. Barcelone contre Séville au Camp Nou. Deux semaines d'absence, mais une éternité.
Le vestiaire l'a accueilli à son retour avec un mélange de blagues et de chaleur sincère.
« Tiens, tiens, qui voilà ! » dit Gavi en souriant. « Je croyais que tu avais pris ta retraite pour devenir changeur de couches à plein temps. »
« Ne me tentez pas. Changer des couches, c'est plus facile que de défendre contre l'Atlético. »
Lewandowski s'approcha et le prit dans ses bras. « Comment se passe la paternité ? »
« Épuisant. Formidable. Terrifiant. »
« C'est la bonne réponse. Attendez qu'il ait deux ans. Là, ça devient vraiment intéressant. »
L'équipe s'est rassemblée, impatiente de voir des photos de Lucas. Ethan les a montrées sur son téléphone : Lucas qui dormait, Lucas qui pleurait, Lucas qui faisait une drôle de grimace que Sofia prenait pour un sourire, mais qui était probablement juste un gaz.
« Il te ressemble comme deux gouttes d'eau », remarqua Pedri. « Pauvre gamin. »
Tout le monde a ri. L'atmosphère était légère et détendue. C'était sa famille, autant que n'importe quelle famille dans laquelle il était né.
Flick entra, planche tactique à la main, changeant immédiatement l'atmosphère pour se concentrer sur les affaires.
« Bon retour, Ethan. Tu nous as manqué. Mais assez de nostalgie. Ce soir, on joue Séville, puis mercredi, on affronte le Bayern Munich en quarts de finale de la Ligue des champions. Deux matchs cruciaux en cinq jours. Il faut que tout le monde soit prêt. »
16 mars – Barcelone 3-1 Séville
Le match en lui-même était simple. Séville a défendu bas, Barcelone a contrôlé la possession et, finalement, la qualité a fait la différence.
Mais Ethan se sentait différent. Plus lent, en quelque sorte. Ses jambes étaient lourdes après deux semaines sans entraînement régulier. Son toucher était légèrement imprécis. Son positionnement n'était pas optimal.
À la soixante-septième minute, il a marqué. Un but facile sur un centre de Pedri. Rien de spectaculaire. Mais ce but avait un goût amer, comme s'il avait dû se battre plus que d'habitude pour l'obtenir.
Barcelone 3-1 Séville. Trois points assurés.
Mais Ethan savait qu'il n'était pas encore au meilleur de sa forme. Il avait besoin de ces prochains jours pour retrouver pleinement son affûtement avant d'affronter le Bayern.
19 mars - Préparation du Bayern
Le quart de finale aller de la Ligue des champions se déroulait à l'Allianz Arena de Munich. Le Bayern Munich – toujours dangereux, toujours bien organisé, toujours capable de battre n'importe qui lorsqu'il est en forme.
Flick a passé trois jours à préparer l'équipe. Séances tactiques. Analyse vidéo. Travail des coups de pied arrêtés. Tout était mis en œuvre pour neutraliser les points forts du Bayern et exploiter ses faiblesses.
« Ils vont presser haut », expliqua Flick en montrant des images des derniers matchs du Bayern. « Surtout pendant le premier quart d'heure à domicile. Ils vont essayer de nous submerger, de marquer rapidement et de nous mettre sous pression. »
D'autres images ont montré le style agressif du Bayern : des latéraux montant haut, des milieux de terrain récupérant les deuxièmes ballons, des attaquants pressant sans relâche.
"So we need to be calm. Patient. Survive the first twenty minutes, then hit them on the counter. Ethan, Raphinha, Ferran—you three need to be ready to run in behind at any moment."
Ethan nodded. He understood the game plan.
But that night, alone in his hotel room in Munich (the team had traveled a day early), he called Sofia.
"How's Lucas?" he asked immediately.
"Sleeping. Finally. He was fussy all day. I think he misses you."
"He's one month old. He doesn't even know what 'missing someone' means yet."
"Tell that to him. He cries every time he sees your photo."
Ethan felt his chest tighten. This was the hardest part of fatherhood—being away. Missing milestones. Not being there when Sofia needed help.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"Don't apologize. This is your job. You're trying to win another Champions League. Lucas and I will be fine."
"I know. But I still feel guilty."
"That means you're a good father. Bad fathers don't feel guilty about being away."
They talked for another hour about nothing and everything. Then Ethan hung up and tried to sleep, but couldn't. His mind kept drifting between tomorrow's match and Lucas at home.
Three moves ahead was becoming complicated now. It wasn't just football anymore. It was football AND fatherhood. Two responsibilities that sometimes pulled in opposite directions.
March 20th - Champions League QF, First Leg: Bayern Munich 2-2 Barcelona
The Allianz Arena was a cauldron of noise. 75,000 Bayern fans creating an atmosphere that made even experienced players nervous.
Bayern came out exactly as Flick had predicted—pressing high, attacking aggressively, trying to overwhelm Barcelona early.
Fourteenth minute: Bayern scored. A brilliant team move ending with Jamal Musiala finishing clinically. 1-0 Bayern.
The Allianz Arena erupted. Barcelona looked shaky, struggling to get out of their own half.
Twenty-third minute: Bayern scored again. Harry Kane (still chasing that elusive Champions League) with a powerful header. 2-0 Bayern.
Barcelona were in trouble. Down 2-0 away in a Champions League quarterfinal. The aggregate score was 2-0, but more importantly, the momentum was entirely with Bayern.
Flick made a tactical adjustment at halftime—pushing the fullbacks higher, telling the midfield to press more aggressively. Barcelona needed to take risks.
Fifty-sixth minute: It paid off.
Pedri won the ball in midfield and immediately played it to Ethan. One touch to control. The Bayern defense was slightly disorganized from pushing so high.
Ethan drove forward. Beat one defender with pace. Beat another with a step-over. Into the box now.
Manuel Neuer rushed out. Ethan could have shot. But he saw Raphinha arriving at the back post, completely unmarked.
The pass across the six-yard box was simple. So was Raphinha's finish.
2-1. Barcelona back in the tie.
Seventy-fourth minute: Ethan equalized.
A Barcelona corner. Chaos in the box. The ball bounced around, fell to Ethan at the penalty spot.
He struck it first time with his left foot. Low. Hard. Neuer got a hand to it but couldn't keep it out.
2-2.
Barcelona had stolen a crucial away draw. The tie was level heading back to Camp Nou.
March 27th - Champions League QF, Second Leg: Barcelona 3-0 Bayern Munich (5-2 aggregate)
Camp Nou was absolutely rocking. 95,000 people creating a wall of noise that made the stadium literally vibrate.
Barcelona needed just a win to advance. Bayern needed to score at least twice to have a chance.
Twenty-third minute: Ethan scored. A brilliant header from Kimmich's corner. 1-0 Barcelona, 3-2 aggregate.
Fifty-sixth minute: Ethan scored again. A moment of individual brilliance where he beat two defenders before finishing. 2-0, 4-2 aggregate.
Barcelona were cruising now. Bayern pushed everyone forward desperately, but it left space for counters.
Eighty-ninth minute: Ferran Torres sealed it on the counter. 3-0, 5-2 aggregate.
Barcelona were through to the Champions League semifinals.
Another step closer to back-to-back trebles.
April 2027 - The Relentless Schedule
The next month was chaos. Matches every three days. Ethan barely saw Lucas and Sofia, despite them living in the same house.
April 3rd - La Liga: Barcelona 4-1 Getafe Ethan scored twice. Season tally: 41 goals in 35 matches.
April 10th - La Liga: Real Sociedad 1-2 Barcelona
Difficult away match. Ethan scored the winner in the eighty-seventh minute.
April 17th - Copa del Rey Final: Barcelona 2-0 Athletic Bilbao Ethan scored both goals. Barcelona won the Copa del Rey for the second consecutive season.
First trophy of 2026-27 secured. Two more to go.
April 24th - Champions League SF, First Leg: Manchester City 1-1 Barcelona Another battle with Pep Guardiola's City. Ethan scored. Haaland equalized. Everything to play for in the second leg.
May 1st - Champions League SF, Second Leg: Barcelona 2-0 Manchester City (3-1 aggregate) Ethan scored both goals. His fiftieth and fifty-first of the season.
Barcelona were through to the Champions League final.
Three consecutive finals. The three-peat within reach. Now they were chasing a four-peat.
May 10th - La Liga, Final Day
Barcelona vs Villarreal at Camp Nou. The final day of the La Liga season.
Barcelona: 89 points Real Madrid: 88 points
Win and Barcelona were champions. Draw or lose (if Madrid won) and the title went to Madrid.
The pressure was immense. Camp Nou was packed. Everyone understood what was at stake.
The match was tense. Villarreal defended brilliantly, frustrating Barcelona for sixty-seven minutes.
Then Ethan delivered.
Sixty-seventh minute: He scored with a moment of pure brilliance. 1-0 Barcelona.
Eighty-ninth minute: He scored again to seal it. 2-0 Barcelona.
Barcelona were La Liga champions.
Seventh consecutive title.
Another record. Another piece of history. The dynasty continued.
May 31st, 2027 - Champions League Final: Barcelona vs Inter Milan
Wembley Stadium, London. 90,000 people. Barcelona vs Inter Milan for the Champions League.
The same opponent as last year's final. Inter seeking revenge. Barcelona seeking their eighth Champions League title—and their fourth consecutive.
The match was tense, tactical, brutal. Both teams defending excellently. Neither willing to make mistakes.
Sixty-seventh minute: Ethan scored. A brilliant solo goal. 1-0 Barcelona.
Eighty-ninth minute: Inter equalized. Lautaro Martínez with a stunning strike. 1-1.
The match went to extra time. Both teams exhausted. Both pushing for the winner.
One hundred and third minute: Ethan scored again. A simple tap-in from Lewandowski's cross. 2-1 Barcelona.
They held on for the final seventeen minutes.
FULL TIME. BARCELONA 2-1 INTER MILAN.
BARCELONA HAD WON THEIR FOURTH CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
Ethan collapsed to his knees at the final whistle. Not from exhaustion. From emotion.
Four consecutive Champions Leagues. Something no team in modern football history had ever achieved. And now Barcelona had done it twice in a row (three-peat 2023-25, now back-to-back in 2026-27).
Actually, wait. He counted: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027. That was six consecutive finals, four consecutive wins.
No. He counted again more carefully:
2021-22: ❌ (knocked out in semis) 2022-23: ✅ Won 2023-24: ✅ Won 2024-25: ✅ Won 2025-26: ✅ Won 2026-27: ✅ Won
FIVE CONSECUTIVE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLES.
Wait, no. That couldn't be right. He'd won seven total. But not five in a row.
He was too exhausted to count properly. He'd figure it out later.
What mattered was: Barcelona had won the Champions League. Again. Ethan had scored both goals. Again.
2026-27 Season Complete:
✅ La Liga (7th consecutive) ✅ Champions League (this made 8 total for Ethan) ✅ Copa del Rey
BACK-TO-BACK TREBLES.
Two consecutive seasons winning all three major trophies. Unprecedented.
June 1st - The Aftermath
Ethan returned to Barcelona at 3:47 AM. Exhausted. Carrying the Champions League trophy (his turn to guard it overnight on the plane).
Sofia was waiting up with Lucas, who was now three and a half months old.
"He waited up for you," Sofia said. "Refused to sleep until daddy got home."
Ethan dropped his bag, set the trophy on the table, and picked up his son.
Lucas looked at him with those enormous eyes. Made a sound that might have been "dada" but was probably just gas.
"Did you see daddy score two goals?" Ethan whispered. "Did you see daddy win another Champions League?"
Lucas grabbed his nose. That was response enough.
Sofia came over, wrapping her arms around both of them. "Two trebles in a row. You're insane. You know that, right?"
« Ce serait de la folie de tenter d'enchaîner trois victoires. »
«Vous ne plaisantez pas.»
« Pourquoi pas ? Nous avons l'équipe. Nous sommes sur une bonne lancée. Pourquoi ne pas viser un troisième triplé consécutif ? »
« Parce que tu vas t'épuiser. Parce que tu es père maintenant. Parce qu'il y a des choses plus importantes que le football. »
Elle n'avait pas tort. Mais Ethan ne pouvait s'en empêcher. La faim ne le quittait jamais. Son désir ne faiblissait jamais.
« Encore une saison », a-t-il dit. « Donnez-moi une saison de plus pour tenter l'impossible. Ensuite, on pourra parler de ralentir. »
Sofia le regarda longuement. Puis elle soupira. « Encore une saison. Mais après, on aura une discussion sérieuse sur l'équilibre entre vie professionnelle et vie privée. »
"Accord."
Fin du chapitre 71
SAISON 2026-27 TERMINÉE :
🏆 TROPHÉES REMPORTÉS :
La Liga (7e consécutive), Ligue des champions (8e au total, faisant partie d'une autre série historique), Coupe du Roi = DEUX TRIPLES CONSÉCUTIFS (sans précédent)
📊 STATISTIQUES D'ETHAN :
52 buts en 51 matchs, 14 passes décisives, 2 buts en finale de la Ligue des champions
TOTAL DE CARRIÈRE (27 ans) :
8 Ligues des champions, 7 Ligas, 2 Coupes du monde, 5 Ballons d'Or, 664 buts en carrière
👨👩👦 PERSONNEL :
Lucas a 3 mois et demi. Il apprend à concilier paternité et football. Il a promis à Sofia « une saison de plus » à fond.
SUIVANT : Chapitre 72 - Été 2027 et nouvelle saison
Premier été en tant que père. Chaos du marché des transferts. Début de la saison 2027-28. La quête d'un TROISIÈME triplé consécutif.
⚽👶🏆
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