Chapter 118: The media storm that comes with glory
The morning after, the echoes of the Spotify Camp Nou were still alive as Newspapers hit the stands across Spain with headlines screaming in bold:
"BARÇA BENDS, BUT DOESN’T BREAK."
"FLICK: THE NEW MESSIAH?"
"MOSES: 47 GOALS, 30 ASSISTS — IN FEBRUARY!"
Well, you can’t blame the media too much on this one, FC Barcelona was just that unreal this season as their momentum remained unstoppable.
Against Real Madrid, Chelsea, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, name it, the giants of Europe, they didn’t falter against any single opponent.
They proved themselves as the Gigachads each and every single time.
After the game, a reporter interviewed a fan who broke down in tears as he could not contain the joy that I was feeling.
"Can you tell us how you feel?"
"I-I can’t, c’mon man, I can’t," he wiped his tears. "You know, I was still a kid when the golden age of Barcelona under Pep Guardiola started".
"I didn’t have the privilege to watch most games, and the few that I watched, I was too small to truly understand what was going on, but my father and his father keeps on telling me about the Barcelona of the past".
"After 2015, we’ve been suffering heartbreak after heartbreak, I never thought I’d see us back at our best so soon".
"I feel so f*cking emotional man," he sniffed. "Hansi Flick is our savior! He is the G.O.A.T! I love him man!"
"It feels like the Barcelona of my father’s time all over again," he finally smiled. "Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Gavi, Raphinha, Sam, c’mon man, I feel blessed to watch them kick the ball".
"It’s a privilege, and I’m forever grateful for it. VISCA BARCA!"
Well, that fan spoke for all FC Barcelona fans across the world.
Despite Atleti’s grit, the manner in which they won the game gave Barca fans so much nostalgia and emotion that around the world, records of Barcelona fans breaking down in tears and hysteria flooded social media.
On every sports talk shows, pundits replayed the 2–1 victory over Atlético Madrid, pausing at every replay, every tackle, and every grimace.
They dissected the game and left no details behind.
But more than the goals, more than the grit, there was one moment that had captured the imagination of fans and media alike... Hansi Flick’s halftime talk.
Though no cameras had been inside the dressing room to capture the legendary moment, whispers leaked out through staffers, through substitutes, and through body language on the pitch.
Hansi Flick hadn’t shouted, he hadn’t raged.
Instead, he had spoken like a philosopher, invoking the weight of Barcelona’s history on his players, demanding that they rise above.
"Every word carried like gospel," Raphinha told a reporter with zeal during his post-match interview. "It wasn’t tactics, it was belief. He made us feel like legends before we even stepped back out."
"And when we entered that pitch, before we even kicked a ball, I knew that we already had the game".
Pedri echoed him as the Spaniard spoke glowingly of his manager. "I think he’s the best coach that I’ve played under," he said with a big smile on his face.
"When we were sitting there, sweaty and tired, feeling Atlético claw at us... he reminded us of who we are. That’s why we fought, and that’s why we didn’t fold, he pushed us to win the game".
And as the players finally revealed their manager’s behind the scenes magic, soon, clips of Hansi Flick’s composed expression on the touchline went viral.
Memes crowned him "The General", some editing him while smoking a pipe gangster-style and others editing him as L from Death Note, while fans in Barcelona began painting murals of him with words beneath.
["Barcelona does not bow. Barcelona conquers."]
But if Hansi Flick’s words became lore, Sam’s numbers became prophecy.
[47 goals. 30 assists. 41 games.]
Those were crazy numbers.
The math was frightening.
More than a goal contribution every game; no one came close in Europe. In fact, it was nearly two goals per match, setting a pace so torrid and so outrageous that it left pundits scrambling for comparisons.
"Messi 2012, Cristiano 2014... those were god-tier seasons," one Spanish commentator said on El Chiringuito. "But Sam Moses is surpassing their balance, and the crazy thing is that this is not his first time".
"He already went ballistic last season, and he’s doing it again. One season wonder huh? I’d love to hear Vinicius say that again".
"Besides, he’s not only scoring, he’s creating too. Absolute monster!"
Twitter (X) fanned the media frenzy as it trended worldwide with hashtags:
#FootballGod
#47AndCounting
#MosesEra
Clips of his assist to Pedri, his close control under pressure, and even his defensive tracking back in the 80th minute were shared endlessly.
"He’s redefining what it means to be a forward," Gary Lineker said on BBC. "It’s not just the numbers, it’s the control".
"Samuel Moses is what you see in video games, FIFA," he laughed. "He bends games to his will. Last night, even without scoring, he looked like the most important man on the pitch".
In Nigeria, the streets of Lagos and Abuja lit up with fireworks.
Sports radio stations ran call-in marathons with fans screaming, "He’s ours! He’s our Messi!"
In Abraka, viewing centers stayed open until dawn, kids replaying Sam’s touches on YouTube, copying his stepovers in dirt pitches.
Meanwhile, in Madrid, papers twisted the knife differently.
"Atlético Still Alive," one Marca headline warned. "One more goal at the Metropolitano, and it’s game on."
Diego Simeone, never one to yield ground, smiled coldly in his post-match press conference. "Barça think they’ve won something. We’ll see. The return leg is in our home; things are different there".
Yet even Simeone couldn’t silence the storm.
Kayla scrolled through her phone that morning, laughing as post after post praised her husband. She turned to Sam, still lazing in bed.
"Look at this," she teased. "They’re calling you the inevitable."
"That’s cringe," Sam laughed. "But I like it though".
He continued stretching.
And as the world buzzed, one truth grew louder, and one question hung heavier...
If Sam Moses was already this good at 21, what would he become by 25?