Chapter 68: The first wave
Most people think... you play the game that you love, and you make money from it, it’s literally the easiest thing in the world.
Only if it was that easy.
Football was sweet till the schedule starts ramping up, till the pressure starts cascading, the fixtures coming up one after the other, eating up your sanity.
The Ballon d’Or glow was still fresh, the memory of El Clásico still burned, but when the schedule tightened, romance vanished.
When the schedule tightened, football became war with the calendar.
Every three days, another whistle. Every three days, another ninety minutes. Every three days, another day of perfection where fans expect you to perform at your best regardless of how you feel emotionally and physically.
The price of greatness was not the spotlight, it was the grind.
[La Liga – Matchday 12]
Barcelona vs Espanyol (Spotify Camp Nou)
The Spotify Camp Nou still roared Sam’s name when he walked out against Espanyol, but even then he felt it... the heaviness in his thighs, the stiffness in his calves. But just like the fans, the system didn’t care.
DING!
~----~
[Daily Quest: Maintain Ballon d’Or Level.]
>Penalty for failure: -2 attributes.
~----~
Sam gritted his teeth and stretched deeper. ’Well, I signed up for this’.
He perfectly masked his discomfort with a toothy grin. "Tatakae!" He whispered to himself as he stepped out into the pitch.
In days like this when his body felt lethargic and tired, and all motivation seemed lost, only one thing kept him going, that voice... mamba mentality.
’Win!’ ’Win!’ ’Win!’
’Let’s chase greatness!’
Espanyol defended narrow, daring Barça to find space. Yamal twisted, Raphinha bombed, and Pedri threaded, but the Espanyol defense clung on.
It was almost like the biblical verse where the fishermen toiled all night, and yet got no harvest for their troubles. But Barcelona had Sam.
And in the end, it was him who broke them.
In the 38th minute, he pulled away from his marker, chested Balde’s cross, and lashed home with a scissor kick.
Bam! GOAL!
With a roar and a clenched fist, he celebrated his goal alongside the fans.
Yet the joy lasted seconds. As he jogged back, chest heaving, he whispered, "God, I’m tired". But it didn’t matter.
Even in tiredness, he had to keep going.
That is what playing professional football for one of the biggest clubs in the world meant.
[FULL-TIME: Barcelona 2-0 Espanyol]
Sam scored one, and assisted Gavi for the other. On paper, he was perfect. In his body though, cracks were forming.
...
Real Madrid vs Celta (Santiago Bernabéu)
Madrid’s machine ground on too.
At the Bernabéu, Celta came brave, pressing high. For half an hour, they even rattled Courtois, Huijsen coughing up mistakes under pressure.
But Madrid were Madrid.
Mbappé darted into space, buzzing with endless energy. Vinícius danced through traffic, and Bellingham timed his late run perfectly.
They scored three goals in twenty minutes, showcasing ruthless efficiency.
Xabi Alonso rotated after the hour mark. But Mbappé shook his head when subbed. His ankle ached, yet he wanted more.
That desire, that drive, it was what separated the elite from the casuals.
[FULL-TIME: Real Madrid 3-0 Celta]
It was a routine victory, yet heavy.
...
[La Liga – Matchday 13:]
Real Sociedad vs Barcelona (Reale Arena)
Real Sociedad away under floodlights was no place for comfort. The Real Arena air was heavy, whistles raining down like knives.
Barça’s legs looked heavy as the game wore on.
Pedri misplaced passes, and Gavi’s lungs burned early. Even Sam mistimed a press as Barca seemed to lack rhythm.
On the touchline, Hansi Flick barked. "Focus! Stay compact!"
Real Sociedad smelled weakness, and they surged. In the 27th minute, they got their opener and it was a rocket from range that beat Joan Garcia.
Barça staggered, and the unbeaten record trembled.
But then, Sam’s new skill whispered inside him.
~----~
[Clutch Player Activated!]
~----~
His mamba mentality plus this skill was a match made in heaven.
In the 84th minute of the game, with Barça still 1–0 down, he drifted into the box. Raphinha’s cross skimmed heads, falling awkwardly. Sam threw himself sideways as his leg lashed at the ball... Scissor kick!
GOAL! 1-1.
The stadium groaned, but Sam roared. He refused to lose.
[FULL-TIME: Real Sociedad 1-1 Barcelona]
Barcelona avoided a stumble, but bodies looked broken.
...
On the other side of town.
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid (San Mamés)
If Barça sweated in Seville, Madrid suffered in Bilbao.
San Mamés was fire as the Athletic players pressed like demons, smothering Madrid’s rhythm. The Williams brothers ran Madrid’s flanks ragged. Vinícius argued, Mbappé cursed, and Alonso barked on the touchline.
By halftime, Madrid trailed 1-0. Alonso’s rotation, resting Valverde and Arnold now looked a mistake.
In the dressing room, Valverde glared at his coach. "Put me in".
During the second half, Valverde was introduced as he thundered onto the pitch, and his energy instantly flipped the game.
In the 64th minute, Bellingham found space, slipped Mbappé through, and the Frenchman slotted the equalizer.
Late in the game, in the 87th minute, Valverde himself shone as he unleashed another long-range rocket, triggering Déjà vu from Chelsea.
Valverde’s rocket won the game for Real Madrid.
[FULL-TIME: Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Real Madrid]
Real Madrid survived by fire and with that result, they finally surged ahead of Barcelona in the league table.
...
[La Liga – Matchday 14:]
Barcelona vs Mallorca (Spotify Camp Nou)
Back at home, Barça’s legs felt like lead. Hansi Flick rotated heavily as Lewandowski returned to start. De Jong started in place of Pedri, and Ferran Torres replaced Yamal on the right. Sam started anyway, reverting to his CAM position.
Mallorca pressed high.
For an hour, the Spotify Camp Nou groaned as chances slipped. Sam miscontrolled twice as his touches looked heavy.
But in the 62nd minute of the game, he slipped through fatigue to carve one perfect assist for Lewandowski. A trivela, his vision splitting green shirts apart.
Minutes later, he was subbed out of the game.
He sat on the bench, towel over his head, chest heaving. Barcelona managed to weather late Mallorca pressure to clinch another 3 points.
[FULL-TIME: Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca]
Three points, but a tired kind.
...
Real Madrid vs Girona (Santiago Bernabéu)
After Barca, it was Madrid’s turn against surprise high-flyers Girona. Xabi Alonso didn’t rotate as he started with his trusted full arsenal.
For forty five minutes, Girona dared to dream. They passed through Madrid’s press, forced Courtois into saves, and even nicked the opener.
But Mbappé woke up in the second half as one cut inside, and one thunderbolt stole the equalizer. Vinícius added a poacher’s finish to drag Madrid ahead.
In stoppage time, Bellingham iced it with a sliding strike.
[FULL-TIME: Madrid 3-1 Girona]
Another win, another weight carried.
...
In nine days, both clubs played three games each. Barça had 2 wins and 1 draw, while Madrid clinched 3 wins. Both remained unbeaten, both unrelenting.
But beneath the numbers lay the truth.
Sam sat in an ice bath, wincing. His calves cramped at night, his muscles screamed even at rest.
Kayla rubbed his shoulders, whispering, "You need to rest."
He shook his head. "If I rest, I lose everything".
In Madrid, Mbappé limped out of the dressing room, ankle swollen. Alonso scowled. "You’re playing too many minutes".
Mbappé only smirked. "I have to."
The world saw brilliance, but behind closed doors, they lived exhaustion.
The gauntlet had just begun.