Rise of a Football God

'Can I play as a false 9?' This was the only question ringing in Sam's head as his national team compatriot energetically celebrated his goal.

As soon as Sam asked that question though, he felt weird. 'No, that was phrased wrongly'. He shook his head. 'Is that even a question that I should be asking?'

'Instead of can I, I must!'

His eyes started gleaming with fire again.

Sometimes, it takes very little to set Sam's competitive spirit ablaze and this time was no different.

Heck, this was the UEFA Champions League!

He was not about to smear the history of his first UEFA champions league game by putting a drab performance; this was the stage where he was supposed to shine brightest!

'F*ck false 9!' His eyes gleamed. 'Even if I have to play as a center back, I'll still shine in the UEFA Champions League!'

FWEEE!

As soon as the game restarted, it was clear that something changed.

The way that Sam carried his body, the way that he moved, all of it changed as soon as the game started again.

He was no longer just an attacking midfielder, neither was he just a striker, playing as a false 9 gave him the leverage of playing as both.

That was another positive that Sam embraced.

He consoled himself by believing that he was too good to just play as an attacking midfielder, maybe adding the work of a striker into the equation was the catalyst he needed to truly hit his peak.

It took some time, a few minutes, but Sam grew into this game again.

Brest were back to more of defending but Sam was their nemesis this time.

Playing in a false 9 position, he constantly dropped back, taking the ball from deep and utilizing his dribbling attributes to torture the Brest defense, opening them up and creating space for his other teammates.

His passing attributes was also another cause of pain for the Brest defenders.

Doing it once was maybe a coincidence, but Sam did not just do it once, he did it twice, thrice, more than thrice; he did it consistently.

"Damn! What a dribbling performance this is from Sam!"

"I take my words back," The commentator laughed. "Just with this trait alone, I think he has what it takes to become a unique false 9".

By the end of the first half, Sam ended up creating the most chances of the game even as he took 2 shots on target that the Brest goalkeeper caught.

By half-time, FC Barcelona was still losing but there was a feeling that something already changed in this Barca attack.

During halftime, Hansi Flick said very few words to his players.

"We have the tools to win this game. To win, we just have to maximize the potential of what we have with us".

"Do that and let's win this game".

FWEEE!

The second half started.

The 1st minute of second half passed…

The 2nd minute passed…

The 3rd minute passed…

It was not until the 6th minute of the 2nd half, in the 51st minute that Sam touched the ball for the first time but immediately after his leg touched the ball, electricity seemed to course through his body.

Bam!

Hitting the ball once to Lamine Yamal, he evaded an off-ball challenge, charging into the Brest 18-yard box.

As he ran, he heard the ball being kicked by Lamine Yamal and from the peripheral of his vision, he saw the ball float towards him.

Tiki! Taka!

One-two football!

For some reason, this sudden run unnerved the Brest defense, making them alert to the 2 young FC Barcelona players.

As soon as Sam got the ball again, they pressed.@@novelbin@@

Calmly, Sam controlled the ball with his first touch and with his second touch, he flicked it towards Lamine Yamal who got the ball again. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

As soon as Sam passed the ball again, he exploded forward with speed, flicking a Brest defender's arm off who tried to hold him back.

And then, Lamine Yamal hit the ball back to him.

4 passes within the space of just a few seconds!

And this time, Yamal's pass poised the ball perfectly for Sam to hit.

And not hesitating, his right leg swung with venom, hitting the ball and striking it towards the bottom right corner.

POW!

The Brest goalkeeper dived but he stood no chance.

The ball literally tore its way into the net!

"GOALLLLL…!!!"

The home side exploded, roaring in ecstasy as their team scored to regain the lead in this UEFA Champions League game.

And with that, Sam got his first UEFA Champions League goal.

While the Spotify Camp Nou erupted, Lamine Yamal jumping on Sam's back, he didn't scream or jump to celebrate.

Rather, trudging towards the FC Barcelona fans, he nodded at them, puffing his muscles even as they roared his name.

"Sam!" "Sam!" "Sam"

Well, they did well to chant his name because that was the prelude to a Sam masterpiece in the Spotify Camp Nou in his first UEFA champions league game.

After that goal in the 51st minute, Sam and Lamine Yamal's chemistry improved in this game, almost turning telepathic as with their combination plays, they tore Brest apart.

But in the end, it was a Pedri pass that set him up again.

The Spanish midfielder raised the ball above the defense, setting Sam up as he overtook the 2 center backs marking him, pouncing to poke the ball into the net.

Just like that, he got his 2nd goal of this game as the home supporters roared.

63rd minute, 3-1…

When it seemed like it was all over, Sam struck again, this time in the 80th minute of this game as the Brest momentum already died.

Receiving a diagonal pass from Gavi, Sam showed his composure, shifting and nudging the ball away from challenges till the angle opened up and then from there outside the 18-yard box, he did it.

BAM!

Power shot!

Sam unleashed an absolutely thunderous shot from outside the box that left the Brest goalkeeper chasing ghosts.

The goalkeeper dived but he never stood a chance.

The ball rose, tearing its way imperiously into the top left corner of the Brest net, nailing the outcome of this game.

"Sam!" "Sam!" "Sam!"

The Sam chants echoed in the Spotify Camp Nou.

This time, Sam celebrated as charging towards the corner flag, suddenly thinking of a mischievous idea, he jumped, executing an acrobatic backflip.

He did it in celebration, eliciting even more cheers from the fans.

4 minutes later, in the 84th minute of this game, Sam was substituted as Hansi Flick finally introduced Ferran Torres.

In Sam's first UEFA champions league game, he scored a hattrick.

He not only claimed the match ball; he also won the man of the match award.

To the FC Barcelona fans who were in attendance today, watching him in action, this was an unforgettable debut to the European stage for their young midfielder turned false 9.