Rise of a Football God

16 days of death…

That was what the media called it.

And the FC Barcelona fanbase agreed with the media, including the players. It was the 16 days that would decide their season and it already started.

(Copa del Rey:)

(Final:)

(Barcelona 2–1 Real Madrid)

(Date: 26th April, 2026)

…

(UEFA Champions League:)

(Semifinal:)

(Leg 1 of 2:)

(Barcelona – Inter)

(Date: 30th April, 2026)

…

(La Liga:)

(Valladolid – Barcelona)

(Date: 3rd May, 2026)

…

(UEFA Champions League:)

(Semifinal:)

(Leg 1 of 2:)

(Inter – Barcelona)

(Date: 6th May, 2026)

…

(La Liga:)

(Barcelona – Real Madrid)

(Date: 11th May, 2026)

5 games in 16 days.

Out of those 5 games, one of them was already played, one of the most important, the Copa del Rey final and it was a victory for FC Barcelona.

And yet, they dared not rest on their laurels yet.

The season was not over yet.

The fans may be allowed to let loose for a long time, celebrating their second final win of the season over their archrivals, Real Madrid but the players could not afford the same leisure if they wanted to keep the late season momentum uniform.

Sam especially did not dare be complacent.

After the Real Madrid game, he truly was now on the cusp of victory.

With his 2 goals against Real Madrid, he eclipsed more legendary goalscorers in football history, including Cristiano Ronaldo's personal record of 61 goals in a season, a feat the legendary Portuguese only managed once in his career.

Now, in the history of football, Sam had only two players ahead of him in the most goals department… Lionel Messi and Josef Bican.

With his 2 goals against Real Madrid, Sam took his tally for the season to an incredible figure of 71 goals in 1 season!

It was a figure that left most elite strikers in football history chasing the wind.

In just his debut season for FC Barcelona, and his first official season as a striker, Sam already entrenched his name among the greatest strikers in the history of football. He already wormed his way into the top 10 goalscorers in a season list.

In the top 10 goalscorers in a season list, Fernando Peyroteo was the previous number 10, beating the legendary Robert Lewandowski and Mario Jardel, 55 goals apiece with his 56 goals haul in the 1945/1946 season.

And yet, with Sam's introduction, this legend was already kicked off the list.

Now in 10th position was another Barcelona legend, the Uruguayan hitman, Luis Suarez with 59 goals in his record-breaking 2015/2016 season.

His was the only other name besides Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who made the list from a major European league in the 21st century, until Sam.

Now in 9th position in the list is the legendary Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo with his 61 goals haul in the 2014/2015 season.

After Ronaldo in 8th position is Dixie Dean with 63 goals in the 1927/1928 season, then Zico in 7th position with his 65 goals in 1979, and then the Brazilian G.O.A.T himself in 6th position, Pele with 66 goals in 1958.

Tied with Pele at 66 goals a piece is Romario in 2000, another Brazilian legend in 5th position, and then the German legend, Gerd Muller in 4th position with his 67 goals in the 1972/1973 season.

As for the current top 3?

Currently in number 3 was the new King in Catalan, Samuel Moses with his 71 goals in the current season and counting.

The season was still yet to come to an end!

And Sam was still healthy, meaning he would likely participate in all the games till the end of the season. The mere thought of it is mindboggling.

71 goals is an incredible figure, but it only puts into perspective the incredible goalscoring feat of the 2 figures above Sam in the list.

In the 2011/2012 season, in a calendar year where Lionel Messi went absolute bonkers with his numbers, the legendary Argentine registered 73 goals in a single season!

And above Lionel Messi is the one and only Josef Bican, the legendary Austria and Czech Republic international with 76 goals in the 1943/1944 season.

It was a crazy list.

And it puts Sam's crazy performances this season into perspective.

Seeing your name in a goalscoring list with legends like Pele, Gerd Muller, Josef Bican, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez is crazy, but is even crazier when you know you've made the top 3 spot in the list already.

For emphasis, Cristiano Ronaldo is only ranked 9th!

No one would blame Sam for feeling proud, for feeling fulfilled, for feeling complacent. Afterall, after that Real Madrid game and as a direct consequence of his brace, his fame managed to rise even more, something Sam never thought was possible at this point.

They were already calling him the new G.O.A.T candidate of football.

The G.O.A.T of the new generation.

Others dubbed it the Rise of a Football God.

So yeah, Sam would be vindicated for feeling immensely proud of his achievements but despite everything, he still had the mentality to keep his head down.

'The season is not over yet'.

That was the simple phrase he used to keep himself sober.

This time, he didn't even put too much focus on the system rewards that he got for winning the Copa del Rey and his performance in the tournament.

All his attention was already focused on the preparations for the UEFA Champions League semifinal clash against Inter Milan.

They had just 4 days before the Inter Milan clash. It was a tight schedule, and yet Hansi Flick gave his players 1 day of rest.

Knowing the importance of rest, Sam followed the instructions of his coach, resting properly as he focused on his post-match recovery.

And then, the next day, alongside his friends, training started.

Sam jogged, worked out in the Spotify Camp Nou gym, and went to team training as Hansi Flick drilled his players in training, ingraining his tactics for the semifinal in their head.

It was just 2 days ago when they won the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, and yet now, the atmosphere in Barcelona was electric again.

This was because in a few days, a menacing team from Italy would arrive in Spain to challenge them in their turf.

So, while the players trained and prepared, they also made their preparations.

Time moved fast.

And in a blink, D-day was here.