Rise of a Football God-Chapter 447: Footballing heritage

(UEFA Champions League:)

(Final:)

(Barcelona – PSG)

(Date: 31st May, 2026)

It was scheduled, the final of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. Including its 2 finalists.

This season, FC Barcelona and PSG had truly legendary runs, not just in the UEFA Champions League but also in their various domestic leagues.

For FC Barcelona, not only did they win the Supercopa de Espana and Copa del Rey trophies against their archrivals, Real Madrid, but they were still leading the La Liga race, and now they were champions league finalists.

They were on course for a legendary quadruple trophy season.

Hansi Flick's Barcelona was truly a menace, the German coach was a magician but this season, everyone knew what the true difference was. It was the young Nigerian striker, Samuel Moses.

Sam was at the heart of everything Barca this season. He dribbled, dominated play, scored, and assisted this season.

This season, he was a complete player.

He did everything; from scoring outside the box goals, scoring penalties, freekicks, scoring headers, acrobatic goals, Sam did everything this season.

And finally, his club was at the true critical stage of the season.

The part of the season that'll truly show if they had what it takes to not only chase but claim all 4 trophies that they were vying for this season.

If in the end, FC Barcelona lost the UEFA Champions League final, and even the league title too, it would still be a legendary football season for the Catalan club, and most importantly for their striker.

After the Inter Milan game, Sam's 52nd game of the season, he took his tally for the season to 72 goals and 39 assists.

Combined, that is 111 goal contributions in a single season!

At this point, if it was not clear before, the whole world was already forced into submission that they were not witnessing just any talent but an all-time great footballer in action at the peak of his powers.

Sam was different, a maverick. He was part of that elite group of players that you watch and never forget, that group of players that you watch and proudly tell tales of to your grandchildren at your old age.

That was who Samuel Moses was, the Nigerian Zidane.

Heck, that comparison was an old one. By now, a lot of people were already convinced that Sam was better than the French maestro.

Some claimed it was too early to judge, that maybe he was a one-season wonder but his most staunch fans shut it all up.

"Are you guys crazy?!"

"Which one-season wonder have you seen scored 40 goals in a season? Does that ring a bell? Any? What of 50? 60? 70? 72 freaking goals, any ring a bell?!"

"Show me a one-season wonder that scores that many goals and we'll talk".

"And one that not just scores that, but assists 39 times, one more assist to make 40. Are you guys blind? Deaf? Dumb?"

Sam's fame was at its peak, at the young age of 20.

That was the most frightening thing about it, Sam was just 20, which meant that he had decades of football ahead of him.

With a talent like his, he could well go on to keep on playing at the ripe old age of 38 or even 40 still at the top level.

And his consistency, jogging every morning, visiting the Spotify Camp Nou gym every day; he was the Black Mamba of football.

With that mentality, his body would be at an elite level well into his 30s.

While FC Barcelona had Hansi Flick and Sam, PSG simply had Luis Enrique.

The Spanish coach who once won a famous treble for FC Barcelona, the last FC Barcelona coach who led the club to a UEFA Champions League win would be the club's opponent in the final.

PSG under Luis Enrique was different. With Kylian Mbappe gone to Real Madrid, the Spanish coach got to implement all his ideas in the team.

And now, he transformed PSG into one of the most tight-knit, team work-driven teams in Europe.

With the likes of Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradely Barcola, and a revived Ousmane Dembele in attack, PSG had one of the most electric attacking unit in Europe. And that was not their only positive.

PSG's midfield was an elite one comprising of a prime Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, and the young menace, Joao Neves. freeweɓnøvel.com

To many football fans, their defense is their weakness but that is only when contrasted against their out of the world midfield and offensive unit.

Compared against most clubs in Europe, PSG's defense was still a world class one, comprising the likes of Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi, Pacho, and a tested veteran in Marquinhos.

PSG; Paris Saint Germain. FC Barcelona.

Both were fearsome clubs this season, well-drilled machines that were churning with peak efficiency.

It was the final that most neutral football fans hoped for.

Two elite teams with similar football philosophies, playing raw exciting and attacking football; Hansi Flick ball vs Luis Enrique ball.

The old vs the new.

It was going to be a war, exacerbated by the bad blood and history between the 2 clubs in the UEFA Champions League.

In 2016, FC Barcelona pulled off a famous comeback against PSG in the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League that would become known as the La Ramontada.

Having suffered a 4-0 defeat at the Parc des Princes, PSG's home stadium, the tie was all but done. So Europe thought, but Barcelona thought different.

When the Parisians came to Barcelona, they faced the full fury of Catalan football and Catalan heritage.

FC Barcelona battered PSG 6-1, the last goal scored in injury time to secure a famous victory at the Camp Nou.

All this and more added even more juice to the UEFA Champions League final. It was going to be an exciting spectacle.

That was for then though.

For now, another important match beckoned for FC Barcelona.

El Clasico beckoned… the final El Clasico of the season.