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What did it feel like to represent Atlético Madrid, defeat Barcelona at the Bernabéu, and win the Copa del Rey?
Before today, Lance had never taken the Copa del Rey that seriously.
To him, the League title and the Champions League were always the truly important trophies.
But now he realized something.
Winning the Copa del Rey felt incredible too.
From trailing Barcelona 2-0...
To clawing one back at 2-1...
Then scoring twice in stoppage time...
The score was frozen at 3-2.
Atlético Madrid completed a miraculous last-second comeback!
Even after scoring the winner, Lance still felt as if he were dreaming.
Dazed, he was trapped in a chaotic group hug with Griezmann, Saúl, Torres, Koke, Simeone...
Even captain Godín joined them on crutches.
The entire group screamed wildly on the turf of the Bernabéu, nobody even knowing what they were shouting anymore.
Tens of thousands of Atlético fans in the stands cried tears of joy.
This season's domestic double was worth its weight in gold.
They had defeated the terrifying Barcelona twice in a row to claim both trophies.
The fans themselves felt like they were living inside a dream.
Lance had no idea how the commentators around the world were describing the match.
He only knew one thing.
After leading the team around the stadium for a lap of celebration, he and his Atlético Madrid teammates arrived at the coronation ceremony.
Winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen had certainly been exciting.
But tonight felt even more exhilarating.
Because the opponent standing across from him was the man who had once ruled world football from its absolute summit.
And now, with a hat trick, Lance was personally dragging that king down from his throne.
I...
am the Chosen One.
"Lance, you've been incredible in La Liga. I hope you stay here forever."
The Atlético Madrid players walked across the podium one by one.
King Felipe VI personally placed the Copa del Rey winner's medals around each player's neck.
When it was Lance's turn, Felipe VI enthusiastically grabbed his hand and chatted with him for quite a while, looking more like an excited fan than the King of Spain.
Lance almost felt embarrassed for him.
Hey, aren't you supposed to support Real Madrid?
If I stay in La Liga forever, how is Real Madrid supposed to recover?
"In recent years, La Liga has had one of the highest levels of football in the world, so I'm very happy to compete against so many great players here."
Lance wore a flawless professional smile as he answered calmly.
His words clearly delighted Felipe VI, who looked ready to spend the entire night talking football with him.
What the king didn't know was that Lance truly meant "recent years" literally.
A few years later, once the superstars either retired or left, La Liga would no longer be what it once was.
Even Mbappé wouldn't be able to save the League.
After the medals came the most exciting moment of all.
The trophy lift.
Putting aside the League title ceremony that had yet to happen, Lance had already lifted trophies three times during his Bayer Leverkusen days.
And he absolutely loved this feeling.
The more trophies, the better.
He would never get tired of it.
"Lance, this trophy belongs to you. You should lift it."
Captain Godín, leaning on crutches, patted Lance on the shoulder as Felipe VI brought over the Copa del Rey trophy.
No one in Atlético Madrid objected.
The League title belonged to Lance, whose 53 League goals towered over everyone else.
And in the Copa del Rey, he had carried Atlético Madrid all the way to the final before producing a legendary hat trick comeback while trailing by two goals.
Even if Godín hadn't been injured, he still would've wanted Lance standing at the front to lift the trophy.
Nobody was more deserving.
Lance wasn't the type to play fake humility.
Since the captain had spoken, refusing any further would only seem hypocritical.
Under the gaze of cameras from all around the world, Lance stepped to the front of the team and received the heavy Copa del Rey trophy from Felipe VI.
"Wow, this thing really is heavy. No wonder Ramos couldn't hold onto it."
Lance couldn't resist taking a shot at Real Madrid.
The entire Atlético Madrid squad burst into laughter.
Back in the 2010-11 season, Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey and celebrated on an open-top bus.
Ramos accidentally dropped the trophy from the top deck, and the bus ran right over it.
The incident instantly became one of football's greatest memes.
Lance held the trophy firmly in front of the team.
Behind him, the Atlético players were already roaring impatiently, waiting for the moment.
The trophy slowly rose upward.
The cheers grew louder and louder.
"OHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Lance thrust the trophy high above his head!
At that instant, the noise inside the Bernabéu exploded to its absolute limit!
Golden confetti rained across the stadium.
Thunderous applause echoed everywhere.
"We are the champions, my friends..."
The classic anthem echoed throughout the Bernabéu.
Tens of thousands of fans sang together in unison, creating an overwhelmingly spectacular scene.
Behind Lance, Griezmann wiped away tears from the corner of his eyes.
"This is definitely the happiest day of my career."
"Didn't you already win the Champions League before?"
Lance had already changed history during his Bayer Leverkusen years.
"But this season has been way too difficult."
Thinking about Barcelona and Real Madrid, Griezmann still felt emotionally overwhelmed.
Without Lance's god-like performances, Atlético Madrid could easily have ended the season empty-handed.
"Then you're celebrating too early."
Lance laughed and handed the trophy to Griezmann.
"We still have the Champions League Final ahead of us."
"You can celebrate properly after we lift that trophy too."
...
The shockwaves from the Copa del Rey final had not faded at all.
Social media everywhere was still discussing Lance's god-tier goal.
How exactly had he stolen the ball from nearly 80 meters away and completed that solo run?
A world-shaking Goal of the Century.
He dribbled past player after player before scoring one of the greatest solo goals football had ever seen.
Its importance was no less than the final stoppage-time winner.
The final volley was certainly breathtaking.
But Lance's solo goal was simply too perfect.
Countless experts analyzed the play from tactical, technical, and psychological perspectives.
Fans endlessly debated online whether Lance's solo goal surpassed those of Messi and Maradona.
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram...
Every platform was consumed by arguments.
Yet while the football world exploded with discussion over the Copa del Rey final, the three clubs involved remained strangely quiet.
Not a single club or player publicly responded to the media.
Barcelona had finished their season empty-handed.
For a team possessing the terrifying MSN trio at their peak, ending the season without a single trophy was an unbelievable disappointment.
Zero trophies.
Messi didn't even win the Golden Boot.
If not for his somewhat controversial FIFA Ballon d'Or victory, Messi's 2016 season would've looked painfully awkward in terms of silverware.
Following the final, Barcelona simply disappeared from public view and went straight on vacation.
The entire club acted dead silent.
All they could do now was survive the criticism and prepare for next season.
What hurt Barcelona fans the most, however, were the rumors coming out afterward.
According to reports, a fierce argument erupted inside Barcelona's locker room after the final.
Then less than two days later, the media leaked shocking news.
Neymar might leave for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in a record-breaking transfer.
History, even after being altered, still slowly returned to its original path.
As for Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, the two Champions League finalists remained equally quiet.
The reason was simple.
Both sides shut out all outside distractions and focused completely on preparing for the final.
Atlético Madrid's dramatic victory over Barcelona had made the entire Real Madrid squad extremely serious.
They now viewed Atlético Madrid as a true nightmare-level opponent.
But just as Atlético Madrid's morale reached its peak, terrible news arrived.
Koke was injured.
With fewer than four days remaining until the Champions League Final...
Atlético Madrid's midfield core would miss the match.