44′
Time slowed.
The ball rolled on Messi's path whilst the entire stadium held its breath.
Even the air inside Camp Nou felt heavier, like the world itself was waiting for what came next.
Messi's head tilted slightly.
One glance left.
Where Iniesta lingered in a pocket of space, ready for the ball at a moments notice.
Messi processed the information, acknowledged it.
And moved.
Not explosively.
Not violently.
Swiftly.
His feet danced across the grass in tiny steps, touches so small they barely seemed to exist.
The ball never left his control, each tap guiding it forward like a magnet pulling iron.
"Só many touches at that speed…" Raphael whispered.
Muller stepped into his path.
Messi leaned left.
His body telegraphed a pass toward Iniesta, a dangerous maestro this close to the box.
He took the bait and lunged in a way that cut off that potential avenue but...
The pass never came.
Instead, Messi cut the ball forward with the outside of his boot, slipping past the challenge without even accelerating.
One down.
Schweinsteiger rushed in from the right.
Messi's eyes flicked toward Lavinho.
Another run.
Another threat.
Stuck between two minds, Schweinsteiger hesitated just long enough.
Messi accelerated past him before he could decide how to properly defend.
At this level, hesitation is death.
Schweinsteiger hesitated.
And now the price must be paid
Two down.
Raphael leaned forward in his seat.
"He's not even using tricks, just using the most basic movements to an unbelievable degree," he muttered.
Oscar nodded slowly.
"Feints," he said quietly.
"And changes of pace, fundamental skills wielded by a monster. Truly a daunting task for any defender" he reaffirmed wryly
Boateng arrived.
Messi increased his speed slightly, his touches still impossibly close to his feet.
The ball's movement obeyed his every whim, following his every command, never once daring to stray.
A ball roll, followed by two swift step overs left boateng scrambling as he attempted to predict messi's movements.
Messi slipped through the gap he himself had created as a result.
Three defenders were beaten.
The stadium was already rising to its feet.
But danger still remained.
Waiting directly ahead were two of the most disciplined defenders in the world.
Philipp Lahm.
And David Alaba.
They closed in from opposite sides like jaws snapping shut.
For a moment, it looked finished.
Messi slowed.
The ball rolled slightly ahead of him.
"Now they've got him," someone shouted from the crowd.
Even Raphael saw it.
The trap.
There seemed to be nowhere left to go.
Messi let out a sharp breath.
The pressure he exuded was felt even in the stands.
Raphael felt it instantly.
"Dad…"
Oscar's eyes narrowed.
"He's entered another gear," he murmured.
"…Flow state."
Messi stepped forward.
And suddenly his movements became something else entirely.
He ran directly at Lahm, and just as he prepared to react, Messi executed a reverse elastico, aiming for the outside of Lahm's right side, far from Alaba's reach.
Just as they shifted to adjust to his movements, he abruptly cut the ball and rolled it towards the space he once occupied.
Messi accelerated.
His feet became a blur of motion.
It seemed however that he took a heavy touch.
Alaba tried to exploit it before the danger could persist and overextended for the ball.
But in a flash of movement, Messi accelerated and spun past him with a clean roulette. Leaving him stumbling towards the ground as if chasing shadows.
Just as he broke free, Lahm came from the side attempting to clear the ball.
The touch came faster than thought, guiding the ball through the minuscule gap between Lahm's legs.
Lahm tried to recover, sprinting to cover the left side again.
But Messi shifted the ball teasingly back to the right, causing Lahm's balance to break, forcing him to fall forward.
hands and knees crashing into the camp nou grass.
Gasps erupted around the stadium.
The crowd roared.
"HE'S SENT LAHM AND ALABA BOTH TO THE GROUND AT ONCE!"
Messi didn't even look back.
And suddenly…
He was through.
The stadium erupted into a deafening roar.
But one final obstacle stood between him and glory.
Manuel Neuer.
The goalkeeper charged forward aggressively, arms wide, cutting down the angle.
Messi approached the box.
Neuer committed.
Messi shifted the ball outside his left foot like he was about to shoot across goal.
Neuer reacted instantly, knowing hesitation against Messi would be fatal.
Messi however, casually slipped the other way as the keeper dived, grasping at empty air.
The fake was so realistic it completely sold him.
Messi stepped around the grounded keeper.
The net stood open.
But suddenly
A red blur slid across the grass.
Franck Ribéry.
He had read the play perfectly.
Sliding in with desperate precision, he aimed for the exact path Messi had been running.
Aiming to crush this dominant display just before its climax.
Raphael's eyes widened.
"He saw it…!"
Ribery's slide carved through the grass.
But Messi had already stopped moving.
Completely.
The ball sat motionless beneath his foot.
Ribery's tackle passed harmlessly in front of him.
He turned back in utter disbelief.
'He even saw that?? what a monster'
Silence.
Total silence filled the stadium.
Messi took one gentle step forward.
And calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner.
For a moment, nothing happened.
The stadium stood frozen.
Processing what they had just witnessed.
Then the world exploded.
Camp Nou erupted.
A tidal wave of sound shook the stadium as scarves flew through the air and thousands of voices screamed in disbelief.
"GOOOOOOOAAAAAL!!!"
"MESSI HAS DONE IT AGAIN!"
"WHAT A MAGNIFICENT SOLO GOAL!"
Messi sprinted toward the stands.
He kissed the crest on his shirt before spreading his arms wide to the roaring crowd.
His teammates flooded toward him instantly.
Lavinho leapt onto his back laughing wildly.
Xavi wrapped him in a hug.
The commentators were practically screaming.
"This is why he's the greatest!"
"This is footballing genius at its peak!"
Across the pitch, the players of Bastard Müchen stood motionless.
Jaws clenched.
Fists tight.
They had thrown everything at him.
And still he broke through.
Back in the stands, Oscar sat frozen.
His mouth slightly opened.
"…Unbelievable."
Beside him, Raphael couldn't speak.
His green eyes burned with awe.
He replayed every movement in his mind.
Every touch.
Every angle.
"…That shouldn't have been possible," he whispered.
"There were moments where the ball was too far away…"
He clenched his fists.
"And yet it moved exactly where he wanted."
It was as if Messi had bent the laws of physics to his will.
As if the ball itself was subservient to him.
The referee's whistle finally pierced through the chaos.
HALF TIME.
FC Barcha 2 - 1 Bastard Müchen 45'
(Agg) Fc Barcha 2 - 2 Bastard Müchen
The players slowly made their way toward the tunnel.
The crowd was still roaring long after the goal had been scored.
Raphael leaned back in his seat, staring at the pitch.
"That play…" he murmured.
"There were moments where he shouldn't have been able to readjust in time to have reached the ball."
He looked down at his hands.
"But he still touched, directed and manipulated it."
Oscar smiled faintly.
"That,"
"Is the current peak of the world you seek to enter. Burn this match into your mind and use it as a map to forge your own future." he explained,
The stadium lights glowed as players returned from the tunnel 15 minutes later.
The noise rose once again.
The referee glanced at his watch.
Then blew the whistle.
Bastard kicked off.
The second half had begun.