Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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"Brother, recover well. We still have to fight side by side next season."
"Yeah, stop thinking about matches. You've been tired for a whole season, take this chance to have a proper vacation."
"We're still in the team, just rest easy!"
Madrid. La Paz Hospital.
Ranked 49th in the world and 17th in orthopedics, it was the finest sports injury hospital in Madrid and all of Spain.
Inside the ward, Godín had just come out of ankle surgery and was lying in bed recovering. Lance and a few teammates had come to see their brother after training.
Ankle ligament tear with subluxation of the ankle joint. Six to eight weeks of recovery after surgery. It wasn't a major injury; for professional players, it was a common enough occurrence. There shouldn't be any serious lingering issues after returning to the field, and he'd be able to compete at the highest level once again.
It was just that the starting center-back Godín was genuinely going to miss the Champions League Final. A massive blow to Atlético Madrid's iron defense.
The teammates who had come to visit were laughing and joking, even mocking the sorry sight of Godín's leg in its cast. But the worry behind everyone's eyes was real.
Godín could see it too. He laughed and waved them off.
"Without me, you guys are just trash."
"Who says!"
Substitute center-back Lucas was having none of it and shot back with a grin.
"Watch me take the field and replace you next season."
He didn't mean it, of course. He just wanted Godín to take his rehabilitation seriously and get back quickly. Before he could finish, Saúl, standing beside him, cut him down.
"Stop bragging. You?"
"Alright, alright, I need to sleep. Go have your argument outside. Get out of my ward."
Godín made a show of kicking them out, but they were all close friends, and none of them were particularly good at this kind of comfort.
Before Lance left, he'd intended to tell Godín to rest easy. Instead, Godín was the one who called him back.
"Lance."
"Captain, what is it?"
"I believe you can bring us our first treble. I've always believed that."
"That's a lot of pressure," Lance said with a laugh.
Godín's eyes, though, were steady.
"But I know you can handle it."
"Amigo!"
Good brothers need no more words. Lance and Godín bumped fists, then he turned and left.
Godín trusted him that much. Lance wasn't going to let his brother down. Even if accidents could derail the League, the Champions League, or the Copa del Rey and cost them the treble, he would give everything he had.
...
"At that time, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid will meet in the Champions League Final, the second time in history that a Madrid Derby will be staged on European football's grandest stage."
"Who will the title belong to this time?"
"If Giménez and Godín hadn't suffered their injuries and suspensions, perhaps Atlético Madrid's chances would be greater. But a full-strength Real Madrid will have a significant advantage."
After Atlético Madrid's 4-1 elimination of Barcelona to reach the final, Spanish television and print media had already begun breaking down the Champions League Final in advance. The La Liga Madrid Derby was heading to the biggest stage in Europe.
Even after beating Real Madrid in the League, there was still enormous uncertainty in the Champions League, especially with Atlético Madrid's starting lineup taking heavy losses. This final was full of unknowns.
But that wasn't today's concern.
Three days after the Barcelona match, on May 8, 2016: Levante vs Atlético Madrid.
Atlético didn't even have time to return to base. They went straight from Barcelona to Valencia for consecutive away fixtures. Pure torture.
To make things worse, after their Champions League elimination, Barcelona erupted in the League as if taking out their frustration, crushing Espanyol 7-0 at home. Messi and Suárez each completed a hat-trick. With a game in hand, Barcelona temporarily overtook Atlético Madrid in the standings.
If Atlético dropped points here, the top spot they'd just clawed back would slip through their fingers again. And after this match, only one round of La Liga remained. There was no margin for error.
"Remember, today's match is tough and several starters are unavailable."
"But we must win. We cannot lose. Understood?"
Before the team took the field, Simeone gathered everyone together and bellowed.
"Understood!"
"Vamos! Vamos!!"
The starters rubbed their hands and marched out of the locker room. The substitutes filtered to the bench. Lance happened to sit down right next to Simeone.
Bringing Lance today was still a safety net. Without him there, Simeone would have been quietly anxious. At this critical juncture, whatever the media said, he needed Lance on that bench.
"Lance, what do you think of our shape so far? Anything wrong with the attack?"
Simeone was using the match to test Lance's reading of the game. Lance kept his eyes on the field.
"Ángel on the right could cut inside more. If we feint an attack down the left and then shift quickly to the right, combining with the overlapping fullback, we can open them up. Their fullback always hesitates in a 1v2. That's the breakthrough point."
Lance had spotted Levante's weakness in minutes. It surprised Simeone, though he supposed it shouldn't have. No wonder this kid always scores when coming off the bench — he spends every minute on the sideline dissecting the game.
Sure enough, in the 41st minute, Ángel Correa played a one-two with the right back, broke into the penalty area from the right wing, cut inside, and curled a left-footed shot into the net.
Atlético Madrid led 1-0 away.
Then the second half went wrong.
With both starting center-backs, Godín and Giménez, unavailable, the combination of Stefan Savić and Lucas at the back was raw. Their coordination wasn't tight. In the 79th minute, a Levante counter cut straight through the middle. Their striker ran in behind, bore down on goal, and finished cleanly. Goalkeeper Bernabé had no chance.
1-1.
Atlético Madrid were in crisis again. If the score held, Barcelona would win the title.
Barcelona fans were already losing their minds online.
"See? We're the League champions after all."
"This is the price of eliminating us from the Champions League."
"Fine, let them have the Copa del Rey. As long as Atlético don't get the treble, it's enough."
"This is what you get for crossing Barcelona."
Atlético fans had no answer. Everyone was glued to their screens in silence.
Real Madrid fans barely cared about the League title race at this point. Whoever came off worse between Atlético and Barcelona, Real Madrid would be perfectly happy. The dream result: Barcelona win the League, Atlético scrape the Copa del Rey, and Real Madrid take the Champions League. Everyone gets something, right?
"Keep dreaming! We'll win the title!"
"We have the invincible Lance!"
Atlético fans couldn't help themselves, firing back at Real Madrid on Twitter.
Then the referee raised the substitution board. The red number 10 lit up on the touchline.
Levante fans, Real Madrid fans, Barcelona fans — all of them drew breath at the same moment.
"The Great Demon King is here."
"That man has come after all."