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The First Major Test.
May 14th, 2016. The final matchday of the 2015-2016 La Liga season. Atlético Madrid's home stadium, Wanda Metropolitano.
With the La Liga title within reach, Lance felt a little nervous.
"Lance, why are you nervous? You've already won a League title."
"That's different. Bayern wasn't a real rival back then. This time, Barcelona is seriously strong."
"..."
Lance's casual remark instantly deflated Griezmann. What did he mean, Bayern wasn't a rival? Was he looking down on the Southern King of the Bundesliga?
Griezmann thought about it, and realized it was probably true. When Lance was at Bayer Leverkusen, the German media had dubbed him the "Bayern Nemesis." Bayern had only beaten him once, in a cup match. In every other game, Lance led his team to victory over Bayern Munich. The nickname had spread well beyond Germany; that kid had made a name for himself across Europe. If Barcelona hadn't been truly monstrous this season, losing only 3 games all year, Atlético Madrid wouldn't have had such a difficult time.
For the 38th and final round of La Liga, the official schedule had all teams kicking off simultaneously. The Atlético Madrid players sat in the locker room, waiting. The TV was showing a special program on the Movistar+ pay channel. Commentator José Ángel, alongside La Liga legend Figo and Barcelona legend Deco, were breaking down the madness of the current season.
Deco, the former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder and Portuguese international, shook his head.
"In the past, forget 103 points, even 100 points would have guaranteed Barcelona the championship without any doubt. But this monstrous Barcelona has run into an even more monstrous Atlético Madrid! If they win tonight, Atlético Madrid will reach 105 points, securing the League title with the highest point total in La Liga history! And Barcelona will also set a record, finishing second with 103 points. It's truly insane."
"Indeed." Figo sighed along with him.
"Look at Real Madrid. Just a few months ago they were competing for the title alongside Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. But they lost two crucial matches, one to Atlético and one to Barcelona, and subsequently fell 10 points behind."
Just then, the real-time La Liga standings appeared on screen.
1. Atlético Madrid — 102 points (37 rounds) 2. Barcelona — 100 points (37 rounds) 3. Real Madrid — 90 points (37 rounds) 4. Villarreal — 72 points (37 rounds) 5. Athletic Bilbao — 70 points (37 rounds)
The original Big Three of Spain had become a two-horse race. Barcelona and Atlético Madrid were performing at a monster level, the undisputed Tier 0 clubs of this era. Real Madrid were Tier 0.5, just short, and had channeled everything into the Champions League. The rest, Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal, Sevilla, were nearly 30 points adrift.
In Figo's words: "This is absolutely the craziest season I have ever witnessed, bar none."
"That's right. Atlético Madrid and Barcelona have pushed each other to their absolute limit. The final outcome all depends on tonight's matches!"
Deco could barely contain his impatience to see how it ended. Would Barcelona manage a late surge and pull off the ultimate reversal? Or would Atlético Madrid hold firm and give them no chance?
In the final round, Barcelona played Granada, Real Madrid played Deportivo La Coruña, and Atlético Madrid played Celta Vigo. None of the three opponents were particularly dangerous, so it came down to who made a mistake first. If one had to pick the toughest draw, it was Atlético's. Celta Vigo were 7th in the table and had Europa League qualification to fight for. Granada had already secured their survival and had nothing left to play for.
"Barcelona's match is easier on paper. Atlético Madrid still faces real suspense."
"Yes, especially since Atlético have lost their most trusted defensive leader, Godín, who has been out for a month with injury. He may be able to make it to the Copa América in June, but he will certainly miss the club's final three major battles."
Stop talking! The Atlético Madrid fans watching the TV were sweating with anxiety. Why was this supposedly weaker opponent still causing so much alarm? If Celta Vigo pulled off an upset, they would fall right before the finish line. That would be genuinely agonizing.
In the CCTV studio, the commentator kept fumbling with his earpiece, needing Xu Yang to help him get it in.
"Seriously, you're still nervous?"
"I can't help it. Today is about the championship."
"Trust Lance."
Xu Yang was far calmer. In the past he might have worried, but ever since Lance had unlocked his off-the-ball movement, long passing, and free-kick ability, while sharpening his pressing and tackling in the attacking third, Lance seemed to have no major weaknesses left. He was fully capable of leading the team to victory under any circumstances, no matter how many goals down they were.
"Here we go!"
The earpiece picked up the 30-second countdown to the live broadcast. The commentator and Xu Yang composed themselves and settled in to welcome Lance's first La Liga title challenge.
...
Beep.
The match began. At the same moment, whistles blew simultaneously across all La Liga venues. If a director could have cut between close-ups, you would have seen Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lance wearing nearly identical expressions. Pure survival instinct. All three had cleared their minds and were ready to close out the season in their best possible form.
CCTV, naturally, was showing Atlético Madrid vs. Celta Vigo. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo? Never heard of them. The fans were only watching Lance.
"Celta Vigo are aggressive from the start, pushing for Europa League qualification. Through ball toward the right flank!"
"Slightly overhit, collected by Oblak."
"Another Celta Vigo counter! Same side again!"
"SHOT!!! Just wide!"
Those two attacks put the commentator in a cold sweat. Tens of millions of fans were suddenly wide awake. The final matchday was scheduled for the rather cruel hour of 3 AM, and many had dragged themselves out of bed for it. Sleepy moments ago, they were now bolt upright.
"Hopefully nothing goes wrong."
"Even with Lance being incredible, the defense needs to hold."
"Without Godín, it's still shaky."
"What about the Champions League Final then?"
Celta Vigo were no pushover, and their quality showed. With Godín absent, Atlético's defense was cautious, sitting deeper and keeping more men behind the ball. The two sides ground into a stalemate.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Spain, Barcelona had already scored.
On the bench, assistant coaches in headphones relayed the updates.
"Messi scores! 1-0!"
"Wait, they scored again! Two goals in three minutes, 2-0!"
Barcelona had not given up. They were still pushing, still fighting for the title. And when word filtered through that Atlético hadn't scored yet and Celta Vigo were threatening repeatedly, Barcelona only grew sharper.
The score between Atlético Madrid and Celta Vigo stayed 0-0 until halftime. Barcelona were already leading Granada 3-0. That match was settled. The only suspense left in La Liga was right here.
Could Atlético beat Celta Vigo?
"Lance, you okay?"
Even Griezmann was nervous. Celta Vigo's defending was physical, and the referee was lenient. Griezmann had been tackled and shoved repeatedly without a single yellow card being produced. Lance had been fouled numerous times too. After just 45 minutes, his red and white stripes were covered in grass stains and mud.
"I'm fine. We push harder in the second half."
"There won't be any accidents, right?"
"Kid, you've got that little confidence? How are you going to lead France to a title later?"
"Seriously, did you really dream that I was going to lead France to win the World Cup?"
Griezmann still couldn't believe Lance had dreamed something so specific.
"Yeah. You're the midfield core of France."
Lance laughed. Nobody would believe a story like that if he told them straight. Any resemblance was purely coincidental. So he could joke about it freely with Griezmann.
To be fair, while Mbappé had dazzled and Pogba had been called the midfield core during France's 2018 World Cup triumph, Griezmann was the official MVP. His ability was unquestionable. He just hadn't reached his complete form yet.
"I'm counting on you in the second half."
"Since you put it that way, I'll deliver."
Griezmann clapped Lance on the shoulder. When Lance was being repeatedly targeted, he needed his teammates to move and create space. Without that, even the [Isagi Yoichi] Template was useless.
Template: [Isagi Yoichi] — S-rank (Integration Value 41%)Skill: Spatial PerceptionSkill: Activates at 50% Integration ValueRage Value: 90%
In previous matches, Lance had won without ever needing the [Isagi Yoichi] Template to hit 100% Rage Value. He was genuinely curious what would happen when it maxed out.
The Copa del Rey Final against Barcelona and the Champions League Final against Real Madrid were still to come. Those were the two that truly mattered. The match against Celta Vigo was the perfect test run.