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There was no championship award ceremony, and it always felt like something was missing. Even so, once the match ended, the Atlético Madrid locker room turned into a party. The scene reminded Lance of the New Year's class parties from his student days, a memory that felt like it belonged to someone else.
Between the "prophetic dreams" and the occasional fragments that surfaced from nowhere, Lance had long suspected whether another life had been layered into his own. Perhaps the owner of those memories was another version of himself from a parallel world. The version who never got to fulfill his football dream.
None of that mattered right now. Right now, Lance just wanted to celebrate the first title of the season with his teammates.
La Liga champions. 105 points, crushing Barcelona's 103.
Saúl, Giménez, Koke, Gabi, Ángel Correa, and the others took turns going up to dance, moving terribly, loving every second of it. Even the usually reserved Torres let loose and joined in.
Lance pulled out his phone, recorded it, and posted it to Instagram. His account had only just been created, and he hadn't had a chance to build it up yet. The video of "Torres' Championship Dance" went up, and he barely had time to blink before the backend flooded with 999+ likes, 999+ comments, and a surge of new followers.
"Is building an account this easy?"
Griezmann glanced at Lance's screen and genuinely wanted to roast him.
"First of all, Torres is absolutely going to come after you for that."
"Second, you are a world-class superstar. You could post a random selfie and blow up any platform."
Griezmann shook his head. Comparing himself to Lance only ever led to frustration.
Griezmann had decent popularity in Madrid and Spain, and maybe some recognition in France. But if Lance's prediction was right and France went all the way in the 2018 World Cup, maybe then the world would truly know his name. Until then, Griezmann thought of himself as a "potential rising star" at best, not a superstar with the kind of reach Lance had.
Lance was different. This monster had started skyrocketing from his very first season, eliminating Barcelona, sniping Real Madrid, and dragging a small Bayer Leverkusen to results nobody had any right to expect. A natural traffic magnet. And younger, and better looking on top of it.
Where do you even begin to argue with that?
While Griezmann sulked quietly, Lance scrolled through his phone. He knew exactly how bad his own dancing was, so he had stayed well clear of the locker room floor.
Twitter, Facebook, Weibo, and Instagram had completely exploded after the final whistle. The trending searches were wall-to-wall Atlético Madrid.
#AtléticoMadridLaLigaChampions #105Points #ALaLigaRecord #MessiTearsAtCampNou #Lance30MinuteHatTrick #GodLance
Tomás Roncero, the prominent editor-in-chief of AS, had posted multiple tweets in a row. He was one of the most influential and most controversial figures in Spanish football media, the kind of sharp-tongued high-frequency Twitter personality who routinely got dogpiled by Cristiano Ronaldo fans and Messi fans alike, sometimes simultaneously. Today, though, his tweets were pulling in likes and retweets by the thousands. Fans agreed with every word. That alone said something about how clean Lance's performance had been.
"I originally thought there would be suspense in the second half for Atlético Madrid, and Godín's absence would put fans on edge. In reality, as long as Lance is on the field, there is no suspense. The moment Atlético Madrid defeated Barcelona at Camp Nou, the title race was already decided. The first goal of the second half was started by Lance from the right. He received from Koke, made a clever stop and turn to lose his marker, played a wall pass with Saúl, faced three defenders at the edge of the penalty area, dribbled through them with continuous changes of direction, a perfect display of his football IQ, then linked up with Torres. A heel pass to Torres, a diagonal run into the box, the return ball received, and a low finish. Team cooperation and individual brilliance wrapped into a single move."
"The second goal was an even purer display of Lance's individual ability. Two seasons ago, his free kick level was average at best, clearly showing traces of imitating Cristiano Ronaldo's knuckleball. For tight free kicks, he usually left them to De Bruyne and waited in the box to poach. But this season, he seems to have unlocked a new skill tree entirely. He consciously shifted toward the style of David Beckham. Logically, that kind of delivery is extremely difficult to replicate, but Lance actually did it. Just 3 minutes after the first goal, Griezmann was fouled in the front third. Lance stepped up for the 23-meter free kick. The arc was so perfect it felt like watching Beckham himself. It hit the net cleanly, and the goalkeeper didn't even move."
"He then completed an assist, a long ball from the right finding Torres perfectly, who scored to make it 3-0."
"The final goal showed the Lance of old: stunning footwork in the penalty area, chipping the ball over a defender, and finishing with a volley. Just like when he first debuted."
"Four goals, four different ways. Lance. This name has been in the game for just three short years, and he has already become the brightest star in world football. The rate of improvement is genuinely frightening. And he only just turned 19."
Roncero did not stop there. He ended his thread with a pointed concern.
"Godín's absence is a real problem for Atlético Madrid. Celta Vigo's attacks already threatened the goalkeeper several times today. The only saving grace was that Celta Vigo's forward line is inconsistent. Against Real Madrid and Barcelona, who carry far more attacking firepower, the suspense remains. Simeone's hands are tied. There is nobody currently available who can fill Godín's role. Giménez is 21 years old and too raw to command a defensive line. If Barcelona and Real Madrid haven't been broken mentally by Lance, and both still believe they can compete, then the Copa del Rey and the Champions League are genuinely open questions."
Atlético fans pushed back on the critique online. Lance read it and frowned. The guy was right. The defensive line had nearly cracked today. If Celta Vigo had scored first, the outcome would have been much less certain. Against MSN, could they really hold?
He looked at Godín, leaning on crutches, and at his teammates still celebrating around him, and let out a long breath.
Let them have tonight. Let the moment last a little longer. The heavy part can wait for me to carry.
Next door, in the office, the coaching staff had already moved on. The championship night had not made Simeone's team complacent. They had seen the same defensive fragility everyone else had seen.
"For the Copa del Rey in a few days, thoughts?"
Silence.
"It seems like the only answer is to attack."
Simeone shook his head slowly, not hiding his frustration. For the two most important matches remaining, there was apparently only one road available: go toe-to-toe with Real Madrid and Barcelona and outscore them.