90 minutes, 2-4…
FC Barcelona won the game, and Sam got another man of the match award.
The King of Craven Cottage was back, and he was Samuel Moses.
"What a goal!"
"What a game!" The commentators raved.
"And that’s a hattrick and an assist, Sam is unplayable".
"And ladies and gentlemen, this is the forerunner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or, the leader of the pack!"
Across Craven Cottage, there were mixed feelings among the fans.
This was a player that they brought from Nigeria, and watched grow. From making his debut in the Carabao Cup, to singlehandedly winning games against Manchester City in the English premier league, to being clutch in the FA Cup.
They had so many memories of Sam that seeing him again induced so much nostalgia, but for him to go and score a hattrick against them.
’This bastard…!’
He was a bastard, but in the end, he was their bastard.
A bastard that they created.
And so, the Fulham fans let go of their mixed feelings, appreciating greatness. Afterall, this was a legend of their club.
Clap! Clap!
Around Craven Cottage, tens of thousands of fans in the white, black, and red rose to their feet as they gave Sam a standing ovation.
And for the final time, a familiar chant rang around Craven Cottage.
"Sam!" "Sam!" "Sam!"
Hearing those chants, the commentators could not stay quiet. "Well, well, it’s not every day that you get to see a player from the opposing side receive a standing ovation in away ground".
"Most especially when the stage is the UEFA Champions League".
"But well, this is Fulham, and this is Samuel Moses, both sides of the same coin. He may be Blaugrana now, but Sam and Fulham are inseparable".
"He now occupies a deep place in their history".
"That aside though, this standing ovation is well deserved".
"I mean, what a performance!"
Noticing the standing ovation and hearing those chants, as the adrenaline of the game slowly started fading away from him, Sam could not help his emotions as he started feeling nostalgia.
The ’Sam’ chants in Craven Cottage, he missed it.
This was his home for over a year after leaving Nigeria for the first time, and it occupied a special place in his heart.
Sam could not stay still, and so he walked over to the fans.
Before doing anything, he first raised his hands over his head, rubbing them in a plea for forgiveness against what he did to their beloved club today, a gesture which elicited laughter from the commentators.
After which Sam pumped his fists high before bumping it against his chest.
The chants exploded, growing louder.
Thud! Thud!
Sam heard footsteps behind him and before he knew what was happening, a familiar figure ran into him, crashing against him from behind.
"You bastard! Your really went and did it today, huh?"
With a big smile on his face, Sam turned round, hugging Smith Rowe, a signing that he endorsed for Fulham since day 1.
In the prelude to the game, both friends refrained from meeting each other and catching up on lost time.
This was because they were both focused on winning the game for their respective clubs.
Knowing Sam’s competitive spirit, Emile Smith Rowe knew that he was determined to win even if this clash was against his beloved Fulham, this was why he trained harder and gave his best performance of the season so far.
And yet, that was still not enough against Sam’s brilliance.
The unsufferable bastard!
Sam laughed, patting Smith Rowe by the shoulder. "You’re the main man of the team now".
"That’s because you left you bastard!" Smith Rowe laughed, eliciting more laughter from Sam.
And then right there on the pitch, under the canopy of tens of thousands of Fulham fans, they started doing catch-up, recovering lost time.
At the end of it all, Fulham glared at Sam. "You better lead your club all the way to win the UEFA Champions League after what you just did to us".
Sam chucked. "Leave it to me".
"And you better win the ballon d’Or too, or else I won’t forgive you".
Sam laughed again. "I’ll try".
And with that, they finally walked out of the pitch.
Like expected, it didn’t take long before Sam was summoned back to the pitch for the post-match interview.
The female reporter was all giddy with smiles. "Sam, you were unplayable today!" She gushed as soon as he arrived.
"How do you feel? Coming back to Craven Cottage after so many months, receiving such a wholesome welcome, and putting out such a performance before the fans, how do you feel?"
Sam sighed. "It’s a bittersweet feeling honestly. On one hand, I don’t want to inflict any pain on Fulham, but at the same time, I know that they want me to play at my best. That’s what they came to see".
"And I’m obligated by a contract to play my best to help my team win, so yeah, I feel bittersweet". He laughed.
The reporter chuckled. "Well, by scoring a hattrick to help Barcelona to the win, you definitely inflicted pain and made them excited at the same time".
"They missed you Sam, you could tell from the reactions".
"I missed them too, for real".
"How was your preparation for the game? Did you train harder than usual? Did you know that you’ll score a hattrick?"
Sam looked at the reporter incredulously. "Know that I’ll score a hattrick? Come on, that’s ludicrous!" He laughed. "I’m not some prophet or seer".
"I didn’t change my training routine; I just did my best in training like usual and approached the game with the mindset to win".
"I won’t lie though, Smith Rowe’s electric form on the pitch also spurred me on to play at my best. I’m glad to see he’s the new main man in Fulham". He grinned.
"Before leaving, Sam I’d like to know, did you know about the bronze statue that was made in your honor ahead of time?"
Sam scratched his head. "You really think I’m such a good actor? That I’ll have such an emotional reaction if I knew ahead of time?" He chuckled.
"Of course, I didn’t know, that’s why this visit to Fulham is extra special for me". He looked towards the stadium stands. "This is a visit that I won’t forget in a hurry, a memory that’s forever engraved in my mind".
Thinking of something, he grinned. "If I live long enough for it, I’ll definitely tell my grandkids stories of yesterday and today".
The reporter laughed. "Now, that’ll be something to write about".
She smiled brightly at him. "Sam, thanks for having me, do have a nice day".
"You too". Sam smiled back and left.
He waved one last time at the fans before walking into the tunnel.
It was not yet over for Sam though. When it was Barcelona’s turn to leave the stadium, they met a traffic, excited Fulham fans who wanted Sam’s autograph.
And then, the whole FC Barcelona squad was forced to wait for him as he signed a few autographs and took a few pictures, making today the best day of their lives for a lot of fans.
After which he joined his teammates and then, zoom, the Barca bus was gone. They returned to their hotel in Fulham.
Since they already played the game though, Sam didn’t stay at the hotel.
After telling Lamine Yamal and the others where he intended to go, an invitation that he wanted to honor, he drove out of the hotel on a car he rented.
Marco Silva, Fulham’s head coach organized a party to commemorate Sam’s bronze statue with the team and all the Fulham players would be present. Sam also got an invitation and that was where he was headed to.
That night, they met up in a club in Fulham.
There, Sam was able to catch up with a lot of topics with his old teammates, learning about a lot of things that he didn’t know before since he was literally a hermit whose only cares in the world was family and football.
Despite the fact that he followed Fulham games, he didn’t truly understand how much of a terrific season Smith Rowe was having till they told him.
Smith Rowe was currently having the best season of his life statistically.
And not just that, they told him of Manchester City’s resurgence in the English premier league under Pep Guardiola.
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The Citizens were back, and not with good intentions.
They were taking the premier league by storm this season after stumbling last season, and Erling Haaland was having an imperious campaign, topping every single goalscoring chart.
Kevin De Bruyne was also having a resurgent campaign after a lot of people wrote him off last season, accusing him of being old and washed.
All in all, Manchester City was back.
And then they showed him the recent updated 2026 ballon d’Or top 10 early rankings.
[2026 Ballon d’Or top 10 rankings:]
[1. Samuel Moses]
[2. Erling Haaland]
[3. Pedri]
[4. Kylian Mbappe]
[5. Rodri]
[6. Harry Kane]
[7. Kevin De Bruyne]
[8. Vinicius Jnr.]
[9. Lamine Yamal]
[10. Ousmane Dembele]
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Sam was at the forefront once again.
His old teammates teased him about it, telling him he must win the damn ballon d’Or or he was gay.
Sam was stunned. "W-what? I’m not gay!"
"Then prove it!"
"…!"
Sam was flabbergasted. ’F*ck! They got me!’
He had a nice time with his old teammates before returning late to his hotel room. The next day, the FC Barcelona squad left England.