Rise of a Football God-Chapter 400: The beginning of forever

After going beyond his limits, pushing himself to the ultimate level and fulfilling his goal, bringing the AFCON trophy back to Nigeria, all that Sam wanted to do was rest.

He was exhausted.

Throughout the duration of the tournament, he never rested, always training, always going through tactics, living and breathing football.

The adrenaline at the moment didn't let him feel it. And 2 days after winning the trophy, he didn't feel it yet.

But on the 3rd day, Sam felt it, extreme exhaustion.

He felt like he would just faint at any moment.

This was why he proposed a vacation to his girlfriend. Kayla didn't object. Sam fulfilled his promise and won the AFCON tournament, so she was determined to indulge him, give him anything he wanted.

On the 3rd day after clinching the AFCON trophy, Sam went on a vacation with his girlfriend to the United Arab Emirates, Dubai.

…

Finally.

After a grueling battle at the AFCON, after the roars of the crowd and the weight of a nation on his shoulders, Sam finally had his moment of peace.

They choose the United Arab Emirates for their getaway, a place of luxury, serenity, and breathtaking beauty.

This time, Sam decided to truly indulge himself.

For days, they had relaxed in Dubai's finest resorts, cruised the Persian Gulf in private yachts, explored the golden dunes of the desert, and dined under the stars. Sam thoroughly enjoyed himself.

During this time, he only received a contributory message from Hansi Flick, his coach and his teammates, congratulating him on his trophy win.

They knew that he needed the rest.

After a few days of this, enjoying himself, letting his sore muscles to rest and recover even while he kept on jogging to fulfill all righteousness with his system, Sam decided that it was finally time to focus on football again.

With the AFCON tournament out of the way, the only thing that remained in his head was club football.

He had been away from FC Barcelona for almost a month.

In this time, in his absence, his club played a few grueling games. Sam finally focused on FC Barcelona's fixtures to catch up on what he missed.

(FC Barcelona fixtures:)

(La Liga:)

(Barcelona 2-2 Atletico Madrid)

(Date: 21st December, 2025)

…

(Copa Del Rey:)

(Round of 32:)

(Barbastro 0-4 Barcelona)

(Date: 4th January, 2026)

…

(Supercopa de Espana:)

(Semifinal:)

(Athletic Club 0-1 Barcelona)

(Date: 8th January, 2026)

…

(Supercopa de Espana:)

(Final:)

(Real Madrid 2-4 Barcelona)

(Date: 12th January, 2026)

The AFCON trophy was not Sam's first trophy of the 2025/2026 football season. Rather, it was the Supercopa de Espana.

Against Real Madrid, even without him on the side, Hansi Flick managed to pull another tactical masterpiece against Real Madrid for the second straight season in the same stage, outthinking Carlo Ancelotti to push his team to victory even without their two star strikers.

FC Barcelona was a team in form.

Sam may have not played in both games, the semifinal and final but his name was registered among the FC Barcelona players playing in the Supercopa de Espana, and hence the win was also recorded under his name.

FC Barcelona won the trophy; he also won the trophy.

Those were not all the games that FC Barcelona played in this period though.

(Copa del Rey:)

(Round of 16:)

(Barcelona 3-1 Real Betis)

(Date: 15th January, 2026)

…

(La Liga:)

(Getafe 1-0 Barcelona)

(Date: 18th January, 2026)

…

(UEFA Champions League:)

(Matchday 7 of 8:)

(Juventus 3-1 Barcelona)

(Date: 21st January, 2026)

…

(La Liga:)

(Barcelona – Valencia)

(Date: 26th January, 2026)

Today was 25th, and tomorrow was the day of FC Barcelona's next game.

At first, after coping pretty well in his absence, the team finally seemed to be feeling his absence as they stumbled in two consecutive games against Getafe first, then Juventus in the Champions League.

Despite both losses though, it was not a full-blown crisis yet as FC Barcelona still comfortably led the La Liga standings and the UEFA champions league standings in first place.

This was why Hansi Flick took the initiative to message Sam, telling him not to rush his return that the team was perfectly fine in his absence.

This was the reason why Sam was still on his vacation.

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And today, after enjoying the beauties of Dubai with his girlfriend, bonding even deeper than ever before, he was finally set to do something big.

He had been planning something far greater than just touring Dubai. Something more important than any trophy he had ever won.

As the final evening of their vacation arrived, Sam took his girlfriend to a private, secluded beach on Zaya Nurai Island, a paradise just off Abu Dhabi's coast.

The setting was perfect.

A soft, candlelit dinner on the sand. A path lined with red rose petals leading to a breathtaking oceanfront setup, and a string quartet playing in the background.

The sky burned with hues of orange, pink, and gold as the sun began to set over the Arabian Sea.

Sam held her hand, gazing at her with a look she had never seen before, a mixture of nervousness, excitement, and overwhelming love.

Sam took a deep breath.

'It's now or never!'

And then, as the waves softly kissed the shore, he dropped to one knee.

Kayla gasped, hands covering her mouth, eyes glistening with tears before he had even spoken a word.

Sam smiled, looking up at her with unrestrained love in his eyes. "From the moment I met you, my life changed".

"You have been my peace, my biggest supporter, my happiness. Through the highs, the lows, the victories, and the struggles, you have always been there".

"And now… I don't ever want to do this life without you".

He pulled out a custom-made diamond ring, glistening under the candlelight.

"Will you marry me?"

Tears streamed down her face as she nodded frantically before she even had the strength so say…

"Yes! Yes, Sam! A thousand times yes!"

Sam smiled. He slid the ring onto her finger and before he could even stand, she pulled him into the deepest, most heartfelt kiss.

The waves clapped against the shore as if the ocean itself was celebrating them.

As they embraced under the golden twilight, fireworks burst into the night sky, painting their love in shimmering lights.

Sam had won AFCON, conquered stadiums, lifted trophies, but this moment?

This was the greatest victory of his life.

And as he held her in his arms, he knew; this was only the beginning of their forever.

***

{Congratulations to us on 400 chapters! Yay!!! Someone shoot the fireworks!}