Rise of a Football God-Chapter 414: Public figure

(ESPN News:)

(Another FC Barcelona game, another FC Barcelona win, another Sam MOTM performance. Samuel Moses's sole goal was the difference maker between FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Video highlights attached:)

…

(Supersport News:)

(FC Barcelona on a quadruple race? The Catalan giants already won the Supercopa de Espana trophy this season, retaining it. They're in the semifinal of the Copa del Rey, they're in the quarterfinal of the UEFA Champions League, and the Spanish La Liga race is basically concluded already. Can they do it?)

(With Samuel Moses in their ranks, Barca is limitless this season.)

…

(GOAL.com:)

(Dissecting the statistics behind Sam's 40th game of the season: 40 games, 55 goals, 33 assists, 88 combined goal contributions!)

(Never has the world seen this since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo!)

(This season, Samuel Moses has outscored Manchester United, Chelsea FC, Dortmund FC, and other notable football clubs in the world.)

(Give the ballon d'Or award to its rightful winner already.)

These days, the name Samuel Moses was synonymous with the word 'excellence' in football.

This season, Sam already became a benchmark for which other world class professional football players were gauged despite being just 20 years old, a fact that still left a lot of people reeling in shock and disbelief.

The striker was clever, mature far beyond his age.

And his athletic ability was just borderline crazy.

Since the turn of the year after returning from the AFCON tournament, Sam's popularity exploded again, reaching an all-time high.

Because of him, a lot of people that never watched the AFCON tournament watched it this year and they were not disappointed.

Watching the young Nigerian prodigy in action alone was worth it.

These days, Sam was a public figure.

After the AFCON tournament, even more prominent companies of the world approached him to sign endorsement deals. Finally acknowledging that his fiancée was better at these things than him, he left it all to Kayla and his father.

It still felt surreal but yes, Sam already engaged Kayla.

She was now his fiancée.

The person who was most happy by this was not Sam, not even Kayla, but rather Mrs. Moses. These days, the woman was always perpetually giddy, never failing to boast about her son and his fiancée at every opportunity that she got.

She kept pestering Sam about what day he decided for the marriage ceremony. Like usual, Sam was just left exasperated by his mom's nagging.

R𝑒ad latest chapt𝒆rs at freewebnovёl.ƈom Only.

He kept evading her probing, but he knew that this strategy won't last much longer. Sooner or later, he would have to decide on a date.

Marriage, it was still an alien concept to Sam.

A few years ago, Sam never expected that he would be thinking about marriage at the young age of 20 but well, here he was.

Success had a way of changing expectations and the way you look at the world. His successful football career already changed his world in so many ways.

Sam didn't think too much about it though.

'We'll decide later'. He thought.

'For now,' he grinned. 'It's time for an interview'.

Yes, Sam was a public figure now and after the game against Atletico Madrid, one of the biggest TV shows in Spain decided to have an interview with him, reviewing his highly successful season so far.

"Sam, welcome to the show, how do you feel?"

Sam grinned. "I feel great".

The host smiled. He was a middle-aged man with short brown hair and a neatly trimmed brown beard. "Once again, your goal was the difference maker in a game where FC Barcelona was frustrated by the best defense in Spain".

"How does it feel to be the star of such a star-studded squad?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't really think about that much. Like you said, the Barca squad is star-studded. Rather than thinking about who is a star and who is not, I think on the pitch, all we think about is how to win".

"You're right". The host smiled. "Afterall, winning is the most important thing".

"This season, you've broken numerous goalscoring and assists records already. At this rate, you may go on and break Lionel Messi's record of the most goals and assists in a calendar year, how do you feel about that?"

Sam smiled and rubbed his nose. "First, I feel flattered that my name is being mentioned in the same breath is Lionel Messi". He chuckled. "Really".

He leaned back on his chair with a sigh. "Growing up, Lionel Messi was my idol, my G.O.A.T, the pinnacle of professional football".

"To know that I'm breaking records that were set for him, and with FC Barcelona, honestly, it warms my heart more than anything".

"I just wish he was here to witness me do it".

Smiling sheepishly, he looked at the camera. "Umm, Messi, if you're looking, one of my big dreams was playing for Barca while you watch from the stands. So um, if you can, visit the Spotify Camp Nou". He laughed.

The host laughed. "Well, Sam, I'm sure Messi heard you".

"I guess we have to watch out for the G.O.A.T now, right?"

"Yes". Sam laughed again.

After that, the host of the show asked a dozen more questions about Sam's season; about his growing popularity, how he was dealing with it; about his numbers this season, how he managed to stay fit throughout the season.

And then questions about the dynamic in the Barcelona squad under Hansi Flick, his relationship with his teammates, which of his teammates he was closest to, and who his best friend was.

When the host asked him who his best friend was, Sam stared at the middle-aged man with a strange smile on his face.

"You don't know him?"

The host was surprised by his question. "Your best friend? No". He laughed.

Sam smiled. "With the amount of information about me that is online these days, I would have thought you'd know. My best friend is Ian".

His smile widened thinking of Ian who was now closer than ever to getting his medical license.

"Me and Ian, we've been together in like forever".

"There's no phase of my life that I can think back to with Ian not in it. He's always been there, running with me, playing with me, moving forward with me".

"In a few years, he'll get his medical license and then," he grinned. "I'll have my personal doctor".

He looked at the camera. "Fans, those of you who are worried about my fitness, don't worry. With Ian, I'll be as safe as anything can be".

"Besides, you can patronize him too. He's my best friend so it should be a no-brainer," he grinned. "He's good at what he does".

After a few more questions, including questions on FC Barcelona's next fixtures and if they actually had what it took to win a quadruple this season, the show finally came to an end.

Sam was at the height of his career.

Could he climb even higher?

Who knows? But he was excited to know.