Rise of a Football God

Qualifying to the final of the CAF champions league did not mean that life stopped for Sam though, instead, life was about to become even more hectic.

The football season was drawing close to its deciding moments.

This was when the clubs that would be relegated and those that would remain in the NPFL would be decided, the fight was on. This was the time when the top four battle was peaking, forming into a crescendo of war.

That evening while Enyimba FC celebrated their victory at home, 2 heavyweights of African football slugged it out in the other semifinal battle to determine the second finalist of the 2022/2023 CAF champions league.

And after a nerve-wracking game, the finalists of this season\'s CAF champions league was decided.

(CAF Champions League!)

(Semifinal results:)

>Al Ahly 2-2 Enyimba FC<

>Aggregate: 4-4, Enyimba FC wins on penalties<

>Date: 19 May, 2023<

…

>Mamelodi Sundowns 2-2 Wydad AC<

>Aggregate: 2-2, Wydad AC wins on away goals<

>Date: 20 May, 2023<

…

(Final fixtures: First leg)

>Enyimba FC – Wydad AC<

>Date: 4th June, 2023<

After 2 rounds of incredible football in the semifinal of the CAF champions league, against all odds, all 4 teams could only settle for a draw.

Due to the fact that both Enyimba FC and Al Ahly scored 2 goals each in both games, the away goal rule was voided which was why they had to play all the way to extra time and eventually penalties to decide the outcome of the game.

For Mamelodi Sundowns though, they were not so lucky. Despite playing their best football across 2 games against Wydad AC, they were unlucky to fall short due to the away goal rule.

Since they couldn\'t score in their opponent\'s home, ending the game 0-0 while they unluckily conceded 2 goals to the opponents in their own home, the away goal rule took effect, knocking them out of the competition.

For the finals, it was Nigeria vs Morocco.

2 footballing giants of 2 well-known African nations were about to slug it out for the ultimate trophy of African football.

Originally, since they didn\'t make it to the final yet, rivalry still affected who the fans support but since it was the final and it was a Nigerian team against a team from another country, all Nigerians rallied behind Enyimba FC.

Nigerians were renowned for supporting their own and this time again, it was no different. They say the enemy of your enemy is your friend, this was apt for the situation.

Support for Enyimba FC flooded everywhere, mainly social media.

And with all the support which translated to promotion, a name stayed at the forefront of it all, Samuel Moses, the talented young Enyimba FC attacking midfielder. Sam was the star of his club\'s CAF champions league performances.

Since the group stage, he carried his team all the way to here.

All the publicity brought a lot of scrutiny to the Enyimba FC players, but the experienced Coach Yemi Daniel did not let it get to the head of his players as he kept on drilling them in training till they were exhausted.

"Only a fool would become complacent towards the end of a battle".

"The season is gradually drawing towards its end one game at a time".

"Towards the end of battle, your enemy becomes desperate to win, desperate enough to use dirty means. Against that, becoming complacent is a sure way to death".

"The only way to keep the momentum going is effort, not just effort but the plural, efforts! I want more effort!"

Coach Yemi Daniel was a stern and strong-headed coach and this time, his players really needed it as his personality helped them get their head over their recent fame, putting their all in training again.

They had till June to play the first leg of the final against Wydad AC and till that time, they had to keep their remarkable run in the league.

Enyimba FC didn\'t disappoint.

In their next 2 league games, led by their 2 leaders on the pitch, Sam and Austin, the team played incredible football, dominating and totally demolishing their opponents by the end of 90 minutes.

It was the perfect work out session for what was to come ahead.

Over the course of the season, the highlight point of Sam\'s career to Coach Yemi Daniel so far was not his incredible performances every game though the consistency was commendable, to him, what stood out was the boy\'s tenacity.

Despite playing game after game, week in week out, overworking his young legs, Sam was like an engine that never suffered from wear and tear.

With the elixirs supplied by his system, Sam was always able to fully recover before the next game, enabling him to play at an elite level regularly even as he was still developing as a player.

Considering that the Nigerian FA Cup would also start soon, the schedule would only become more hectic and packed.

Coach Yemi Daniel felt lucky to have a player of Sam\'s tenacity in his boots.

\'I wonder which European club would come knocking first\'. He wondered after seeing Sam clinch another man of the match award in the second league game, Emeka clinched the award in the first league game after the semifinal win.

At first, it felt like it would take forever to get to June but time moved fast. Incredibly, it was already June and not just that, it was the D-day.

On June 4th, 2023, Abia State was filled with lots of rich travelers. Not just the tens of thousands of Enyimba FC supporters who came from all around the country to support one of their own, but also the away fans.

On that day, the Enyimba International Stadium stands were filled to the brim. In the iconic biro blue colors of Enyimba FC, the fans dwarfed most corners of this stadium except the tiny corner where the away fans hurdled up in.

The away fan section was also filled to the brim with Wydad AC fans.

After the opening ceremony organized by the CAF champions league organizers, the players of both team finally made their way to the pitch under the loud noise being made by the tens of thousands of fans filling the stadium.

As each player\'s name was read out, they cheered. Cheers for Enyimba FC players and loud boos for Wydad AC players.

But this sound reached a crescendo when a certain player\'s name was called.

"Sam!" "Sam!" "Sam!" They roared loudly, stressing their lungs.

From just \'Sam\' chants, it transcended, turning into something else. "Zinedine Sam!" They cheered.

"Zinedine Sam!"

They didn\'t know who started it but chants like this soon filled the stadium.

Under the onslaught of so much support from the fans, Sam felt his blood boil hot like he was in a volcano.

He jumped confidently in response to the flurry of cheers, waved at the camera and thought. \'You came for something special right?\'

\'Well, get your popcorns ready, I\'m about to give you something iconic!\'

~----~

[You have ingested energy elixir!]

[NOTE: The effects of the energy elixir will last for approximately 12 hours.]

~----~

FWEEEEE!

The referee\'s whistle went off.

The game started.