Rise of a Football God

"And Fulham FC are the 2023/2024 EFL Cup Champions!"

"What a moment for the fans!"

"What a moment for the club!"

"They've had an amazing run. They've gone through Norwich City, Ipswich Town in the round of 16, Everton in the quarterfinals, the almighty Liverpool in the semifinal, and now Chelsea".

"What an amazing run!"

"They deserve this trophy after such an impressive run and performance tonight, they deserve the moment".

After Jimenez's goal in the 88th minute, sending Fulham ahead of Chelsea in the final, the agitated Chelsea players responded immediately as they tried to score the equalizing goal but it didn't come.

Led by their determined 4-man defense, Fulham defended like a team for the final minutes of the game, even using the dark arts of time-wasting to kill the game.

In the end, it was all worth it.

Fulham FC won the EFL Cup final.

As soon as the referee's whistle blasted after additional time, bringing the game to an end, multiple Fulham players immediately broke down in tears on the pitch as the emotion of the moment overwhelmed them.

They could not believe what they just achieved, it felt like a dream.

Emotional and filled with ecstasy, they acknowledged their fans, gathering towards them as they waved to the loud roars generated by them.

On the other side, the Chelsea players were mostly downcast but none of them collapsed on the pitch as some even took the initiative to leave the pitch immediately, walking down the tunnel.

One of them stayed behind though, Cole Palmer, and Sam took his chance as he jogged towards the young Chelsea midfielder, requesting for a jersey swap.

Cole Palmer may still be a young player but it was clear that he was destined for the top. Besides, in Nigeria, Chelsea fans literally worshipped him so Sam was determined not to miss this chance to swap jerseys with a true star of the game.

Cole Palmer obliged, swapping jerseys with him.

Like expected, after the end of the game, Sam was awarded with the man of the match award after his game-winning 2 assists.

After the excitement died down a bit, Fulham FC's name was finally engraved on the EFL Cup as the trophy presentation time came.

The distraught Chelsea players went up first, taking their silver medals as their fans stayed and applauded them. When it came to Cole Palmer's turn to take his medal, the applause around the stadium rose up a notch.

After the Chelsea players, the Fulham players finally climbed the podium to take their gold medals alongside their coach.

Walking through the podium, Sam had a big grin on his face.

When he took his gold medal, the applause rose up to a crescendo as he smiled, waving at the fans.

And then came the trophy-lifting time.

Tom Cairney was Fulham FC's captain for the 2023/2024 season. Despite the fact that he didn't start the game, he was subbed into the game sometime in the second half and he played till the end.

At this moment, this player grinning from ear to ear lifted the trophy before walking towards his teammates and together, they jumped, celebrating even as celebratory ribbons were shot into the air to commemorate the moment.

Just like Sam wanted, he added another unforgettable moment to his still very short football career.

And this time, he did it in England.

After the trophy lifting, the players finally started taking turns, taking pictures with the trophy and when it came to Sam's turn, he took it to his family.

When she found out that they were allowed to enter the pitch, Mrs. Moses felt drugged in excitement as she ran into the pitch, hugging her son excitedly.

"My boy!" She said proudly. "I'm so proud of you Sam!"

His dad said the same thing, hugging his son with a proud smile on his face even as Sophia was busy taking selfies on the Wembley pitch.

Afterall, it was not every day that a non-professional footballer could boast of entering the Wembley pitch. Heck, even most professional footballers never got the chance to step inside this iconic stadium.

Sophia was determined to take as many pictures as possible to mark the memory.

After she was done, the family of 4 finally crowded together around the trophy as they took a family picture.

Sam felt on top of the world as he celebrated his victory with his family.

After taking pictures of the trophy with his family, he also took pictures of the trophy with Alex Iwobi who hugged him soon after.

"You're a monster man, now I see why you felt you were good enough to force yourself into the starting XI".

"Heck, Sam, you're a freak!"

Sam laughed, unsure of how to respond to not make it sound cringy.

After all the celebrations, Sam was not yet free as after winning the man of the match award due to his performance that night, he was forced again to have a post-match interview with the reporters.

They asked him the regular questions, how he felt about his team winning their first trophy in so many years, how he was able to play without pressure in the game, and what he thought about the rest of Fulham's season.

They also asked him who his inspiration to play football was this time.

Sam answered all the questions the best way he could, mostly giving positive answers but when it came to his inspiration to play football, he became more animated and passionate. "I'm a die-hard Lionel Messi fan". He grinned.

"To me, he is the G.O.A.T".

"And considering his role in the greatest game I've ever watched live, the 2022 FIFA World Cup final that changed my life, I would say he is my inspiration".

"Being a professional football player is hard but sometimes, when I think of Messi's humble beginnings and how much he sacrificed to become the player he is, I become motivated to sacrifice even more".

"That's a nice sentiment Sam, I wish you success for the rest of the season".

"Thank you".

With that, Sam was finally extradited from the reporters.

Tonight finally came to an end for him, it was an unforgettable night.