Rise of a Football God

Of the 8 teams that originally made it to the quarterfinal of the 2025 AFCON tournament, 4 already played against themselves, 2 qualifying with 2 being eliminated from the tournament.

Morocco and Tunisia already progressed to the semifinal, where they were automatically matched up against each other in the grouping.

Egypt and Algeria were eliminated.

And with the first 2 games of the first day done, the fans had a moment of reprieve as they rested, preparing for tomorrow's games.

Next up was Cameroon vs Nigeria.

…

10th January, 2026…

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Like usual, that morning, a certain member of the Nigerian squad jogged through the streets of Morocco away from his hotel.

Listening to the 'Not Like Us' jam from Kendrick Lamar that was still making waves in the rap world even in 2026, Sam's body emitted sweat and steam as he jogged through the streets of Morocco.

Yes, it was the AFCON tournament but that did not mean that his system took it easy on him.

To the system, it was just another stage for him to perform and rise to become the Football God like it promised.

At the beginning of the AFCON tournament, like Sam expected, his system lit up with a new notification, informing him of another quest added to his Seasonal System Quest, and the quest was about the AFCON tournament.

The quest had 3 missions; the first being to win the AFCON tournament itself, the second being to win the golden ball award given to the best player of the tournament, and the third and last being to win the golden boot award given to the player with the most goals at the end of the tournament.

For the 3 missions, Sam was making great progress.

In the golden ball and golden boot race, he was already the favorite alongside Senegal's Ismaila Sarr, and Morocco's Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz.

With other favorites in the country already eliminated, the golden boot race was now made narrower. Sam was currently the forerunner, but his main rival to the golden boot award was still Senegal's Ismaila Sarr.

'I'll do it!' Sam thought as he ran.

'I'll carve another legend in this AFCON tournament!'

'I'll keep on announcing my name to the world, at every opportunity, at every given chance'.

'I'll keep on Losing Myself, seizing my moment till I hit my peak'.

'…Till they acknowledge that I'm the new King in football'.

'…Till they all believe that I'm the best'.

A group of paparazzi soon spotted Sam, taking pictures of him indiscriminately which forced him to increase his pace, jogging to the nearest stadium where he completed the rest of his daily system quest.

With that, he finally returned to his hotel room.

That morning, there was no training for Eric Chelle's players. Rather, he invited them to the conference room where he did the last tactical drilling before the game into their heads, and then he sent them off to rest and mentally prepare themselves for the clash in the evening.

Time moved very fast, and in a blink, it was evening.

Nigeria lined up against Cameroon in the 69,000+ capacity Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium in the capital city of Morocco, Rabat.

Like expected, both countries started with their strongest lineups.

For the Nigerian squad, nothing changed.

For the Cameroon squad, starting in a 4-1-4-1 formation, the Manchester United goalkeeper, Andre Onana who was also the captain started in between the posts as the last man in defense for Cameroon.

Ahead of him, in defense was the quadruple of Tolo, Wooh, Ngadeu, and Tchatchoua. In CDM (Central Defensive Midfield) was Quomah Baleba.

And then further ahead him, higher up in the field was the quadruple of Bassogog, Hongla, Anguissa, and Bryan Mbeumo as the attacking force.

Leading the line as the striker though was a familiar face, Victor Aboubakar.

Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!

The Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat roared with unrelenting passion as both countries faced off in this high-stakes AFCON quarterfinal clash. Nigeria were the favorites, but not by much.

Cameroon was also a giant of African football.

The stadium, packed with over 50,000 fervent fans became a battleground where the fierce West African rivalry unfolded in electrifying fashion.

FWEEEE!

From the opening whistle, even as the game started, the atmosphere in this stadium remained electric.

Nigerian supporters, draped in green and white, filled the air with pulsating drums and rhythmic chants, their voices echoing through the concrete walls in a vivid display of their passion for the sport.

Across the stands, Cameroonian fans, adorned in the iconic green, red, and yellow of the Indomitable Lions responded with thunderous songs and vuvuzelas that blared in unison.

Just like in the past 2 previous quarterfinal clashes, it was an intense game.

The tension was palpable with every pass, every tackle, and every near miss, Victor Osimhen leading the charge for the Nigerians.

Fans leapt to their feet in anticipation, their emotions swinging between ecstasy and despair as the action on the pitch unfolded.

The stadium vibrated with raw energy as flares lit up the night sky and banners waved proudly in support of their heroes.

When either side launched a dangerous attack, the collective gasp of the crowd filled the air, followed by eruptions of cheers or groans, depending on the outcome. Football was just beautiful that way.

But in the end, Nigeria struck, drawing first blood.

It was Samuel Moses who created it.

Receiving a pass from Alex Iwobi just outside the 18-yard box, with his physicality, Sam protected the ball, spinning, looking for the perfect pass.

Victor Osimhen ran into space, including Ademola Lookman as their markers responded but instead of passing to them, Sam threaded the ball through the middle, back towards Alex Iwobi's diagonal run.

"…!"

Noting the threat, the Cameroonian goalkeeper, Andre Onana rushed out but keeping his cool, with his first touch, Alex Iwobi chipped the ball over the goalkeeper.

"GOALLLLLLL…!!!" The stadium roared to life as the Nigerian fans celebrated with passion at the top of their lungs.

The goal came in the 33rd minute, but Cameroon didn't stay still though.

In the 44th minute, they responded, their striker, Aboubakar rising highest in the box to lash into a header, sending it past Stanley Nwabali.

"GOALLLLLL…!!!" The Cameroonian fans responded in kind.

This game was end to end.

The first half came to an end 1-1.

But when 2nd half came, a certain player stole the stage.

The King showed up.

Zinedine Sam did what he did best, he mesmerized and dominated.