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The van cruised smoothly along the Paris highway.
Lance sat comfortably in the business van, chatting with Kevin De Bruyne.
"Kevin, you're still too weak."
...
De Bruyne didn't reply. He simply raised his middle finger.
Damn it.
Years ago, when Lance was only ten and still playing in Genk's youth academy, De Bruyne had already been the team's star prospect.
Back then, De Bruyne taught him various football techniques, and whenever Lance failed to pull off a complicated dribbling move, he'd mock him with the same words:
"You're too weak."
Who could have imagined that years later, the exact same line would come back to hit him square in the face?
The boomerang effect existed everywhere in competitive sports.
"Seriously, who would've thought Leicester City would be this ridiculous?"
De Bruyne looked utterly helpless.
The 2015-16 season across Europe's major leagues had already concluded.
On the same day Atlético Madrid defeated Barcelona to secure the La Liga title, the Premier League championship had already been decided.
And the result had shocked the entire football world.
Leicester City, a newly promoted side that had only returned to the Premier League two seasons earlier, had actually won the title.
The legendary Leicester City Miracle had become reality.
Even Lance was surprised.
He had assumed his presence would alter football history dramatically, yet events beyond his direct influence still seemed determined to follow their original course.
At the start of the season, Leicester City's title odds had been 5000-to-1.
Virtually nobody believed it was possible.
Yet they had done it.
Jamie Vardy.
Riyad Mahrez.
N'Golo Kanté.
Several players who had once been overlooked became Premier League superstars in a single season.
Thinking about it made De Bruyne even more depressed.
He had joined Manchester City believing he could lead them to glory.
After battling powerhouses like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal, he had expected the title to be theirs.
Instead, Leicester City stole all the headlines.
Looking at De Bruyne's miserable expression, Lance struggled not to laugh.
When De Bruyne first moved to England, Lance had already warned him about Leicester City.
Unfortunately, his friend hadn't taken the warning seriously.
"Stop laughing. Is winning the treble really that amazing?"
"Of course it is."
Maybe it wasn't appropriate to brag in front of everyone else.
But this was De Bruyne.
Lance had every right to be smug.
"Damn it."
De Bruyne muttered another curse.
The guy had really earned the right to show off.
The Champions League title.
The treble.
At only eighteen years old, Lance had already reached a level many players could only dream of.
Despite his jealousy, De Bruyne was genuinely happy for his friend.
Only those closest to Lance understood how hard he trained every day.
Only those closest to him knew how devastating a 4-0 deficit in a Champions League Final could be.
Most players would have broken.
Lance hadn't.
"Don't be so depressed. You'll like Guardiola once he arrives next season."
"Really? Weren't you kicked out by Guardiola back then?"
Because of Lance's experience in Bayern Munich's youth system, De Bruyne had some concerns.
He had already been pushed aside by Mourinho at Chelsea.
If Guardiola disliked him too, then joining Manchester City would become a disaster.
"Relax. Whatever you think about Pep personally, he genuinely appreciates your game.
"Next season, you'll absolutely be the centerpiece."
"Well... if you're saying it, I guess I can believe it."
De Bruyne visibly relaxed.
Lance's predictions always seemed to come true.
That alone gave him confidence.
He was determined to lead Manchester City to the Premier League title in 2016-17.
By then, David Silva would gradually move past his peak years.
The team would belong to De Bruyne.
"You should come to Manchester City too. Imagine it. We could win seven trophies together."
"I'll definitely play in the Premier League one day."
Lance smiled.
"But it won't be Manchester City."
"Why not? They've got money, and you'd be the undisputed star."
"It's not challenging enough."
Lance answered calmly.
If history remained unchanged, Manchester City would eventually dominate English football.
Together with De Bruyne and future stars like İlkay Gündoğan, John Stones, Phil Foden, Sergio Agüero, and Yaya Touré, they could potentially dominate Europe for years.
But something about it never felt right.
There was another club that had inspired him when he was younger.
Arsenal.
One of Lance's childhood regrets was watching Arsène Wenger's later years pass without another league title.
Perhaps before Wenger retired in 2018, there might still be a chance to change that.
Of course, that was a problem for the future.
For now, the European Championship came first.
The van eventually arrived at Belgium's training base.
Following the staff and De Bruyne, Lance dragged his suitcase toward the dormitory building.
The accommodations were luxurious, resembling a high-end resort hotel.
Naturally, his roommate was Kevin De Bruyne.
"Want to rest first?"
De Bruyne glanced at him.
"As a Champions League winner, you've got enough privileges to skip training for a day."
"You guys have already started camp?"
"Of course. We didn't have a Champions League Final to play. We've been training for a week."
"Then I'm joining."
"You sure? Your flight just landed."
"Don't underestimate me. Come on. I'll destroy you on the field."
"Get lost."
Laughing and joking, the two headed toward the training grounds.
"Hey! Lance, you're joining training already?"
Before they reached the field, they ran into Marc Wilmots.
Back at the 2014 World Cup, Lance and Wilmots had worked exceptionally well together.
Belgium had reached the semifinals and become one of the tournament's biggest surprises.
Seeing Lance again immediately put a smile on Wilmots' face.
Without Lance, Belgium's golden generation was strong.
With Lance, it was transformed.
He gave the team a soul.
Anyone questioning Lance's importance only needed to watch the Champions League Final.
A player like that could lead Belgium all the way to the European Championship Final.
"Lance! Welcome back!"
"Oh! The superstar is here!"
"Lance, can I get your autograph?"
The moment Lance stepped onto the training field wearing Belgium's training gear, his teammates rushed over.
Back in 2014, he hadn't enjoyed this level of prestige.
Now everything was different.
The comeback from 4-0 down to win 5-4 in the Champions League Final had elevated him to another level entirely.
Every player present admired him.
It was the kind of match people would talk about for the rest of their lives.
Even Belgium captain Eden Hazard had voluntarily offered to give up the national team's iconic number 10 jersey.
Today, the number on Lance's back was exactly that.
Number 10.
The symbol of the team's absolute core.
"Guys, long time no see."
Lance greeted everyone with fist bumps.
Hazard.
Romelu Lukaku.
Vincent Kompany.
One after another.
The emotions of the Champions League Final had already faded.
A new challenge awaited.
The European Championship.
Let's see what this tournament has in store.
...
Meanwhile, nearly one hundred kilometers away at the French National Team training base, Antoine Griezmann sat on the sidelines scrolling through Twitter during a break.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
"What's wrong?"
The Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud asked while taking a drink.
Griezmann was normally cheerful.
Seeing him so serious was unusual.
"Lance has already joined Belgium's training camp."
"Lance? Your Atlético teammate?"
"Yeah."
Griezmann nodded with a bitter smile.
Few people understood Lance better than he did.
If Belgium and France crossed paths during this European Championship, it would be a brutal battle.
"I just hope we don't meet Belgium too early."
Giroud laughed.
Griezmann looked toward the distant training field.
"If we do meet them..."
"I hope it's in the final."