Lamine Yamal, the boy wonder, the heir to Messi's throne, the soul of Barcelona, was leaving.
He spent the rest of the night in a daze, the simple joy of his evening with his mother and his date with Sofia replaced by the frantic, buzzing energy of the news cycle. He flicked on the TV, and it was the only story on every sports channel.
"A WORLD RECORD SHATTERED!" a headline on Sky Sports blared.
"BARCA BETRAYS ITS CROWN JEWEL!" screamed a commentator on a Spanish channel.
He switched to "Calcio Global," where a panel of pundits were in the middle of a screaming match.
"It's a disgrace! An absolute disgrace!" roared Giorgio, the fiery ex-player, his face beet red.
"They have sold their future for a quick fix! They have taken the most exciting young player on the planet and thrown him to the wolves in Paris! His career is ruined!"
