The Daegu Stadium roared like a storm as Samuel Moses rose from the bench. Cameras flashed in unison, capturing the moment the Football God peeled off his warm-up top to reveal Barcelona's number 10 jersey.
At halftime, the scoreboard read 0-0, and though Barca had dominated possession, the cutting edge was missing.
Hansi Flick saw the solution in one man, but he wasn't going to unleash him alone. After all, this was a preseason game.
The halftime substitutions were made.
Hansi Flick made sweeping changes, taking out Frankie de Jong, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and introducing Ferran Torres, Noah Darvich, an academy player, and then Samuel Moses.
Sam slipped into the central attacking role, with Gavi dropping deeper alongside Pedri.
Yes, last season, Sam shook the world of football with his scintillating performances as a striker. But that did nothing to diminish his glowing playmaking skills as an attacking midfielder and creator.
He was a dual creator and destroyer. And with Robert Lewandowski fit, Hansi Flick was keen to bring out the best in his team by playing Sam in attacking midfield.
Ferran Torres led the line, Lamine Yamal and Noah Darvich flanking him. The average age of the forward line, barely 20, sent a thrill through the crowd.
"Show them," Flick murmured as Sam jogged onto the pitch, clapping his shoulder. "Remind the world what we're building.
The whistle blew.
And then, all hell broke loose.
Immediate impact.
BZZZ!
From the first touch, the energy shifted. Sam dropped into pockets of space, demanding the ball with quiet authority.
In the 48th minute, he executed a perfect La Croqueta, gliding between two pressing midfielders even as the fans roared in excitement, before slipping a no-look pass to Yamal, whose curling shot forced Daegu's goalkeeper into a fingertip save.
Minutes later, Sam pressed high, winning the ball back near the box.
Instead of shooting though as the full opposition defense reacted in panic, he calmly back heeled the ball to Ferran Torres, whose quick strike rattled the crossbar.
The stadium gasped.
Barcelona's tempo skyrocketed. The passing became sharper, movements synchronized.
Academy kids who had been nervous in the first half now played with swagger, feeding off Sam's confidence.
And then, the first goal entered. 57th minute.
Pedri intercepted a loose ball, flicking it to Sam in the center circle. Sam drew two defenders before threading a perfectly weighted through ball to Noah Darvich, who darted into the box like a hurricane.
Darvich's shot hit the post but bounced kindly to Ferran Torres, who didn't miss this time, tapping it in from close range.
1-0 Barcelona.
The roar wasn't just for the goal; it was for the combination. The future of Barcelona, orchestrated by its present deity.
In the 68th minute, the second goal entered.
With Daegu pushing high, searching for the equalizer, Sam drooped deeper, orchestrating play like a conductor.
Balde surged down the left flank, and Sam found him with a pinpoint trivela pass that cut through three defenders.
Balde, smiling as he ran, whipped in a low cross. Gavi arrived late, smashing it home with a first-time strike.
2-0 Barcelona.
Now they were cruising.
Sam didn't celebrate alone, he hugged Balde and Gavi, shouting over the noise. "This is Barca football!"
With confidence soaring, Hansi Flick introduced even more youngsters to the game and then in the 78th minute, La Masia academy magic blossomed.
A dazzling sequence unfolded in the 78th minute as Noah Darvish nutmegged his marker, passed to Sam, who flicked it over a defender…
Yamal got the ball and volleyed it just under the bar.
Bam!
3-0.
The youngest goal scorer of the night cheered like a superstar thanks to Sam's unselfish brilliance. Well, he was a superstar.
Last season, Sam was not the only FC Barcelona youngster to blossom into a superstar, Lamine Yamal, the electric winger also blossomed into his own in the FC Barcelona squad, establishing himself.
It was not over yet though. There was still the final flourish.
The crowd wanted a Sam Moses goal. And finally, it came, in the 88th minute.
Receiving the ball near midfield, Sam spun past two players, surged forward, and executed a signature elastico that left Daegu's captain sprawling.
With the goalkeeper charging out, Sam chipped delicately from 25 yards out.
The ball hung in the air, kissed the crossbar, and dropped in.
4-0.
BOOM!
The fans exploded.
Sam stood still, arms wide, not in triumph, but in welcome as his teammates swarmed him.
And finally, full-time came after the referee's whistle blew one final time.
When the whistle blew, Barcelona walked off to a standing ovation. The scoreboard read 4-0, but more important than the score line was the statement made by FC Barcelona:
Sam Moses was sharper than ever, the academy stars were fearless, the chemistry between veterans and youth burned brighter than last season.
In the post-match interview, Hansi Flick summed it up.
"This wasn't just Samuel's return, it was a glimpse of our future".
"He makes everyone around him better. That's why he's not just the best player in the world".
"Like the fans say," he grinned. "He's a Football God".