December 7th, after finishing his filming duties, Maël focused all his energy on training. He watched the team's final Champions League group stage match at home.
In this game, Wenger fielded a lineup similar to the previous EFL Cup match, the difference being that no main players appeared in the starting lineup.
Having already secured first place, he wanted to give those who didn't usually have the chance to play in the Champions League a feel for the atmosphere and a chance to train.
In the end, amidst the fiery pyrotechnic spectacle of Olympiacos's home ground, the home team relentlessly scored 3 goals, handing Arsenal a shutout defeat.
It was a heavy defeat, but Wenger left Greece with a smile. Thanks to the main players achieving 4 consecutive wins at the start, the team's other players had the opportunity to experience such high-level competition.
This was very important. Only by constantly experiencing important matches would the strength of the rotation players gradually approach that of the main squad.
This would affect the team's ultimate outcome once the congested schedule officially began.
And so, the Champions League group stage concluded, with Arsenal finishing first in their group with 4 wins and 2 losses in 6 games, accumulating 12 points.
Dortmund finished second in the group with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses, accumulating 10 points. Olympiacos finished third in the group and dropped into the Europa League, while Marseille went straight back to their hometown in France.
"Ah!"
At six o'clock this afternoon, Maël, who had finished training and was eating, suddenly heard Safina cry out. He turned to look and saw her holding her phone, seemingly having seen something incredible.
"Buzz..."
"Buzz buzz!"
His phone also instantly popped up with several messages, vibrating wildly, before being interrupted by a phone call.
Something up?
He picked up his phone and saw that it was Mendes calling. They had only just parted ways not long ago.
"Ballon d'Or nomination!"
Safina quickly ran over, her face full of excitement. "Maël, you've been nominated for the 2011 Ballon d'Or!"
"Ballon d'Or?!" Maël suddenly stood up. He didn't rush to answer Mendes's call, but first checked the messages sent by several social media accounts.
There were messages from his aunt and uncle, as well as from Wenger, Deschamps, and a group of teammates from the club.
All of them were congratulating him on being nominated for the 2011 Ballon d'Or, and some even joked that he would be Arsenal's first Ballon d'Or Winner in history.
He really got nominated?
Calculating the time, the Ballon d'Or seemed to announce the nominees in the first month, and this year's awards ceremony was scheduled for January, so announcing it in December was reasonable.
Maël was instantly surrounded by joy. He didn't expect that in his first season in a top league, he would become a candidate for this most important individual award!
He knew that with his current influence and statistical performance, winning the Ballon d'Or was impossible.
But being nominated for the Ballon d'Or was also a great honor.
An 18-year-old Ballon d'Or nominee was a rare occurrence in the history of football.
"Hello?"
Maël answered Mendes's call with a smile, already knowing what the other side was going to say.
"I swear I didn't do anything. Before this, no one thought of you in this way... But this thing, it just happened.
"You already know, right Maël? You've been nominated for the Ballon d'Or, and you'll be attending the annual awards gala early next year.
"Whether it's being on the list or appearing at the awards ceremony, this will greatly increase your influence. Congratulations!"
Maël nodded. The Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in the football world was like the Academy Awards in the film industry.
Just participating meant that you had already entered the core level of this circle, the mainstream stage!
This was another big step in his career. He had entered the hall of fame he had dreamed of! "See you in Zurich in January!"
Mendes would also attend the awards ceremony at that time. Another of his players, Cristiano Ronaldo, would steadily secure a top-three spot in the Ballon d'Or. "I've decided not to sign any more commercial endorsements for you recently.
"We'll wait for a while, until after the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony, when your value has increased again, before taking on endorsements.
"An 18-year-old Ballon d'Or nominee, this title will skyrocket your endorsement fees by hundreds of thousands of pounds. Next time I quote, I'll start from 1.6 million!"
"Okay, see you in Zurich."
Maël excitedly hung up the phone and searched for news about the Ballon d'Or nominees on his phone, quickly finding the list of all the candidates for this year.
Barcelona: Abidal, Alves, Fabregas, Iniesta, Messi, Pique, Villa, Xavi
Real Madrid: Benzema, Casillas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alonso
Bayern Munich: Müller, Schweinsteiger
Inter Milan: Forlán, Sneijder
Manchester United: Nani, Rooney
Manchester City: Agüero
Liverpool: Suárez
Arsenal: Maël
Santos: Neymar
Anzhi: Eto'o
The list of 23 included outstanding players from all countries and leagues after the merger of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the Ballon d'Or in 2010.
They are the 23 most dazzling stars of the year in the eyes of most people! In addition to the top five leagues, the Russian Premier League and the Brazilian Serie A also have club players selected.
"You're the only one from Arsenal who got in. Van Persie didn't make it, but you did!"
Safina came to Maël, screaming all the way with her phone in hand, quickly waking up the other three who were resting in the room, and they all came out one after another.
"What's wrong?"
Harry was still sleepy, as if he had just woken up. He frowned and said, "What do you mean Van Persie didn't make it, but Maël did?"
"Ballon d'Or nominees!" Safina ran to her brother, sharing the joy with him, "Maël is nominated!"
"What?!"
José, who had just come out of the shower, stopped drying his hair, as if he had been petrified. "Ballon d'Or? Are you sure?"
"Sure!"
"Let's take a look!"
The three of them immediately picked up their phones and searched, quickly seeing the news about Maël.
"Neymar's in too."
Maël put down his phone and said modestly, "Maybe France Football takes age and potential into consideration when making selections, that's why the two of us were able to be nominated together."
"I don't think so." Davis shook his head with a smile, looking at the phone screen and saying, "It's just that they didn't put influence as the primary factor, and chose a reasonable list based on strength and performance."
"Since Rooney, Agüero, and Suárez are all in, you, who are ranked above them on the top scorers list, naturally deserve it."
"Haha..."
Maël laughed twice, took a deep breath, and said to the others, "Let's go to Zurich together then, and experience the atmosphere of the award up close. I'm going to squeeze Football Record in too."
"This year, I'll strive to get into the top 25, and next year, I'll aim for the top 3! Ronaldo won this award at 21, and I want to win it at 20."
He paced back and forth in the house, feeling a little restless.
The other three just smiled as they listened to his wild words... Looking at his spirited figure, who would think he couldn't do it?
...
December 9th, Colney Training Base.
Maël finally managed to grind out the heading and fancy dribbling panels. At the same time, his Volley and Outside of the Foot Shot were one step away from leveling up.
[Skill: Heading Timing lv2]
[Proficiency: (161/300)]
[Effect: After gradually familiarizing yourself with the landing point of the header and the touching part of the header, you find that your jumping timing when heading is always average, and you cannot make the best choice. You begin to hone it day and night.]
[Skill: Fancy Dribbling lv2]
[Proficiency: (391/800)]
[Effect: You try to master some fancy Dribbling Skill to increase the success rate of Dribbling in small areas. Thanks to your excellent Ball Sense, you are improving rapidly, but you are still far behind.]
These two skills, as expected, started from lv2. Fancy Dribbling, because of its greater complexity, was classified as a mental skill.
Maël could understand. He had played many football games, and in those games, weak foot and fancy skills were singled out and rated according to star levels.
In daily training, he also clearly felt the relationship between this ability and mental strength, brainpower, and imagination.
It could be guessed that when they were trained to a high level, he would have super creativity and the ability to Dribbling in small areas. These were two points that he was often criticized for.
Of course, these words were just a facade. More importantly, of course, it was being suave and elegant. That was the key! No one doesn't like playing stylishly, and no one doesn't like completing Dribbling and scoring in the most elegant way!
[Additional Skill: Fancy Skills lv1]
[Proficiency: (129/1500)]
[Effect: After practicing fancy dribbling, you realize you need to master more 'skill-based' fancy skills, such as the Elastico, Rainbow Flick, and other techniques. You add them to your training plan.]
Additional skill? Maël, having just grinded out fancy skills, was stunned when he saw the additional skill. He hadn't expected this. It seemed he had underestimated this ability.
Moreover, the Elastico and Rainbow Flick, weren't those characteristic skills that needed to be practiced separately?
How were they categorized into an additional skill?
This was different from the additional skill for dribbling. The additional skill for dribbling was like patching up any deficiencies affecting his dribbling ability.
But this... could it barely be considered patching up deficiencies as well?
Could it be that additional skills were a fragmented supplement to the powerful skills being trained? Thinking about techniques like the Elastico and Rainbow Flick, although difficult to practice, they were only minor skills.
If he were to practice them as individual characteristic skills, Maël would most likely not do so, unless all his skills were lv5, then he would complete these.
But if they were placed in the additional skills, he would definitely practice them, because additional abilities provided an overall improvement.
It was a supplement!
He slowly understood the additional skills in the proficiency panel, and he felt that there were still many functions in this panel that he didn't understand.
Oh well, having additional skills was a good thing, it meant that this ability would unleash an intensity beyond his expectations.
Perhaps when his 'fancy' skills were both lv4, he would become the most flamboyant football player in the world.
Surpassing Neymar, even approaching Football Elf Ronaldinho, and being even more dashing than Swag Brother Berbatov!
As for the functions of the panel, he would figure them out when he had the chance. Anyway, it would slowly reveal its full face during training.
[Skill: Brutal Shot lv4]
[Proficiency: (283/2000)]
[Skill: Volley lv3]
[Proficiency: (754/800)]
[Skill: Outside of the Foot Curve lv3]
[Proficiency: (741/800)]
[Skill: Stamina lv3]
[Proficiency: (1889/2000)]
[Skill: Rhythm lv3]
[Proficiency: (1378/1500)]
Looking at the proficiency of the other skills, Volley and Outside of the Foot were truly just one step away from leveling up.
After playing the match against Everton, during that 9-day break, he would definitely be able to raise them! Time moved forward quickly, and Tuttosport soon confirmed the specific date for the Golden Boy Award ceremony, December 22nd.
This news, along with the news of Maël's inclusion in the Ballon d'Or nominee list, once again sent Maël to the top of the trending searches on countless platforms.
"Stable? Maël surpasses the Golden Boy Award selection range and is directly nominated for the Ballon d'Or!" - L'Équipe (France)
"Far ahead! Maël is one of the youngest players in the current Golden Boy nominee list, but he is the first to step into the center of Zurich!" - The Guardian (UK)
"Götze officially withdraws from the Golden Boy Award competition, Maël will undoubtedly win the 2011 Golden Boy Award, becoming the most watched genius player in the world this year!" - France Football
"Endorsement offers exceed £1.6 million! It is rumored that the player's annual income has exceeded £5 million! Becoming one of the highest-paid stars in the Premier League!" - Football Record (Portugal)
"European Best Young Player Maël, and South American Best Young Player Neymar, who will be the future king of football?" - Bad Ball Sports (Brazil)
This wave alone brought Maël's Twitter and Facebook fans to over 12 million each, with a total of over 25 million fans on both platforms! "Well deserved!"
"Maël is stronger and helps the team more! Neymar's characteristic is pleasing Samba football. His entertainment value is higher, but his efficiency seems to be a little worse than Maël's."
"I have always been a Neymar fan and wanted to refute you, the player averages 1 goal per game... but after looking at Maël's data, okay, I'm speechless."
"Looking forward to the photo of Maël holding the Golden Boy Award! Can football create a list of the 100 best-looking men of the year, so that Maël can have more awards to win, this one is even more stable."
"Why do I think Kaká is more handsome?"
"I still think Diego Costa is more handsome."
"Maël is on par with Kaká, each with their own characteristics. It would be great if his style was more elegant."
"The player's style is already very elegant. Now, it should become more and more practical. Who becomes more and more flashy? Unless he can maintain this efficiency while being flashy, then he is a true unparalleled genius."
"Go for it!"
"."
And those who follow Maël's social media quickly discovered that he had posted a major announcement on both Facebook and Twitter.
"On December 23rd, I will be giving my first personal interview to the English Football Record. Thanks to the invitation from the 'most beautiful reporter,' Emilia. This interview will premiere on Instagram and then be uploaded to Twitter and Facebook."
"@[Football Record]@[Emilia]!" - Maël's latest message on social media. Although he didn't explicitly say it was about winning the Golden Boy Award, the date of December 23rd hinted at it very clearly.
Instantly, many enthusiastic fans searched for the Football Record and Emilia online, and then downloaded Instagram, looking forward to that day.
These three parties enjoyed the massive traffic brought by Maël, and then promoted each other like crazy, supporting each other's growth.
Their gratitude to Maël cannot be expressed in just a few words.
...
On December 10th, the Premier League's 15th-round match between Arsenal and Everton was about to kick off, and the atmosphere outside the Emirates Stadium was fervent.
"Clang clang clang clang! I have a friend!"
"He drives a Pagani on the sidelines and dances the Swan Lake on the defensive line!"
"Maël! Maël!"
"Golden Boy Award!"
"We no longer need Fabregas, we have a new Golden Boy!"
"Watch out, Xiaofa, he will lead us to revival! We will give him ten times the love we gave you!"
"He is the one who can represent Arsenal's glory. He entered the Ballon d'Or candidate list in his first year in the top league, and it took you, Fabregas, a full 5 years to achieve this!"
The fans sang Maël's Song, raised their hands, clapped, and walked into the Emirates Stadium with joy.
Of course, they had been following the news on the internet these past few days. They were very proud to see their own player appearing in the headlines every day, with every word describing him related to honor.
Arsenal hadn't produced such a player in many years. Saying he was the new Henry seemed a bit inappropriate because he was walking a new path that no one had ever walked before.
...
And in a old pub on the street next to the Emirates Stadium.
Jones and the pub owner were sitting at the bar, discussing something while looking at the data sheet on their phones.
"My prediction was correct."
Jones said excitedly, pointing to his phone, "Although news about Maël has been flying around these past few days, as the shooters behind him close the gap, the bookmakers will raise his odds to attract more people to bet on him."
"On the one hand, their confidence in Maël isn't that strong anymore. On the other hand, as time goes by, more and more bettors are betting on players like Agüero, Van Persie, and Rooney, and they need to control the risk."
"Taking advantage of Maël winning the award to attract more people to bet on him and putting the money in multiple pots is beneficial for them to hedge their risks."
The pub owner nodded as he listened to him, and finally sighed, "Although what you said may not necessarily be true, from the results, that's indeed the case."
Jones chuckled and didn't care, continuing, "The odds of 7.2, an increase of 0.7 from before, I estimate it's reached its peak. Maël will definitely explode in 1 or 2 games before the Golden Boot Award."
"I'm going to buy in with the 4,000 pounds I've worked hard to save in this round, increasing my final return to 190,000 pounds!"
"I'll treat you to drinks then, every day! Enough to drink for 10 years, haha."
Although the pub owner was also smiling, he wasn't as optimistic as him, "But the premise of all your good things is that Maël successfully wins the Golden Boot Award, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Jones smiled confidently. He actually knew that this matter wasn't stable, and even saying there was a 50% chance was too much, "But I've already invested so much, I can only continue to have confidence in him."
"Trust me, All-in is also a kind of wisdom, life must dare to All-in."
"Look at me, first All-in! Second All-in! Third time, continue to All-in!"
Speaking of this, he seemed to be possessed by gods and demons, shaking his hands and shouting in a drunken manner, "All-in... All-in All-in!"
"Don't All-in yet." The pub owner pointed to the Emirates Stadium and reminded, "The game is about to start, you should go buy it quickly."
"Okay."
Jones put down his glass and stood up, heading towards the door. Before leaving, he turned back, his face flushed, and said, "All-in!"
"Beep!"
"The game begins! Friends, you are now watching the Premier League Round 15 match, where Arsenal is hosting Everton at home!
"Arsenal's recent record has been excellent. They remain undefeated in the English Football World, having only lost two Champions League matches this season due to deliberately forfeiting! This is thanks to the explosive form of their entire attacking line. They are the team with the most goals in the entire league, but also the team with the 9th most goals conceded.
"Let's take a look at both sides, starting with this attack. Arsenal chose to attack fiercely after the kickoff. Maël is cutting inside towards the center, and Van Persie is making a diagonal run to draw away a defender for him!"
Inside the Emirates Stadium, the game had just started, and most of the players had not yet adapted to the match. Arsenal's attack was already underway.
Maël received the ball on the wing and cut inside along the center, shaking off three defenders in a row, and arrived near the central area.
"Boom!!"
He didn't hesitate, nor did he need to warm up his Ball Sense. He directly unleashed a Brutal Long Shot at the goal.
Today, the opponent has deployed a six-defender formation from the start, their defensive posture is very obvious. If they can score a goal first and disrupt their defensive tactics, it will be worth a thousand gold.
The Premier League's 5-game week has begun. After resting for two games, Maël is in very good condition, and his desire for goals has reached its peak.
"Clang!!"
The ball eventually passed Howard's hands, but unfortunately, it was rejected by the post. The ball hit the center of the post squarely, and rebounded back into the penalty area with great force.
"Oh! It didn't go in! A shot that shook the mountain! What a pity! Let's take a look at the second ball position. Everton's defenders have an absolute advantage, but Maël didn't stay in place after the shot. He's rushing in!"
"..."
"Oh!" In a heated atmosphere, Maël rushed into the penalty area like a whirlwind. He was not disappointed because of hitting the post, because the ball rebounded into the penalty area.
There's still a chance!
Seeing him rushing in, Baines and Hibbert on the defense immediately wanted to block him with a closing defense, creating time for their teammates to clear the ball.
Maël encounters this kind of defense in every game, so he's used to it. He nimbly dodged past them.
He believes in his Speed!
"Thump, thump, thump!"
In the expectant eyes of all Arsenal fans, Maël rushed into the penalty area like a hot knife through butter, arriving in front of the rebounded ball first.
"Boom!!"
Before the ball landed, he flew up and unleashed a Brutal Volley, sending the ball back towards the goal.
"Swish!!"
"Yeah!!"
The ball went into the net, making a crisp sound as it touched the net, and the entire stadium immediately erupted into madness.
"One to zero! Opening goal! Maël scores the rebound! He hit the post himself, and then scored the rebound himself! What a brilliant opening kill!
"He seems to be using the post as a wall, creating a better shooting position for himself, and then hitting the Volley! World Wave! Maël's goal helps Arsenal take the lead! Several media outlets reported before the game that he is about to receive his first major individual honor in Turin! With this kind of state, this kind of performance! How can you give the Golden Boy Award to someone else?!"
"..."
"Wow!"
Wenger on the sidelines waved his right arm, joining the ecstatic fans in the stadium.
Maël on the field ran towards the corner flag area the moment he landed. A flame rose in his chest, spraying out of his mouth all the way down his throat, "Ah!!"
League goal number 16! After reaching the sideline, he first slid out along the ground on his knees, then spread his hands towards the stands, "Come on!!"
"Beautiful!"
"Their six-defender formation has been broken!"
"Damn, so handsome!"
"So, is Maël ready to receive the Ballon d'Or after receiving the Golden Boy Award?"
"Hahaha!"
Arsenal's teammates followed up, joking and teasing all the way. They didn't expect that their emotions would enter a climax so early in the game.
"To hell with it! F*ck!!"
On the sidelines, David Moyes, who had been languishing at Everton for years, roared at the field. His anger was directed at Fellaini in the team's midfield.
"First of all, six defenders lined up in a row, with no staggered defensive positions! Who the hell taught you your defense?! He just ran past all of you with his speed! Don't you know what your speed is like? Protect the space behind you!"
"And you, Fellaini! As a defensive midfielder, you need to hold the top of the arc. Where are you?"
"Don't give me that 'not in the game' crap. Why can he get into the game and take two shots at you in three seconds?! Fck! Fck!!"
Moyes' temper was actually considered good among Scottish coaches, but conceding a goal less than a minute into the game was infuriating and perplexing.
He had painstakingly developed a six-defender tactic, thinking he had a chance against Arsenal with Maël, but it was instantly torn to shreds.
Fellaini lowered his head guiltily, developing a bit of a mental block against Maël, having just experienced his ability with the Belgium national team.
Outside the stadium, in front of a lottery shop.
"Yeah!!"
Jones had just taken the betting slip from the lottery shop owner, feeling its still-warm, matte texture, when he heard cheers erupt from the stadium.
He quickly turned to look at the TV inside the lottery shop, staring at it expectantly.
Then, he saw Arsenal kick off, quickly advance, Arteta find Maël, and the latter cut inside and unleash a brutal long shot.
"Oh!"
In that instant, he immediately felt that the lottery ticket was even more worthwhile, excitedly hugging the lottery shop owner and saying, "Look at the timing of my choice, isn't it perfect!"
"Yes, yes," the lottery shop owner could only nod and smile. He couldn't help it; Jones was one of his biggest customers and had to be maintained.
"All-in! All-in!"
Jones waved his arms and shouted as he left the lottery shop, occasionally interjecting with singing, "Clang clang clang clang! I have a friend! He told me to go all-in!"
The lottery shop owner watched him walk away, unable to resist saying, "Another one gone crazy."
"Beep!"
"Bang!"
In the Emirates Stadium, Everton kicked off from the center circle, passing the ball back to their midfield and defense.
Their formation was a bit chaotic; the players had just been scolded by Moyes and didn't know what to do.
Should the two full-backs act as wing-backs in advance, or should they maintain their original positions?
But their right full-back was a more defensive-minded player. Rushing up at this time wouldn't be very effective. Instead, it would leave the right flank vulnerable, giving Maël even more space to break through.
"Snap!"
Still in disarray, the excited Arteta rushed up and intercepted the ball, then dribbled towards their defensive line.
Facing his former club, he showed no mercy, eager to show his old teammates his current strength.
After dribbling a few steps, Arteta saw Maël drifting behind the opponent's defensive line.
"Bang!"
He waited a moment, until Maël had just run back from the offside line, and then launched a medium-range high ball towards the flank.
"Thump thump thump!"
Before the Everton defenders could react, Maël had sprinted into the penalty area. The game clock hadn't even reached the second minute.
"Snap," he elegantly lifted his outside of the foot to stop the ball. As the ball landed, he pushed the middle of the ball with the instep of his right foot, unleashing a smooth push shot: "Bang!"
The ball rolled frantically along the ground, heading towards the far corner of the Everton net.
Goalkeeper Howard quickly went to ground, trying to spread his legs and block the ball with his feet, but the ball rolled into the side netting first.
Two-nil! Blitzkrieg! "Yeah!!"
The cheers in the Emirates Stadium erupted again. Many fans hadn't even warmed their seats, but their throats were already hoarse.
Two goals in two minutes! The amazing Maël!
The amazing Arteta! "Haha...!"
Wenger on the sidelines laughed and hugged his head, then turned around and jumped into an embrace with Philip and others who rushed from the coaching bench.
If there were no accidents, they killed this game in the 2nd minute!
This is not only a dream start to this game, but also a dream start to their five-game Premier League battle!
"Ah!"
On the other side, Moyes' emotions were close to collapsing. He had just returned to the coaching bench and taken off his coat, and when he turned around, he saw Maël score again.
Arteta, who they had just sold to Arsenal last season, completed a brace!
"Shit! It's all shit! Can't you use your brains a little? Everyone else is paying more and more attention to the opponent's goal-scoring players, but you are becoming more and more indifferent! Did you think that if a person scores 1 goal in 1 minute, they can't score 2 goals in the 2nd minute?"
"Ah! This week's holiday is gone, extra practice on defensive formations, I'm going to tie you up with ropes and practice the distance properly! Damn it!"
On the field, Maël ran to the other side of the sideline this time. He threw his body out again and slid on his knees, changing sides to feel the wet softness of the Emirates Stadium grass.
"Aahh!" He roared with his mouth wide open, suppressed all his emotions temporarily after getting up, leaned back and spread his arms, making a gesture of reigning over the world.
It's been a long time since I've felt so comfortable, it's been a long time since I've scored like this.
Brace!
The 17th in the Premier League! "Oh ho!" Arteta quickly pounced on him from behind, and the two of them shouted and celebrated wildly towards the Arsenal fan zone.
"Everton was your former team, isn't this a bit bad for you?"
After the celebration, Maël asked Arteta with a smile, "Shouldn't you put your hands together and beg for forgiveness from the fans of your former team?"
"Haha."
Arteta grinned and scratched his head, saying, "That's only done when you score a goal, it seems like it's generally not done for assists. I see everyone else celebrating."
"Don't worry, I will definitely put my hands together when I score a goal later, I've been waiting for that day for a long time."
"Oh!"
Next to the Emirates Stadium, in that old tavern, the fans sitting here burst into jubilation, getting up and clapping their hands to celebrate.
"Damn it, Jones just went and bought 4,000 pounds on Maël, it seems like it's worth it now!"
The owner of the tavern looked at the screen, regretting a bit why he didn't go out and buy some with him just now.
"What?"
"He just bought again?"
"Yes, he bought 4,000 pounds when the odds were 7.2, this is the best opportunity recently!"
"Fack! His form in the Premier League has been mediocre in the past few rounds, I've been afraid to buy, and I didn't do anything when I saw the odds rise, now it's good!"
"Maël's hope is high again?"
"Anyone who isn't blind can see that."
These people were chatting here, and the tavern owner was itching to do something. He came to the middle of the round table and sat down, lit a cigarette and said, "Do you know what?"
"What?"
Most people turned to look at him. The tavern owner still had some weight in their hearts, so they naturally wanted to listen to what he had to say.
"All-in is a kind of wisdom."
The tavern owner took a puff of cigarette, acting as Jones's hanger-on, "I watched Jones's first all-in, second all-in, third all-in all the way!"
He raised his head, looking intoxicated, as if he had touched a bit of Jones's realm, "All-in... all-in all-in!"
The others in the tavern looked at him with puzzled expressions, feeling a bit strange, and a bit overwhelmed.
It just so happened that Jones walked in from outside with a big laugh at this time, seemingly knowing that the team had scored again by judging the cheers in the stadium.
"Did we score?"
He rushed into the tavern and asked anxiously, "Who scored? Is it Maël again?!"
The others looked at him, looking at this enviable lucky guy, and nodded numbly.
"Oh yeah!"
Jones excitedly pulled out the lottery ticket, gave it a 'mua' kiss, and then raised it high, shouting, "I bet right! All-in!!"
This wave of spiral brainwashing with the tavern owner made some people on the scene swallow their saliva, their eyes filled with fanaticism.
They, too, seemed ready to go all-in.
"The odds have dropped to 6.1!"
Someone raised their phone at this moment, saying dejectedly, "The betting company reacted too quickly! It just dropped to 6.7, and it's 6.1 after a refresh!"
Many people lowered their heads, and when they raised them again, they looked at Jones in unison, their eyes filled with admiration.
This person can always accurately step on the trend, truly like a god in betting.
"Jones, have a beer."
Someone immediately bought him a beer, inviting him to sit down, seemingly to absorb some of his mystical aura.
Jones accepted the invitation, walked up and sat down, crossing his legs, "I told you my thinking a long time ago, but no one listened. Now you regret it, right?"
Many people stood behind him, listening to his teachings, like zealous believers.
Jones took a sip of beer and excitedly began to talk about his success story, "The first time I bet on him, I originally only bought a few hundred pounds, but just as I was leaving the betting shop, I suddenly heard a voice in my ear."
"What?" Many people looked at him curiously, listening attentively.
"Should you reconsider..."
Jones vividly described the scene, trying to recreate that day for everyone, "Did you think it was the betting shop owner calling out? No, it was a voice that appeared in my brain! I stood at the door of the betting shop for a long time, and soon I saw a thief not far away stealing an Arsenal fan's wallet.
"I thought about it, my wallet was in the pocket behind my butt. If I had just walked out, I would have been in that exact spot, and I would have been the one to lose my wallet."
Everyone listened in a daze, not daring to make a sound, and not understanding what Jones was trying to express.
"So I was extremely grateful, thanking my hesitation for saving my wallet, and turned around to bet all my money on Maël's Golden Boot award. At that time, I thought I was being a bit impulsive."
Jones picked up his glass and stood up, raising it to everyone, "It wasn't until today that I understood, that was God giving me advice!"
Everyone stood frozen in place, staring at Jones, their faces filled with shock.
Seeing that they weren't giving any reaction, Jones said with dissatisfaction, "Did you understand? Applaud!"
"Clap clap...!" A round of applause rang out in the tavern, the fans waking up as if from a dream, picking up their glasses and clinking them with Jones, hoping to absorb some of his good luck.
They then continued to focus their attention on the broadcast screen, but unfortunately, the two teams slowed down the pace, and no one scored again until halftime.
In the 88th minute of the second half, Van Persie received a Cross from Maël on the wing and blasted in the third goal of the match.
Three to zero! One more win! "Although it was a bit of a high start and a slow finish."
Jones raised his glass, he had become the absolute protagonist here, "But let's still have a drink, to celebrate the team and Maël continuing to move forward!"
"Cheers!"
"12 wins and 3 draws!"
"Maël, 17 goals!"
"Go!!"
In a burst of shouts, they successfully ended their football-watching journey today, and gradually headed towards their homes.
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