After this round of matches, Maël welcomed a nine-day break. The next match against Aston Villa would kick off on December 19th.
This was perhaps an adjustment period given by The FA for the dense schedule in the second half of the month, allowing players to get better rest during this period and avoid injuries due to fatigue at the halfway point.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Maël took advantage of this free time to practice volleys and Outside of the Foot Shots on the field, as these two skills were just a breath away from leveling up.
Once they both reached lv4, he would have four lv4 shooting abilities! At that time, on the field, his shooting methods would become diverse and unpredictable, making it difficult for opposing players to anticipate! In fact, he already had a number of volley goals, and one Outside of the Foot Shot, and he could often use these two skills on the field to threaten the goalkeeper.
But the success rate was not yet high. This step from lv3 to lv4 must be a very important one, representing the transition from excellent to top-notch!
On December 16th, the Volley ability was the first to be upgraded.
A lot of Muscle Memory related to volleys was instilled into Maël's body, as if there were tens of thousands of positive feedback from successful attempts, making everything more skilled.
[Skill: Volley Blast lv4]
[Proficiency: (1/2000)]
[Effect: After tens of thousands of practice sessions, you have a superhuman grasp of volleys. You can often lift your foot and hit a super high-quality volley, and you can use it freely while running!]
Here it comes!
Maël ran excitedly on the field, shouting to José behind him, "Give me one with a lead, like Alexandre Song often passes to Van Persie."
"Bang!"
José didn't say anything, lowered his head and kicked the football, sending the ball in front of Maël.
Maël watched the incoming ball, judged the landing point, stretched his body, tucked his chest and abdomen to lower his center of gravity, and after running a few steps, he raised his right leg and slammed it towards the landing point of the football.
"Bang!!"
The trajectory of the football quickly coincided with the trajectory of his leg swing, and the two forces merged together, blasting towards the upper right corner of the goal.
At the moment of touching the ball, an extremely comfortable feeling rose in Maël's brain. This kind of shot can bring extraordinary pleasure and satisfaction, as if the instep and the football perfectly fit together.
This is the improvement effect! "Swish!"
The football then brushed the lower edge of the post and flew into the net, causing the net to shake violently, and the flexibility and elasticity of the net line were stretched to the limit.
A blast shot! "Beautiful!"
José on the other side saw this shot and his eyes lit up. Thinking of striking while the iron was hot, he strengthened Maël's ability to volley in motion, "Try again! Step back, I'm going to pass!"
Little did he know that Maël's volley ability had been fixed and had ushered in a huge enhancement.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"..."
Maël didn't refuse him. Taking advantage of the freshness and joy of the upgrade, he ran back and forth and blasted a few more shots.
In the absence of confrontation and pressure, only one of these shots was higher than the crossbar, and the other shots were of amazing quality.
"Perfect!" José finally gave him a thumbs up and patted him on the shoulder excitedly, "If you hit this kind of ball on the field, will the fans think of you as Van Persie?"
"No."
Maël took a sip of water and shook his head jokingly, "I'm better looking and have a better figure."
"Haha...!" José laughed, grinning and pointing at Maël, "I have no words to refute, but you are really too mean."
After the training that day, Maël focused on Outside of the Foot Shot training. Of course, he didn't put down his other abilities, and continued to practice them at the same time.
On December 18th, the Outside of the Foot Shot was also successfully upgraded, reaching the lv4 level!
[Skill: Curved Blade lv4]
[Proficiency: (1/2000)]
[Effect: After skillfully mastering the Outside of the Foot arc, you gradually master the explosive power of the Outside of the Foot Shot, the shooting power is greatly improved, close to a Curved Shot, like a Curved Blade!]
Curved Blade!
Greater force! "Bang!"
Maël cut inside from the right side of the penalty area, and after passing the dummy, he suddenly swung his arm and used an Outside of the Foot Shot. Compared to before, his leg swing was larger and his leg was raised higher.
When shooting, his body even hopped slightly to increase explosiveness.
"Swish!"
The football, with a violent spin, smashed into the far corner of the goal and into the net.
"Although it still doesn't have the power of a regular instep shot, it's almost the same as a Curved Shot!"
Maël, with a joyful expression, cut inside a few steps on the left side and used his left foot to perform an Outside of the Foot Shot, still producing good quality.
He had discovered a long time ago that after his Weak Foot ability increased, the progress of his proficiency was slightly slower. He had to focus on his left foot in training to have a faster rate of improvement.
But the benefits were also obvious. After all the skill-based abilities were upgraded, he directly possessed the strength of a four-star Weak Foot! "When I have time in the future, I'll upgrade my Weak Foot again to lv5. Presumably, there will be no difference from my right foot."
Maël murmured with a smile. He took a deep breath, sat on the grass, and looked at the sky to rest for a while, feeling very comfortable.
Counting it, he already had 5 lv4 shooting abilities: Cannon Shot lv4, Curved Blade lv4, Outside of the Foot Curved Blade lv4, Volley Blast lv4, and Heading Timing lv2!
His Ball Control abilities were now 4: Dribbling lv4, Rhythm lv3, Fancy Dribbling lv2, and Fancy Skills lv1. If you add the 2 characteristic skills, Bicycle Dribbling lv3 and Step-Over Shoulder Feint lv3, that's 6.
In addition, he also had 2 passing abilities: Arc Guiding lv4 and Arcing Instep lv4!
His mental skills were 2: Judgment lv4 and Strong Side Foot lv4.
The remaining Godly Strength lv4, Sprint lv4, Coordination lv4, and Stamina lv3 could all be classified as physical skills.
"Above average all-around!"
Maël smiled. He longed to see the day when his panel was full of lv5 skills. He had now started upgrading some skills from lv4 to lv5, officially embarking on the road to pursuing the limit.
He cheered himself on, determined to continue until the day he had won all the honors.
...
December 19th, Arsenal visited Villa Park Stadium to play against Aston Villa. All 42,788 seats were filled, and Birmingham cheered for football today.
Aston Villa used to be a top team in the English Football World. They had won a Champions League title and seven top league titles.
But now they had long fallen from grace, struggling to stay in the Premier League every season, often dropping to the lower leagues.
Fighting against them, Arsenal's only goal was to win! "Maël's continuous breakthrough! Continuing to shake, this is still a feint, Hutton has been passed, Dunn's tackle!
"Didn't get the ball, the referee whistled, it's a penalty! Dunn gets a yellow card!"
"."
"Van Persie is standing at the penalty spot to take the kick. The Netherlands striker is the team's first penalty taker... A push shot, beautiful! A steady hit, Arsenal lead one to zero!"
"."
"Vamos!"
Villa Park Stadium was quickly enveloped by the cheers of Arsenal's traveling fans. Van Persie smiled and ran to Maël's side, tightly hugging this good brother who had provided him with a goal.
"How will you repay me?"
Maël chuckled and high-fived Van Persie, jokingly saying, "Give me your Volley ability."
"No, no, no." Van Persie shook his head and laughed, "That's my housekeeping skill. I can treat you to a meal for under 1,000 pounds."
"I don't love food that much."
Maël shook his head, put his arm around his shoulder and ran to the fan stands together, then made a gesture of reaching out to absorb Van Persie's energy, "I'll just steal your Volley ability!"
"Haha...!" Van Persie knew Maël was joking and made a gesture of shaking from side to side, looking like he was running out of energy, cooperating with the performance.
The two of them had a bright temperament, which made many Villa fans nearby feel a sense of beauty.
This goal was also the only goal of the first half, and Arsenal went into halftime with a one-to-zero lead.
After the second half started, Arsenal strengthened their attack and continued to press Villa in their own half. Villa could only organize counterattacks through high points and fast horses in the frontcourt, occasionally creating some threats.
In the 65th minute of the game, Arsenal seized a transition opportunity, and Ramsey advanced at high speed with the ball. After arriving in the frontcourt, he passed the ball to Maël.
"Bang, bang, bang."
Maël dribbled the ball towards the opponent's defender. Villa was in a 5-3-2 formation today, and positional attacks were still not easy to execute.
Grasp the opportunities for ball possession changes and give them a heavy blow while their formation is not fully in place! He first faces their number 21, Clark, a player who is balanced in both attack and defense. It can also be said that this player doesn't have the ability to withstand his intensity.
With two simple changes of direction and acceleration, Clark gave up his defensive zone and was left behind by Maël.
"Danger! The Aston Villa's penalty area is a bit chaotic. The players can't properly allocate their responsibilities for marking and challenging. Maël has entered the penalty area again! "It's Dunn defending him again. Dunn doesn't dare to tackle this time. He's afraid of giving Maël another penalty! "Van Persie and Gervinho have both entered the penalty area. Ramsey and Arteta have rushed in. Goalkeeper Guzan is nervously watching them. This is a good time to pass!"
...
"Pa-boom!"
At the baseline, Maël once again feinted with a shoulder drop and then dribbled the ball along the baseline.
Dunn originally wanted to come over for physical confrontation, but jumped away at the last moment. He was too afraid of committing a foul and giving away a penalty, too afraid of getting a red card.
Plus, his chances of winning against Maël were not high, so it was better to dodge directly.
Maël rushed along the sideline to a position close to the six-yard box. He looked towards the center and found that many teammates were calling for the ball.
He raised his foot, preparing to send a ground cross, letting his teammates in the center fight for the fifty-fifty ball.
But at the moment of passing, he noticed that goalkeeper Guzan's positioning was a bit forward, as if anticipating his intention to cross, wanting to directly dive and intercept the ball in the middle.
"Boom!!"
Maël instantly changed from an arcing instep push to an outside of the foot shot. His outside of the foot whipped towards the football like a leather whip, creating an arc and generating power.
A small-angle outside of the foot shot!
He wants to sneak attack the near corner of the goal!
The football flew up parallel to the goalpost, curling towards the net, just bypassing the post and smashing towards the near corner.
Guzan was stunned. When Maël shot with the outside of his foot, his center of gravity was still forward. At this time, he didn't have time to take a step back and guard the near corner.
"Swish!"
The football flew crisply into the near corner, which was unguarded. Guzan stood rooted to the spot, as if he had been frozen.
Two to zero! Zero-angle outside of the foot!
At this moment, people seemed to return to the South Africa World Cup more than a year ago, seeing Maicon's goal against North Korea from a zero-degree angle, reliving the classic moment.
"Wow!"
Exclamations rang out. Many Arsenal fans threw up their hands, held the back of their heads, and supported their foreheads. This goal really opened their eyes.
Two to zero! Victory is within reach!
"The goal is in!! In the 66th minute of the match, Maël almost scored from a zero-degree angle! I believe all fans will remember an old friend! "Maël's 18th Premier League goal, 18 goals in 16 rounds! This kind of performance is really hard to imagine that he is only 18 years old! "It's no wonder he was nominated for the 2011 Ballon d'Or. In the Premier League, he is top-notch!"
...
"Oh!"
On the field, Maël kissed the fingers of his right hand, then ran towards the corner flag area with both fingers pointing to the sky.
Of course, he wasn't wearing a ring on his hand, so this celebration, as usual, had no symbolic meaning... it was purely for show.
"Click, click!" The reporters on the sidelines took pictures frantically, recording this scene from multiple angles. Every goal moment has the potential to become a classic moment for Maël in the Premier League.
"Yes!"
"Vamos!"
As several fiery shouts ending with 's' rang out, Arsenal's midfielders and forwards all ran over.
"So handsome!"
Alexandre Song was both happy and envious, leaning on Maël's shoulder and laughing, "How did you think of that shooting line!"
"Geniuses are always different." Van Persie also came over, but this time he was wary of Maël reaching out to 'absorb' his Volley ability again, and dodged when he sensed something was wrong.
"Am I not a genius?"
Alexandre Song pointed at himself and asked, "My long passes can be compared to any passer in history"
Seeing that he was about to boast about his passing again, the others quickly nodded in agreement and interrupted him, not wanting him to continue.
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Yes, yes!"
"You're the best."
Alexandre Song's face fell, and he turned and ran off with a serious expression.
"Haha...!" A burst of laughter erupted behind him, and Van Persie and Maël quickly ran forward to console him.
He certainly wasn't really angry, otherwise the Arsenal players wouldn't tease this lively treasure every day.
"Bang!!"
In the 79th minute, Maël seized a second-ball opportunity and unleashed a *volley*.
He struck the ball comfortably. According to the feedback from his instep, it was definitely a high-quality shot, with power and angle, and it wouldn't go over the crossbar.
"Thwack!"
But at the crucial moment, the opponent's defender Dunn leaped up and blocked the shot with his chest, helping his team take the bullet.
"Oof!" Dunn landed and immediately howled in pain, unable to make a sound, his face quickly turning red.
The force was considerable, and hitting the chest could cause a feeling of breathlessness.
Maël looked up slightly regretfully, then went to Dunn's side and patted him on the shoulder, "Take it easy, keep going."
Seeing the team doctor enter the field, he turned and left. He had respect for defenders like Dunn. Although he conceded a penalty... he had now redeemed himself.
"He blocked a certain goal." He said to Van Persie as he walked back.
"You're talking about his professionalism..."
Van Persie looked at him, suppressing a smile, "Or are you praising the quality of your own shot in a different way?"
The two soon burst out laughing, but they quickly stopped laughing.
"Bang!"
In the 85th minute, Aston Villa midfielder Albrighton helped his team pull one back with a *long shot*.
The goal was very sudden and woke up the Villa fans who had been dormant for the entire game.
"Aston! Aston!"
The entire stadium erupted in cheers, and the hope of gaining points at the top of the table was rekindled.
"Yes!" Albrighton quickly ran towards the net after scoring, wanting to take the ball out and quickly put it back in the center circle.
Unexpectedly, Szczęsny was one step ahead of him, holding the ball in his arms, refusing to give it to him.
"Bang!"
Albrighton didn't give in either, directly slamming into him, fiercely trying to snatch the ball from Szczęsny's hands.
"Give me the ball!"
"Get lost!"
The two broke out in a small-scale conflict in front of the goal, attracting players from both teams to rush over to break them up.
Maël also ran over, but by the time he arrived, Albrighton had already rushed out of the crowd with the ball.
He naturally had an impression of this later main midfielder of the Blue Fox miracle. He looked very green now, probably just joining the First Team.
"Are you okay?"
He stepped forward to check on Szczęsny's condition. The latter waved his hand at him, then pretended to be in chest pain and fell to the ground, calling for the team doctor to enter the field.
Maël stepped back. This was a common tactic to delay time. He even suspected that Szczęsny had deliberately sought a conflict with Albrighton while holding the ball, just for this moment.
"Beep!"
After all this back and forth, Albrighton only kicked off from the center circle in the 87th minute, launching a counterattack.
This put a lot of pressure on Arsenal's defense. In the final moments, they retreated across the board, forming a defensive wall in front of the penalty area, preparing to hold on to the victory.
"Bang!" Maël chased back and intercepted Albrighton's ball in the 89th minute. He turned and started dribbling, seeing that there were many people in the center, he dribbled the ball all the way to the wing, once again playing The Great's ball-protecting game.
The fourth official then raised the board, indicating 4 minutes of added time in the second half.
This was a tense moment for Arsenal. The smiles had vanished from the players' faces, and the fans were praying with their hands clasped together.
"Whack!" Clark quickly poked the ball out of bounds and shouted to his teammates, "Support, support!"
Dunn and Hutton rushed over, standing menacingly beside Maël.
Maël then received a throw-in from Gibbs and again shielded the ball near the touchline, using clever tactics to waste time.
Clark and Dunn squeezed him relentlessly, and Hutton even lay on the ground, trying to hook the ball away from between his legs.
But with astonishing Strength and Coordination, he maintained the upper hand, firmly controlling the ball.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
The traveling fans quickly applauded him, and the applause grew louder and more intense as time passed.
"Scrape!"
Finally, Dunn had no choice but to kick the ball out of bounds, preparing to reshuffle the offensive and defensive positions.
Maël signaled for Gibbs to come to the corner flag and kick the ball to him. The latter slowly walked to the corner flag and, after several reminders from the referee, sent the ball in.
He once again shielded the ball in the corner area, swaying like a tumbler with a low center of gravity.
"Damn it!"
The three of them were anxious and angry, their anger fueled by a desire to win. However, they still didn't want to commit a foul or start a conflict with Arsenal at this time, as it would waste time.
"Oh!"
When the ball at Maël's feet was finally intercepted, a burst of cheers erupted from the Arsenal fan section.
The match time was already approaching the 93rd minute. This ball protection had dragged on for more than two minutes! "Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
The referee blew the whistle to end the match shortly after, and all the Arsenal players raised their hands, celebrating this hard-won victory.
Two to one!
They won! Their 13th Premier League victory! Their points total reached 42!
Maël also breathed a sigh of relief and came to the fan area with a smile to thank them. This was a post-match ritual that they did at every away game, expressing their heartfelt gratitude to these fans who had traveled from afar.
"Keep winning!"
"Win all the time!"
"Keep it up, keep it up!!"
He clapped his hands all the way, greeting the fans and celebrating with them.
He suddenly paused. Among the unfamiliar faces, he saw David and Chloe waving at him enthusiastically.
"Hi."
Maël walked to the stands and high-fived them, asking with a smile, "Do you still have the things I gave you? Did you lose them?"
"Look!"
David raised his foot, showing off his shoes, and laughed, "Whenever I follow the team to a match, I always wear them. I hope this will bring you good luck, bring you some kind of feeling!"
"Umm.!" Chloe also eagerly took off her coat, revealing the Arsenal jersey underneath.
"It's a bit rushed this time, and I don't have much time to chat with you. If I have the chance, I'll invite you to sit on the club's bus."
Maël waved goodbye to them and turned to leave, but suddenly heard a few hesitant, anxious voices. He turned back and saw Chloe taking a piece of paper out of her clothes.
It must have been carefully prepared, with a drawing of the Arsenal number 11's back, his figure resembling Maël's, with the background of him leading a young fan onto the field. In her brushstrokes, everything seemed very healing.
"Ah."
Maël's body trembled, and a slight tingling sensation came over him. He was moved and returned to the stands, taking the drawing in his hands and examining it. "Is this for me?"
"Mmm-hmm!" Chloe nodded emphatically, her expression filled with joy, as if she had fulfilled a long-held wish.
"She brings it to every game, hoping that one day you'll notice it and accept it," David explained with a smile. He and Chloe seemed to have become good friends, watching every game together.
"Thank you."
Maël stepped forward and hugged Chloe, smiling, "It's a very special gift. I'll put it in the most conspicuous place in my house and keep it as a collectible. I also hope you keep drawing."
Having said that, he turned and walked away contentedly, only to hear hurried voices from behind after a few steps.
He turned back again and saw both of them holding their phones, with a subtitle flashing across the screen: "Hope you bring the Golden Boy Award to the next game!"
"Haha..." Maël looked at their wonderful expectations and gave them a thumbs up, meaning he would.
Feeling everyone's expectation for him to win the award, he felt a little anxious about the result announcement on December 22nd.
"December 20th, there are still 2 days before the final announcement, and the anxiety in my heart is increasing, and even sleep seems to have a little problem.
"It's strange, I should be able to win the Golden Boy Award steadily, why am I still worried about changes, or eagerly want to see the result? I already know the result.
"Analyze my inner self? Forget it, it's too troublesome, just take it as the tension before winning the first major personal honor.
"Today is still training, Speed has been put into the training plan, I'm looking forward to the effect after the next improvement, will it be close to Bolt?" "Stay calm and persevere, don't be tempted by the outside world, the Golden Boy Award will not be my end, the Ballon d'Or is.
"No, neither is the Ballon d'Or."
"December 21st, I came to Manchester with the team to prepare for the away game against Manchester City, and tomorrow is the day the results will be announced.
"I don't know if it's in the morning, afternoon, or evening? I hope it's before the game, so I can have a better mindset to really compete with Manchester City.
"Mancini's team was originally the champion this season in history, and the full strength must be very strong. Playing Manchester City with full strength in the Premier League, the Big Six tour is over, and the remaining teams are not so difficult to deal with.
"Play well tomorrow!
"I must meet the first important achievement in my life with the best posture, and I can't comfort myself with the Golden Boy Award with a bitter face after a defeat.
"After playing Manchester City, go to Italy to receive the award!"
...
On December 22nd, Arsenal ushered in the third-to-last game of the month, they will face the Premier League upstart Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
This team has been in good shape in the Premier League recently, they have surpassed Chelsea in the standings and came to 3rd place, only 4 points behind the undefeated Arsenal this season.
"Interview tonight?"
Before leaving, Maël sat with Emilia and Peter in the room, discussing the arrangements for the evening.
"Yes, it's best to start the interview directly after the game and release it at night."
Emilia nodded with a smile, she had been looking forward to this interview for a long time, "That will be when the popularity of the Golden Boy Award is at its highest, and the effect of releasing the interview will be greater."
"Okay." Maël agreed and came to the bed to sort out the equipment needed for the game.
"Maël." Peter looked at him with a smile, the two hadn't seen each other for a long time, "Do you know how much the number of subscribers and advertising fee quotes for the column have increased during this period?"
"I do not know."
Maël shook his head and looked up and said, "I was just about to ask you about this, I think the increase should be good, right?"
"Yes." Peter took out a data chart, as if he had prepared it long ago for Maël to see, "The number of column subscribers has reached 31,000, an increase of 19,000 compared to before! "The advertising fee quote has also doubled... I have completed the promise to you to turn the turnover into profit within 1 year."
Already earning about 400,000 pounds a year?
Maël smiled, and he still recognized this achievement, "Not bad, after this wave of interviews, it is estimated that there will be another 50% increase.
"If this continues to develop, it is very likely that it will become a newspaper with an annual profit of 1 million pounds at the end of the season."
The two did not avoid Emilia when they spoke. After she became popular on the Internet, she has become the company's top reporter. With a certain personal value, Peter took out 2% of the equity to stabilize her.
In the calculation, she is also one of the company's shareholders, but she is ranked behind the two.
"It's all thanks to you."
Peter took a deep breath comfortably and said with great satisfaction: "I originally thought that the newspaper my father left me would be destroyed in my hands, but I didn't expect it to be brought back to life because of your joining, and I also saw the hope of becoming a well-known newspaper.
"I don't know how to thank you, this has always been my life goal... but I rarely express it."
Seeing that he was getting more and more emotional, Maël quickly smiled and interrupted: "Okay, this is also good for me, we are not outsiders, what are you talking about.
"In the first year of investing, I hope to earn back all the money I invested, and then just lie down and earn.
"Moreover, as your voice and exposure in the media become greater and greater, you can also help me promote the Ballon d'Or in the future."
Speaking of this, he had a flash of inspiration and asked: "By the way, I want to open an Arsenal column, do you think it's a good idea?" "Invite one or more Arsenal players to visit from time to time, interview them, or let them do some interesting activities and games together.
"As long as I can ensure the stability of the personnel, I think you should have a way to operate this column, right?"
Peter's eyes lit up instantly after hearing this, and he said breathlessly: "Definitely, we can definitely operate it!"
He found that collaborating with talented football players to run a newspaper was a great thing. Just look at the connections—they could create a series of exclusive columns with the entire Arsenal team, something he wouldn't have dared to imagine before.
Even larger newspaper and media outlets wouldn't have considered it. Who could guarantee that everyone invited would actually participate?
Maël could guarantee it!
"Emilia," Peter turned to Emilia, noticing her excitement as well. "I'm leaving the planning to you. Make sure to get me and Maël a proposal as soon as possible."
"Okay," Emilia nodded excitedly. She would handle the planning, and she would definitely host the program when it aired.
This would be very beneficial for her, both from a company and personal perspective.
She looked at Maël and flattered him with a smile, "Boss, you're amazing. I've benefited a lot from following you and have had many life-changing opportunities."
"Alright."
Maël felt a shiver of goosebumps and waved his hand, signaling her to stop. He then wondered, who should he invite to kick things off?
"How about," he quickly had a good idea, looking at the two of them, "starting with Mr. Wenger?"
"Good!"
"Yay!"
The two raised their hands together, their faces full of joy. They seemed to already know how popular the column would be after it was published.
"The weather is so bright today," Emilia walked to the window and opened it, smiling as she looked at the sky, unsure if it was because the weather was genuinely bright or because her mood had improved.
It was probably the latter. After leaving Sky Sports and joining Football Record, Emilia had thought her life was on a downward spiral.
Unexpectedly, because of an 'agreement' during an interview, because Maël kept his promise, she had met the benefactor of her life.
Since then, her life had skyrocketed, and her career had been smooth sailing! Emilia couldn't express how grateful she was to Maël. She only knew that she was willing to give everything for this younger brother who was even younger than her.
Sometimes, when she looked at Maël, she really felt that he was shining with a faint light. This light not only illuminated him but also shone on the people around him, allowing many to become better versions of themselves.
"It is a bit."
Peter also came to the window, and the two breathed in the fresh air, full of hope for everything.
"Manchester City!!"
At 2:30 PM, the club's bus departed from the hotel and headed towards the Etihad Stadium. Along the way, they encountered many Manchester City fans shouting and protesting.
Maël looked at them curiously. Although he had won against Manchester City in the EFL Cup, facing them in the Premier League today was a completely new experience, especially away from home.
Blue Moon fans, hold on for a few more years. Your Guardiola is coming soon, and the Premier League will enter a new era.
After watching for a while, he took out his phone and kept refreshing social media, hoping to see Tuttosport announce the winner of the Golden Boy Award.
He knew it was useless. Once the news was released, his phone would immediately vibrate, and countless people would send him congratulatory messages. But he couldn't help but keep swiping.
Van Persie, who was next to him, glanced at him and asked with a smile, "Waiting for the Golden Boy Award? Is there still suspense? Why are you so anxious?"
"Who wouldn't be anxious at a time like this?"
Arteta in the front row turned around and stared at Maël's phone screen, saying, "Don't just talk about him, I'm also a little anxious. I want to see the result sooner.
"I haven't had a teammate who has received such an important individual achievement. Barcelona doesn't count. I wasn't very familiar with the First Team there; I was a product of La Masia from an earlier generation."
"Not out yet?"
Many people turned their heads, curious about the result. "I thought Maël had already been confirmed to have won the Golden Boy Award."
"Not yet," Maël shook his head and, seeing that many people were paying attention to him, put down his phone.
Even when the bus drove into the Etihad Stadium, he hadn't received any news. He could only put it aside for now and warm up with the team first.
The interior of the Etihad Stadium was very beautiful. Looking around, Manchester City fans had dyed most of the stands blue, and countless blue and white flags fluttered in the wind, creating a great sense of pressure.
Maël took a few glances and lost interest in admiring it. He warmed up with the team, and after finishing, he returned to the locker room, took out his phone, and found that there was still no news.
Not announced yet!
A few traces of regret appeared on his face. He lowered his head to put on his shin guards, thinking that it might have to wait until after the game.
Then there was no rush. He would first clear the last strong opponent before the halfway point and defeat Manchester City at the Etihad! "Hello, friends, welcome to the focus battle of the 16th round of the Premier League. In this match, Arsenal, the top team in the standings, is a guest at the Etihad, against Manchester City, who is third in the standings!
"I am the commentator Zhan Jun, and next to me is my partner, Zhang Lu! We will commentate on this game together!"
"Hehe."
"The players from both sides are waiting in the tunnel. Let's take a look at the starting lineups. The home team, Manchester City, is fielding a 4-4-2 formation, with Joe Hart in goal, and Kompany partnering with Kolo Touré as the two center-backs."
"The two full-backs are Richards and Zabaleta. In midfield, Yaya Touré and Barry are in the center, with David Silva and Nasri on the wings! Up front, Agüero partners with Balotelli, with Džeko waiting on the bench."
As Zhan Jun finished speaking, Zhang Lu quickly chimed in, joking, "People often say that the forward line needs one tall and one fast player, but Balotelli seems to have both qualities, except his brain sometimes doesn't work.
"Agüero is here, seemingly as a supplement to his football IQ. I still like this partnership, and I believe Mancini has his reasons."
His understanding of football tactics is actually very high, but in his commentary, he focuses on entertainment and doesn't want to be too dull.
At this moment, the broadcast camera focused on Maël, who was standing in the player tunnel, and stayed on him for a long time.
"If I remember correctly, today is the day the Golden Boy Award results are announced."
Zhan Jun quickly said in his hoarse voice, "But we haven't heard any news yet, so we can't directly say that the person in front of the camera is the winner of this year's Golden Boy Award."
"But we can hint at it," Zhang Lu said, cheerfully. "This match is very likely to be the first time that three Golden Boy winners from 2007, 2010, and 2011 will compete on the same stage!"
Zhan Jun nodded, adding, "Actually, they already competed in the last EFL Cup match, but at that time, neither side was at their best. This match is the real contest."
"Yes. What I mean is, Maël is very likely to receive the news that he has won the Golden Boy Award during the match, making it even more well-deserved," Zhang Lu added, trying to cover up his earlier statement about it being the first time.
The broadcast camera moved away from Maël at this moment, but quickly swung back for some reason.
At the same time, a voice sounded in their headsets, coming from backstage, "The news is out! The player is confirmed to have won the 2011 Golden Boy Award! Tuttosport just announced it!"
"Maël!"
In the player tunnel, Maël was looking at the inside of the Etihad Stadium when he heard a surprised shout from behind.
He turned around and saw Koscielny, who was holding a phone, rushing out. He wasn't playing today and was still wearing his substitute vest.
"Golden Boy Award!"
Koscielny held up his phone and shouted, "You won it!"
Maël turned around abruptly, and just as he was about to say something, he saw several more substitute players rushing out of the locker room, running towards him. Even Mr. Wenger was walking over from a distance with a smile.
Looking around, he quickly saw all the staff members who had picked up their phones smiling at him and nodding in congratulations.
"Buzz..." A commotion suddenly erupted in the Arsenal away fans section outside the stadium, slowly turning into a vast cheer, "Aahh!"
He won! Maël finally confirmed that he had won the Golden Boy Award. He never dreamed that he would hear this news in the player tunnel.
"Congratulations, brother!" Van Persie quickly ran over from the front row and gave him a hug. "We're proud of you!"
"Maël! Maël!"
Arteta raised his hands, signaling everyone to shout together, but no one followed him. He could only awkwardly lower his hands, laughing dryly, "Haha... I can only say I'm very envious."
"Clang clang clang clang...!" Sagna swayed from side to side, starting his 'Maël's Song', and stepped forward to hug Maël.
Maël was now enveloped in joy, and his emotions rose another level with each person who came up to congratulate him.
Golden Boy Award! The first major individual honor of his life!
It really came!
"Thank you."
He expressed his gratitude to everyone who congratulated him. This was a beautiful moment, a moment worth remembering for a lifetime.
Without the Golden Boy Award, even if he won the Grand Slam, he would always feel like something was missing.
Fortunately, he won this important achievement at the age of 18!
Several players from Manchester City also looked over, having heard the news of Maël's award.
Nasri had a fleeting look of frustration in his eyes, as if he was also a contender for the Golden Boy Award... In fact, he was already over the age limit, but he just didn't like seeing someone he didn't like receive the honor.
"Congratulations!"
However, most of the Manchester City players were good sports. Their captain, Kompany, was the first to come up and congratulate Maël. They had met once in a national team match.
"Good luck." Agüero also came over, the striker taking the initiative to smile and say, "You, me, and Balotelli, there will be three Golden Boy Award winners on the field today. That's rare."
"It should be you." Balotelli also walked up with a smile, seemingly having emerged from the shadow of the previous match.
Maël shook hands and hugged them again, receiving congratulations from his opponents. This was definitely a wonderful experience, and his excitement and satisfaction at this moment were very real.
"Kid."
Mr. Wenger walked over at this moment, opened his arms to Maël, and encouraged him, "I can only say that this award is worthy of the you who used to train like crazy at Colney Base, this is the best reward for you."
"I'm happy for you, and I'm even more confident that you can reach a very high level, keep it up."
Maël nodded with a firm expression, and after separating from Wenger, he quickly stepped into the Etihad Stadium with firm and powerful steps.
He was full of motivation, vowing to complete the debut of the newly crowned Golden Boy with a wonderful performance! "Clang clang clang clang! I have a friend!"
"He drives a Bugatti on the sidelines!"
A neat and loud singing voice came from the Arsenal fan zone at this moment, the fans were congratulating Maël with their singing, and also expressing their recognition of the team's Golden Boy.
Maël waved to them all the way, the smile on the corner of his mouth never disappearing.
After completing the pre-match ceremony, he stood in his position, feeling that everything in the stadium had changed, as if everything was brand new.
No, the only thing that had changed was himself, he had a brand new identity and a brand new path forward!
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