"Five to four! Goal fest! Arsenal narrowly defeats Bayern Munich, loanee Maël performs excellently, providing 2 goals and 2 assists!" - British 442
"Wenger changes formation to 4-3-3, EFL Championship's best player Maël makes his first start in a friendly match, performs excellently, and may become Arsenal's main player in the new season!" - Spanish AS
"Three-pronged attack! Robben and Lahm are actually speed-blasted by a young player! Is Arsenal's new left winger Maël the biggest expectation for the new Premier League season?" - France Football
"Bayern loses to Arsenal four to five, defensive problems become more and more obvious, Arsenal's 18-year-old youngster actually brushes out a single game with 9 successful breakthrough data!" - German Football Journal
...
The next day, when the results of this friendly match were transmitted back to European football, almost all mainstream media reported a version, preheating for the upcoming main game.
European fans who flipped through this news quickly discovered that Maël's name began to appear frequently inside, and even the opponent's media reported it once.
This was surprising, and many people immediately searched online for video footage of the game.
More than ten minutes later, major websites successively reprinted breakthrough highlights about Maël, instantly breaking tens of thousands of likes.
"Rafinha? In front of Maël, he is more like the child between the two."
"Toy!"
"Rag doll defense!"
"Is anyone calculating the speed? What is the highest sprint speed reached?"
"23.65 miles! The Sun just calculated that this is 0.25 faster than the fastest sprint speed in the Premier League last season!"
"It's almost the same as Robben, it's too terrifying, the Aix monster is about to land in the Premier League!"
"Is he one of the most anticipated players in recent years 'about to land in the Premier League'?"
"I don't know, but in Arsenal's fan circle, it definitely counts!"
Even if European fans did not watch the game live, they still clearly felt Maël's impact from the video.
Many people played the video repeatedly, and every time they watched it, they felt addicted, without any sense of aesthetic fatigue.
This is the most passionate football, the most exciting breakthrough method!
...
North London, in an Arsenal fan pub, from this afternoon, fans wearing Arsenal jerseys walked in one after another.
They had a tacit understanding that whenever the team had any latest news that everyone was interested in, they would come out and sit down and chat.
"There are only 14 days left, and the Premier League will begin!"
"Did you watch the friendly match? I have to mention Maël, I think we didn't pay enough attention to him before!"
"I've seen it! He blew up Rafinha and Alaba, and also had a successful breakthrough against Lahm and Robben!"
"Speed demon, I think he must be faster than Walcott in the team."
"Shouldn't be?"
"Yes! He is an enhanced version of Walcott, he is very strong in confrontation, and his lower body is also very stable, he is completely a Body Monster!"
"Walcott played well last season, he should have 15+, so to speak, this 18-year-old, is it possible to have 20+?"
"Not necessarily, it depends on whether he adapts to the Premier League, sometimes the main game is different from the friendly match."
The fans chatted in a lively manner, and it was obvious that they were here today for Maël in the team.
At this moment, someone suddenly opened their phone and shouted, attracting everyone's attention: "The odds list is out, the new season's Golden Boot odds list!"
"Tell me quickly."
"Where is Van Persie?"
"Top three, right?"
The person holding the phone flipped a few times and said with surprise: "Van Persie is first! 1 to 3.75, the second is Agüero, who just transferred from Atlético Madrid to Manchester City, he has 1 to 5.5, and the third is Fulham's Dempsey, 1 to 9!
"The second highest in the team is Walcott, he is ranked 21st, 1 to 48! The third highest is Maël."
This person raised his head, with some shock in his expression, "Maël is ranked 23rd, the odds are 1 to 56, he has never played in a top league, God! The ranking is actually third in the team!"
"There's nothing surprising, he was the EFL Championship's record-breaking top scorer last season, this ranking is low." Someone didn't find it strange.
"Is it possible that the other shooters in Arsenal's frontcourt are really bad this season?" Someone said so.
"Let's continue talking about Maël, I'm very curious, does anyone want to buy his Golden Boot?" Someone changed the subject, still wanting to talk about Maël.
"No, I'm betting on Van Persie."
"Of course, buy the first one!"
"It hasn't changed for many years, always the first to win the Golden Boot. The bookmakers' predictions are accurate enough. I'll trust them this time."
Many people shook their heads, firmly choosing Van Persie. In their eyes, only someone with water in their head would bet on a newcomer.
"No one wants to take a gamble?"
"Yeah, his performance against Bayern was obvious to everyone. What if there's a slight chance?"
"If you want to bet, go ahead. 56 to 1, a 100-pound bet could make you a small fortune, a 1,000-pound bet could get you a new Mercedes, and 10,000 pounds might even get you a detached house to live in."
"..."
The bar fell silent. Clearly, the earlier shouts were just jokes; they didn't really want to bet.
Almost completely unknown, the risk was too great. "I'll bet!"
At that moment, someone raised his hand, took out a wad of cash from his pocket, and laughed, "I won 700 pounds playing cards with my workmates the day before yesterday. It's the most money I've ever won in my life."
"Easy come, easy go, might as well take another big gamble, haha!"
Someone cursed him as a gambler under his breath, shook his head, and looked away, no longer paying attention to him; others egged him on, thinking the man was just talking big.
"When are you betting?"
"Are you going now? Let me see."
"How about adding 300 pounds to make it 1,000?"
"Hahaha!"
The man didn't care, grabbed his hat, and walked out of the bar, heading straight for a betting shop across the street.
"He's really going!"
"Is Jones crazy?"
"Probably drunk."
Soon, Jones returned, holding up a betting slip in his hand, showing off to everyone.
"How much?" someone asked him.
"2,300 pounds." Jones shook his pocket, meaning he'd taken out all his money. "I figured it out. If he succeeds, I'll get 128,800 pounds, hahaha...!"
Walking into the betting shop, he thought, since he'd already taken out 700 pounds, he might as well take out all the cash he had on him.
Either don't play, or play big!
"..." The tavern fell silent again, and no one replied to him for a long time.
"Jones, you should think about it. The reason the betting company ranked him 23rd and set the odds at 56 to 1 is because he has no chance of winning the Golden Boot."
"Are you really crazy?"
"Are you betting on a miracle? Apart from the 0304 season, Arsenal has never had any miracles. Just forget about it."
A chorus of discouraging voices rang out in the bar, and everyone's gaze towards Jones changed, as if they thought something was wrong with his head.
There were also some with strange thought processes who, in this atmosphere, were actually stirred up with a bit of interest.
"Damn it, Jones dares to play like this, shouldn't I also do something big?"
"Together?"
"Weren't you the one who just said you were afraid he wouldn't adapt to the Premier League?"
"So what? I'll bet 100 pounds on him for fun!"
For a time, many people walked out of the tavern again, returning with betting slips ranging from 100 to 600 pounds, and occasionally some would buy four-figure slips, as if they were going to defy fate with this betting slip.
Amidst the controversy of 'madmen and geniuses,' this discussion about Maël came to an end.
In short, the new season was about to begin, and the fans' enthusiasm was growing day by day. Many people were starting to look forward to Maël's performance at the Emirates Stadium.
He has now truly become the Arsenal fans' biggest expectation for the new season! The first reason is his unknown quantity. Maël has had some attention since his debut, but the player has been in the EFL Championship. After returning to the team this season, he didn't play any friendlies in London, but went to China with the team.
They had never seen this player play in person, and didn't know what it would be like to watch him play live.
They also wondered, when he puts on the Arsenal jersey, what kind of performance he could deliver at the Emirates Stadium, and whether he could make a significant contribution to the team?
The unknown is what stirs people's infinite imagination and curiosity.
The second point was because of the media's enthusiastic praise for him—his three amazing record-breaking statistics in the EFL Championship, and his experience leading the team to Promotion to the Super League.
This expectation is actually somewhat similar to the first point, or rather, they interact with each other.
The more the media praised Maël, the more unknown and intriguing he became to Arsenal fans.
This experience of needing to open a blind box for their own team member made them feel both anxious and deeply fascinated! On August 2nd, still at the Capital Workers Stadium, Arsenal's last pre-season friendly match kicked off.
Their opponent was Boca Juniors, a powerhouse team from the Argentine Super League.
Due to the short interval from the previous match, Wenger sent out a substitute lineup for this round, planning to bring on the main lineup in the 70th-80th minute for a final warm-up.
Maël sat on the bench by the field, next to Van Persie, watching the game.
Arsenal's substitute lineup was quite strong, constantly suppressing Boca Juniors and creating many scoring opportunities, almost scoring several times.
"Riquelme."
Van Persie looked at the midfielder wearing the number 10 jersey for Boca Juniors on the field and smiled, "Some say he is the last classic midfielder."
"I've heard of him too."
Maël had noticed him early on. This should be the end of Riquelme's career. His footwork still retained seven or eight tenths of its former skill, but unfortunately, he was old and unable to run like he did when he was young.
When facing Arsenal's fresh troops, he seemed a bit overwhelmed.
"Bang!"
In the 41st minute of the match, the first goal finally arrived. Gervinho, Arsenal's new signing on the right wing, broke into the penalty area and scored with a shot into the far corner.
"Oh!" A burst of cheers erupted from the Arsenal fans in the stadium. Today's attendance was somewhat lower than the last game, but it was still around 80%.
Many who didn't get to see the top European clubs battle yesterday came to the stadium today to see the clash between the Premier League giants and the Argentine Super League giants.
The second goal came somewhat late. In the 74th minute of the match, Wilshere, receiving the ball in the center, scored with a Curved Shot, once again bringing the atmosphere to a climax.
"Beautiful!"
Maël stood up and applauded his friend. Two days ago, Wilshere didn't get many opportunities to play and complained a lot when he got back.
This shot should have released all the pent-up resentment.
Hopefully, he'll perform well in the Premier League this new season and not get injured so much.
After this goal, Wenger withdrew seven or eight players from the starting lineup and replaced them with seven or eight fresh troops to fight.
Maël didn't come on, seemingly because Wenger thought he was charging too hard when he played and needed to rest well.
That was fine too. On his last day in his hometown, he could be a spectator, enjoy the team's game, and build up strength for the upcoming Premier League.
"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
Finally, when the referee blew the whistle to end the match, the score was fixed at two to zero, and Arsenal easily defeated Boca Juniors.
"Can I exchange jerseys with you?"
Back in the player tunnel, a not-so-standard English suddenly sounded next to Maël. He turned his head in surprise and saw a young face.
Someone wanted to exchange jerseys with him?
Was this Paredes?
Maël wasn't sure until he reached out and took Paredes' jersey, seeing his name on the back before he felt relieved.
"I watched the game two days ago."
Paredes said with a youthful and cheerful smile, "You're too strong, brother. You're only a year older than me, but your performance is something I might not catch up to in ten years."
"Thank you." Maël generously accepted the compliment, took off his jersey, and handed it to Paredes.
"Keep it up!" Paredes took the jersey, his face full of excitement, "I'll be watching your performance at Arsenal, and I hope to come to Europe to see you soon."
"Keep it up." Maël encouraged him with a fist bump. After saying that, he turned his head and took one last look at the magnificent Capital Workers Stadium, and at the lovely Chinese fans.
It's time to say goodbye. I hope that when I return here next time, I can come back with a more successful identity.
Next, let's turn our attention to the new season of the Premier League!
That night, Maël flew back to London with the team. He was exhausted and slept for nearly 20 hours after returning home.
After waking up, he was troubled by jet lag and rested for a day without any training.
"I heard you did well."
Since Safina moved into Maël's house, her dressing style has become more relaxed. This day, she came out wearing a black V-neck home outfit, paired with a fishtail skirt, outlining her full and plump figure.
While pouring Maël fat-free yogurt, she asked, "Scored 2 goals?"
"And 2 assists." Maël yawned, feeling a little sleepy.
Safina handed the yogurt to Maël, sat next to him, and asked, "Do you know the Premier League Golden Boot odds list?"
"No idea."
Maël drank while turning to look at her, puzzled, "What's wrong? Do you want to bet on me? I'll say it first, no guaranteed wins."
He didn't even need to think about betting. All his bank accounts and family accounts were under the supervision of The FA.
Even betting on himself to win, to give himself some motivation, was not allowed. Once found out, the ban could be indefinite.
The later case of Tonali of Newcastle United was a good example. Originally carrying the expectations of fans around the world, he suddenly had a thunderous ban, wasting a lot of time during an important period of growth.
"Haha..." Safina covered her mouth and laughed, shaking her head, "Then do you have any recommendations? Van Persi? Rooney?"
"Let me think."
Maël began to consider for her. As a player, he still had some unique insights in this area.
But after thinking about it, thinking about himself... he could only say his true thoughts: "If you really have to bet, I suggest betting on me, just a little.
"Because if you bet on someone else, if I have a chance to compete with him for the Golden Boot, wouldn't I have to move forward with your resentful gaze, carrying a heavy burden?"
The two looked at each other and laughed. Safina knew that Maël's last sentence was a joke, and the initial motivation for her asking this question was actually to bet a little on Maël, to give her employer some motivation.
"I decided to buy 3k each with Harry."
Safina said with a smile, "Just buy a week's salary, it's affordable even with no risk. If you really hit it, it's a considerable income."
"I suspect you're putting pressure on me." Maël leaned back on the sofa, raising his eyebrows, "But it's also motivation, I'll work hard."
"This won't affect you, will it?"
"3k won't."
The next day, Maël followed Davis and José again to conduct physical and personal skills training. This was the last chance for rapid improvement before the start of the season.
After the season started, his training tasks would have to be reduced a lot, and more energy would have to be put into the team's schedule.
Taking advantage of these last few days, Maël frantically practiced the Frequency of his feet, increasing the duration of Speed training in both skill training and physical training.
In the match against Bayern, he found that his Ball Control ability still had no advantage when facing top teams.
He couldn't always use explosive sprints to attack the opponent's defense. There were opponents with parked buses, opponents with positional warfare, and opponents with various styles. Not all teams were as aggressive as Bayern.
On August 12th, with only two days left before the start of the Premier League, the Speed that Maël had been focusing on practicing these days ushered in an upgrade.
[Additional Skill: Rhythm lv3]
[Proficiency: (1/1500)]
[Effect: After slowly mastering extremely fast foot Frequency, you begin to pursue changes in dribbling Rhythm. You gradually find a sense of Rhythm above Ball Control, but there is still some distance from changing 'Rhythm' at will.]
Rhythm!
"So the next level should be Variation and Change of Direction?"
A few strands of excitement rose in Maël's heart, speculating on the lv4 of this ability.
After slowly mastering the basic Speed, the additional skill allowed him to master a certain sense of Ball Control Rhythm, so step by step, the next level should be Change?
At that time, it would be a pure increase in breakthrough ability, right?
"Keep practicing!"
Maël strengthened his belief and opened the proficiency panel of other skills, watching the proficiency progress of other skills being trained.
[Skill: Power Side Foot lv3]
[Proficiency: (1712/2000)]
[Skill: Ball Control lv3]
[Proficiency: (731/2000)]
[Skill: Stamina lv3]
[Proficiency: (439/2000)]
"Power Side Foot should reach lv4 by the end of this month."
Maël simply calculated the training speed after the start of the season and came to a prediction. By then, his lv4-level arsenal would be very abundant.
Summarizing his existing abilities:
Cannon Shot lv4, Arc Guiding lv4, Curved Blade lv4, Arcing Instep lv4, Godly Strength lv4, Sprint lv4, Coordination lv4, Judgment of Situation lv3, Power Side Foot lv3, Stamina lv3, Ball Control lv3, Rhythm lv3, Bicycle Dribbling lv3, Step-Over Shoulder Feint lv3!
He is about to step onto the Premier League arena with these hard-earned abilities!! ps: I've become a grind lord, writing until now, asking for monthly tickets.
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