"One to zero! Manchester City wins the Manchester Derby! The suspense for the championship remains until the 36th round of the league!" - Sky Sports
"A challenge, an opportunity. If successful in defeating Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal will directly lift the Premier League trophy with the joy of victory!" - The Times
"It is rumored that French Team coach Deschamps will be present to watch the match between Arsenal and Manchester City. Both teams have several potential members of the French Team! Of course, the main purpose is to observe the performance of the attacking core, Maël!" - The Mirror
"Two titles in three years? Maël may win his third career title this month, which will also be the most valuable title under his name!" - AS
"Wenger's coaching career takes a turn for the better! He and the club he loves are about to usher in a moment of blossoming after withering!" - All Sports
After the Manchester Derby, the topic of Arsenal winning the championship became completely heated.
People often mentioned it before, but mostly focusing on one point, or more or less suppressing their emotions, not daring to fully express them.
But now, they can! Arsenal is likely only one game away from the final championship!
Even if many people doubt whether they can beat Manchester City at home, it will not affect the fact that more people believe they will be able to smoothly overcome this last hurdle! Among many hot news items, a long article from the newspaper The Guardian is particularly outstanding.
Its title is - "Why Arsenal has been able to consistently stay at the top of the standings despite most people not being optimistic, and, based on this, how important Maël is to this team!"
The main text has clear logic and profoundly expounds on three major reasons.
"First, a good team atmosphere. This is an important point that is easily overlooked. Arsenal has hardly had any internal conflicts during the season, and the relationship between the players and the coaching staff is very good.
"Such a team is more stable and more focused. They have no troublesome things to deal with and only need to concentrate on all fronts.
"Achieving this is not easy. In fact, they have had a lot of personnel changes this season.
"From the departure of Fabregas, Nasri, and Clichy at the beginning of the season, to the successive arrival of Maël, Arteta, Mertesacker, Chamberlain, and André Gómez.
"Then to the later departure of Chamakh and Arshavin, and the entry of Kyle Walker and Henry into the team.
"Their starting lineup and rotation lineup have almost completed a major reshuffle compared to last season, but everyone still gets along very well.
"Except for Maël and Gilbert (currently on loan) having a fight with Fabregas before the season, they have not had any conflicts during the season, which is very rare."
"..."
"To explain the reasons for achieving this, I will start with Maël.
"After gaining honors in the EFL Championship, he has accumulated some experience, which makes him more confident. So, when he first came to the team, he established his authority through the soon-to-leave Fabregas.
"This is not a good method, even rude. Maybe he didn't have this purpose at the time, just got carried away.
"But it has a certain effect in the early stage. No one despises him anymore, treats him as a child, and no core player or competitor dares to easily exclude him.
"After that, everyone knows that he conquered everyone with his ability and brought the hope of a championship!
"As this ray of hope becomes stronger and stronger, he gradually has the influence to change this team and suppress some possible conflicts.
"First of all, when the four new players arrived, he and Van Persie warmly entertained them at their home, turning them into players in their own camp, which prevented the old players from excluding Arteta and the other three.
"The same goes for Kyle Walker later. He came to this team to some extent because of Maël.
"All the new players integrated into this team exceptionally smoothly and immediately found their place, giving full play to their immediate combat power. It is hard to say that this has nothing to do with Maël.
"Secondly, at the beginning of the season, as his tactical position became higher and higher, gradually replacing Van Persie as the number one core, it stands to reason that Van Persie would definitely be dissatisfied.
"But the latter did not... On the one hand, Maël did not give him a chance to perceive the threat. He established his core position through several games.
"When Van Persie reacted, Maël had become very strong, and he no longer had any certainty of overwhelming the other party.
"On the other hand, as he himself said, Maël's brilliance is phenomenal. This player does not steal their opportunities, and even creates new opportunities for them, so why should they fight?
"Van Persie has been at Arsenal for almost 8 years and has not won a Premier League title. When the hope of a championship appears, he will of course actively seek a way to coexist with Maël, and even sacrifice himself in exchange for honor.
"The same goes for others. When the team shows championship competitiveness and becomes a title-contending team, they must put themselves in the right position, otherwise they will be quickly abandoned.
"Moving forward with everyone, you may happily win the championship; opposing everyone, you will have nothing.
"In general, it is Maël who keeps this team living in hope, and such a team is difficult to develop internal rifts!
"This is his contribution!"
"..."
"Secondly, the team's diverse tactics. This is very obvious, and fans who often watch Arsenal games can feel it.
"Arsenal has faced some difficulties this season, and they have sometimes been contained and suppressed by their opponents. But in the second half of the season, I think the team has played most of their games very easily.
"This is because they can now play in multiple formations such as 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-2-4, and even three-at-the-back, and they are adept at using tactics such as ball control, short passing, long passing, and direct attacks.
"In the game, the interchanging of positions of various players is also common, as if they always have a way to win the game."
"Wenger is not the best tactical master, note, just not the best, he is still top-notch, but he has led Arsenal to play the best and most flexible Football."
"."
"To explain this reason, yes, you guessed it, it still comes down to Maël.
"The player is becoming more and more versatile, Wenger has discovered this and reasonably applied him to the team.
"At the beginning of the season, Maël was just a pure winger, but later Wenger gradually discovered that he could also play well when he retreated to the midfield, and the player's assist and advancing abilities were very strong.
"Later, Wenger discovered that he could even play as a center forward, and as a wing-back.
"I even think it's possible for him to play as a center-back... just kidding.
"Back to the player, when you have a player who is versatile in multiple positions and is of top-notch level in all of them, your tactical arrangement will definitely appear unpredictable and varied.
"In general, it's still Maël, his huge tactical role allows the team to have more means! Enough to cope with all kinds of emergencies!"
"."
"Thirdly, the team's performance is very stable, the players have extremely strong confidence, and have hardly suffered any setbacks! "This can be linked to the above two points, and it can also be regarded as a final summary.
"It is precisely because of the harmony within the team and the variety of tactical play that they can cope with each opponent more easily, and even if they concede a goal first, they can fight back through effective tactical adjustments!
"Over time, the team has become more and more stable, the players' confidence has become higher and higher, and thus a virtuous circle has been achieved, becoming extremely dominant!"
"And the reason for explaining this is very simple.
"Maël, he brought all of this, and supported all of this with 60+ data in a single season, so that this high-rise building he built with his own hands almost collapsed several times but did not collapse!
"He played not only an important role in it, but even a decisive role, without him there would be none of this! "When such a perfect team appears in the league, they only need to do their best and wait for their competitors to make mistakes.
"No one can challenge their position, they are a well-deserved Premier League powerhouse!"
"."
"I didn't want to write a long article to discuss how important Maël is to this team, but as people often say, people often have a lag in their perception of happiness.
"I just hope that everyone will realize earlier what kind of player he is and what kind of changes he has brought to the team.
"This Arsenal, unprecedentedly united and powerful, has a chance to create a great cause!
"Not only the upcoming double crown, not even just the Champions League, maybe they will do something more special.
"I want to say something that may be controversial, the Arsenal team that Maël is in is stronger than any Arsenal in history!
"Maybe they weren't at the beginning of the season, nor in the middle of the season, but until the end of the season, they showed such competitiveness! "Whether it is the single-season goal record broken by individual players, and the single-season assist record that is about to be broken.
"Or the team breaking the highest number of wins and the highest score, and having the opportunity to create the highest score and the highest number of wins in league history, all illustrate this point! "In today's era of rampant money Football, in today's era of using money to build strength and honor, they have only leveraged the strength of the entire team by relying on the growth and influence of one player! "If Maël really accompanies this team for a long time, he will become the most special player in the history of Football!!"
"."
This report caused a sensation as soon as it was published, because it revealed some details that fans did not know.
Also because it is very long and has many key points, this also makes it easy for many video bloggers to select some important clips and post them on Twitter and Facebook with text and music.
Ray of hope!
Almighty!
Bring confidence and Strength to others!
These keywords that once appeared on Maël were completely tied to him this time and became his labels.
Everyone understood his importance to this team and even to the world of Football! More people became his fans, and his Twitter and Facebook fans are about to exceed 25 million respectively! People are focusing on the players, wanting to see the moment when he truly leads Arsenal to a perfect ending! In the following week, Maël's life was very regular. He didn't pay attention to the outside world's comments, nor did he pay attention to the major media's hype about the heat of the championship battle.
He just focused on himself, eating and sleeping as usual, doing what he should do, and joking with his teammates as before.
"Ah!"
During training this afternoon, he rolled his eyes in pain as he watched Sagna miss a backheel pass after he had dribbled past four players.
"Sagna." He then smiled and looked at Sagna, "Do you know why your goal count is still less than Koscielny's?" "Because your eyes are always squinting, every time you want to push to the far corner, you will push it out of the baseline.
"You need to change your approach, aim for the center, that's the only way to get the ball into the sweet spot."
"Haha...!" His words instantly drew laughter from the other players, and many assistant coaches turned their heads away to chuckle.
Sagna did have a bit of a squint, often blasting shots towards the far corner only to send the ball wide; the description was quite apt.
But put that way, Sagna did sound a bit abstract.
"What are you talking about?" Sagna protested, scratching the left side of his head with his right hand. "I just think the success rate is higher when shooting for the far corner."
"No, no, no, it's ingrained in your bones," Maël pointed at his hand and smiled. "Look, even when you scratch your head, you like to use your backhand, you always prefer to move with your hands and feet turned in."
"Haha...!" The laughter on the training ground grew louder, and their subsequent training session was spent in a joyful atmosphere. The team's morale was excellent.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten that the title decider was just around the corner, simply enjoying the pleasant afternoon and the wonderful time of playing football with their brothers.
As far as they were concerned, they no longer needed to pay too much attention to their opponents. As long as they adjusted their condition and went out with their best face, they would have the confidence to take the victory! After training, Maël returned home for physiotherapy and massage.
These past two days, he had been adding half an hour of meditation to his extra training, with the aim of relaxing his brain, summarizing the past, and sorting out the future.
Sorting out the future had been consistently effective; his goals were very clear, and he had a good sense of direction for the road ahead.
After winning the Premier League title, he would pursue his first lv5 skill, and use that as a starting point to gradually complete the iteration of all his skills from lv4 to lv5, truly becoming a player of unparalleled level!
At the same time, he would also check for and fill in any gaps, such as the fancy skills he was currently practicing, and the more diverse shooting and passing abilities he had yet to practice.
If he wanted to achieve true all-round ability, what he currently possessed was definitely not enough.
At that time, he would try comprehensive training to see if he could unlock comprehensive 'shooting' or 'passing' abilities, with additional skills that would improve his weaknesses.
"And then, there's the European Cup."
He looked forward to it with anticipation; it was his first major international tournament, and he longed to win that extremely important trophy.
These were basically his goals for improving his personal strength and pursuing competitive honors in the future, which were quite clear.
But... for some reason, Maël's attempts to summarize the past during meditation had not been very effective.
Countless important moments, brilliant flashes, plus an EFL Championship title and an EFL Cup title – that was all he had.
A lot, but also very little... two completely different but intertwined feelings appeared in his heart, giving him a sense of division.
Everything seemed to be urging him to move forward quickly, to win more important honors, to have more, to get closer to his ultimate goal! First, win the Premier League title!
That way, he would have two of the four titles in the English professional system, and he would not be far from a domestic Grand Slam!
At the same time, he longed to win all the individual awards in these four competitions. He had already done it in the EFL Cup, but he didn't know about the Premier League yet.
If he achieved that, he would only be two relatively simple steps away from a domestic All-Grand Slam!
Now, adjust your condition and prepare for the title decider on the 28th... He had been longing for the first top-flight league title of his career for a long time!
From April 24th, the major English media outlets had been waiting at London's airports, staking out to photograph the celebrities who were coming to watch the title decider.
On the afternoon of April 25th, some superstars who had specially arranged commercial performances in London arrived first.
"Oh!"
Amidst the cheers of fans, David Beckham and NFL superstar Tom Brady appeared, walking into the parking lot with their hands in their pockets. After getting into their private cars, they headed to the event venue.
In the afternoon, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton also arrived in London, enthusiastically greeting some fans wearing Arsenal jerseys.
He was also an Arsenal fan, and while signing autographs for the fans, he did not forget to wave and shout, "Arsenal will win! We will take back the title!"
After that, people also photographed super-agent Mendes arriving in London, followed by Maël's rumored girlfriend Isabella hurrying out with her suitcase.
The next day, other big-name Arsenal fans also arrived in London one after another.
In the sports world, there was George Weah, who had won the Ballon d'Or and was now in politics in Liberia, British tennis star Murray, long-distance running star Farah, and a group of snooker players including O'Sullivan.
There were more people from the entertainment industry: Daisy Ridley, Colin Firth, the Rolling Stones' Jagger, singer Dido, actors Andrew Garfield, Witherspoon, and others all attended.
There were many celebrity Gunner fans around the world, and these were just the ones who had free time. There were too many others who were unable to attend due to their busy schedules.
They all wanted to be there to accompany the team through this important journey.
On the evening of April 26th, a bombshell piece of news appeared on the internet.
"Queen Elizabeth II will appear at the Emirates Stadium as a fan, watching this title decider with Kroenke! Rumor has it that the Queen has long expressed that she is an Arsenal fan." – Daily Mail
Immediately following was April 27th, when the American Washington Post dropped a bombshell: "Kim Kardashian, a self-proclaimed Arsenal fan, will fly to London with her daughter to watch Arsenal's most important match in seven years."
These heavy news items, along with the arrival of various celebrities in London, brought the excitement surrounding the match to its peak.
People from all over the world gradually focused their attention on London, on the Emirates Stadium, and many outside the football circle learned the name of the team's core player, Maël.
If it were just a Premier League title, it might not have had this kind of impact.
But Arsenal winning the Premier League again after seven years was a completely different story! After experiencing the glory of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the club had been in decline for a long time, and now it was returning in its best form.
People wanted to witness this moment, to witness this football fairytale, to see if Wenger would cry tears of joy at the end, and whether the supernova Maël would wear the crown.
And as things developed to this point, this match slowly became one that Arsenal couldn't afford to lose, or even draw! They carried too many expectant gazes, either winning the championship in the midst of the highest acclaim, or experiencing the bitterness of 'losing the title' with regret, even though they still had a great chance.
On the evening of April 27th, scalpers outside the Emirates Stadium were swarmed, and tickets changed hands one after another.
At 9 p.m., news broke that scalped tickets had been driven up to £7,500, but by 10:30 p.m., the highest transaction price had reached £12,000 per ticket, an increase of nearly 100 times.
And this was far from the limit; until the kickoff the next day, this number would continue to rise due to the huge demand.
In the nearby bar streets, Arsenal fans had almost taken over all the pubs, starting to drink early and chatting idly about everything related to tomorrow's match.
In Jones Tavern, Jones was unusually sober for once, discussing tomorrow's arrangements with everyone.
"There are 38 banners in total, plus 2 blank ones, all here."
He stood in front of a thick stack of Oxford cloth, clapping his hands with a smile and saying, "Since I queued for so long to help everyone grab seats together, everyone will listen to my arrangements tomorrow, one person holding one, okay?"
"I counted, there are 37 of us, so the remaining 3 will be given to nearby fans to hold."
"What is this?" Someone came up and looked curiously at the stack of Oxford cloth.
"Maël's 38 Goals: The Complete Record."
Jones said proudly, raising his eyebrows, "Creative, right? As long as we unfold the banners together, all of the player's Premier League goals this season will be displayed on the field like a comic strip."
"Wow..." The person looked shocked. "This must have cost a lot of money, right? Should we split the cost?"
"No need." Jones waved his hand like a tycoon. "I'll cover it all myself. He's helped me win so much, I have to help him win once in the stands too!"
"Haha..." Many people laughed with emotion, not expecting Jones to have this kind of heart.
"What are the 2 blank ones for?" Someone asked curiously again.
"Representing a kind of meaning, I guess." Jones revealed a smile, talking about his idea, "I hope he can score 2 goals in this match, completing his 40th goal of the season.
"Alright, alright, enough talk, everyone come up and take one each."
His drinking buddies came forward to take the banners, and the tavern was immediately in chaos, as if holding some secret ritual.
But they all understood that this kind of surprise required advance preparation, and dedication of time and effort.
A young man also took this opportunity to come to Jones' side, reaching out to Jones, "Hello, I'm Allen, I'd like to ask you some questions."
"What?" Jones turned to look at him, sizing him up while shaking his hand.
"I've heard people talk about your All In theory, and I feel very much in agreement." Allen started with a compliment, then went straight to the point, "I'd like to ask you what you think about the European Cup? Does Maël have a chance?"
Jones' brow furrowed slowly, and after considering for a moment, he shook his head and said, "I haven't studied that competition, and I'm not planning to bet anymore. It's time to stop; prolonged gambling is sure to lead to losses."
Allen stared at Jones in surprise isn't that an inappropriate thing for you to say?
"I think Maël has a good chance at the Golden Boot, and the French Team also has a strong chance of winning the championship."
He was not willing to give up, and said with an awkward smile, "I checked the odds, and putting £10,000 on those two has a return of 22 times."
"Don't talk to me about these things." Jones waved his hand, seeming unwilling to listen, and asked about something else, "Do you want a banner? You have consecutive tickets, right? I remember."
Allen nodded with a disappointed expression, pursing his lips and saying, "I'll take one, I'll be watching tomorrow too."
"Okay." Jones threw him one, still a blank page, which looked very out of place compared to the others.
This made Allen even more upset. He looked at Jones' departing back, secretly resolving in his heart that one day, he would also become a Maël fan with such influence.
For him, there was only one opportunity: the European Cup, which was about to kick off in June! April 28th, match day.
Everything became tense, and this day was destined to be different.
Maël woke up from his villa in the morning, went downstairs and did a set of restorative exercises, and after finishing, he subconsciously glanced at the proficiency panel.
Skill: Sprint lv4
Proficiency: (987/5000)
Skill: Godly Strength lv4
Proficiency: (512/5000)
Skill: Judgment lv4
Proficiency: (1592/5000)
Skill: Brutal Shot lv4
Proficiency: (1378/2000)
Skill: Fancy Breakthrough lv3
Proficiency: (748/2000)
Additional Skill: Fancy Skills lv1
Proficiency: (1361/1500)
The improvement speed was about the same as he had estimated. Fancy Skills was one step away from lv2, and Brutal Shot was also closer to lv5.
He then calculated the improvement speed of other skills, mainly to distract himself and avoid constantly thinking about the upcoming game, which would affect his condition.
In the morning, he ate fried eggs with some vegetables and fruits, and then sat on the sofa watching videos of previous games.
Two hours later, the doorbell rang.
"Ding dong dong dong...!"
Isabella, wearing an Arsenal jersey, appeared outside the door. She was probably wearing super-short denim shorts, but they were not visible under the overly long clothes. All that could be seen were her slender white legs and small white sneakers.
In her right hand, she was carrying a bag, which seemed to be full of things, bulging out.
"Guess what I brought?"
Isabella greeted Maël with a sweet smile. After walking to Maël's side, she kissed him before saying, "Everything you need for a men's makeover! I want to try to give you the coolest look.
"This is a very important day for you. I see celebrities from all over the world are here, and you must not lose to them in terms of image."
As if afraid that Maël would overthink, she added with a little arrogance, "After all, my boy is about to become an international superstar, and I'm optimistic that you will surpass them in all aspects in the future."
"Ah," Maël glanced at her bag and subconsciously said, "It should be a lot of trouble, right? And the game is so intense, if the wind blows or someone bumps into you, everything will be ruined."
"Oh dear." Isabella's enthusiasm was not dampened. She came to Maël's side, "Even if it rains, it's okay, trust me, ha.
"Go take a shower or wash your hair first, and then I'll help you."
Maël couldn't resist her, so he had to go upstairs to take a shower, and came down with wet hair after washing.
"Let's go." Isabella held the bag in one hand and took his hand in the other, smiling as she walked towards the bathroom.
"Buzz buzz!" The sound of the hair dryer rang out as she blew Maël's hair with one hand, the distance between the two only about a fist's length.
Maël would sometimes playfully lean forward, pretending to kiss her face.
Isabella dodged back and forth, and sometimes when she couldn't dodge, she would take the hair dryer away and kiss Maël for a while.
"Giggle...giggle giggle...!"
Her laughter often echoed in the bathroom. Just listening to it, one could feel how happy she was at this moment, which made Safina and Harry in the living room look at each other and shrug slightly.
The first makeover failed. Isabella probably hadn't done a man's hair before, and she messed up Maël's hairstyle, making it a complete mess, even strange.
"Haha..." This time it was Maël's turn to laugh, while she stood there with a look of self-blame and embarrassment.
"It's okay."
Maël rubbed her head and comforted her, "It's also good this way, more outstanding, everyone can see me at a glance."
He didn't blame her. Isabella's arrival shifted his attention, which was very important before the game.
This kind of adjustment and relaxation was an effect that he couldn't achieve on his own.
Maël quickly went to the shower room to wash his hair again. The second time Isabella did much better. Her aesthetic sense in the clothing industry was definitely online.
Finally, after three attempts at adjusting, Maël walked out of the bathroom under Isabella's expectant gaze, appearing before Harry and Safina.
"I think it looks good." Harry leaned back on the table with his hands, nodding with a smile, "Just don't mess it up when you're changing, and don't let Van Persie and the others ruffle it."
"Agreed."
Safina also raised her right hand, raising an eyebrow and saying, "You still need to tidy up more, let Isabella teach you more, or help you more."
Maël turned to look at Isabella, seeing her biting her lip and smiling, her head held high as if waiting for praise.
He pinched her cheek and then walked towards the living room.
Mendes arrived soon after. He had met with Maël a couple of days ago, but he heard that he had been negotiating contracts with several companies these past two days.
"You're both here." After meeting them, he patted Maël on the shoulder and asked with a smile, "How are you feeling now? Nervous?"
"Not really." Maël's attention had been on Isabella just now, so he didn't have time to be nervous at all.
"That's good."
Mendes noticed his hair, his eyes flickered, knowing it was probably Isabella's doing, and he took a step back, cheerfully saying, "Since coming to London, you've really had both career and love flourishing, you're too enviable."
Maël smiled and didn't say anything, then glanced at Isabella, finding her a little embarrassed.
Looking at it now, her asking him to be a spokesperson back then did seem like a deliberate move to get to know him, especially in Mendes's eyes, who was the first to contact her.
"Too fast, too fast."
Mendes sighed twice in a row, not knowing what he was referring to. He walked to the sofa and sat down, jokingly saying to Maël, "Hey, do you know what I was thinking when I signed the bonus contract with Arsenal back then?"
"I can guess."
"Haha... I wonder if you remember the bonuses for finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League group stage in your Arsenal bonus contract?"
Mendes couldn't help but smile, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, "I was thinking at the time that these were more practical goals, the championship bonus was too far, too far away.
"Who would have thought that after winning the EFL Cup, you would soon be close to winning the Premier League title as well.
"If you succeed this time, you will immediately get a bonus of £4 million, and Puma's basic endorsement fee will also increase to £3.85 million.
"A great harvest! Both in terms of honor and money, it's all like that."
He looked at Maël appreciatively, as if he had endless things to say, "Your goals are also getting closer, whether it's the Grand Slam or becoming the best player in the world, these seem to be visible and tangible.
"At least they no longer seem so illusory."
Mendes suddenly remembered a deep conversation he had with Abramovich and said with a smile, "Of course, you have another goal, which is to become an immortal legend of this club.
"This goal is also just one step away. If you can really lead Arsenal to win the title undefeated and immediately announce your retirement, you will be regarded as an immortal legend by Arsenal fans."
"Haha...!"
Maël laughed with him, wondering if Mendes was implying that it was difficult for current players to get a similar title.
When players achieve important accomplishments, fans may need a reaction and buffer time to realize what it all means.
In fact, not only fans, but he himself also needs time, which is very normal.
Just do it first, don't think too much about this aspect, when everything falls into place, everything that should be there will be there! "Ding-dong!"
The doorbell rang at this moment, and Safina went to open the door, seeing Maël's uncle, aunt, and their family of five standing outside the door.
"Brother!" Ava was still the first to run over, throwing herself into Maël's waist, her eyes twinkling as she opened her arms towards Maël.
Maël picked her up, circled around the living room a few times, and kissed her cheek.
"Giggle..." Ava was very happy, she also noticed Isabella, reaching out to her, she remembered that the pretty sister always brought her candy.
Maël felt that she wanted to go to Isabella, put her down, and smiled at his uncle and aunt.
The originally deserted living room was becoming more and more lively, his fan group had all rushed over, ready to gather here and go to the stadium.
They all knew that this was his important moment, so naturally they wouldn't be absent.
The only regret was that his best friend Gilbert wasn't here, he also had a league match to play today.
"Maël, good luck." Aunt Betty came up and shook her fist at him, they didn't seem so unfamiliar with each other now, "The last time I saw you win a championship on the spot was at Sheffield United.
"I hope we can see you win a championship in London today, that will definitely be a different feeling."
"Yeah." Clermont walked over and pinched Maël's arm. "Emirates Stadium is so big, celebrating with the fans here must be a unique feeling."
Maël nodded at them with a smile and asked, "How are we getting there later? With so many people, we'll need at least three cars."
"I'll take care of it." Mendes took over the task. They were all watching the game in the box Maël had booked, so they could leave together.
"Okay."
Maël glanced at the time. It was already afternoon, and he planned to go upstairs to rest for a while and prepare some things he needed for the game. "Everyone, feel free to look around here. The room is big and has a lot of entertainment facilities."
"I'm going upstairs to prepare. The game starts in a little over three hours."
"Go ahead!"
"We believe in you!"
"Big brother is the best!"
A group of people waved at him, cheering him on. Today was definitely going to be an extraordinary day.
"BBC's latest news, it's 5:30 PM! There are still two hours until the game starts!"
"We've seen an incredible scene outside the stadium. Arsenal fans have completely surrounded the road where the team buses will pass! They're waving their team flags, waiting for today's protagonist to arrive! "At least 20,000 people are packed into this street, and their shouts are very powerful. We can hear that the nearby streets are the same! "I estimate that at least 150,000 Arsenal fans have come to North London. Most of them don't have tickets, but they plan to watch the game nearby and support the team in their quest for the championship!"
"The bus is coming in the distance! We can see the Manchester City team logo!"
"There aren't enough police officers on site. The Manchester City bus has been surrounded by Arsenal fans. Someone set off red smoke bombs, and countless people are taking videos with their phones!"
"Let's listen to the live sound. Cameraman, please turn up the volume on the recording equipment!"
"..."
"Come on Arsenal! Come on Arsenal!! Come on Arsenal!!"
Near the bus, Arsenal fans chanted in unison, their momentum magnificent and deafening, with echoing sounds coming from nearby streets.
The Manchester City bus was moving at a speed of one meter every few seconds. They had considered this when they decided to arrive half an hour early. They had anticipated how difficult this stretch of road would be.
"Nasri, you'll regret it! Clichy, cry! We're going to win the championship after you leave!"
Mockery became the main theme. After taking pictures, the fans raised their middle fingers, venting the resentment and anger that had been building up since Nasri and Clichy left last summer.
"You have nothing! Mancini led you to the abyss! Wenger and Maël are leading us to victory!"
"One Maël! Is equal to two Nasris + one Fabregas! A new person has taken up the Gunner's flag!"
"So what if you have money? We're the ones who are about to win the championship!"
"Come on Arsenal!"
This behavior definitely had some schadenfreude to it. There are many factors involved in player transfers, and it doesn't seem very humane to brand the players who leave as traitors and enemies.
But selling the captain every year!
Selling the core players every year! Watching the future stars that the team had focused on developing and placed high hopes on leave! Only the Arsenal fans themselves know the grievances in their hearts. They had been waiting to strike back after the team's revival.
They couldn't abandon their position and just wanted to vent. Their love had turned to hate.
"Clang clang clang clang...!"
Subsequently, Maël's Song also quickly rang out in the nearby streets, equally powerful.
Arsenal fans poured all their passion and enthusiasm into the song, with the aim of letting the players who had once enjoyed this treatment know that now, they had new pride and new hope! And he had accomplished the miraculous achievements that all those who left had failed to achieve, leading the team to revival!
"I have a friend!!"
On the bus, Nasri happened to be sitting next to Clichy. Listening to the singing outside the window, both of them closed their eyes tightly, pretending to be resting.
But the mess and complexity in their emotions were still evident on their faces. No one could be indifferent at this time.
They had returned here once during the season, but at that time, they would not have thought that this team could be so close to the Premier League title at the end of the season! And most likely, lift the championship trophy after defeating them head-on! "We can't lose." Nasri communicated with Clichy in a very low voice, "We definitely can't lose."
"I know."
Clichy didn't turn his head, still with his eyes closed. He paused for a long time and sighed softly, "Will you regret it?"
Nasri suddenly became quiet, even his breathing stopped. After a long time, he laughed absurdly, "Is there any point in saying this now? Don't you think it's too childish?"
"Yeah, right." Clichy raised his eyebrows helplessly, laughing at himself.
Mancini, sitting in the front row, listened to the sounds outside the window, a hint of regret showing on his face.
If those lost matches had gone just a bit better, perhaps the scene outside the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season would have been like this today.
Unfortunately, opportunity knocks but once, and this season belongs to Arsenal.
"Aaaahh!" The shouts outside the window suddenly increased in volume, as if the fans' attention had been drawn to something new.
Many Manchester City players turned to look and saw Arsenal's team bus arriving behind their own, amidst a spectacle of fireworks.
"Everything was going Ma-ehl! Ma-ehl!"
"Walking in a Van Persie wonderland!"
New songs began to rise as the fans orderly stepped back, clearing a wide path for the team bus, not making things difficult for the motorcycle police leading the way.
"Arsenal's bus has arrived as well! The streets are still crazy, but noticeably less chaotic!
"At this rate, they might catch up to the Manchester City bus and arrive at the entrance of the Emirates Stadium together!
"That's the end of my report. Now, we'll focus on the entrance, where my partner will bring you the pre-match commentary!"
"This is Sky Sports UK! We're delighted to be with you today from the Emirates Stadium!"
At the entrance, Martin Tyler from Sky Sports held a microphone, surrounded by commentators from many other television stations, all talking at once, making the place seem chaotic but also very lively.
"We can see that both team buses have parked nearby, and the players are about to get off and enter the stadium! This is definitely the hottest match of the Premier League season, and the fans' enthusiasm is unimaginable!
"I'd love to join them, but unfortunately, I'm not an Arsenal fan, haha...!
"Alright, we see Wenger and Mancini have gotten off the bus. It's quite rare to see both teams entering together like this!
"Let's focus on the players and see how they're doing!"
"..."
"Aha!"
"F*****!"
Amidst the polarized treatment, the Arsenal and Manchester City players walked towards the stadium together.
Maël was the third to get off the bus, a smile on his face the whole time. He had clearly felt the Gunners' fanaticism on the way here and was very much looking forward to the match.
"Maël!"
"Score five today!"
"We want to see you lift the trophy!"
"Go, go, go!!"
The fans shouted enthusiastically at him, many holding up their '7' jerseys and posters, waiting for him to sign them.
He walked over, signed a few autographs, apologized to everyone, and then walked into the stadium.
After entering the tunnel, he somehow felt someone beside him slowing down, seemingly intentionally avoiding walking alongside him.
Maël turned to look and saw Nasri's face, along with the awkwardness and forced composure on it.
He didn't pay it any mind, striding towards the team's locker room, changing into his gear, and then walking onto the Emirates Stadium pitch to start warming up.
Looking at the fans gradually taking their seats and the slogan 'Arsenal vs. Manchester City' on the scoreboard, he knew that perhaps this was the day.
The Premier League trophy that many players wanted but couldn't get, or even dared to dream of, was somewhere in the stadium at this moment, waiting for them to lift it! "*Boom, boom, boom!*"
Maël and his teammates started passing the ball to warm up. His emotions were reaching a peak, as if the air was filled with excitement and the smell of gunpowder.
He knew that countless eyes were focused on the Emirates Stadium, focused on him.
Those fans who loved Arsenal and loved him were all expecting them to lift the trophy today!
This was the most crucial match of the season, and he would never let everyone leave the stadium empty-handed!
"Friends, the Premier League Round 36 match between Arsenal and Manchester City is about to begin! The camera is constantly moving, showing the superstars who have come to watch the game! Ah, first we see Beckham, and next to him are Prince William and Princess Kate, who are chatting about something."
"Queen Elizabeth II is watching from a more private box. We don't know if she will come out to greet everyone after the match starts.
"This is Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback in NFL history!
"This is Dido, a powerful British female singer! Standing next to her is Jagger from the Rolling Stones!
"What a star-studded match! Now appearing on camera are three sports stars that the British people should be very familiar with: Farah, Hamilton, and Murray."
"Ah, Kim Kardashian, who many fans were looking forward to seeing, has appeared on camera. Is she really an Arsenal fan? That remains to be seen, but the people next to her are all wearing Arsenal jerseys! She's dressed very simply today, without heavy makeup, just like a mother watching a game with her child! Of course, as everyone knows, you can't see Kim Kardashian's curves from this angle; she needs to stand up... Okay, let's talk about something serious! Before the match, according to media speculation, Real Madrid president Florentino and Barcelona coach Guardiola will both be in the stands, observing the performance of the super-nova 'Maël'. They should be very interested in the player.
"But even if they are here, it may be difficult for us to see them in the stands. It's not convenient for these people to show up at an Arsenal match.
"The players from both sides seem to be standing in the player tunnel, but because there are too many celebrities in attendance, the broadcast is still introducing them.
"Who is this? It should be Deschamps, the coach of the French Team, who will lead the French Team to the European Cup in June!
"In today's Arsenal squad, there are several players who are potential members of the French Team, including Maël, Sagna, and Koscielny.
"Sagna was not selected for the last squad, but if the player wins the championship with Arsenal, Deschamps will surely notice him! Well, I believe everyone already knows how hot the atmosphere is at the stadium. Now, let everyone focus their attention on the field and wait for the upcoming battle!"
"Beep beep!"
"Clang clang clang clang... Clang clang!"
Amidst the entrance music, the players from both teams, hand-in-hand with young mascots, walked out of the Emirates Stadium and onto the humid field.
Maël walked in the third position in the Arsenal lineup. He turned his head to look at the crowded stadium, smiling and waving to the Arsenal fans.
"Aha!!" Amidst a burst of cheers, he saw that the fans in one section seemed particularly excited, holding up banners in their hands.
There were dozens of banners of different shapes, showing him in various shooting poses wearing Arsenal jerseys of different colors.
He quickly realized that these were his shooting actions for each of his 38 Premier League goals this season.
A smile appeared on Maël's lips, and his face was somewhat moved. The matches and goals along the way flashed before his eyes like a slideshow.
After recalling all the beautiful moments, he turned his gaze to the grass in front of him, the unprecedented Emirates Stadium.
It was time to summarize this season with a match. His efforts and sacrifices deserved a league championship trophy! After completing the final opening ceremony on the field, he stepped towards the left wing position, making his final preparations.
"Come on Arsenal! Come on Arsenal!! Come on Arsenal!!"
A huge wave of cheers erupted from the stadium, with the fans pouring all their expectations into these cheers.
Maël could feel their emotions. His breathing became heavier and heavier, and his desire for victory grew stronger and stronger.
Even though they were still playing in the Emirates Stadium, the people around him hadn't changed, and the fans' voices hadn't changed.
But he knew that this would definitely be a completely different match! Whether they would lift the championship trophy perfectly amidst praise, or regretfully walk out of the stadium in silence, the choice was in their own hands! Everything had been pushed to this point, and they had to fight for the former! As if remembering something, Maël smiled and waved towards a box area in the Section A Stand, making a heart with both hands.
His five family members, five team members, as well as Mendes, Isabella, and others, were all watching from above. He had promised them to make a heart before the match.
"Ah!" A burst of screams rang out, and the Arsenal fans on the same side of the stands all thought that Maël was signaling to them.
Only the people in the box above understood, or more precisely, only Isabella, who was screaming along with the crowd, understood what Maël meant.
"Clap clap clap!"
On the sidelines, Wenger, wearing a black suit today, clapped his hands excitedly and shouted to Maël: "Come on! You can do it! Go and help us win that damn championship trophy! Come on!"
Hans also clapped his hands heavily, his face red, and shouted: "In two hours, the Arsenal fans will definitely be celebrating in the stadium! Maël, we all believe in you, don't be nervous!"
Both of them were uncharacteristically excited today, seemingly involuntarily. This was normal, as today's match was no less than a final battle.
Maël waved to the two of them, then endured the surrounding noise and focused his attention on the field.
"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle to start the match. This championship battle of the 36th round of the Premier League kicked off at the Emirates Stadium!
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