From Arsenal to the Ball God

Clément sighed with emotion, forgetting that he needed to introduce things to his daughter. He smiled at his wife Betty, ”Look at the influence of your nephew. He’s like the Henry of this city.”

”He must be very happy now, right?”

The quiet second brother spoke up, who wasn’t particularly close to Ma’el when they were kids. Seeing Ma’el like this now, his feelings were a bit complicated, ”Playing in such a big city, earning such a high salary, and having so much support.”

”Probably.”

Clément nodded, becoming a bit wistful himself, ”If I could live like this, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams every day, full of energy.”

”Nonsense,” Betty rolled her eyes, hitting back, ”Genius or not, if you had Ma’el’s diligence, you’d achieve something too.”

”Haha.” Clément laughed and didn’t argue back because he knew it was true.

Eva had been keeping her head down trying to avoid the traffic police. Watching everyone chat so enthusiastically, she couldn’t resist her curiosity. She suddenly jumped up and pressed herself against the window.

”Brother!”

She immediately spotted a poster on the opposite side of the street, capturing Ma’el’s face, ”Dad, look, I see him too!”

A team of traffic police was coincidentally at the zebra crossing, and the elder sister quickly pulled her down, covering her mouth, ”Don’t say a word.”

Eva crouched, a bit aggrieved, and pouted, ”Can we see brother tonight?”

”No.” The elder sister replied straightforwardly, giving the little girl no hope, ”Wait a bit, we need to give brother a surprise.”

At this moment, the taxi driver turned around, looking at everyone with slight surprise.

Even with them chatting in French all along, he had already realized they were talking about Ma’el, and they had an extraordinary passion for him.

Originally, he didn’t pay much attention, just assuming they were some foreign fanatics.

But for a group of adults to be fervently admiring Ma’el was normal. How did such a young child become so enthusiastic?

This piqued the driver’s curiosity, and with their French, it led to a bold guess, ”You... you wouldn’t happen to know Ma’el, would you?”

Clément could speak some English, enough for simple communication, ”He’s my nephew and grew up in my family.”

”Oh.”

The impatience on the driver’s face vanished quickly, replaced by enthusiasm, lighting up his expression, ”First time in Sheffield?”

”Yes.” Clément started communicating with him, explaining, ”We’ve never seen him play on the field.”

”I see.”

The driver glanced at Clément, then opened up, talking non-stop, ”Ma’el is a well-known figure in this city. All Sheffield United fans love him.

”Even fans from the local rival team Sheffield Wednesday know we’ve got an outstanding player here.

”By the way, I’m also a Sheffield United fan. If I’d known you were Ma’el’s family, I would’ve driven slower.”

He suddenly hit the brakes and asked, ”Why don’t I give you a free tour around Bramall Lane Stadium and a few fan communities?

”They’d welcome you, and your identity would draw all Sheffield people’s warmth towards you.”

”No need.” Clément was smiling broadly but still waved it off, ”We’ll set our luggage down and wander ourselves.”

The driver raised his eyebrows, then pressed the accelerator again, slightly regretting it as he drove slower, ”The Boxing Day match is about to start. We’re all hoping Ma’el will secure the victory for us.

”You’ve come to watch this match as well, right? By the way, why isn’t Ma’el picking you up?”

His curiosity about Ma’el’s family was natural, as people are always eager to learn more personal details not covered by the media about well-known figures.

”Yes, here to watch the match.”

Clément nodded, replying, ”We want to give him a surprise, so please don’t spill the beans, I’m afraid he’d find out.”

”Oh...” The driver laughed, scratching his head jokingly, ”That’s your Christmas gift to him.”

After thinking for a while, his expression gradually changed, ”Without telling him, what about your tickets?”

”Are tickets hard to get?”

Clément had already been worried about this, and the driver’s shifting expression made his heart sink, ”I was planning to queue up for them later.”

”They were likely sold out yesterday.”

The driver glanced at him, face a mix of misfortune, ”I’d still suggest you tell Ma’el. As a club player, he should have ways to get tickets over.

”If you try buying yourself, you’ll have to pray some scalper resold a block of seats, buying them at multiple times the original price.”

”I’ll think about it.” Clément didn’t dwell on it too much, still immersed in the shock and joy his nephew brought him, not wanting anything else to spoil his mood.

The taxi soon reached their destination, a street with seven or eight hotels, about 2 miles from the city center.

They planned to check into 3 rooms, settling down.

”Fare.”

Clément looked at the amount on the meter and brought out the Pounds he exchanged for in advance.

As he’d guessed, the driver waved it off, ”No need, Ma’el brings us so much joy, it’s nice to repay a little when we can.”

Clément initially intended to thank him, but the driver, assuming he’d start persuading, immediately interrupted, ”But it’s not for a free ride. I’d like a group photo with you and your family of five.”

Sometimes, taking a picture with the star themselves isn’t as valuable as with their family.

Because then, you can brag while chatting that you’re friends with the star’s family, which seems more believable than claiming to be close friends with the celebrity themselves.

And knowing their family naturally allows for an impression that you must surely know the star too.

The driver already visualized future reactions when he showed others his photo with Ma’el’s family.

Later, when a fan brags about their autographed mug from Ma’el, he’d casually pick up his car keys and say, ”Bye, I’m off to have a drink with Ma’el’s uncle.”

”Sure.”

In nearly forty years of life, this was the first time Clément encountered someone wanting a picture with him, and he happily agreed.

The family of five got out of the car, standing on the roadside with shy smiles, experiencing a new life moment.

”Riding on Ma’el’s coattails,” Betty murmured to herself, unsure of how else to express her feelings.

After the photo, the driver handed back the £20 tip he’d received earlier, giving it to the youngest, Eva, ”Merry Christmas in advance, buy some candies.”

With that, he hopped back into the car, rolling down the window and waved as he left, ”I love Ma’el. On behalf of Sheffield United fans, thank you—without you raising him, we wouldn’t have him.”

Clément and Betty stood in a daze. The poster had already instilled a sense of Ma’el’s fame in this city.

And this driver truly allowed them to feel how much every Sheffield person adored him.

”He’s a respected figure now.”

Clément, carrying the luggage, smiled at Betty, ”I don’t even know how we should present ourselves to him now.”

The scene of the taxi driver asking for a photo had caught the attention of quite a few onlookers on the street, with passersby guessing this family’s identity.

Clément didn’t know whether to relish it or worry, so he quickly grabbed the luggage and led everyone into a hotel. Now, all that was left was to see his nephew play!