From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Oh.....! My God, Rudy reacted so quickly, what’s gotten into him today?! He’s saved another sure goal!

”Ma’el has met his match, he’s holding his head in disbelief, we rarely see him show this expression in games.”

”.....”

”Sheffield United is a bit on the defensive, they haven’t had too many chances, even passes to their strongest point Ma’el have been few, they’re slightly frustrated.

”The only commendable thing is their defense has been quite good today, not only due to their new signing’s outstanding defense on the wing.

”In the center, Ma’el and Ward’s retreat sometimes helps the team, helping to secure a midfield advantage in numbers.

”With just a few minutes left, this game ends in a draw, presumably, both sides can accept it, at least no points lost, no gap narrowed or widened.”

”.....”

”Kyle Walker’s speed is impressive, he was known for this during his loan at Queens Park Rangers, with four assists as a fullback.

”Unfortunately, due to escalating conflicts with the team’s star Taarabt, the loan period ended hastily!

”Now, he’s at Sheffield United! Breaking through all the way! Cross! Norwich center-back Drewry heads it out! Gilbert controls the football, kicks it across!!

”Ma’el, he’s now carrying the team’s hope! Cutting inside, passed one....two!! Going for a dipping shot??

”No! He chooses a powerful shot!! Rudy! Rudy dives out, misses!! It’s in!!!

”Unbelievable!! I can’t believe my eyes, at the crucial moment, he stepped up and with his incredible long shot ability, sent the ball into Norwich’s net!! One to zero!!

”Rudy can save the team once, can save twice, but he cannot stop Ma’el’s third on-target shot!!”

Amid the commentator’s roar, Ma’el pounded his chest and roared as he ran towards the fan section to celebrate, venting all the frustration of this match.

In turn, completing his revenge!

Now it’s Norwich players’ turn to hold their heads, they stare at Ma’el in shock, unable to accept conceding a goal in the last moments.

”Come on!!”

Ma’el reveled in the frantic shouts of the crowd, clenched his fist, took a few power-gathering steps, and finally punched the sky hard.

As if one celebration wasn’t enough to dissipate his emotions, he turned around, looked at his approaching teammates, spread his hands to the sky, closed his eyes, waiting for them to embrace him.

”Ah!” Gilbert, as if making a WWE flying shoulder move, yelled as he pounced on Ma’el, as it was his assist.

”Click, click!” The cameras on the sidelines captured this moment, with the defeated Norwich team as the backdrop, and this photo proudly became the post-match cover.

”One to zero!! Sheffield United revenges Norwich at home! Ma’el’s powerful shot secures crucial 3 points for Sheffield United! It’s his third match-winning goal of the season!”——”442” Evening News

......

January ended just like that, and for the next ten days, Sheffield United had no other matches, they welcomed a relatively long rest period.

Ma’el got into a routine, incrementally upping his training intensity, with Harry’s massage helping, his body’s endurance improved a lot.

Safina was also well-prepared, coming to the house several times every day to cook for him, more frequently than Harry.

The first meal is at 7:30 am, includes cheese, ham, yogurt, and also a nutrient-balanced fruit salad.

The second is after morning training, with lots of eggs, chicken, and steaks, which is the largest daily intake.

Next, at 3:30 pm, this meal is mainly fruits, along with some carefully made toast.

At 6:30 pm, the last meal, mainly whole grain carbohydrates, high-protein meats, with some vegetables.

Of course, it’s not absolute, sometimes adjustments are made according to the body’s daily status.

”You can’t drink soda anymore.”

That day, Safina looked at a fridge full of drinks and advised: ”If you’re determined to change, there’s no room for luck, nutrition meals and junk food can’t be offset.

”You can’t feel like if you’re healthy by 10 points today, you can afford to be unhealthy by 1 point.

”You won’t get the remaining 9 points, you’ll only get 6-7, maybe even lower.”

Ma’el stood nearby, pinching his chin, thinking about those sour-sweet drinks that will be taken away from him, he salivated a bit with craving.

That stimulated his brain, making him want to tell Safina—no, I can’t give these up.

But long-term rigorous training equipped him with a way to handle this, he forced his forehead’s muscles to help push the forehead’s skin to the brain, forcing the brain into blank mode with external aid.

He waved at Safina directly: ”Throw them away when you leave.”

”Okay.” Safina, like a machine devoid of emotions, picked up a bag and packed away all the drinks.

Gilbert chuckled on the side, gloating.

”You too.”

Safina noticed him then, still on the subject: ”You can’t buy drinks anymore, you two living together, if you drink, he will too.”

”Oh....alright.” Gilbert was suddenly pointed at, and after a few days of interaction, he was a bit submissive to Safina’s food, a bit henpecked.

Not too delicious to be convinced, more by her nutritional pairing and professional knowledge.

The 500 Euro he didn’t even let Ma’el pay, and since his salary increased, he didn’t lack this bit of money; letting someone always pay for his meals felt odd.

He was now a bit frustrated too, joining Ma’el, remarked: ”With such a huge sacrifice, what kind of achievement is needed for some sense of balance.”

”Champions League, I suppose.”

Ma’el wasn’t in a great mood either; he felt his life was too miserable, directly saying: ”And the Golden Ball Award.”

”Huh?”

Gilbert, being somewhat scatterbrained and easily distracted, suddenly forgot his frustration, surprised: ”Are you joking or serious? Those two, shouldn’t have much to do with us.”

Ma’el looked at him with a sigh, feeling a bit of disappointed hope, but didn’t forget his humor: ”You’ll understand when you’re my age.”

”Ma’el.”

Gilbert pursed his lips, hesitated and said: ”You really aren’t funny at all.”

”.....Alright.” Ma’el was speechless, giving a forced laugh.

”Haha.”

Safina, covering her mouth, rarely laughed at the side, teasing: ”I’ve watched two of your matches, found you playing quite well, there’s a possibility of having a position in a top club, but no one can excel in everything.

”However.....”

Perhaps thinking her words might discourage her employer, she restrained her smile, her tone taking a turn: ”Having goals is great for young people, I admire your courage, compared to Gilbert, I believe you can win the Golden Ball and the Champions League.”

”Pfft.” This time it was Gilbert who laughed, the two of them seemed to be putting on an act at Ma’el’s expense.