From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Clap, clap, clap.....!”

After the match, basked in the joyful gazes and applause of Arsenal fans, Ma’el received the match ball from the referee as a keepsake.

His fourth personal commemorative ball, and his first Premier League commemorative ball!

Maybe it’s not very useful, not as visually appealing as various beautifully crafted trophies, but it represents one footprint after another in Ma’el’s career, marking his transformation from a Championship star to a Premier League star.

He didn’t expect to score three goals in his first Premier League match and receive such an honor!

”Please follow me.”

A staff member came to his side, forcing a strained smile, and led him toward the player tunnel, ”There’s a post-match interview over there.”

Ma’el followed him, and from his expression, he could guess that he was a Newcastle fan.

No job is easy.....losing zero to five, and still having to escort the rival player, who made a few ’shushing’ gestures, to the interview area, likely to award them Player of the Match.

”Congratulations.”

Behind a row of billboards, the staff member stopped, forcing an even more awkward smile to offer his congratulations.

Ma’el was slightly embarrassed and nodded at him before moving to the front of the billboards, quickly seeing the long camera lenses from the media aimed at him, along with a presenter seemingly waiting for a while.

He saw the Player of the Match trophy in the presenter’s hand, similar to the Premier League Player of the Month, a cylindrical shape, but with different lettering.

At the top was the Premier League lion’s head logo, in the middle was the EA logo, and below it read - Player of the Match!

Not particularly attractive.

But who cares.....Ma’el instinctively smiled and reached out to take the trophy in his hand to play with.

The practiced manner left the presenter slightly stunned, who was ready to joke with Ma’el and make a few jokes.

However, considering Ma’el might have been a frequent winner of Player of the Match and Player of the Month in the Championship, the presenter was not surprised and handed the trophy to Ma’el, ”Congratulations on your first Premier League Player of the Match!”

”Thank you.”

Ma’el politely received the trophy, finding that one hand could just hold it, he looked up at the media reporters, capturing many photos.

”Sky Sports reporter, representing Arsenal as a starter in your first Premier League match with a hat-trick and receiving Player of the Match....it’s an unexpected debut for everyone, any words to share?”

A fair-skinned, sweet-looking red-haired girl asked with a smile, holding a microphone, with a circle of metal braces on her teeth visible.

”Just the beginning.”

Ma’el set the tone first, then smiled after thinking, ”It’s a wonderful feeling, addicting, I’ve achieved the goals I set for myself in the match, and met everyone’s expectations of me.

”I hope to keep this hot form going, reach 10 goals early, after all, addiction requires satisfaction, haha....”

”At this pace, wouldn’t it be about three matches?” A male reporter from a small publication joked.

”Hahaha.....!” The scene burst into laughter, it’s rare for unpleasantness to occur during an honor-receiving interview, mostly starting and ending with smiles.

Ma’el also laughed along, consecutive hat-tricks.....that’s too difficult, he doesn’t dare to think about it yet, at least until a few skills reach Level 5.

But everyone was joking, so he went along with it and playfully raised his eyebrows and nodded, ”Yes, at this pace, I might reach over a hundred goals this season.”

Another burst of laughter erupted, and the first red-haired girl continued to ask, ”You scored 40 goals in last season’s Championship, how many goals are you targeting this season in the Premier League?”

”I don’t know.”

Ma’el shook his head, not because he had no goal, but because he didn’t want to think that far ahead.

He’s been constantly improving, his personal ability evolving daily, what he’s thinking now will certainly be different from what he’ll think later.

”For me, the most important thing now is to score 10 goals first.”

”Alright,” the red-haired girl smiled slightly, not too disappointed, and tried probing, ”I wonder if I would have the honor to conduct an exclusive interview with you for Sky Sports when you reach 10 goals.”

”Of course.” Ma’el nodded in agreement, it’s always great to enhance one’s influence.

He remembered the appearance of this reporter, actually quite memorable, her looks stood out among the sweet-type European girls, he hadn’t encountered anyone quite like her.

”When you scored the third goal, what did you say to Mr. Wenger?”

”A secret, will tell once it’s done.”

”.....”

”From your personal perspective, what’s the difference between the Premier League and the Championship?”

”Firstly, the fan atmosphere, in Premier League away games, you can feel a lot of pressure, the stadiums here are large, with overwhelming cheers and all sorts of sounds giving a strong sense of impact.

”Secondly, the game rhythm. It’s even faster than I imagined, requiring one to maintain 100% focus at all times.”

”.....”

”Aside from former teammates, how are you getting along with the Arsenal players?”

”Very well, there’s rarely any disharmony, most people are pure, working together for the team’s success.”

”How about with former teammates?”

”.....”

”.....”

”Bye-bye, thank you all! This is the happiest day since returning to Arsenal!”

Ma’el raised the trophy for a final display, laughed as he left the interview area, and returned to the locker room to celebrate with his teammates once more.

......

”Ma’el! Ma’el!”

In the locker room, the dance troupe led by Sagna had long been waiting for Ma’el, and seeing him enter, they waved their arms up and down, jumping into a lively dance.