From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 269: Chapter 84: Champions League Man of the Match! See You on the Future Field! Skill Upgrade!

”Oh oh...!”

In the box, Isabella jumped up feverishly, wildly celebrating for her team’s competitor in the Premier League.

She didn’t think much about it; she cheered for Ma’el and applauded for his performance today.

At this moment, she and Gilbert seemed to put themselves into Ma’el’s body, sharing the honor this game brought at this stadium with him.

”He is Arsenal’s god now!” Just like on the Championship field before, Isabella clapped her hands joyfully, with her eyes shining brightly.

She never imagined that the young brother who dominated the Championship last year would come to Arsenal this year and sweep top teams in the Premier League and Champions League.

No one could relate such a performance with an 18-year-old young man.

Just looking at his dazzling brilliance, you’d know he is destined for a broader, more magnificent future.

His journey won’t stop; once everything matures, he will compete for the best!

”It’s a bit early to say this now.”

Gilbert, suppressing his ecstasy, joyfully exclaimed, ”But in this match, he is the best player... neither Götze nor Van Persie comes close.”

”He has already grown into an indispensable part of Arsenal, and the attacking ability he brings to the team is enormous.”

”Indeed.”

Isabella returned to the box to get a drink, her tone carrying an inexplicable trust, ”But I think he will become Arsenal’s Ball God sooner or later.”

She didn’t know why she felt this way at the moment, as if her admiration for Ma’el had surpassed the extent of the word ’admiration’ itself.

She took a sip of icy cola, showing a satisfied expression... in this hot summer, sipping a cold drink, sitting in the box of the Westfalen Stadium watching friends play football.

What a delightful day.

”I also look forward to that day,” Gilbert said, cheerfully lifting his head, hoping he could be Ma’el’s right-hand man then.

...

”Boom!”

In the 89th minute of the match, Perisic scored a face-saving goal for Dortmund with an aerial strike inside the box.

They swiftly ran to pick up the ball at the kickoff point, still wanting to push for group stage points in the final few minutes.

But Arsenal wasn’t prepared to give them that chance; all players retreated to form a tight defensive line at the edge of the box.

”Boom... boom... boom!”

Long passes kept being sent into Arsenal’s box, but were cleared one by one by Mertesacker and Koscielny, with the game shifting into another mode.

Van Persie was then substituted by Vermaelen, and Arsenal brought on another defender, playing with six defenders.

Time ticked away slowly, reaching the last minute of extra time.

The entire stadium was filled with a tense atmosphere, with many Arsenal fans turning their backs to the pitch, afraid that the victory within reach might slip away.

”Boom!”

In the 93rd minute of the match, as the last minute of injury time ended, Dortmund launched a final attacking opportunity.

Götze delivered a diagonal long pass to Perisic on the right, who brought the ball forward and launched an assault on Andre Santos; due to his physical ability advantage, he quickly disrupted Santos’s balance.

”Thump thump thump!” Footsteps sounded, it was Ma’el sprinting along the sideline in pursuit.

Perisic’s eyes widened; he had seen Ma’el’s speed from the bench, so he hurriedly decided to pass the ball, hoping for one last chance.

”Boom.”

He pushed the ball towards the baseline, raised his left arm, and swung his right leg towards the middle and bottom of the ball.

No time for observation, just kick it to the center and hope for the best!

”Thud!”

Just before passing, he suddenly felt nothing under his feet; his swinging leg hit another player’s leg.

He then saw Ma’el fly past him, bringing a strong gust of wind, and the opponent executed a slide tackle that sent the ball out over the baseline.

”Vamos....!”

Ma’el got up, then chest-bumped Andre Santos in celebration; he had stopped their final attack.

Perisic clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, desperately wanting to shout to the sky, but found he had no energy left.

No chance left!

Dortmund was defeated at home!

”Blow! Blow! Blow——!”

The referee then blew the final whistle, and Dortmund’s players walked disconsolately towards the dressing room, some even skipped shaking hands with Klopp standing on the sideline.

”Yeah.....!”

Arsenal’s players, on the other hand, were in a new frenzy, with many taking off their jerseys, running around the pitch and swinging them in joy.

First Champions League win of the new season!

Victorious on all fronts!

”This year, we’re aiming for the Champions League quarter-finals!”

Captain Van Persie looked at Ma’el, the hero of the victory, with anticipation: ”By next year, when Ma’el matures a bit more, we’ll aim for the semi-finals.”

”According to this,” Alexander Song came over, smiled and said: ”Arsenal’s Champions League prospects are tied to Ma’el?”

”You have to believe it.” Van Persie said with a shaking head, sighing these words.

After celebrating with them for a while, Ma’el was called to the interview area by the staff to receive the best player trophy.

He held it in his hand, looked at the white star-spangled banner on it, the golden edge black letters ’UEFA Champions League,’ and he smiled contentedly and raised it, showing it to the reporters.

”This is a very important achievement in my career; I keep moving forward, continuously advancing, and finally walked from the youth team to the Champions League stage.

”I think I have seen a lot, and next, it’s all about training hard and playing hard to strive for some significant achievements in these arenas I’ve reached the edge of.