From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Dear viewers! It is an honor to bring you this major news broadcast!”

Zhan Jun’s voice resonated in the broadcast room, his commentary style leaning towards passionate yelling, yet without overflowing emotions, ”I believe everyone has seen it, the camera lens has been fixed on Arsenal’s number 11, Ma’el.

”Just now, the Torino Sports Paper announced the news that the player has won the 2011 European Golden Boy Award!

”This award represents being the best player under 21 years old in European football, and this year, he’s only 18! Winning it ahead of his age group!”

As he finished speaking, the camera stayed on Ma’el, following his perspective as he walked onto the pitch for the pre-match ceremony.

One can imagine, commentators from all over the world have already learned the news and are introducing his significant achievements.

He is currently the sole protagonist on the field, all spotlights are shining on him!

Zhang Lu’s voice then emerged, sharing his viewpoint, ”You could say he is the best player under 21 in world football as well, since European football is now the mainstream of world football.

”If considering other continents, perhaps Neymar from South American Santos would be a contender... but I think the chance of him surpassing Ma’el is slim.

”He’s probably also the youngest Golden Boy Award recipient in football history; he’s made history once more!”

Zhan Jun nodded slightly, looking at the prepared materials as he continued, ”Before this, the youngest Golden Boy Award recipient in European football was Messi, who won the honor in 2005 at the age of 18 years and 173 days.

”And today, six years later, Ma’el, at the age of 18 years and 144 days, has broken the ’youngest’ record!”

”...”

”...Clap, clap, clap!”

Inside Etihad Stadium, Arsenal fans’ applause was prolonged, seemingly not stopping until the moment the match began.

Ma’el, in the center of everyone’s gaze, wore a joyful smile.

He looked around, seeing a crowd gathered to celebrate for him everywhere.

Wenger, along with a group of substitute players, also emerged from the players’ tunnel, standing beside the bench to applaud him.

Even on the opponent’s sidelines, Mancini and several Manchester City assistant coaches stood applauding him, which quickly encouraged plenty of Manchester City fans to do the same.

”Come on.”

”Come on.”

At this moment, the players from both teams engaged in the final step of the pre-match ceremony, with Manchester City players lining up to shake hands.

While shaking hands with other Arsenal players, they might have said something like ’come on’ or ’good game.’

But when shaking hands with Ma’el, every single one of them uniformly said, ”Congratulations!”

Congratulations!

Once again, Ma’el felt the blessings from everyone, which might be a staple in his life for the coming days.

”Beep!”

At half past three in the afternoon, the referee blew the whistle signaling the start of the match, marking the last tough game for Arsenal in the first half of the season.

”Boom!” Manchester City initiated with a center circle kick, rapidly arranging their formation, beginning a fast-paced passing and repositioning game.

As the match began, they no longer thought about congratulating Ma’el, engaging in tough man-marking and other tactics as if to let the new Golden Boy feel the full strength of their team.

Ma’el positioned himself well in the front line, glancing at Manchester City’s central defense area, noticing that the center-back close to him today was Kompany.

This Belgian and Manchester City dual captain, along with Sabaleta, would engage in defending against him.

Kolo Toure, a little further away, was marking Van Persie, while Richards was keeping an eye on Walcott on the other side.

Three against four?

Including their defensive midfielders Yaya Toure and Barry, the midfield could soon turn into an Arsenal five against six scenario during counterattacks.

There’s still a good chance.

However, the players in our own defensive half will definitely bear more pressure... with Nasri and David Silva providing ammunition to Aguero and Balotelli, they’re bound to create some opportunities.

In these evenly matched games, it’s essential to try and score the first goal, as it will significantly boost our morale and increase the likelihood of winning!

”Boom, boom, boom...!”

The football was being smoothly passed around at Manchester City’s feet, making it difficult for Arsenal’s mid-backfield players to intercept or steal the ball effectively during the opponents’ horizontal movements, they could only wait for the opponents to attempt an attack.

”David Silva’s dribbling, this Spanish midfielder, known as the Magician, has reached a transfer valuation of 50 million Euros according to the latest updates!

”Attempts a long shot! It’s a quality shot... the ball is saved by the goalkeeper! Szczeny has just saved Arsenal once from the very start!

”Manchester City has earned a corner kick opportunity, D Silva’s form seems outstanding! He surely has the chance to threaten the goal again like this!”

With Manchester City fans encouraging him, David Silva ran towards the sideline to ask the ball boy for the ball, soon after, he delivered a right-side corner for Manchester City.

The ball was cleared in the middle by Mertesacker, but during the subsequent scramble for the second ball outside the penalty area, Alexander Song fouled his former teammate Nasri, and the referee blew the whistle for a foul.

”Beep!”

”Yellow card warning!”

The referee promptly issued the first yellow card of the match, leaving no room for negotiation, opting immediately for a severe penalty.

Alexander Song wanted to complain, but was pulled away by Vermaelen and others, fearing he might give the referee a bad impression and risk picking up a second yellow card later on.

David Silva and Aguero came up to the ball, discussing how to take it.