From Arsenal to the Ball God

They also held their heads high with pride because they knew that Arsenal fans were the envy of all the team’s fans around the world at this moment!

In the Jones Pub at the street corner, by the familiar round table, there was already a scene of joy and excitement.

Seeing everything settled, Jones stood up with a flushed face, waving the betting slip in his hand with great vigor, ”The victory of the players is my victory! It’s also the victory of all-in!

”Yes.....!”

As if he couldn’t wait any longer, he dashed out of the bar, running towards the familiar betting shop across the street.

Many people followed him out, some to collect their winnings, others just to share in the good fortune.

The bar owner was also infected by the excitement, smiling as he handed his car keys to an employee, ”Go to the warehouse and fetch 20 cases of Heineken. I have a feeling Jones is going to be extremely crazy today.”

”Alright.” The employee took the keys and went to open the car, glancing once at Jones’s figure as he turned away.

The bar owner re-entered the bar, looked up at the TV screen where Ma’el was holding the Golden Boot, and took a deep breath while shaking his head with mixed feelings.

Jones soon returned; having already drunk quite a bit, and now driven by extreme excitement, he seemed a bit manic, ”Come on...! Come on...!”

Behind him were countless joyful people, all waiting for the celebratory drinks he promised.

”Boss!”

Jones looked towards the front desk, boldly shouting, ”I want you to put up a sign at the door that says, before midnight today, any fan who wants to celebrate Ma’el’s Golden Boot can come in and drink Heineken for free!

”I’ll cover all the costs! As much as they drink in this bar, I’ll pay for it!”

”Alright.....!” Cheers erupted, with many people securing their seats in advance, and others hurriedly taking out their phones to invite friends and family.

The bar owner nodded, smiling as he picked up another set of keys at the front desk, handing them to another employee, ”Go to the warehouse and fetch another 10 cases, just in case we run out by night.”

The employee agreed with a laugh and couldn’t help but ask before leaving: ”What about me and Jack? Can the two of us drink for free today?”

The bar owner laughed heartily twice, ”I sent you to fetch the drinks so that we could all celebrate together today.”

”Yeah...!” Another happy person was added to the Jones Pub, his voice weaving into the jubilant shouts inside.

The bar owner once again set his sights on the broadcast screen; truthfully, he didn’t advocate for betting, which is why he didn’t join Jones in going all-in.

Feeling the current joyfulness inside the bar, thinking about the odds more than fifty-fold..... what impressed him more was not Jones’ sudden wealth, but the miracle Ma’el had achieved outside of his success.

He wasn’t the one favored by people or the analysts at betting institutions, yet he swam against the current, changing his fate and simultaneously altering Arsenal’s destiny!

A player like him, even if he leaves the team now, is worthy of being called a legendary figure!

...

Inside Emirates Stadium, the host interacted for a while longer with Ma’el and the fans on site before moving the awards ceremony forward.

”Now, we’ll present the ’Season’s Best Player’ award.”

She glanced at the script and turned her head to ask, ”Ma’el, do you know that there are three Best Player awards in the Premier League?”

”Yes.” Ma’el nodded to confirm, having played in the Premier League for a season, if he didn’t know, it would be like he played for nothing.

Unlike other leagues, the Premier League not only has the officially selected ’Season’s Best Player’ but also the ’PFA’ Best Player selected by the players’ union and the ’FWA’ Best Player selected by the journalists’ association.

Which of these three awards is more prestigious is a debated topic among fans.

Some believe the FWA is the most prestigious because, before the Golden Ball Award existed, the FWA generally represented the ’England Player of the Year/Golden Ball’ for that season.

Of course, this is a rather old notion and is now outdated.

With the current award mechanism, the England Player of the Year/Golden Ball should be awarded to English players playing worldwide, rather than worldwide players playing in England.

Others believe that the PFA’s Best Player carries more weight because it is voted on by peers, making it fairer and more authoritative.

In short, the official award is generally considered less prestigious, possibly because everyone has reasons to dislike The English FA, and also because this award is given too late.

The only way to settle the debate over which one is the most prestigious is to sweep two major awards, or simply sweep all three major awards, achieving the season’s Best Player grand slam!

”Since the start of the Premier League, only three players have ever swept all three major awards in a single season, one of them twice.”

The female host smiled charmingly and tossed the question to Ma’el, ”Leon, do you know who they are?”

Ma’el winked discreetly at her, signaling her not to ask any further as he truly didn’t know who the three players were, and randomly guessing might lead to saying something wrong causing disputes.

But seeing she had no intention of withdrawing the question, he could only pick up the microphone, bracing himself to answer.

”Henry?”

This was the first name he uttered; if there are three players who swept the awards, Henry from the 03-04 season should definitely be one of them.

”That’s one correct answer!”

The female host’s words gave him great relief, and he looked towards the audience and saw Henry and Wenger smiling proudly.

”Ronaldo?” He made a second guess, of whom he had some impression.

”Correct, he swept all three major awards in both 06-07 and 07-08 seasons, the only player to achieve it twice!”