From Arsenal to the Ball God

Half an hour later, Ma’el received a green armband engraved with a ’C’ before going on the field. He wore it on his left arm and felt a sense of weight.

This was his first time wearing the captain’s armband, which symbolized honor and also responsibility.

Now that he’s wearing it and has become the team’s captain, he must lead the team to victory!

”Beep beep!”

The whistle to enter the field sounded, and he led the way holding a small mascot’s hand, followed by the goalkeeper Lori, and then the rest of the France team members.

In the first half, they set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Giroud and Benzema at the center-forward positions. He was the left midfielder, Nasri was the right midfielder, and Yohan Cabaye and Menez in the middle.

On the defensive line, the left-back was Klich, the center-back pairing was Koscielny and Meks, and on the right was Sagna.

It could be said this was a highly Arsenal-styled lineup, with current or former Arsenal players playing key roles in the front, middle, and back!

Although Ma’el was positioned as a side midfielder, he was actually doing the work of an inside forward, not often required to track back to defend, but rather to seize opportunities to tear through the opponent’s defense on the counter-attack.

He was more like the core of the frontline, while in the midfield, Nasri was the organizing core, and Koscielny was the core of the defense.

”Whew....”

A gentle breeze brushed his face, and Ma’el smiled slightly, always feeling that today the sun was exceptionally bright. Perhaps it was because no one was blocking his view in front of him.

He led the French team players onto the field, completed the pre-match rituals, then exchanged the Gaul Rooster’s flag with the Serbia captain Matic, and waited for the coin toss.

”Which side?”

The referee held a coin and asked him, ”Heads or tails? Be aware that if it lands on your side, you’ll get the choice of side, not the kickoff.”

Ma’el nodded, this was the first time he learned this. He smiled lightly, ”Heads, for good luck.”

The referee flicked his thumb and tossed the coin high into the air, and when it landed on the ground, it was tails up.

”You get the kickoff.” He pointed at Ma’el, then looked at Matic, ”Which side do you choose?”

Matic shrugged helplessly and pointed to the side where the Serbian players were, jokingly complaining, ”Why didn’t you ask me which side of the coin? Just because he’s more famous than me?”

”No.” The referee laughed too, knowing Matic was joking with him.

”It definitely is.” Matic pointed at him as if he saw through everything.

The smile on the referee’s face grew wider, and he continued to shake his head in denial, ”It’s really not, don’t overthink it, at most just favoring the young man his first time as captain.”

”Haha...” They all laughed together, the atmosphere of the friendly match was pretty good, not too tense.

Matic and the referee then reached out to Ma’el, their faces filled with congratulatory expressions.

”An 18-year-old captain, this is the first time I’ve seen it. Good luck at the European Cup!”

”No need for more words, I hope you guys go far, haha.”

Ma’el smiled and nodded at the two, shook hands, took a deep breath, and ran back to his own half with the ball. Everything about being a captain was fresh and interesting to him, and he was quickly falling in love with this feeling.

He was even more looking forward to the European Cup because he knew he would wear the captain’s armband under the spotlight and gloriously kick off his first major tournament!

”Beep!!”

The match kicked off immediately, and Benzema took a shot to kick the ball back to the French team’s backfield, then Koscielny made a long pass directly aiming for Ma’el.

The pass didn’t go well, intercepted midway by Matic, who controlled it in the Serbia team’s backfield.

The French team lost possession, but they were not discouraged... Deschamps had instilled in them during training that possession wasn’t the most important; transitioning to counter-attacks was paramount.

They could even voluntarily give up possession, allowing the opponent to control it, and then catch their mistakes to initiate counter-attacks!

”Clap clap...!”

From the front position, Ma’el clapped towards Koscielny, giving him a thumbs up and encouraging, ”Great ball! Keep it coming!”

This is also one of the captain’s duties; a captain cannot be mute on the football field. He must constantly motivate his teammates, shouting various instructions to boost team morale.

In a way, he represents the team’s spirit. His fighting spirit can impact the whole team’s performance!

”Thump thump thump.”

Ma’el started running, and while adapting to being the captain, he couldn’t forget what he needed to do the most.

With a new set of teammates and a new tactical style, he had to quickly find his comfort zone within it, using goals and assists to build his confidence.

He might hide a few things, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t use other ways to strive for them.

”Pa!”

”Bang bang bang...!”

In the 11th minute of the match, the French left-back Klich intercepted Yangkovici’s ball and charged up along the left flank.

Ma’el naturally moved inwards, drawing away the opponent’s right-back and Matic. This created a substantial space for him to maximize his offensive talents.

This was also part of Deschamps’ design, as he always insisted on this kind of play... In later French teams, Teo and Mbappe cooperated this way.

Klich reached near the baseline more easily until he faced pressure from the opponent.

He looked toward the center, where Ma’el, Benzema, and Giroud all awaited eagerly, focusing on the ball under his feet.