From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Damn it!” — McCabe’s social media

...

Late at night, after disembarking from the plane in Poland, the players of the France team dragged their weary bodies onto the bus heading to the base. Many were already too tired, falling asleep as soon as they got on.

Ma’el looked at a few missed calls on his phone and found there were calls from Isabella, Mendes, Bell, and Safina.

He didn’t respond right away. It wasn’t until he returned to the base, lying flat in the quiet room to rest for a bit, that he picked up his phone.

”It’s already the 30th, tomorrow’s the 1st, the day after’s the 2nd, and then there’s the final.”

He called Safina first to discuss the upcoming therapy arrangements, ”These days your workload may increase, you and Harry need to prepare.”

”2-3 sessions of rehabilitative massage a day at a minimum, and 1-2 sessions of low-intensity muscle recovery training, timing completely random.”

”Okay.” A firm voice came from the other end of the phone, which was reassuring.

After hanging up, he considered for a moment and tentatively called Isabella, thinking he’d hang up if she didn’t answer in a few seconds to avoid disturbing her.

Unexpectedly, she picked up right away and asked energetically, ”Just got back to the base? No day off today? I was waiting for you, knew you’d call even if you couldn’t come.”

”Haha...” Ma’el gradually felt a bit of a family bond with her and responded gently, ”No more days off, only 3 days to prepare for the championship, need to stay at the base, we’ll meet after the European Cup.”

”What do you mean after the European Cup?”

Isabella’s voice was confident, with a touch of playfulness, as conversations between couples usually are, ”During the victory celebration of the European Cup, we’ll meet at the Warsaw National Stadium.”

”I hope so.” Ma’el’s smile grew broader, already imagining Isabella’s expression, chin lifted, a bit smug.

”Alright then.” Her voice carried a slight hint of disappointment, though not towards Ma’el, ”It’s so late, you should rest, you must be tired, I won’t bother you.

”See you in a few days, hope we can use some alcohol that night to add some fun... not to drown our sorrows.”

”Okay.” Ma’el agreed, hung up, lay on the bed smiling, thinking about things.

Without realizing it, he fell asleep in that position, probably because he was so exhausted.

The next morning when he woke up, it was a bit past 9:20 AM. Ma’el groggily burrowed into the cold blanket to gather warmth, feeling fully recovered before getting out of bed.

He took out his phone, ready to return Mendes and Bell’s calls when a sudden hunger hit him hard, making him quickly put on shoes and dash to the cafeteria on the second floor.

After leisurely having dinner, he prepared to go back to his room to call the two.

Passing by the calendar at the cafeteria entrance, he saw the final day marked in red, and he felt the tension throughout the whole team.

”Buzz Buzz... Buzz Buzz...!”

The phone rang then, and he stepped out of the cafeteria, seeing it was Bell calling.

Upon answering, he placed the phone to his ear, hoping to hear some good news regarding the next season.

”Quite impressive, buddy.”

Bell started by holding back laughter to praise him, then paused for a while before seriously saying, ”I’ve thought over what you said to me last time for a long time.

”To be honest, at first I thought joining Arsenal was impossible, from any perspective, joining Real Madrid seemed better than joining this team, hope you don’t mind me saying so.

”But you know, your appeal isn’t just to the European giants, it works on players too, especially when you actively call to invite.”

”Haha.....”

Bell laughed, seemingly amused by himself at making a little joke.

Ma’el helplessly pursed his lips, unsure if he should tell Bell that his level of joking indeed suited joining Arsenal and becoming his teammate.

”But the biggest obstacle remains the rivalry between Tottenham and Arsenal, I think that’s it, really, going to Real Madrid is not about how much I earn or the exposure, it’s not key for me.”

In the phone call, Bell expressed his real thoughts, ”You guys are quite wealthy now, and staying unbeaten gives you great exposure.

”More importantly, with you and Van Persie, no one thinks this team lacks the competitiveness for the Champions League trophy.

”Leading France to the European Cup final is the best example, and scoring a hat-trick in the European Cup semi-final shows you can certainly replicate that in the Champions League semi-final.”

”In the final too.” Ma’el added, always full of self-confidence.

Bell fell silent again, clearly not speechless; he seemed to be thinking, ”Ah.....you know, the fact that I can discuss joining with you means I actually have ways to overcome this issue.

”But once I make this choice, I will inevitably face a lot of pressure, pay a big price, like if I join Real Madrid, none of this would happen.”

Ma’el understood; he was asking what he would gain by joining Arsenal.

He had already explained this to Bell, perhaps Bell thought it wasn’t sufficient.

”First, most of your Welsh teammates play in the United Kingdom, you’ll feel right at home here, no need to rashly change environments.”

He began, trying to tempt Bell from this angle, but Bell quickly interrupted: ”I know that, and I understand that going to Real Madrid may not necessarily be smooth sailing, otherwise I’d have made a decisive decision.