From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Ma-el.....!”

The scene cuts to the match footage, where Arsenal is playing against Newcastle United in the first round of the 11-12 Premier League season.

Ma’el tricks Newcastle defender Danny Simpson on the wing, then goes past Steven Taylor, and with a burst of speed, shakes off the approaching Ryan Taylor.

”Oh my god.....!Ma-el dribbled past three players.....and shot...!!”

”Bang!”

A sound of a shot resonates as he delivers a dipping shot from the edge of the box. The ball draws a beautiful curve, passes through Newcastle’s goalkeeper Krul’s hands, and rolls into the net.

”Goooaaaalll.....!!” Amidst the roar of the English commentary, Ma’el runs towards the sidelines chased by Arsenal players, with a serious expression, making a hush gesture to celebrate.

A string of subtitles and voice-over soon appear: ”On August 14th, 2011, on the 15th day after your 18th birthday, you scored your first Premier League goal and Arsenal goal, completed a hat-trick, stunning debut.

”Quickly you established yourself at Arsenal, your value broke through 30m, and you were considered a strong contender for the Golden Boy Award that year.”

Ma’el gazes at the screen, his eyes gradually losing focus, the video pulling him back to this period last year.

Others smile, many turning heads to observe Ma’el’s reaction and expression.

”Szczeny’s powerful throw! Now it’s Piszczek defending against Ma’el, can he withstand Ma’el’s charge?!”

The scene shifts again to Westfalen Stadium, the first round of the 11-12 Champions League group stage, with Arsenal facing Dortmund.

”Dort’s defense seems careless, Piszczek looks like he can’t hold on! Ma’el stops the ball and turns, a combination of stopping and moving! A world-class touch! After stopping the ball, he’s one-on-one already!”

In the footage, Ma’el stylishly turns and controls the ball, then instantly leaves Piszczek four or five meters behind, rushing towards Dortmund’s undefended backfield.

Iconic stopping-the-ball moment!

”Facing Weidenfeller, will he choose to go past the keeper? Or take a shot directly?”

In the video, Ma’el responds with a powerful shot, as he distances from Weidenfeller, he strikes the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal.

”Goal! It’s a flawless goal from every angle! Ma’el! Amazing Ma’el!”

Following the camera, Ma’el sprints to Westfalen’s devil stands, jumps on the advertising board, and raises his arms, celebrating the goal with Dortmund fans.

”On September 18th, you scored your first Champions League goal in the group match against Dort, and defeated Götze head-to-head in the Golden Boy race, laying the foundation for winning the award later.”

The scene shifts again to the North London Derby in Premier League Round 7, Arsenal versus Tottenham, with the score tied 2-2, Arsenal takes a center circle kick.

After rounds of possession rotation, Ma’el receives the ball from a teammate at midfield.

”Bang!”

Just when everyone is wondering what his next move will be, he suddenly pushes the ball past the entire midfield and defensive line of the opponent and starts a fierce chasing mode.

With large strides, he soon reaches the ball before anyone else, completing a one-on-one under the relentless surprise of the commentator.

A dribble past four players!

The subsequent shot calmly and accurately passes through the goal guarded by Frederick, helping Arsenal secure a last-minute winner.

”Yeah.....!” After scoring, he jumps on the advertising board again, hysterically shouting, waving his arms as if a demon descended from heaven.

”On October 2nd, you won your first North London Derby match, also scoring your 10th Premier League goal, reaching a milestone. After this match, you sat atop the scorer’s list and remained there till the end of the season.”

”.....”

”On November 16th, you were first named in the France team training squad, and in the debut match with Deschamps, you scored 3 goals against the formidable Belgium team, starting your national team journey with a hat-trick.

Also during this period, your value reached 45m, becoming the priciest under-20 player!

Back then people didn’t anticipate you becoming this team’s captain in over half a year, leading them to win the most prestigious continental tournament trophy.”

”.....”

Watching his dashing self in the footage, Ma’el unknowingly wears a faint smile; the video has given him much emotion, sincerely illuminating the path he has walked.

”Thank you.....!”

Scene shifts, he holds a golden trophy in front of an advertising board, greeting journalist friends, thanking those applauding for him.

”On December 22nd, after scoring 2 miracle goals to defeat mighty Manchester City, he flew to Turin, Italy, to receive his first major personal award, the Golden Boy Award.”

”.....”

”January 14th, 2012, is an important day for you; you participated in the Golden Ball Award ceremony held in Zurich, Switzerland, for the first time.

”With a goal against Sheffield United you received the Puskás Award and secured 10th place in the Golden Ball standings with an excellent half-season performance, gaining abundantly!

After that, your value quickly soared to 70m, becoming a potential hundred-million star.”

”...”

After a mix of goals and celebration clips, the camera shifts again to the Champions League Round of 16 second-leg match against AC Milan.

”Beep! Beep! Beep——!”

Following edits of Ma’el’s two goals in succession, the lens shifts to the moment of the final whistle, to the moment Milan eliminates Arsenal.