From Arsenal to the Ball God

In the VIP box area of Wembley Stadium, Arsenal fans walked out of there contentedly, constantly marveling at Ma’el’s performance.

Guardiola, wearing a mask and hat, walked out and chatted with his coaching staff, eyes wide with excitement.

”We must go all out to acquire him. Once we secure him, we’ll surely win the club’s fifth Champions League, sixth, and even seventh.”

He gestured with one hand, speaking passionately, ”Bayern won a triple Champions League from ’93 to ’95, and he could help us achieve the same from ’13 to ’15.”

”Is it that exaggerated?” a smiling assistant coach asked.

”Exactly.”

Guardiola nodded indisputably, ”Did you see his four goals today? As long as you can create 6-8 chances for him, he’ll take half of them when in form!

”Such a forward, no team doesn’t want him; whoever acquires him will be champions.”

One coach joked, ”I have a question. You’ve always expressed your admiration for Messi. How does he compare to Messi?”

The question stumped Guardiola; after thinking seriously for a moment, he said honestly, ”I’ve worked with Messi for a while; he brought me many incredible moments.

”But I must say, even if Messi is stronger now, he will definitely be in the future.

”Not too far in the future, when he’s 22-23 years old, he’ll be undoubtedly the world’s number one.

”I won’t, like fans, think his performance might decline or become unstable. From a professional standpoint, only injuries and lack of discipline could stop him; otherwise, he will keep improving.”

The others pondered and nodded slightly in agreement, indeed acknowledging... No professional would deny a player who can score 40+ goals in a league at 18.

As they were about to leave the pitch, Guardiola’s stomach suddenly growled twice, and a wave of hunger hit his stomach.

He hesitated, looked at his watch, and said, ”There are many people exiting; let’s eat something and wait till they leave first.”

The others had no objections, and soon several people sat by the window, eating steak and drinking coffee.

More than ten minutes later, Little Kroenke walked out of his private box, holding a phone as he strolled to the window of the box area restaurant, smiling, ”We must celebrate tonight; I will host a banquet, and you must attend.

”Not drinking much? Oh, come on, you drank last time. It’s okay; you’re the most important person on the team. If you don’t drink, how can everyone have fun?

”Alright, alright... I’ll wait for you at the box restaurant; we’ll leave together when the driver arrives.”

Little Kroenke sat by the window, smiling, playing with his phone.

”Haha.....”

A little later, with another burst of laughter, the fully disguised Mendes and Florentino walked out together, with Mendes constantly watching the flow of people in the passage.

Realizing there were still many people, he clasped Florentino’s arm, stood still to chat a little longer until the crowd thinned before moving forward.

”I can’t make any promises to the gentleman; everything still depends on the player’s decision.”

Mendes walked on the outside, eyes fixed on Florentino’s face, ”Working with top stars is like this; I can’t control him or influence his decisions.

”Actually, my goal is to lessen the player’s troubles and provide a better playing environment; I’m not useful in other aspects.”

Soon, he came near Guardiola and the coaching staff’s table, catching the attention of an assistant coach facing him.

”Ding-dong.....!” At the elevator entrance, an ascending elevator stopped, and as the door opened, Wenger quickly walked out, attracting the attention of many fans exiting.

”Mr. Wenger!”

”Congratulations!”

”Let’s take a photo!”

Many fans instantly surrounded him, their enthusiasm causing the old coach to stay and chat with them for a long time, smiling.

Mendes and Florentino also heard the shouting at this moment, and upon seeing Wenger, their eyes immediately focused as they quickly turned and walked towards the dining area.

”Yes, yes!”

”Well... I think that’s just it.”

They gestured with both hands, pretending to be busy, as they sat at a table, facing away from Wenger.

”Mr. Mendes.....” A somewhat uncertain voice sounded, as an assistant coach at Guardiola’s table looked at Mendes with a peculiar expression.

Guardiola quickly turned his head, glanced at Mendes, then brightened his expression and immediately looked at the person sitting across from Mendes.

As he kept looking, a puzzled expression appeared in his eyes. After blinking a few times, he frowned and stared intently, a dazed look gradually appearing on his face.

Florentino?

Having just left Barça, he was naturally very familiar with the Real Madrid president, and Florentino’s prominent forehead was quite distinctive, easy to identify.

Florentino noticed Guardiola’s gaze, awkwardly lowered his head... out of politeness, he later turned to look at him and slowly nodded with a smile.

Guardiola: ”...”

Florentino: ”...”

Mendes rubbed his forehead, looking embarrassed, with his toes tightly gripping the ground, deep fear in the corner of his eyes.

Why did we run into each other again?

Why did Wenger come up?

How could it be so coincidental?!

He recalled the days of dating two girls simultaneously when he was young, even though every time he thought he’d hidden it flawlessly, ultimately he couldn’t escape exposure.

Screwed up!