"Another 30m increase! Maël's value reaches 135m, tied for world number one with Messi!" - BBC latest news
"Arsenal's total team value skyrockets by 130m, officially entering the first tier of the world football value list!" After the latest Transfermarkt value update in the Sky Sports club column, the increase and decrease of most players did not attract the attention of fans. Almost everyone focused on Maël at the first moment.
They were even too lazy to look at their own home team or their favorite players first, wanting to get together to chat about Maël and see what others thought about it.
Arsenal was also brought to their attention, becoming the most eye-catching team that night.
However, in the comment section of the 'Maël's Latest Value' related reports, the fans' comments were polarized. Some praised him to death, while others questioned him madly.
"Best talent in history!"
"Aix's pride stands in the position that truly belongs to him! Football professionals have finally given the Arsenal demon king the evaluation he deserves!"
"135m at 19! If he can continue this state until around 21, wouldn't he be expected to reach 150m?!"
"Messi created 100+ goals in a single season. Maël seems to have had 70+ last season, right? Does one European Cup goal equal three goals? Reaching the top at 19, can it be more outrageous?"
"I don't understand what's so questionable. Such talented young players quickly reach Messi and Ronaldo's level in terms of data performance and championship harvesting speed from the start. 135m is too little!"
"Isn't it outrageous? There are quite a few players with 'god-like performances' in one intercontinental event, but many people can't even continue last year's state after returning to the league and will decline all the way under pressure until they become ordinary."
"I'm not saying Maël will become ordinary. He's unlikely to.
"I'm just saying Transfermarkt is too arbitrary, putting the player in a position that doesn't belong to him. It's really hard to accept that this exceeds Ronaldo's accumulation over many years."
"That's right! Transfermarkt never used to increase the value of players with explosive performances in a single event by much. They would only raise the psychological expectation of the player and then slowly increase it after observing the player's performance at the club! "I've never seen them rush to add 30m right after the game ended. I think 105m is the best affirmation for him. This 30m is obviously redundant and suspected of deliberately creating a topic."
"Is Maël the same as those people who have a god-like game one time and a ghost-like game the next? He won 4 best awards and broke the record to win the championship. Your arguments are untenable!"
"."
From the comments with the most likes, many people are looking at this matter with their own positions, and they also represent the groups behind them.
There are Maël fans, Messi fans, Ronaldo fans... In short, objective evaluations are only a small part, and they cannot occupy the mainstream view.
This is very normal. As the spiritual sustenance of their respective fan groups, the major events and changes in the situation of superstars can easily drive the emotional changes of their fan groups.
In addition, the current superstars are in a competitive relationship with each other, and their fan groups are also difficult to be as peaceful as the retired superstars, appreciating each other and reminiscing about the people who accompanied their youth together.
They often start arguing at the slightest disagreement. At the beginning, they can remain rational, but as they argue, the grudges become deeper and deeper. When they get angry, they can say anything.
This can be seen from the Messi and Ronaldo fan groups. Among them, there are people who appreciate each other, people who only pay attention to their favorite stars, and people who do not participate in discussions.
However, the quarrels under related reports are always around and always lead the main direction of public opinion.
Perhaps only when the two geniuses retire will most of their fans shake hands and make peace, sitting together and laughing about the passionate era, the era when talents emerged and Messi and Ronaldo dominated.
In short, the direction of public opinion this day is definitely different from the past! Even though Maël was called the world's third person and a strong contender for the best player a long time ago, he had never caused such a huge sense of crisis among Messi and Ronaldo fans before.
After he won the Premier League championship, Messi and Ronaldo fans were not worried. Their favorite stars also had La Liga or Premier League titles.
After winning the European Cup, they were not considered worried. Messi and Ronaldo both have multiple Champions League titles.
As for the fact that Maël's data and potential are more explosive than the world's third person in the past, and that all aspects have gradually approached Messi and Ronaldo, it has been selectively filtered out by their brains.
Before the day when he officially surpasses or basically equals them arrives, they don't want to face this problem.
But they never expected that 'that day' would come so quickly! When Maël topped such an important list as Transfermarkt with an unstoppable momentum, and when he officially possessed the strength and performance to threaten Messi and Ronaldo's status in the eyes of a group of professionals, some Messi and Ronaldo fans were unable to accept it for a while and inevitably panicked.
Perceiving the crisis, they rarely joined forces, making some questioning comments about this valuation.
In the short term, this may not create a deep feud between them and Maël's fanbase.
But if this competition and confrontation continue, it's only a matter of time before the war of words in the football world officially develops from a rivalry between two to a three-way battle.
In any case, the public opinion on this day indicated from all angles that Maël's valuation, along with himself, had entered a new stage. This may be a signal that he has officially started a battle with Messi and Ronaldo.
Just like Arsenal, who had long been ranked third in the world, they infinitely narrowed the distance with the top two on this day, officially getting a seat at the table of the top tier!
They will no longer be squeezed out by the top two, but it is really possible to improve their ranking at any time and change the landscape of the football world!
A new era has begun, and a new magnificent chapter and splendid feast belonging to Football has quietly begun amidst waves of disputes!
Perhaps many people did not realize it on this day, but looking back many years later, perhaps they will feel that this was an unusual day.
On August 8th, Arsenal's major official websites and retail stores updated the club's new season's new jerseys, including the home, away, and third away kits, and also updated many small souvenir items.
Fans quickly snapped up the first batch of goods on sale with enthusiasm, and pre-ordered jerseys and peripheral products of their favorite stars on the online store.
This is a way for them to support the team. Many people buy an authentic jersey of their home team and some peripherals every season.
Maybe one or two such people will not bring much financial income to the team, but tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of people are different.
After the recovery of results last season, Arsenal fans and travelers to London are very satisfied with the value of the team and are willing to spend money for the team.
Don't underestimate their spending power. Teams with the best brand value like Real Madrid and Manchester United can sell about 3 million jerseys per season.
This is an income of more than 300 million pounds. After deducting the share, about 40 million pounds are obtained. Counting the small peripherals that sell in large quantities, it is not difficult to get 100 million pounds from this aspect in a season.
"290,000+ pieces! Arsenal's sales on the first day were exceptionally hot, creating a new historical high! Among them, Maël alone sold 130,000 jerseys! Nearly half of the team!" - The Guardian
"Expected to sell 3 million jerseys in a single season? Since Maël joined, Arsenal has continued to rise in all aspects, and the rapidly growing brilliance of the players has also radiated to this club!" - France Football
"This collective growth is incredible, and it also makes Maël even more coveted." - AS
On the following day, August 9th, another heavy news came. Arsenal officially announced the launch of two special jerseys for Maël.
They are his career 100-goal commemorative jersey, and the season summary commemorative jersey for the Double Crown + Record King, priced at £249 and £349, which are higher than ordinary jerseys, and the production is more exquisite.
As soon as the news came out, it ignited the fan circle again. Many Arsenal fans rushed into the store to snap them up, and even many Maël fans who were not Arsenal fans started a buying spree for the first time.
At noon, his commemorative jersey was still in the corner of the club's official website and offline stores as a special edition.
In the evening, it was already placed in the most conspicuous position, striving to allow fans who came to the store to see it at first glance and facilitate selection.
Late at night, Little Kroenke sat in the team chairman's office, looking at the data sent by major stores with Wenger.
Former chairman Hill-Wood had long been dismissed. Old Kroenke took over the chairman's position, but handed over the daily operation of the team to Little Kroenke, and only appeared during key decisions.
Although Little Kroenke has a wealth of ambition and experience accumulated in other sports industries of the family, he still lacks understanding of Arsenal and European Football culture, so he has to call Wenger to deal with affairs every time.
Wenger naturally accepted this with pleasure, and put more thought and energy into the club. After all, this also means that he has greater power and say.
"16,200 pieces offline, this is obviously not the limit of Maël's influence, but the limit of supply speed and printing machine."
Little Kroenke looked at the data sheet with joy, and was in a very good mood, "There are a total of 74,300 pieces online, including 43,200 in the European market, 13,100 in the North American market, 9,300 in South America, and 8,700 in Asia, Oceania and Africa."
Wenger did not reply to Little Kroenke, but a look of shock appeared on his face. It is impossible for the two of them to look at all the problems from the same perspective.
The other party was probably more satisfied and happy with the sales data, while he was more incredulous about the buying frenzy that Maël had stirred up.
This kind of heartfelt shock needed time to digest, and it was enough to make him think deeply about what heights this club would reach under Maël's influence. Although they seemed to have already seen the shadow of the summit, he felt that it didn't seem to be the end point for Maël and them.
Even though successful clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United were just standing there, and Messi and Ronaldo were also there looking down on other players, a looming ladder to a higher place appeared before their eyes.
That was a brand new road, a road that no one had ever set foot on!
"In just these 2 days, the sales created by Maël have reached £36.5 million+, which is almost half of his total jersey merchandise sales last season."
Little Kroenke, watching Wenger's expression, also focused more on Maël. After standing up, he paced back and forth, saying, "It seems that as long as we put our heart into marketing him, he will definitely create more value.
"Seizing the opportunities he brings is seizing the opportunities for the club's future."
After hearing this, Wenger looked up and asked, "Has the amount for this aspect been calculated for last season? How much can he get?"
"£7.43 million."
Little Kroenke turned around and smiled, "I took a special look today. The jersey and merchandise sales in the contract are the big part, and his share in this area is 8%.
"As for the special edition jerseys and small merchandise with a 50% profit share that Hill-Wood and you signed with him later, although the sales are also very considerable, because they were launched late, more sales are counted in this season."
The shock on Wenger's face was even greater, and later turned into a sighing smile, "I have never coached a player with such a strong ability to attract money. Henry can't, and Bergkamp can't either."
"He is epoch-making."
Little Kroenke echoed with a smile. His love for Maël was also growing more and more. Thinking of something, he suggested, "The salary increase contract is about to start negotiations. Why not give him this part of the income first?"
The distribution of this part was originally scheduled to be settled at the end of the third quarter, which is the end of September.
He wanted to settle it in advance, naturally hoping that this act of making an exception for the player could be exchanged for the player's goodwill, so as to obtain a more friendly negotiation environment.
"Okay."
Wenger nodded in agreement, but still reminded, "After our analysis, we feel that Mendes will not mention renewing the contract to 5 years this time. He will maintain the existing 4-year contract and only ask for a substantial salary increase and bonus increase.
"Everything they have now does have the capital to make such demands to the club."
"And we must satisfy them." Little Kroenke added with a wry smile, shrugging his shoulders, "Isn't it?"
With other players getting a substantial salary increase, it is impossible for the salary of Maël, the most critical figure in the team, not to increase.
Otherwise, once there is a gap with the players and the agent, the club's rapid development may be affected at any time, or even directly stagnate and regress.
Mendes must know this, so he will definitely not renew the contract again.
Moreover, in terms of Maël's current value, if you want to renew his contract to the full 5 years, the price you pay will not just be a top salary.
Wenger also laughed, but not with a bitter face, "Yes, fortunately, we have been mentally prepared for it."
Little Kroenke supported his chin, thought for a while, and said, "What can be confirmed is the Premier League's first salary, surpassing Tévez's £250,000, but whether it's around £300,000 or above depends on the final negotiation."
Wenger nodded, turned his head to look elsewhere. He remembered that when he first came here, the players' top salary was only around £30-40,000.
Unexpectedly, more than ten years have passed, and the top salary is about to exceed £300,000. But this time, he is no longer an onlooker. The person who is about to get the Premier League's first salary is an Arsenal player.
August 9th, there are only 3 days left before the start of the Community Shield Cup.
On the training ground at the doorstep, Maël glanced at the watch in his hand during the Fancy Footwork training and found that there was only one hour left before the signing time agreed with Procter & Gamble.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
He quickened his pace, wanting to grind out the last few points of proficiency in 'Fancy Footwork' during this afternoon's training session and complete the upgrade.
At first, his mind was a bit chaotic, and the training effect was mediocre. After realizing that haste makes waste, he calmed down again and meticulously completed each training movement.
This should be the last skill he can upgrade before the Community Shield Cup final. The rest will have to be slowly improved after the Premier League season starts.
"Pa!"
During a ball control, he arched his body backward, firmly absorbing the ball onto his right chest. Then, he straightened up and bounced the ball in front of him. Next, his right foot completed two quick changes of direction in the air, followed his body, and stopped the ball on the ground.
It was also at this moment that he felt some changes in his body again.
[Skill: Fancy Footwork lv3]
[Proficiency: (1/1500)]
[Effect: After improving your ability to combine man and ball, you seem to have mastered all the fancy skills, but many skills have only been learned superficially, and there is still a distance to go before truly achieving them!]
Upgraded!
One step away from 4-star fancy footwork! Now, he wouldn't dare say he has Ronaldinho's elegant style, but at least he has some of the ability of prime Neymar to toy with defenders.
Moreover, training this ability is definitely not just for show. In certain small scenarios, it can help him open up the situation unexpectedly.
He will not delete this additional skill from his training plan. He will continue to practice it until it reaches lv4, helping him have a perfect 4-star fancy footwork! "Bang!"
Maël happily kicked the ball into the small five-a-side goal in the distance. He quickly ran into the house to take a simple shower and change clothes, and then drove his Ferrari to the agreed location.
During the process, he also glanced at the proficiency panel and found that the proficiency of Curved Shot and Long Pass had both exceeded 1000.
The next two skills to be upgraded will definitely be these two.
At that time, he will have 3 lv5 skills, ushering in a super-huge increase!
"Buzz, buzz!" With the roar of a car engine, he rushed to the center of London to meet with Mendes and walked into a high-end restaurant together.
More than an hour later, the two walked out together, with happy smiles on their faces.
All three brands under Procter & Gamble have successfully completed the signing, and the final transaction price is a total of £9 million a year, a total of £27 million for 3 years!
These three brands have all increased the transaction price, but the bonus contracts offered by each will be lower, and together they barely exceed the bonus contracts of Dior and the other two companies.
But this is also understandable. After all, they belong to the same parent company, and it is definitely impossible to offer three high bonuses separately.
"In the earliest days, your bonus income only came from the club."
Mendes soon got into Maël's Ferrari, seemingly wanting to feel the new car, and said with a smile along the way: "Later, there were Lay's Chips and beer, and Puma."
"Then, there were Louis Vuitton, Coca-Cola, and Pepe clothing."
"Today, Emirates Airlines, Dior Perfume, Procter & Gamble's three brands, and Ferrari cars will be added."
Maël touched the steering wheel with one hand and put on sunglasses with the other, "There are too many to count. When will you have the company people make a report for me? I want to see how much bonus I will get for winning any award."
"Okay."
Mendes also put on sunglasses, enjoying the cool feeling of riding in a sports car. Soon he turned his head and said: "I just briefly calculated the upcoming Community Shield Cup, and you should get about £1.8 million after tax."
"If it's the Finals Best Player, there will be an additional £500,000 bonus from Puma, so the final amount should be £2.1 million."
"That much?" Maël smiled brightly. The Community Shield Cup was one of the pieces of his English Grand Slam puzzle, but compared to other major competitions, it was a bit of a sideshow. He didn't expect that it could still bring in £2.45 million.
One can imagine how generous the bonuses he would receive if he won another important championship and individual honor now! "Yes." Mendes also found it incredible. "How about it? Are you confident in raising Puma's superimposed bonus for the new season to £5 million before the Premier League even starts?"
"Of course."
Maël slammed on the accelerator, feeling the passionate push back, and shouted excitedly, "Whoa! I'm going to make Puma pay me more than £20 million starting next season!"
August 10th, as the Community Shield Cup final approached, news about it gradually increased.
"FA Cup and Champions League double champion Chelsea, is about to have a peak showdown with Premier League and EFL Cup double champion Arsenal!! The London Derby will be played at the greatest stadium in London!" - London Evening Standard
"Both teams have invested heavily in signings this summer. Chelsea has spent over £200 million, and Arsenal will also invest nearly £200 million if they sign Bale!" - Transfermarkt
"The Avengers Alliance is about to face Maël for the first time! They are sure to ignite the entire English Football World and fully warm up for the upcoming new season!" - The Times
It can be noted that in addition to paying attention to the game itself, fans are also paying attention to the confrontation between Maël and Xiaofa, Benzema, and Ribery.
These four have quite a history off the field, and their first game of the season will be at Wembley Stadium, which will naturally make fans expect some fierce scenes.
However, with 2 days left before the final, the hype for this game has not been fully stirred up. More people are still discussing Maël's value of 135 million and Arsenal's recent increase in value on this day.
That afternoon, a fan clipped a segment from Messi's latest interview and posted it on various social media platforms.
"Maël's performance in the past year makes it hard to believe that he is an 18-year-old player. Does the appearance of such a player make you feel pressured?" The reporter asked Messi directly.
Messi crossed his fingers and thought for a long time before saying, "I think there are many excellent players. I have been moving forward under pressure. Competition makes each of us better."
Such a roundabout answer obviously could not satisfy the reporter, who then continued to ask sharp questions: "Do you think he will pose a threat to your Ballon d'Or four-peat? He has performed very well this year."
"The evaluation process of the Ballon d'Or is very complicated, I cannot judge."
Messi raised his eyebrows slightly, "Let the professional judges decide, what we say is not authoritative."
The reporter sat up straight and said with a smile, "Do you think he is stronger at 18 than you were at 18?"
This question was not easy to avoid, because it was obvious that Maël at 18 should be stronger than all the stars at 18. If Messi continued to go around in circles, he would easily be labeled by the media as arrogant and unwilling to admit it.
Messi was silent for a while, and finally nodded and said, "Yes, he was stronger at 18 than I was at the time. At that time, I was only worth about 20 million, which is far from him."
After this report was released, it naturally attracted countless Maël fans to forward it, and it had a high degree of dissemination for a time.
The next day at noon, as the pre-match atmosphere of the Community Shield Cup became increasingly hot, an interview clip of Ronaldo was also revealed, which for a time shifted the attention of most fans.
"Do you think Maël at 18 is stronger than you were?" A reporter asked Ronaldo the same question.
Ronaldo's reaction was almost the same as Messi's, but he was more prepared, and the silence time was shorter. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes!"
In just 2 days, he received successive recognition and recognition from the two best players.
This was enough to make Maël fans feel as happy as if it were the New Year, and it also made them look forward to the upcoming game even more.
August 12th, match day.
Arsenal's bus slowly drove out of Colney Base, passing through several streets, and then made a special detour in the city center before heading to Wembley Stadium.
"Hey, look!"
"There too!"
As if they suddenly saw something, the players on the bus caused a commotion, with many smiling and turning back to look at Maël.
Wenger and Philip also noticed and smiled as they looked out the window.
Maël, seeing their expressions, took off his stress-relieving headphones and curiously pulled back the curtain to look in the direction they were looking.
He saw himself in a brown outfit walking sideways in front of a Louis Vuitton flagship store, holding a square LV bag, with many close-up photos on both sides.
Next to the Louis Vuitton store was a Puma flagship store, with a huge cardboard cutout of him at the entrance.
"Buzz!" As the bus drove through another street, a row of magazine photos of him wearing Pepe jeans hung sideways in the middle of the streetlights ahead, with him striking many handsome poses in the shots.
That wasn't all; soon he saw the Dior endorsement cover, and even the giant Coca-Cola posters plastered on many supermarket doors featured him drinking Coke with his head tilted back.
As Mendes had said, after this, he had appeared in every corner of the city streets in all directions! Presumably, this was the case not only in London but also in other cities.
He was now a figure like a business card for English Football and the sports world, with his advertising endorsements visible everywhere.
Maël smiled shyly and put his headphones back on. How should he describe this feeling? There was the glory of fame, but also the surprise and slight embarrassment of suddenly seeing his own face from time to time.
"I've passed 13 blocks and only seen one advertisement related to me."
Van Persie, in the front row, said sourly to Alexandre Song beside him, "I've seen at least a dozen of his, some I've seen before, and some are obviously new."
"He's an international superstar now, there's no point in comparing yourself to him."
Alexandre Song glanced back at Maël, his eyes filled with gratitude. Regardless of anything else, Maël had brought him two championships and a high-paying contract more quickly.
"Almost there."
Wenger, seeing that they were about to start chatting, quickly reminded them, "Think about the game, kids."
No one spoke again, and the bus slowly approached Wembley Stadium in a quiet atmosphere, until they heard the shouts of the fans outside the window.
"We have Maël! We have a European champion! And you have nothing but money! The championship belongs to Arsenal, la la la...!"
"You say we recognize the oligarch as our father, but you just latched onto the Walmart's son-in-law and are already eagerly calling him 'Dad' to help you buy players! You bunch of cowards, you bunch of spineless red and white soft-footed shrimps!"
"We just won the Champions League last year, and you've never won a Champions League... Ohohoh!!"
"Bang bang bang doo... doo doo!!"
They could hear the two teams' fans singing and cursing at each other, with many people drumming and clanging gongs, and lighting blue and red smoke bombs.
Maël looked at them through the crack in the curtain and saw Wembley Stadium in the distance, his heart feeling somewhat fiery.
The first official match of the new season had finally arrived. He hadn't worn the jersey to represent Arsenal on the official stage for a long time, and he couldn't wait!
He was going to overturn Chelsea, win his fifth career championship, the fourth of the year, and the third of the top four crowns in the English professional system! "Arsenal, go!!"
More than 30 minutes later, the players who had warmed up inside Wembley Stadium returned to the locker room. After listening to Wenger's final instructions, they clapped their hands and encouraged each other as they stepped onto the player tunnel.
Maël, wearing the captain's armband, stood at the front for the first time in an official match representing Arsenal, filled with a sense of glory.
His eyes looked at the magnificent Wembley Stadium roof, not concealing his respect for the stadium and his desire for the championship.
He loved lifting the Championship Trophy in this kind of stadium that was full of legends, and he was looking forward to starting the new season in this way!
The media's "Avengers Alliance"? The newly crowned Champions League champion splurging £200 million to strengthen their squad? The former was a complete joke in his mind, and the latter wouldn't bring him too much pressure. After all, he was embarking on the new season full of honors! What's more, after last year's Champions League defeat, he was just waiting to use them to wash away his regrets.
"Beep beep!"
"Aaahh!!"
"Maël Maël!!"
"Fabregas! Fab!"
As the referee blew his whistle, Maël, hand-in-hand with a young ball boy, walked out onto the Wembley Stadium pitch amidst the cheers and excitement of the fans, waving his left hand to greet the Arsenal fans.
The midday sun was perfect, just right for raising the Community Shield Cup high later, reflecting the light to illuminate the faces of every Arsenal fan, letting them see the dawn of the new season! "Hello, viewers! Hello, viewers! Welcome to the 12-13 Season, English Community Shield Cup final! "The two sides facing off are Chelsea and Arsenal! Two illustrious teams, they swept all the most valuable championships in domestic English Football World and European War last season! "Even the European Cup held after the season was won by the French Team, built around the Arsenal squad! "Especially after a substantial strengthening, these two teams can be described as strong and confident.
"Their clash is definitely one of the most intense collisions in English and even European Football World this season!"
In the commentary box, Zhan Jun and his old friend Zhang Lu sat here. As the main commentator, he then introduced the basic situation of the game, "Let's first look at Chelsea's starting lineup, they are lining up in a 4-4-2 formation today.
"In goal, it's still Čech, the two center-backs are David Louis partnering with captain Terry, Ashley Cole at left-back, and Ivanović at right-back.
"The two midfielders are Fabregas partnering with Mata, with Hazard on their left and Ribery on the right.
"In the forward positions, powerful new signing Benzema partners with Torres!"
"..."
"Arsenal, on the other hand, are still choosing a 4-3-3 formation today, basically the same as their formation and starting lineup in the warm-up matches, except that Lloris has replaced Szczęsny, standing on the goal line.
"The center-backs are..."
Before he could finish his introduction, Zhang Lu couldn't help but smile and joke, "It can be noted that many players from both teams have been selected for the national teams of the two sides in this summer's European Cup final.
"However, Chelsea's two former French internationals have now confirmed their permanent retirement from the French Team.
"Their Spanish internationals are relatively pure, but one of them seems to have also permanently retired from the national team after the European Cup final."
"Haha..." Zhan Jun laughed out loud, understanding what Zhang Lu was joking about, "So, this is a somewhat fateful, alternative Spain-France war!
"This is also one of the highlights of this game, the tension between them must be very strong.
"Another highlight is that a total of 8 players from both sides will be making their debuts for their respective teams! "David Louis and Thiago Silva, these two good partners in the Brazil national team's central defense, will also usher in their first head-to-head encounter in the English arena!"
The camera at this time gave a shot of Maël wearing the captain's armband, the sun shining on his right face, adding a few rays of light to him.
"Oh."
Zhang Lu said in his very personal tone: "The French Team and Arsenal's dual young captain, returning with the honor of the European Cup champion, is about to start a new season!
"He is the key figure in this team, I estimate Chelsea will still find it difficult to defend him.
"Although Ivanović is a popular figure in the transfer market for various teams, he seems slightly... well, let's say slightly weak in front of him."
As he spoke, the players from both sides were already lined up on the field, shaking hands.
Maël led the Arsenal players towards the Chelsea team's queue, first smiling and high-fiving Terry, then Čech, Ivanović, Hazard, and others.
When he came to the last few Chelsea players, he glanced towards the end of the opponent's lineup, and found that the three people jokingly called the Avengers Alliance by the media were standing neatly in the last three positions.
You don't need to think to know what they want to do... A contemptuous smile appeared on the corner of Maël's mouth. After shaking hands with Ashley Cole, who was fourth from the end, he put his hand down and walked straight past them.
And as he expected, none of the three were prepared to shake his hand, keeping their eyes fixed on Lloris behind him, reaching out in that direction.
Maël looked back at Lloris, not saying much, trusting that Lloris, as a French Team player, knew something.
After awkwardly raising and lowering his right hand twice, Lloris finally firmly retracted his hand, following Maël away.
Not shaking! Turning the tables! This instantly caused Benzema, Ribery, and Fabregas to lose face, and the Arsenal players who followed suit did the same, with not a single one intending to shake hands with the three.
The more mild-mannered Cazorla had intended to shake hands out of politeness, but Van Persie put his arm around his shoulder and whisked him away.
"Boo! Boo! Boo!"
Amidst the boos from the mixed crowd of fans, the Avengers Alliance trio stood awkwardly in place, disheveled in the wind, having shot themselves in the foot.
The cameras on site clearly recorded their expressions, and also captured the shot of Maël looking back with a triumphant smile. The three in the lens looked like the three stooges of Blue Bridge, while Maël had a somewhat frivolous and dashing air.
"Na na na na na na na na na na na na...!"
"BEEP!!"
Soon after, the entire stadium sang together the chorus of "Hey Jude" by the greatest British band, The Beatles, and the Community Shield Cup final officially kicked off at Wembley Stadium! Maël ran towards the Chelsea backfield. Although he had some disdain for some of the players on this team, he couldn't afford to underestimate them.
He was still a ways away from being invincible, and the strengthened Chelsea was unprecedentedly strong.
Facing such an opponent, the consequence of underestimating them would definitely be a loss.
He had to go all out, strive for victory, and strive for a beautiful start to the new season!
...
In a box inside the stadium, Mendes and Real Madrid President Florentino, heavily armed, sat here, watching the game together.
"You should know something about Bale and Arsenal, right?" Florentino stared at the field, asking, "How far has it gone?"
Mendes shook his head without thinking, "I really don't know about this, I can't give you an answer."
"Then... what do you suggest I do?" Florentino probed, hoping Mendes could tell him whether to continue to fight Maël to the death, or start adding more chips on Bale's side.
Mendes' fist clenched under the table, obviously somewhat troubled, but his expression remained unchanged, "Mr. Florentino is an expert in this area, I only do agent business, I have no suggestions."
Florentino saw that he was unwilling to speak, shook his head slightly and didn't ask any further.
This time to London, was for a private meeting opportunity with Maël.
Coincidentally, the player had a game at Wembley Stadium, so he came to see... if it was at Emirates Stadium, he certainly wouldn't be so arbitrary during this sensitive period.
"Mendes."
After a while, Florentino turned his head and stared at Mendes seriously, "Don't you really want Maël and Ronaldo to play together? They can win a lot of honors together."
"To be honest, not really." Mendes answered without hesitation, he looked serious, "Old Buddha, I am the closest person to these two superstars, no one has ever known them both at the same time, I have my judgment.
"Ronaldo and Maël can't be teammates, especially when both are at their peak.
"They both have special pursuits, and these pursuits in most cases will only have one winner, so they are bound to go to opposite sides."
Florentino's hawk-like eyes stared at Mendes, hesitating to speak.
Mendes also looked at him, guessing that he might want to express if he could sell Ronaldo to make room for Maël, but he was embarrassed to say it.
He pretended not to know anything, and turned his gaze to the field.
"What about you?" Florentino changed the subject, narrowing his eyes. "The two are bound to become rivals. You're caught in the middle. What will you do?"
"I don't know."
Mendes shook his head, he really didn't understand. "Maël has just reached a very high position. The conflict hasn't happened yet, but to be honest, it's coming soon."
He smiled, raising an eyebrow playfully. "Maybe I can stay out of any conflict they might have? Maybe they'll both be generous and never give me a multiple-choice question?"
"Or maybe you'll mess up? Maybe you won't be able to have either of them?"
"." Mendes didn't speak. After a moment, he chuckled dryly and excused himself to leave the box temporarily.
He didn't go far, but went down a level to the small box area.
"Hi, my friend."
Soon, he entered A14 and saw Guardiola and several data analysts from Bayern Munich sitting at the table with their computers.
"Hi." Guardiola turned around, smiling politely. "What took you so long? I thought you were going to ditch our appointment."
"How could I?"
Mendes' expression changed quickly, adjusting his demeanor perfectly, looking as if he had just rushed in from outside.
Looking at the oblivious Guardiola, and remembering the equally oblivious Florentino upstairs, he felt like a playboy dating two girlfriends at the same time in school.
If this went wrong, it would be easy to end up in a shura field, but the thrill of it allowed him to experience the feeling of an affair without losing his morals.
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