July 31st, after three days of adjusting to the time difference and training on the field, the Arsenal players were ready to play.
Around 2 PM that day, the vicinity of the Workers' Stadium was already packed with people. Arsenal and Bayern fans from all over the country were waiting outside for the two teams' buses to arrive.
"Maintain order!"
A middle-aged man in an Arsenal jersey and black trousers held a loudspeaker, speaking with a heavy Cantonese accent: "Don't clash with the opposing fans. We're all compatriots from different places, let's watch the game harmoniously!
"Support the team properly, come on, sing with me, we are Arsenal!"
Several hundred Arsenal fans surrounded him, and more people continued to join. Everyone was enthusiastic, laughing, singing, and dancing, eagerly anticipating the upcoming match.
For them, being able to watch an Arsenal game live was truly a rare opportunity.
Many had taken trains for over twenty hours, bringing their families, wives, and children, looking happy despite their exhaustion.
"Admin."
A young man approached the person organizing the singing, scratching his head and asking, "My post was so long, why didn't you make it a featured one? I've asked you two or three times."
"The one analyzing Maël?"
The middle-aged man glanced at him, recognizing him, and smiled, "Whether Maël is good or not, we'll have to see in this game. To be honest, I've seen him play live in England and know his level.
"But some of the things you said in there were just... too much. I was afraid you'd get flamed, you know how Arsenal fans have been quite toxic these past two years, haha..."
He was very friendly and introduced himself, "My name is Lin Youliang, what's yours?"
"Zhou Yi."
The two got to know each other simply like that. Before long, a bus with the Arsenal logo slowly drove from afar, advancing slowly through the controlled section of the road.
"Oh!" A roar erupted from the crowd, not very organized, but you could hear everyone shouting at the top of their lungs.
"The curtains aren't drawn!"
"Tsar!!"
"Van Persie, I want to marry you, I want to have your babies!"
"You probably can't catch up with Van Persie, how about our Factory Flower Sagna?"
"Ramsey, score more goals!"
The fans shouted enthusiastically, waving at their favorite stars, knowing that the Arsenal players wouldn't understand, but still wanting to express their love.
At this moment, the Arsenal bus slowly stopped in the distance, and the players and coaching staff got off and walked over.
"Ah!" A new wave of frenzy began here, with fans jumping, screaming, and quickly searching their bags for paper, pens, and phones, wanting to get autographs and photos with the players.
Maël and Arsenal's little prince Wilshere got off the bus together. As soon as they got off, they saw the extremely enthusiastic fans around them. Many Arsenal players were already immersed in the crowd, signing autographs and taking photos.
"So enthusiastic."
Wilshere smiled and sighed, looking at Maël, "What do you think they're saying?"
"I can understand, but I won't tell you." Maël smiled and pointed to his ears, knowing that Wilshere wouldn't believe him.
Having trained with the First Team for a long time, he and the similarly aged Wilshere had naturally become good friends, often going shopping together on weekdays.
"Haha..." Wilshere laughed and shook his head, "Has anyone ever told you that your jokes are sometimes very awkward?"
Maël was speechless, and suddenly a little stunned. The last person who said that to him was Gilbert.
He wondered how that guy was doing now, whether he had left or not. They hadn't talked or messaged each other in a long time.
That's how good friends sometimes are, you don't remember to contact them usually, but you'll sit down together when you're in the same city.
"Wilshere!"
"Little Prince!"
"Sign an autograph!"
Several shouts rang out, and someone waved their Arsenal jersey at Wilshere, very fanatically.
"I'll go first." Wilshere turned to Maël, raised his eyebrows triumphantly, and walked over with an affected gait, carrying himself like a star.
Maël felt a little envious. He could occasionally be recognized in London, but that wasn't necessarily the case here.
Arsenal fans in China during this era had limited access to information. Being able to watch the team's Premier League and Champions League matches was already good; it was almost impossible for them to pay attention to the team's loaned players.
It's normal not to recognize me. Thinking this, he became even more determined to perform well in this match and leave a good impression on them.
"Maël! Over here!"
"He's so handsome, and his figure is great. Even as a guy, I think he's handsome."
Two voices suddenly rang out from his right. Maël turned his head in surprise and saw a middle-aged man and a young man standing there.
Someone recognized him? He felt a surge of joy, walked towards them, picked up a pen, and began to write his name on their jerseys.
"Admin, why are you looking for him too!"
The young man looked at Maël with excitement and turned to say, "I thought I was the only one looking for his autograph. I was even worried my voice would be drowned out and he wouldn't hear me."
Maël immediately felt a warmth in his heart and paid attention to his handwriting while signing.
"Mainly,"
The middle-aged man chuckled and said, "Other Arsenal stars all have fans, but he doesn't, which is a bit pitiful. I just saw him walking alone awkwardly, probably digging his toes into the ground."
Maël: "..."
This fan, who sounds like he's from Guangdong, is really kind-hearted.
After signing, he rejoined Wilshere, and they walked together towards the Workers' Stadium.
"Is that Maël?"
"The one who fought with Fabregas?"
"So young!"
"Nice one, mate!"
As he walked, several more fans recognized him, but it was clear they knew him through Fabregas.
Maël waved to the fans, making them beam with joy. They didn't seem to expect that an Arsenal player would actually wave to them.
"We Guoan Team..."
Reaching the entrance of the Workers' Stadium, remembering it was Guoan's home ground, a magical melody popped into Maël's head, and he smiled slightly.
Then, his expression slowly turned serious. He knew that the highest-level match of his career so far was about to begin! "China Central Television! China Central Television!"
At 3:25 PM, in the broadcast room inside the Workers' Stadium, Shen Fangjian, the famous commentator from CCTV5, was already in position to commentate on the match for the fans in front of their TVs.
In the past two years, CCTV had secured the broadcasting rights for quite a few pre-season friendlies of big clubs. On one hand, they were cheap, and on the other hand, they could stir up the fans' enthusiasm before the season started.
The football copyright market had been losing money for years, and the number of fans paying to watch games couldn't be increased. It was becoming difficult for Chinese fans to watch the top five leagues.
"You are now watching the match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal. The players from both sides are about to enter the field for the pre-match ceremony! Let's take a look at the starting lineups of both teams. Bayern Munich's coach, Heynckes, has arranged a 4-3-3 formation today.
"Goalkeeper Neuer, right-back Rafinha, the two center-backs are Badstuber and Boateng, and the left-back is their captain Lahm.
"The three midfielders, from left to right, are Schweinsteiger, Gustavo, and Toni Kroos.
"At the front is the tall center-forward Mario Gomez, with Thomas Müller on his left and Robben on his right."
"..."
"For Arsenal, they are also using a 4-3-3 formation today, with Szczęsny in goal, and the defense line from left to right is Gibbs, Koscielny, Vermaelen, and Sagna.
"The three midfielders, slightly deeper, are Alexandre Song, with Rosický and Ramsey on either side of him.
"The center forward is Van Persie, the left winger is Maël, the EFL Championship's best player, top scorer, and Assists Leader, who has just returned from his loan spell at Sheffield United and has just turned 18! The right winger is Gervinho, whom they bought from Lille for 12 million euros."
Shen Fangjian flipped through the information, finished introducing the starting lineups of both sides, and said with a smile, "Both sides are basically fielding their full squads and have sent out many new signings. Let's look forward to this exciting match that is about to begin!"
In the player tunnel of the Workers' Stadium, the players from both sides were holding hands with the young mascots, waiting to enter the field. The atmosphere was very tense.
Maël stood at the front of the team. Since the club hadn't selected a jersey number yet, he was temporarily wearing Number 31, which was his date of birth.
Speaking of which, today was his 18th birthday. On such an important day, having the opportunity to stand on the field and compete against a top team was truly a fortunate thing.
Maël looked to his left and saw countless familiar faces in Bayern's lineup, all of whom were superstars in European football.
'Little Flying Man' Robben, 'Youngster' Müller, Neuer who just transferred, the young Toni Kroos, and the legendary captain Lahm, small in stature but full of vitality.
"Huff."
His breathing quickened, and he looked towards the green field outside, a hint of longing in his eyes.
The thought of stepping onto the same field as these stars filled him with excitement, his legs trembling slightly.
He had been in this world for over a year, and he was finally entering the heart of world football, beginning to get the chance to compete against top players! At this moment, he felt that all the grueling and painful training he had endured was worth it.
He stood where he had always dreamed of standing, playing alongside those he used to watch on TV! "Bip!"
The referee blew the whistle for the players to enter, and the players, holding hands with the young mascots, walked onto the field, soon arriving inside the Workers' Stadium.
"Wow!" The Workers' Stadium, capable of holding nearly 80,000 fans, was packed to capacity. The fans erupted in enthusiastic cheers as they saw the stars emerge from the tunnel.
This was a volume Maël had never heard before, truly deafening, overwhelming, and the ground inside the stadium seemed to tremble.
Although the fans of the two teams were mixed together, lacking the coordination for collective cheering, their random shouts alone could create earth-shattering waves of sound! "Huff," Maël adjusted his breathing again, his emotions already reaching a climax before the match even started.
He looked around, seeing the fans waving their hands excitedly in the stands, Wenger walking towards the coaching area with a serious expression, and the Bayern stars jumping and doing their final warm-ups.
Looking at the green field in front of him, feeling the softness under his feet, he wanted to close his eyes and savor this feeling of a dream come true.
"Good luck!"
"Enjoy the game."
"Good luck."
"You too."
Before he could react, both sides had reached the final preparation stage, and the Bayern players lined up and walked over, shaking hands and encouraging them.
Maël watched as clear and familiar faces quickly passed by, gradually immersing himself in the match.
He didn't think about anything else. He could savor all of this later. Now, he needed to adjust his mindset and prepare for battle! "Bip!!"
At 3:30 PM, with the referee's whistle, the match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich officially began! "WowOh!!" Amidst the cheers of the fans from both sides, Bayern's center forward Mario Gomez kicked the ball from the center circle, and the players from both sides quickly clashed.
Maël ran towards the left side of the field, staying close to Rafinha, who was marking him, waiting for a chance to receive the ball.
"Good luck, kid." Rafinha glanced at him and smiled, offering a word of encouragement, with a slight hint of condescension.
The opponent obviously recognized him, probably because the Bayern coach had mentioned it before the match, or they had seen the incident of him fighting with Fabregas online.
"You too."
Maël replied. This was a defender who didn't stand out much among Bayern's superstars, but he had good attacking ability, was very energetic, and was considered top-notch in the Bundesliga.
Today was a good opportunity to practice against him! Following the team's formation, Maël could clearly feel that the pace of the game was very, very fast, more than two levels faster than the EFL Championship.
The ball was still developing on the left, but in the next moment, it might suddenly reach the feet of the right winger after two quick passes, and the right winger would quickly launch an attack on the defense!
The seemingly casual backcourt passing would sometimes suddenly accelerate, and a high-speed ground ball would be sent to the feet of the forward players! "Bang, bang, bang!"
The sound of passing continued, and the team in possession constantly used quick transitions to pull the opponent's defense, trying to find gaps to complete penetrating passes.
The defending side maintained a tight formation and moved as a whole. Every player knew that they couldn't give the opponent a chance to find loopholes, and they quickly got into position every time, never slacking off.
"Bang!"
In the fourth minute of the match, Bayern's right midfielder Toni Kroos played an accurate long pass, finding the team's left winger, Thomas Müller.
This was a sudden long pass to launch an attack, a sudden change of pace!
Müller steadily controlled the ball, dribbled quickly towards the Arsenal defense for a few steps, and passed it to Schweinsteiger, who was following up in the center.
"Bang!!" Schweinsteiger drew back his bow and arrow, and a powerful long shot went towards the Arsenal goal, but it was blocked by Koscielny, who made a flying tackle in the middle.
The ball bounced out of the penalty area, and Gustavo and Alexandre Song began to compete for it. Both players had good physical strength, and for a time, they were locked in a struggle.
In the end, Arsenal's center-back Vermaelen, who rushed over, poked the ball away and passed it to Gibbs on the wing.
"Bang!"
Gibbs saw the opponent's forward pressing up, didn't dare to hold the ball for too long, and passed it to Maël's approximate position.
On the left wing in the attacking third, Maël turned his head to observe Badstuber's position, sprinted forward to meet the ball, and completed the turn in one smooth motion.
He dribbled towards Rafinha, who retreated nimbly to the side, seemingly waiting for the right moment to strike.
Having gradually mastered ball control, Maël wasn't afraid of this tactic from the defender. He steadily controlled the ball and advanced quickly, waiting for Rafinha's impulsive attack.
After a few steps, he finally observed Rafinha's knee suddenly sink, as if he wanted to rush forward and intercept the ball!
*"Bang!"* Maël blasted the ball along the sideline with one kick, without using any fancy dribbling moves, just a simple burst.
His legs continuously exerted force to push off and lift up, and he passed Rafinha almost in a flash, ushering in a wide-open space.
"What the hell?!" Rafinha cursed in German, not expecting Maël to be so decisive and resolute. He turned around and quickly followed, only to find that he was getting further and further away.
Maël galloped at high speed on the left wing, like a wild horse off the leash, and you could feel his impact just by looking at him.
"Cover my position!"
Bayern's center-back Badstuber called out to Boateng behind him and rushed towards Maël from the side. His speed was surprisingly good, and he quickly caught up.
"Pa!" At that moment, Maël suddenly blasted the ball towards the sideline again, suddenly accelerating for the second time, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the position of the baseline.
Badstuber was slow to turn around, or rather, he could never keep up with Maël, who possessed this speed ability.
"Oh!" The Arsenal fans at the scene burst into cheers, and many people stood up from their seats, observing Maël's direction.
Maël then sent a cross towards the center, but Boateng, who had secured his position in advance, headed it out of the penalty area.
"Pa pa pa" Despite this, there was a round of applause at the scene. The explosive ability that Maël had just shown was amazing.
Accelerating and then accelerating again! Taking advantage of the space behind Bayern Munich, he easily broke through two Bayern defenders! This kind of winger with explosive power is very conspicuous and memorable.
On the field, Maël slapped his hand slightly regretfully and turned around to run towards his position, not too disappointed.
"He's fast!"
Behind him, Badstuber, who had personally experienced Maël's second acceleration, had a look of lingering fear and worry on his face: "Rafinha, is there a way to limit him?"
Rafinha, who had just rushed back, was also shocked and couldn't help but look back at Maël's back. "I'll try again. Young players can't just dribble past me every time."
"Arsenal's counter-attack opportunity! Gervinho is up on the right, he's stumbling a bit, is he nervous seeing Lahm?"
In the broadcast room, Shen Fangjian's voice was full of passion as he commentated on this battle between powerhouses, "Lahm... directly stepped forward to intercept! A clean and neat interception, and the ball possession returned to Bayern Munich.
"The ball possession rate is 50-50, but Bayern Munich is playing more aggressively, so be careful.
"Maël on the left wing has already shown his speed ability. If you leave him a lot of space behind, Rafinha may still have some difficulties! Robben! Cuts towards the center, Robben's signature cut inside! A shot!!
"Didn't hit the right spot, the ball is soft and weak, Szczęsny holds the ball tightly... Robben is complaining about the quality of the turf, but Szczęsny is about to make a quick throw, throwing the ball to the wing!"
On the football field, a football with a fluctuating trajectory and an overall parabolic shape flew towards the Bayern backcourt wing position.
Maël used his body to block the landing position, constantly guarding against Rafinha suddenly stepping forward to destroy the ball. He knew that these defenders must have this awareness.
"Now!"
On the defensive line, Badstuber called for Rafinha to step forward and intercept, as this was the best time to intercept.
But... Rafinha was being held behind by Maël, and he couldn't express his suffering. He wasn't a defender with strong confrontation ability in the first place, and he couldn't move at all being held by Maël like this.
He could only hope that Maël's moment of stopping the ball would give him some interception opportunities.
"Pa." At this time, the ball landed at Maël's feet. His right foot was placed on the landing point of the ball, and he steadily sucked the ball onto his foot, without stopping it even 20 centimeters away.
Rafinha felt a little dumbfounded again, and then a palpitation rose in his heart.
*"Bang!"*
The moment Maël turned around with the ball tucked inside his foot, he flicked the ball from the right side of his body, and the whole person rushed from the left side of him.
By the time Rafinha turned his head, Maël was already four or five steps away from him.
He had a bitter look on his face and could only grit his teeth and desperately chase back.
"Mine!"
On Bayern's defensive line, Badstuber shouted and ran towards the landing point of the ball.
The ball was coming towards him, and he felt that he had a chance to control the ball before Maël touched it.
As a result, the more he ran, the more he felt something was wrong, and the more he ran, the more the hope of getting the ball became slim... Why didn't the ball seem to be running towards him, as if it was stopping in place, waiting for Maël to rush up? Was he that fast?
His eyes flashed with surprise, and he quickly launched a flying tackle, preparing to make a final stand using the distance advantage of the slide.
"Pa!" But Maël was still the first to touch the ball. He poked the ball away with one foot and charged towards the edge of the penalty area.
Badstuber not only failed to get the ball but also gave up his defensive position!
In an instant, the entire Bayern defense fell into chaos. Boateng couldn't worry about Van Persie behind him; he could only try to block Maël's path into the penalty area first.
"Boom!"
But as soon as he moved, Maël sent a cross towards the center, straight towards Van Persie.
Bayern captain Lahm rushed towards Van Persie from the other side, thinking of covering the gap left by Boateng, but it was too late.
"Boom!" Van Persie calmly pushed the ball into Neuer's goal with his left foot, easily converting the chance.
"Yeah!!" Inside the Workers' Stadium, an explosion of cheers erupted, as if a sonic boom had gone off. Tens of thousands of Arsenal fans stood up, raised their arms, and celebrated wildly.
One to zero!
Arsenal took the lead!
Their beloved General Van, scored the first goal for them! "Who the hell is Number 31?!"
"Damn! Where did this little demon come from? He's so fierce and so fast!"
"Twice already, Rafinha doesn't seem to be able to stop him, he's too embarrassed!"
"The one who replaced Fabregas, I saw a report saying he scored 40 goals in the EFL Championship, I don't know if it's true or not."
"Awesome!!"
"Arsenal is getting better, do they have a second winger who can explode?!"
The fans in the stands didn't just celebrate; they pointed at Maël's back and excitedly started swearing. They could, of course, see who deserved the most credit for the goal just now.
"Maël!!"
Enveloped in the fans' enthusiastic cheers, Van Persie grinned, pointed at Maël, and rushed towards Maël to celebrate with an excited expression.
They had scored such goals countless times in training, but this was the first time in a match.
This... could very well be the beginning of a harmonious and cooperative goal-scoring partnership between the two!
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