"Arsenal Achieves 58-Game Unbeaten Streak! Successfully Ties Milan's 93 Season Record! Maël Nears 40 Premier League Goals!" - Daily Mail
"Is the 19-Year-Old Ballon d'Or Winner Coming? With Arsenal Achieving a 58-Game Unbeaten Streak, Maël Undoubtedly Has More Chips to Win the Ballon d'Or. His Performance This Year Has Been Unparalleled!" - The Guardian
"Great Invincible Army! This Victory Will Surely Go Down in History and Be Immortalized! Arsenal Won a Game They Most Deserved to Win! This Glory Belongs Not Only to Them but Also to the Entire Premier League!" - The FA Official
"European Cup Champion + Premier League 100 Points Unbeaten Championship + EFL Cup Sweeping All Scorer Awards Championship + Community Shield Cup Winning Best Player and Championship, in Addition to Several Records, Maël May Really Break History!" - France L'Équipe
"January 8th, the 2012 Ballon d'Or Awards Ceremony Will Be Held at the Usual Place, the Zurich Center in Switzerland. Before That, Arsenal Has One More Premier League Game and One FA Cup Game. Maël Is Expected to Completely Break Milan's Record Before the Golden Ball!" - Football Record
At the same time, on social media, mainstream media outlets released their pre-edited news cards, vying for the hot topics related to Arsenal and Maël at this moment.
It can be noted that while praising Arsenal, many media outlets used a lot of ink to focus on Maël.
On the one hand, this is because he is the absolute core captain of this team, who has made great contributions to the team's 58-game unbeaten streak.
On the other hand, with the Ballon d'Or Awards Ceremony approaching, people's attention to him is similar to their attention to Arsenal.
A 58-game unbeaten streak is certainly a rare miracle, but a 19-year-old Ballon d'Or winner is obviously not to be outdone!
And when this 19-year-old Ballon d'Or hot favorite appears in a team with a 58-game unbeaten streak, it is only natural that he attracts the attention and discussion of all fans!
"4 Championship Trophies + 58 Games Unbeaten (Possibly 59) + Premier League All-Time Goal Record Holder + Premier League Best Player + European Cup All-Time Goal Record Holder + European Cup Best Player + Community Shield Cup and EFL Cup Finals Best Player, How Can He Not Win?"
"Yes! In my opinion, Messi's advantage is nothing more than the data of goals and assists. Apart from that, his performance in the past year has been comprehensively behind Maël."
"And historically, when comparing data, the larger the base, the smaller the gap."
"A striker with 5 goals a year has a big gap with a striker with 15 goals a year, but the gap between 30 and 40 a year is not so big, let alone 90+ and 95+ a year!"
"All indications are that Maël will break Ronaldo's record this year and become the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history!"
"I think it's well deserved! There has never been such an excellent player in history. He has already completed so many shocking things. What's wrong with completing one or two more?"
"Yes, the Ballon d'Or needs such a youngest winner to enhance its gold content!"
"Now everyone knows that Maël will most likely reach a height that no one has ever reached in the future, and giving him a Ballon d'Or at the age of 19 to recognize his achievements and potential is the wisdom and honor of the Ballon d'Or official."
"The league is just over halfway through, and the number of goals is about to break 40, God. Is this still the Premier League? Is this still the top four leagues? How does it feel like Maël's private paradise?"
"A brand new level of player will definitely have a brand new level of achievement!! Maël, keep going!!"
"."
There was a chorus of praise on major social media platforms. All the fans who had just watched the Arsenal vs. Southampton game excitedly expressed their support and recognition for Maël.
As one important achievement after another arrived, and one important record after another was broken by Maël, everyone placed Maël at a higher level in their hearts! This is a subtle improvement. When people see the explosive data that exceeds their worldview and the eye-catching performance, they will unconsciously be more convinced by Maël in their hearts.
A brand new level! This statement was clearly put forward for the first time and applied to Maël. In addition, regarding whether he can win the 2012 Ballon d'Or, there is already a chorus of optimism on social media.
"OleOleOle!!"
At this moment, in the Arsenal locker room at the Emirates Stadium, the Arsenal players wearing red and white jerseys huddled several coaches together and danced their cheerful dance again.
The leaders in the dance have not changed, and they are still the old players such as Sagna and Maël.
Although the newcomers smiled and beat the rhythm next to them, they were obviously not as extroverted as these people. It was still a bit difficult for the slightly shy Bale and Giroud to twist their hips and crotches.
After dancing for a while and getting tired, Maël took a towel and wiped his sweat, sitting aside and watching his teammates' performances with a smile.
He suddenly raised his head, filled with emotion. 58 consecutive unbeaten games, this was his greatest wish after completing 49 unbeaten games, and he didn't expect to finally achieve it today.
He also completed a goal he had set shortly after arriving, to bring this team to another peak! After writing Arsenal's name at the top of the Premier League's highest score title-winning list, he also wrote Arsenal's name at the top of the five major leagues' unbeaten record list! The sense of accomplishment brought by this kind of conquest is unparalleled and addictive.
He won't stop there. He will strive to write the name of this club at the top of all lists, just as he dreams of a Grand Slam, writing his own name at the top of all individual lists.
What will the day be like when he truly achieves all his goals and accomplishments? Maël's eyes revealed longing, and his heart gave birth to fantasy. That should be the most glorious day of his life.
He didn't notice that Gilbert was sitting next to him, occasionally casting smiles and hesitant expressions at him.
After a long while, Gilbert's voice sounded, "Maël, next week, you should really be going to receive the Ballon d'Or, right? I never believed it before, but at this moment, I think it must be you."
Maël was stunned for a moment, then turned his head and smiled, "Haha... Does it feel fast? When I told you this more than a year ago, you didn't dare to believe it, and thought I was joking or bragging."
"Yes." Gilbert nodded, sighing, "At that time, I couldn't even say I 'trusted' that you could win the Ballon d'Or, but rather felt that it was something beyond comprehension.
"It's like you said you could shoot down the sun, or kick the moon to pieces."
Maël laughed a few more times, shook his head, and said, "But this time it's not like it's a sure thing, just that the chances are relatively high."
"Just a relatively high chance?" A voice sounded from beside him. Van Persie walked over, waving his phone in front of the two of them, "Take a look at this, the news is already out."
Maël and Gilbert exchanged a glance, curiously looking at his phone, and saw a report.
"The final candidates for the Ballon d'Or have been confirmed. Maël, Messi, and Ronaldo have been selected, becoming the most popular candidates for this year's award. Their specific rankings and the rankings of the overall candidate list will be revealed in Zurich." - France Football Official
Gilbert smiled brightly, glanced at Maël, and patted his good brother's shoulder.
A sense of joy rose in Maël's heart, and a sense of stability burst out from the inside out, making him more confident.
Regardless of whether he ultimately wins the Ballon d'Or or not, his year has been remarkable. Through the improvement of his strength and hard work on the field, he has made amazing progress, allowing himself to go from a Ballon d'Or bystander a year ago to a final contender! "The main point is this." Van Persie saw that the two had finished reading, and moved his finger across the screen, pulling the screen down to reveal a voting page.
The voting results have already been revealed, probably because Van Persie himself also voted.
--"Public Vote: The 3 Final Candidates Have Been Announced, Choose Who You Think Is Most Likely to Win!"
Maël - 414235 votes - 49.8% support rate
Messi - 326896 votes - 39.3% support rate
Ronaldo - 98984 votes - 11.9% support rate
Judging from the green highlighting of the 'Maël' line, Van Persie should have voted for him too, but one person definitely won't have much impact in such a large voting base.
"The support rate alone accounts for half of the three candidates." Van Persie put away his phone and sat down next to the two of them, "Actually, if you were a little more arrogant, you could say that you're going to collect the award next week."
Maël's mood was naturally good after seeing it, but he still said, "The voting tendencies of fans should still be different from the voting tendencies of the Ballon d'Or judges."
"No."
Van Persie shook his head and said, "Although the number of people voting for the Ballon d'Or is not large, the span is still very large, and reporters from all over the world participate.
"Leaving aside the comparison and selection of professional data, the personal preferences of different judges in different regions are also very important in this. And the voting organized in the media can also reflect the personal preferences of people in different regions.
"I have briefly observed the prediction votes before each Ballon d'Or, and the one with the highest call is basically the final winner.
"Even now, some controversial Ballon d'Or winners were still the most popular in the fan voting of that year. The controversy came out later, but most people still felt that he should have won it at the time."
Maël looked at Van Persie, and after a long time, he squeezed out a sentence, "Don't lie to me, Dutchman."
"Hahaha" Van Persie knew that Maël's heart had already become restless, and after laughing loudly, he said, "Maël, it can be said that the situation is already very good!"
Maël couldn't help but laugh. He stood up and said goodbye to Gilbert and Van Persie, and then went to the shower room next to the locker room.
2012 passed perfectly like this, and Arsenal ended the year with an achievement of 58 unbeaten games.
And Maël also increased his annual goal tally to 91 in the final moments. If Messi hadn't been in explosive form this year, scoring 96 goals, his achievement would have been historic.
From 15+ goals in just half a season in 2010, to 45+ goals in 2011, and now 91+ goals this year.
Every year, he has been exponentially improving his stats. And in the process of improving these numbers, he has won more and more, bigger and bigger individual and team honors! Moreover, as he approaches the highest human level, he is getting closer to his ultimate goal.
Those achievements that players of past generations have never accomplished have also appeared before his eyes, becoming tangible things!
91 Maël! This is his 2012.
...
Time entered a new year, and on January 1st, the opening of the winter transfer window plunged major clubs into a frenzy.
First were some transfers that had been rumored long ago and were already confirmed. For example, Manchester City sold Balotelli to AC Milan for 20 million euros, while Liverpool acquired Coutinho from Inter Milan for 8.5 million pounds.
After that, there were some small moves by mid-to-lower-tier clubs. However, various transfer rumors about big clubs were still flying everywhere.
"Chelsea is interested in Newcastle midfielder Demba Ba? Rumor has it that the transfer price may reach around 10 million euros." - Romano
"Sturridge and Liverpool are close to reaching an agreement. Do these consecutive big moves represent Liverpool's determination for next season?" - Romano
"..."
While rumors were rampant, Arsenal, who had been on a strong run recently, seemed rather low-key. They hadn't been linked to any transfer rumors, and few of their star players had been rumored to be transferring to other teams.
It's normal for Arsenal, with as many as 33+ First Team players, not to want to buy anyone, but wouldn't those who don't get opportunities in the team want to leave? This question appeared in many people's minds. Fortunately, an editor at The Guardian made a timely comment.
"At the point of completing a 59-game unbeaten run, Arsenal players are clearly united. Even those players who can't get into the game won't have any thoughts of leaving.
"Who wouldn't want to follow such a club to complete such a miracle? Even if they can't get more attention at the moment, more than a decade later, when they appear with the title of a member of the Invincible Army, they will be looked at with new eyes.
"Look at Dream Team Barcelona, Milan from 91-93, their personnel were very stable, and some of the substitutes in the team are now players that we are very familiar with and respect.
"Everyone must understand that when such team honor is placed in front of them, any player will be so fascinated by its temptation that they can't move.
"Leave? Even if they were driven away now, they wouldn't leave, not to mention that Arsenal not only has this unbeaten record, but they also have the hope of winning 3 Championship Trophies!
"First is the Premier League. I think now, no one thinks that the Premier League champion this season will be a club other than Arsenal, right? It is a foregone conclusion that they will win this Championship Trophy.
"And who would dislike having one more Premier League Championship Trophy and a top league medal in their trophy cabinet?
"Secondly, there are the Champions League and the FA Cup. Looking at the current state and situation, I think Arsenal has at least a 30% chance of winning these two events. This is visible.
"In addition to these, Wenger also uses them a lot. The batch of First Team players who have played the least for Arsenal this season have now had 6-8 appearances and 3-5 starts after half the season."
"..."
This report was forwarded by many people. Indeed, as he said, after people put themselves in the shoes of Arsenal players, they would find that they also didn't want to leave.
Who would actively leave such a rare collective? And the fact was indeed as they expected. In the next two days, although there were some sporadic transfer rumors about Arsenal players, these rumors were quickly defined as rumors in less than two hours.
Arsenal, who are at their peak, don't need to buy people to strengthen their team, and none of their players will choose to leave!
...
Morning, January 2nd, Colney Training Base, in the head coach's office.
Wenger was preparing for the FA Cup third-round match against Swansea the next day. This was Arsenal's first entry into this battle line this season, and it had to be taken seriously.
Philip and Hans stood beside him, looking out the window, watching to see if there were any figures doing extra training on the training ground in the distance, thinking that they could also discover a player like Maël for the club.
Wenger smiled when he saw their appearance. How easy is it to come across a rare genius like Maël? But as he watched, Philip really saw a good seed. It was a black player wearing a No. 7 jersey, about ten years old, with a thin body but extremely fast footwork, and his movements had a bit of a star quality.
"Huh?" He gradually became interested, noting that person in his heart, then looked up and smiled at Wenger, "I saw an interesting young man."
"Haha..." As soon as he finished speaking, he, Wenger, and Hans burst into laughter. Everyone knew that this was what Wenger had said to him when he discovered Maël. Now that he said it, it felt a bit like an imitation.
"Sir."
Philip sat next to Wenger and said, "The transfer window has been open for two days, are we really not making any moves this time?"
"Not for now."
Wenger shook his head and replied, "This year's transfer plan only includes preparing replacements for all positions in case of departures. If someone suddenly leaves, then we'll react."
Hans suddenly had a brain fart and blurted out, "What if Maël leaves? Who can replace him?"
Wenger: "..."
Philip: "..."
Seeing their expressions that said 'get out if you can't chat', Hans scratched his head, realizing that his joke had failed miserably. He immediately shrugged and tried to salvage the situation, "Just kidding, he definitely won't... haha."
"Honestly, we didn't prepare much of a budget for the winter window anyway. The club doesn't need any emergency signings."
Wenger changed the subject, explaining to them as someone who was heavily involved in the board's financial affairs, "The team only prepared a salary budget for potential player raises this winter, no transfer budget.
"We're very healthy in all aspects right now. Apart from the debt incurred when the Kroenke family fully acquired the club, the team's debt will be cleared by the middle of this year."
He sighed, stood up, "So, don't worry about anything, just focus on the matches. Good times are ahead."
Hans and Philip both laughed, the former then curiously asked, "You've set aside a large salary budget... are you planning another large-scale raise?"
"Probably." Wenger wore a wry smile, "After all, the new round of valuation updates is coming soon as the winter window opens.
"According to previous practice, or rather, according to Mendes' nature, he will definitely make a fuss again, and we have to give in, don't we?"
His implication was clear: with another new level of performance in the first half of the year, Maël's value would inevitably reach a new high... and his current salary was already not enough to keep him! Philip added with a smile, "Actually, it's worth it. Without him, we wouldn't be leisurely preparing for the FA Cup and Premier League matches this winter.
"Look at Chelsea and Liverpool, they're all in a mess, trying to figure out how to secure a spot in the European War.
"But we don't have so many worries. What Maël brings us, if converted into transfer fees and wages for players, would be who knows how much. Giving him a raise is definitely worth it."
"Of course." Wenger raised his eyebrows and took off his glasses, "I've never felt that he doesn't deserve a higher salary. If money is just a number, I'm willing to give him everything."
"Anyway, it's not yours."
"Hahaha!"
On January 3rd, the Arsenal team arrived at Swansea's home stadium, the Liberty Stadium, for the third round of the FA Cup that season.
Drawing a Premier League team in the first round of the FA Cup was, to be honest, a bit unlucky, but Arsenal's players were certainly not afraid. They were confident in defeating any opponent.
After losing the EFL Cup match with a substitute lineup, Wenger was more cautious in his team selection for this match, opting for a combination of semi-substitutes and semi-regulars.
This ensured that the core players could get enough rest while also guaranteeing immediate combat strength, striving for a smooth advance to the fourth round.
Goalkeeper: Lloris
Defense: Gibbs, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Pereira
Midfield: Gilbert, Cazorla, Ramsey
Forwards: Podolski, Giroud, Bale
In addition, on the bench, Maël, Van Persie and other good players were on standby, ready to enter the field at any sign of change.
"Beep!"
The match kicked off at 3:30 p.m. that day, and Arsenal officially launched the final battle of the season.
Wenger paced back and forth on the sidelines with his arms folded and a serious expression. He kept his eyes and ears open, using all his energy to observe everything on the field, ready to react at any moment.
Maël and Van Persie and others also carefully observed the game situation, fearing any accidents.
As the saying goes, different periods have different things that are valued. What Arsenal values this season, in addition to the Premier League and the Champions League, is the FA Cup in front of them.
Last season, they were somewhat regretfully and helplessly eliminated from the FA Cup, focusing on the Premier League and the EFL Cup, which they could win at the end of February.
So this season, the FA Cup is definitely the focus of their competition!
With the Community Shield Cup already in hand, completing a Grand Slam of top English competitions, including two Premier League titles, within two years is the pursuit of all Arsenal players, and even more so of Maël.
After all, any goal must go from small to large. If he wants to complete a full career Grand Slam, he must complete a full English domestic Grand Slam first.
From a team perspective, only this FA Cup remains for him. And from a personal perspective, he only has the FA Cup Finals Best Player and the Premier League Assists Leader left.
These are all possible to achieve directly this season, so he can't give up any of them.
At the end of the season, a full English Football World Grand Slam! This is his goal for the season. Of course, the Ballon d'Or and other awards are as well.
"Boom!"
In the 18th minute of the match, a diving Header from left-back Gibbs relieved the pressure on Arsenal's players, and Arsenal took a 1-0 lead.
In the 32nd and 37th minutes of the first half, Giroud and Bale also scored successively, giving the team a 3-0 lead that almost locked in the victory!
It's okay! Smiles appeared on everyone's faces. Maël and Van Persie and others chatted idly, and Wenger sat quietly on the coach's bench, drinking water.
At the very beginning of the second half, Bale completed a Brace, and then Ramsey also used a Cannon Shot with his left foot to blast open the city gate, venting his depression from not being able to play for a long time.
Five to zero! Arsenal ultimately advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup with this score, and those second-tier team members who had repeatedly encountered setbacks also regained their confidence in this game.
"Actually, you are not much worse than the starters. I think today's game has proved it."
After the game, Wenger looked at the substitute rotation players in the locker room and said, "Don't think this is the result of half the main force and half the rotation. With your own strength, a full rotation could also beat Swansea five to zero."
He pointed to the position of his heart, "The important thing is here, it's the mentality, not the tactics and individual ability, understand?"
"At the beginning of the season, you kept winning after playing, but in the middle you started to encounter some setbacks. At that time, there was a problem with your mentality, until the loss in the last EFL Cup game... There are reasons for all of this."
"I hope this game can bring you confidence. I will give you more opportunities in the future, even in the Premier League. Keep up the good work."
"Keep up the good work...!!" The locker room was filled with encouragement. Maël saw his teammates winning perfectly and was in a great mood, clapping his hands.
This second-half opening victory, I hope it can bring them good luck! After this game, after playing the next record-breaking battle of 59 unbeaten games, he will go to his dream place, Zurich, again.
ps: The situation has not improved. I went to the hospital again today. Actually, the problem is not big, but the constant weakness is really scary. She used to be in good health, dancing from childhood to adulthood. I don't know if it's because she became a homebody after being with me.
I'm slowly making up for it, I'm really a little physically and mentally exhausted.
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