From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 451 - 124: Ballon d’Or Final Ranking! An Unbeaten Streak! The Six-Finger Salute! (Part 2)

"Hahaha.....!"

In the front row, Hans seemed to be having a cheerful conversation with Wenger, or perhaps he was just in an exceptionally good mood, laughing nonstop.

Wenger’s smile was more restrained, but there was a sense of vindication, "I heard that you still have a pair of his shoes at home?"

"Yes." Hans nodded, a layer of glow on his face, "There’s also a meaningful quote on them, making them highly collectible."

"Of course."

Wenger had heard about this before, but today he brought it up with Hans, "If before it was just a pair of shoes, now it’s a collectible pair that could be auctioned.

"Anything related to Ma’el, its value will rise with his own achievements.

"Luckily, as partners from different times on his growth journey, we’ve all received something related to him, allowing us to enjoy the benefits of his rising value.

"For you, it’s these shoes; for Sheffield United, it’s that championship, it’s the Premier League; for Arsenal and me... it’s value, it’s competitiveness, it’s the hope of a championship."

Today he was very talkative, as people often are when they’re in a good mood. At times like this, there are no introverts or reserved individuals.

"You’re right, Mr. Wenger." Hans nodded, as he had always admired Wenger for his cultured persona and gentlemanly demeanor.

Wenger looked at the big screen, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Once this year in the U19 is over, moving into U20, a coach’s influence on a team diminishes. It’s time for you to leave this team.

"This team produced Ma’el, and now Gilbert, who’s playing in the Premier League, and Ian in the Championship; it has been a very successful batch, and you can retire from your duties with honors."

"Ah?" Hans was a bit stunned, not understanding what this meant.

Was he being asked to leave this team and coach a younger age group... or was he being asked to leave Arsenal?

He didn’t think he had made any mistakes, right?

He didn’t want to retire just yet.

"Your current coaching badge is UEFA A, right?" Wenger noticed his panic and quickly explained, "You’ve been in this position for quite a while; it’s time to move up.

"I will recommend you to the English FA for the UEFA pro course, and once completed, you can join the Arsenal first-team coaching staff as my assistant."

Hans was shocked, with joy immediately lighting up his face. The ’pro’ is the highest level of coaching qualification, one that allows you to manage Premier League teams.

Could it be, that after Ma’el and Gilbert rose to fame, he was about to have a second breakthrough in his life?

If he could obtain the pro certificate and join the Arsenal first team, he would have a higher salary, more attention, and increased social status.

He could also learn more and share in all the honors with this great team!

In the future, if his outstanding disciples Ma’el and Gilbert help this team win championships, those trophies will also adorn his resume!

Moreover, if he had greater ambitions, after succeeding with Arsenal, he could choose to start a head coach career with a Championship team or even a mid-to-lower Premier League team.

Finally, he was on his way to reaching the peak of his coaching career, nearing its pinnacle!

"Great!" Hans responded with a slightly trembling voice. Although he didn’t fully understand why Wenger made this decision, he believed it had something to do with Ma’el.

Was it because they were worried Ma’el might feel lonely in the first team, and wanted him to be a sparring partner?

Then so be it!

He was very clear that as long as he was close to this former protégé, his life was sure to take a turn for the better.

...

At the Zurich conference center, the award ceremony continued to progress.

"It’s 72 degrees zero chance of rain.....!"

To ease the heavy and tense award segments, the famous British pop singer, nicknamed the Captain Poet, James Blunt took the stage with his guitar, performing for this award ceremony.

The audience briefly enjoyed a moment of joy, clapping along and swaying to the melody.

"Haha.....!"

Ma’el and Neymar were seated together, having a dance-off, which made Roberto Baggio beside them burst into laughter at times.

One of them was in a jubilant mood, while the other had samba dancing in their blood.

After this joyous segment ended, the ceremony finally reached its climax, with the big screen playing a montage of Golden Ball Award candidates once again.

The first to be awarded is the Golden Ball for female players, also referred to as the Women’s World Player of the Year!

Shakira and Blatter, serving as award presenters, chatted briefly with the host before picking up the card, "Zhe Huixi!"

"Clap clap....!"

Wearing a kimono, the Japanese female footballer Zhe Huixi stood up amid applause, approached the stage to receive the Golden Ball, and began her acceptance speech.

She and her national team coach practically swept all the women’s awards at this ceremony.

The women’s football league is still immature, and in tournament years, the World Cup winning team generally sweeps all major awards.

Following this, as the announcer invited Ronaldo on stage, the most exciting moment arrived, the awarding of the Men’s Golden Ball!

"Clap clap.....!"

Ma’el joined the others in clapping, not too excited, mainly because he already knew the results of this award.

Others might have been hoping this award would go to Javi, giving a career homage to this player who consistently secured a core position in the Spanish national team and Barça, earning numerous honors.

But in reality, it was not to be, and Javi never won a Golden Ball Award.