From Arsenal, Forge the Path to Football God

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"Premier League Round 2, Arsenal thrashed West Bromwich 6-0, Walcott hat-trick, Arshavin goal and assist!" — As

"Massacre after Massacre! Chelsea wins 6-0 against Wigan Athletic, Anelka scores twice!" — British 442

"After two rounds, the new World Cup champion Fabregas, who was controversial in the preseason, remains the first choice for the Arsenal captain, a decision that has caused a lot of controversy for Wenger." — The Sun Editor

"Premier League title odds released! Who do you support?" — Probability in Football

"Sheffield United wins 3-1 against Cardiff City, securing their first victory of the new season! Evans scores one, Gilbert scores one, Janu Hans scores from a long-range shot, and young Maël scores twice with assists!" — The Sheffield Evening Telegraph

That evening, several news articles about the match day dominated the fans' attention.

Most people were still primarily focused on the Premier League, which is understandable, as the top of the pyramid always draws the most attention.

However, unlike before, some local reports now included Maël's name.

In the comment sections of these reports, many Sheffield United fans flocked to praise Maël, who had brought them a wonderful experience that day.

"Genius!"

"Star of tomorrow!"

"Cycling boy!"

"He almost destroyed Cardiff City's right-back Gabor, not just with his dribbling and crossing, but also with his physical presence!"

Some comments were purely enthusiastic, while others were more analytical.

"From what we've seen so far, he is the most suitable winger for Sheffield United.

"The original starting winger, Mark Yates, preferred to cut inside and shoot rather than cross from the wing, contributing little to the team and creating few goals."

"Maël's strengths and weaknesses are quite evident. He can create goals and has a lot of flair.

"But he also tends to lose possession and lacks effective options when facing the goal. His short passing is not great, often leading to mistakes.

"He didn't win the Man of the Match award today, I think that's the reason."

"He's still young, he can improve!"

On the bus ride back, the Sheffield United players read these comments aloud, teasing Maël and occasionally causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"Maël, I think you should create a Facebook account."

Team captain Robert, who was getting more mischievous with age, turned to look at Maël in the back row and said, "If you become more popular, you might attract a lot of British girls. They'll leave you messages."

"Yeah, they'll even leave their addresses."

Striker Evans turned around, looking experienced, and added, "Don't think we're just a Championship team. In Sheffield, we're still stars."

"But be careful of honey traps."

Janu Hans added, raising an eyebrow with a smile, "Many stars have fallen for them and ended up paying a lot of money to settle things. You're young, don't fall for it."

Maël ignored them and started registering a Facebook account on his phone.

It wasn't that he wanted British girls; it was mainly because the internet era was gradually arriving, and he needed to develop his online presence, gradually building up fans and increasing his visibility.

If there were endorsement opportunities or famous agents looking to work with him in the future, this would be a way to contact him.

Shortly after registering, a few accounts added him as a follower, becoming his first fans.

Maël checked their profiles and saw photos related to Sheffield United, suggesting that these fans were searching for him after the match to verify if he was real.

He took out his phone, took a few selfies, and posted them.

After a while, it seemed that someone had shared his account, and the number of followers started to grow rapidly, increasing significantly with each refresh.

By the time he arrived in Sheffield, the account already had over 700 followers.

"This feels good."

Maël smiled contentedly, knowing that he had to build up his following gradually. He looked forward to the day when he would have a million followers.

He vaguely remembered that in a few years, many stars could earn over a million euros just by posting a promotional post on Instagram, almost like picking up money.

Instagram hadn't been born yet, so he could start by managing his Facebook account.

Even if it wasn't a million euros, 1000 euros was still a significant amount, enough to buy four pairs of football boots.

That night, Maël lay in bed, often reminiscing about the feeling on the pitch, the satisfaction of assisting his teammates.

He could still hear the fans' cheers, the crisp sound of the ball hitting the net, and the excited faces of his teammates.

This was a memory he could cherish for a lifetime, and each time he thought about it, he would smile.

The next day, at Colney Training Ground.

"Knock, knock, knock." The door to the head coach's office was knocked on early in the morning, and the person seemed a bit anxious.

Wenger took off his glasses, walked to the door, and opened it, seeing Hans standing there with a bald head and a smile.

"Please sit down."

He turned and gestured for Hans to sit down. Once both were seated, he asked, "Is there good news, something to celebrate?"

"Great news!"

Hans's mouth was almost splitting from ear to ear. He took out his phone, opened a news article, and placed it in front of Wenger. "Do you remember Maël and Gilbert?"

"I remember."

Wenger nodded, glanced at the phone, and then froze, his eyes darting back and forth, filled with doubt, complexity, and amazement.

He suddenly looked up and fixed his gaze on Hans, "Is it true?"

Hans had anticipated this question and interrupted, "Absolutely true! Yesterday, I watched the match with the entire U17 team, and Maël started and got two assists, one of which was to Gilbert!

"We have a rising star in our U17 team!"

Actually, Hans had other thoughts. The club was currently undergoing restructuring and evaluations, and he was under a lot of pressure.

Seeing these two players perform well, he couldn't wait to find Wenger and hope for praise to secure his position.

"Report! Report, Mr. Wenger!"

At that moment, a voice called out from outside the door, and someone quickly approached. "It's the match report you asked for last time about those two young players. They have already played!"

It was Assistant Coach Philis, who seemed to sense that this news would please Mr. Wenger and had printed the report early to bring the good news.

Philis rushed in with the report, ready to present it to Wenger, but suddenly saw a bald head looking at him.

"Hans?"

He was taken aback for a moment but quickly realized, "Mr. Wenger already knows?"

"Yes."

Wenger was now convinced that the news was true. He got up from his seat, walked around the office with a smile, "Good, they did very well. This performance is indeed unexpected."

From any perspective, a 17-year-old playing in the Championship League and performing well is a top talent.

"Step up the attention!"

Wenger made his decision and arranged with a smile, "As long as they play, I want a match report every week. Preferably, analyze the match video and provide data analysis."

People are made up of one expectation after another, and for Wenger, he now had a new hope for the future.