From Arsenal to the Ball God

After the celebrations on the field ended, it was quite late. Fans, in high spirits, gradually left the venue, and players jokingly walked into the players’ tunnel.

Ma’el was soon invited by the staff to a spot in front of an advertising wall in the tunnel to give an interview.

"An unforgettable night?" A journalist asked with a smile, also extending congratulations.

Ma’el smiled, nodded, and replied, "Absolutely, this night has released everything accumulated throughout the season. After spending unforgettable days, we’ve achieved unforgettable results.

"But we can’t relax, there are still two matches left, and the team still has one goal unaccomplished.

"We must keep winning until the season truly ends."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw in the distance another staff member walking over with a cylinder, a smile of congratulations on his face.

The Monthly Best Trophy!

He was quite familiar with it, having won this trophy twice before in October last year and February this year.

"Congratulations," the staff expressed first before handing the trophy to Ma’el, "In the past month, you scored six goals and provided three assists in five Premier League games, quite a remarkable record.

"You’ve fulfilled your promise to the fans, winning three Monthly Best Trophies in your debut Premier League season."

"Thank you," Ma’el happily accepted the cylinder. As the staff mentioned, this was a personal goal he had set in front of the media long ago.

Today, it’s finally achieved!

It was much harder than he imagined, partly because of the numerous excellent players in the Premier League, with quite a few having bursts in performance in a single month.

On the other hand, The English FA sometimes awards the trophy as encouragement to players having career highlights, even if they aren’t the best that month.

Nonetheless, for this month, from any angle, this trophy ought to be his.

Six goals and three assists, nearly averaging two goal involvements per match, leading Arsenal to an unbeaten championship... it was an absolutely flawless performance!

Ma’el was in great spirits, receiving another Monthly Best Trophy summarizing his personal achievements after winning the championship. Nothing could be better than this.

He needed this sense of recognition to propel him forward, to achieve success on a bigger stage!

A journalist jokingly asked at this point, "Some say there’s a curse with the Monthly Best Trophy. Do you believe in that? Since, as we know, you’ve never won it for two consecutive months.

"Does getting the trophy make stepping onto the field next month feel different from before?"

"Haha..." Ma’el chuckled, scratching his eyebrow with his right hand, "There are many reasons for not winning consecutively, but I don’t believe there’s a curse.

"Perhaps winning this award makes people relax? Makes them swell up? Then affect their form?

"I don’t seem to have such feelings; I’ve been accustomed to being the best since the start of my career."

"Oh...!" This comment drew surprise reactions from the journalists on site; such ’confident’ remarks were rarely heard from Ma’el.

But on reflection, what he said was undoubtedly correct.

In his Championship season, the player had taken home five Monthly Best Trophies. Having only three this season could be dubbed a ’step backward’.

He hadn’t finished speaking yet, smiling and explaining seriously, "Not winning consecutively in November was due to the intense schedule, where I felt very exhausted, causing a slight dip in my form.

"But entering February, the team narrowed its focus, and with improvements in my experience and capabilities, I regained the best feeling.

"In fact, my performances in February, March, and April were all good, with consistent bursts. I’m unsure why I didn’t win the Monthly Best after March ended."

He shrugged, seemingly addressing the award judges indirectly, as he had done in his Championship season.

"You seem accustomed to winning many trophies in a single season. How many Monthly Best Trophies do you aim for next season?"

"Ten."

"Haha...!" The interview area burst into laughter; ten Monthly Best Trophies from August through the following May is quite the sweep.

Ma’el laughed along with them; this was indeed a joke. He didn’t think the judges would award him ten consecutive Monthly Bests, even if he scored 60 goals in a single season.

After this exchange, the journalists’ questions returned to the main topic, focusing on Arsenal’s championship win and Ma’el’s performance.

"Forty goals, twenty assists, exceeding sixty+ in the Premier League, leading Henry’s record by 20 goals. Do you feel you are a better forward than him?"

"Ah... That’s a tough question to answer. Henry’s career involved creating nearly 500 goals, backed by numerous major honors. I haven’t achieved that much yet.

"I think I exceed him in individual season highlights, and he surpasses me in overall contributions and honor accumulation.

"So, each has their strengths? Sorry, I can’t accurately answer this question. I’ll leave the evaluations to the fans and you in the media."

"....."

"Will this be your best season, or do you plan to achieve better results in the future?"

"Without a doubt, I will aim for more championships and personal milestones. Forty-plus is not enough to make me the best currently; I won’t stop.

"And this isn’t my best season. For me, the best season is always next season."

"....."

"End of season recap, what did you do well this season? What didn’t go quite as well?"

"I think I did well in injury prevention; my attendance rate over the whole season was over 90%, which is quite impressive.