March 25th, team rest period.
Kevin Systrom sent a contract invitation, which Maël forwarded to Mendes for confirmation after reviewing it.
After receiving the latter's 'no problem' response, he officially signed the investment contract with these two Silicon Valley elites, acquiring 10% of Instagram's shares.
He was quite clear about the future height and market value of this company.
Therefore, at the moment the contract was signed, he seemed to see hundreds of millions of dollars waving at him.
Next is waiting! Waiting for this company to slowly become a world-renowned social software, waiting for a large sum of green bills to fly into his bank account.
"I will divert traffic from other social media."
After signing the contract, Maël explained his thoughts to the two, "Currently, I have more than 800,000 fans on Facebook, and Twitter was just registered some time ago, with more than 200,000 fans.
"I will find a way to attract them to Instagram as much as possible, trust me."
Kevin Systrom nodded, afraid that Maël didn't understand some of the meanings in the contract, and emphasized: "In addition, you don't have the decision-making power of the company, and you won't participate in any major meetings, do you agree with this?"
"Of course."
Maël smiled, he couldn't be happier to avoid trouble, "Even if you invite me, I won't go. Professional things should naturally be done by professionals, and I have my own things to do."
"Okay, let's work hard together."
"Good luck!"
The three said goodbye in Sheffield City, and Maël refocused his time and energy on his extra training, soaking in the stadium every day.
Taking advantage of this ten-day break, he finally experienced the feeling of being single-minded in training again, briefly losing the pressure of competition, and improving rapidly with a regular life focused on improvement.
By April 4th, the day before the start of the intensive schedule, his various attributes had improved to varying degrees.
Skill: Explosion lv3
Proficiency: (1368/2000)
Skill: Weak Foot lv2
Proficiency: (683/800)
Skill: Stamina lv2
Proficiency: (561/800)
"Single training two skills is fast."
Maël smiled and sighed, planning the training schedule for the time and the end of the season.
This month, his weak foot will usher in a breakthrough from lv2 to lv3, and with a little effort in speed ability, even if it doesn't break through, it will be on the edge of breaking through. It will definitely be upgraded in May.
At that time, he will have the first lv4 physical ability, which can also be regarded as the first lv5 level ability! After that, he will start the upgrade training of Long Shot ability from lv4 to lv5, and also add Strength and coordination.
Before going to Arsenal, he will train some more dribbling skills to make himself more comfortable when facing Premier League defenders, achieve Adama Traore's breakthrough effect, and even surpass it.
Now, focus all your attention on the last 8 league games and start sprinting!
...
On April 5th, Sheffield United went to the away game to challenge Watford, a mid-to-upper-level team.
This is a team with a strong attack and weak defense. The existence of Graham and Hoolahan gives them extraordinary offensive capabilities.
However, the unstable defense line has prevented them from reaching a higher position this season.
"The game begins! The tactical styles of the two teams are strong attack. The rhythm at the beginning is very fast. They all want to knock on each other's door earlier! After a break of about two weeks, the players are in good physical condition. I hope they can bring a wonderful game to the fans!"
"..."
"Oh!! This is Janu Hans's Long Shot goal!! One to zero, Sheffield United takes the lead! Gilbert used his breakthrough to attract Watford's defense, and Janu Hans in the open position seized the opportunity!
"During the celebration, Quinn seemed to have a conflict with a Watford player and received a yellow card."
"..."
"The 10th minute of the game!! Goal! Graham scored with a header, helping Watford equalize the score!!
"He must have been holding his breath, originally sitting at the top of the scorer list for a long time, but was surpassed by Maël in the second half of the season and widened the gap!"
"Quinn! The referee is showing a card! Second yellow card, Quinn is off! And he gives away a penalty! Sheffield is in trouble!
"Hoolahan to take it! No problem! Two-one, they take the lead!!"
"Jenkins gets into the box! Shot! Hits a defender... but it's in! Three-one!!"
"A chance to counter, Maël breaks towards Watford's half, with too few defenders, only he and Gilbert are up, facing four defenders!
"Watford wants to play him offside! Maël sees it, pauses, and plays a through ball!! 'He's onside, Gilbert is through on goal! Beats the keeper, two-three!!'"
...
The game ends like that, Sheffield United failing to get a good start to their seven games in April.
The pressure mounts, and a tense atmosphere slowly builds in the team.
Their two direct rivals both avoid defeat this round—Norwich win two-nil away at Leeds United, and Queen's Park Rangers are held to a draw at home by Hull City.
"First: Queen's Park Rangers, 89 points. Second: Norwich, 88 points. Third: Sheffield United, 84 points." – EFL Championship standings, April 9th, EFL Championship Round 40.
Sheffield United face their second away game of the month, traveling to Reading's home ground.
It's a somewhat stressful game, as Reading are fourth in the table, the team most likely to hurt the top three.
Whether you look at the league table or their strength, it's the same.
"Hunt!! Easy tap-in to score!! Sean Long shrugs off two Sheffield United defenders all the way, setting him up for an open goal, are they going to close the gap on Sheffield United?"
"Gareth Speed is furious, considering the result of the last game, conceding again in the first six minutes of this round, they really seem to be running out of steam, someone needs to step up!"
...
"Maël tries to cut inside, Evans asks for the ball on the other side, he plays a through ball! Very penetrating! Evans cuts into the box from the right, the situation opens up!!
"Evans crosses from the byline, can Bologanovic finish? He lets the ball go through, Maël is at the far post with an open goal!
"A tap-in!! Maël easily scores! One-one! Organizing the dangerous attack himself, then finishing it off, it's every forward's dream!"
...
"McAnuff tackles the ball away from Maël! Maël goes down, that shouldn't be a foul, he got the ball first, Reading has a chance for a quick counter!
"Passes to Sean Long! Continues to carry forward!
"McAnuff rushes up, breaking the balance of attack and defense, Sean Long passes to him, the gap appears!!
"A cross!! Robson heads it in, goal!! Two-one! What a great first half!"
...
"Coming again? Maël gets past Griffin, but McAnuff tracks back from the wing again, the two clash again! "Maël's step-over, McAnuff is easily shaken off, as a winger... it's not that he has no chance to intercept Maël, but he can't always succeed!
"A cross!! This time it's Sheffield United's turn to score with a header! Bologanovic equalizes for the team! "Two-two! Four goals in just one first half, amazing!!"
...
"The two teams have clearly slowed down the pace in the second half, perhaps the players' stamina has dropped significantly, and they can't keep rushing.
"However, experienced fans certainly know that this is a way of accumulating energy, and if the score is still a draw after 70 minutes, both teams will speed up!"
"Now, it depends on whether they can hold on until the final bayonet charge, don't make mistakes, don't lose the ball in the duel!"
...
"Maël has the ball! He should have run 8 or 9km today, you can see his shadow everywhere on the left wing!
"Bertrand is supporting him behind, and there are Gilbert and Janu Hans in the middle, he needs to pass the ball quickly.
"Wants to break through... pushes the ball! *Speed!!* Maël starts to accelerate! He changes the rhythm of the game, can this attempt succeed?
"Comes to the middle, ready to shoot! A *curved shot*!
"Mills blocks it! But the ball bounces back to Maël's feet, there's a second shot! This time a powerful shot with the instep!!"
"WowAhAh!!!"
"Three to two, Maël disrupted Reading's defensive line with a sudden change of pace! Sheffield United has enjoyed the pleasure of having a star player countless times this season, and they always step up at crucial moments!"
...
"Maël has cramped up, and Mark Yates is coming on as his replacement, adding fresh legs to the game."
"Sheffield United can't relax yet; just one goal separates them, and Reading will try everything in the final moments."
"The corner is in! Sean Long clears with a strong header, the ball falls outside the box! It's Mark Yates, who just came on, and he volleys it! The ball is in!! It's in!! A dramatic scene unfolds, Mark Yates, who came on less than twenty seconds ago, scores a goal! Helping the team extend their lead, beautiful!"
"Sheffield United fans are all smiles; they know they will win this game!!"
After the match, Gareth Speed wore a beaming smile at the post-match press conference, which lasted a long time and even looked a little dazed.
Not only because the team had overcome a tough opponent, but also because he had just learned that their main rival, Norwich, had lost to Nottingham Forest in this round of the league, giving away 3 points for nothing.
"First: Queens Park Rangers, 92 points. Second: Norwich, 88 points. Third: Sheffield United, 87 points." – EFL Championship standings on April 13th, Sheffield United hosted Cardiff City at home, facing another tough opponent.
Cardiff City is currently ranked sixth in the standings, in the promotion playoff zone.
From a motivation point of view, Cardiff City's motivation is definitely no less than that of Sheffield United. If they accidentally fall out of sixth place, all their efforts this season will be in vain.
"23rd minute of the match! Gilbert wins a free kick for Sheffield United! About twenty-five meters from the goal, a position that most shooters would like."
"They must often practice free kicks from this position in their usual training."
"Maël stands in front of the free kick spot, his eyes firm, takes a deep breath and starts his run-up! A beautiful arc! Oh!! A perfect curler into the top corner! Maël scores his third free-kick goal of the season! Sheffield United takes a one-nil lead!"
"Having a good shooter is really important for a team!"
...
"Bologanovic! He seizes the opportunity in the corner melee and pokes the ball into the net! Two-nil!!"
"Let's take another look. After Maël's corner kick, there was some chaos in Cardiff City's penalty area. Naylor's clearance didn't go far enough, giving Janu Hans a chance to volley! After Quinn blocked the ball with his body, the ball fell to Bologanovic's feet, and Bologanovic seized the opportunity to extend the score!"
...
"Janu Hans! Was brought down by Quinn while dribbling, another free kick, but it's a long way out! Maël stands in front of the ball, he chooses a long run-up, it seems he wants to try a long shot!"
"Bramall Lane Stadium falls into silence, everyone suppresses their emotions, waiting for Maël's shot, they expect this wonderkid to bring more surprises to the team."
"Run-up... shot!! The ball is very fast... Steven dives out, he jumps a little late, the ball arrives first!!"
"Three-nil!! Maël's second free-kick goal of the match, the fourth of the season!"
"Unbelievable, in this round of the match, with similar ball possession and similar chances for both teams, they actually played such a big score difference!"
...
"Now it's Cardiff City's turn! Striker Bellamy seizes the opportunity of Sheffield United's defensive line being distracted, and scores a one-on-one after a late insertion!! Three to one! Cardiff City still has a glimmer of hope!!"
...
"A cross! At the near post, Bertrand stretches his foot! The ball is in! It's an own goal!! Three to two! Cardiff City sees a strong hope beckoning to them! Bertrand kicked the outside of his foot when clearing the ball, which is really unfortunate, and everyone in Sheffield United is nervous again."
...
"The last wave of attack, Maël, who was just substituted, stands on the sidelines, they should have learned that the top-of-the-table clash on the other side, Queens Park Rangers and Norwich, is tied one-one!"
"This is a favorable score for them, as long as they beat Cardiff City, they will reach the promotion zone!"
...
"The referee blows the whistle! The game is over!! Sheffield United narrowly defeated Cardiff City at home, taking another valuable 3 points on the road to Promotion to the Super League! Phew! It's not easy! In this way, they have surpassed Norwich and temporarily come to second place in the standings!"
At Bramall Lane Stadium, as the referee blew the whistle to end the score, the whole stadium was completely in a frenzy.
"Oh!!"
"Yeah!!" The home fans in red and white stood up and raised their hands, roaring and cheering for the victory, their emotions reaching a climax.
Maël spread his hands, rushing towards his friend Gilbert against the wind, feeling the breeze brushing his cheeks and fingers, listening to the cheers of the fans, he felt that everything in the stadium was so wonderful.
Seeing him, Gilbert, who was sitting on the ground, staggered up and made a hugging gesture.
"We won! We won!"
Maël jumped high and jumped into his arms, almost knocking him down.
The two embraced tightly, then ran together towards the fan zone at the edge of the field, joining the fans in enjoying this unrestrained, passionate celebration.
"First: Queens Park Rangers, 93 points. Second: Sheffield United, 90 points. Third: Norwich, 89 points." – EFL Championship standings.
P.S. I've realized that my updates are difficult because I have to finish the plot in each chapter. I said 3k, but each chapter ends up being 4.2k, 4.4k.
I remember the promise of bonus chapters for monthly tickets. Today is my wife's birthday, and I promised her I'd ask for a blessing for her. Brothers, please help me out and leave a comment!
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