"It's a draw!"
As news of Norwich's home draw against Millwall reached Bramall Lane Stadium, Sheffield United fans widened their eyes, not expecting their rivals to falter at such a crucial moment.
"A draw?!"
"Who drew? Queens Park Rangers?"
"Norwich! Norwich drew with Millwall away, they only have 97 points now!"
In the stands, fans with phones spread the news, and those who had been anticipating it quickly started calculating.
"I checked Norwich's goal difference, it's 40! The draw doesn't change that, and before this match, our goal difference was 44, which goes up to 47 with these 3 goals!"
"A 7-goal difference?!"
"So, even if we lose the next game, Norwich would have to beat their opponent by 8 goals to surpass us?"
"Doesn't that mean... we're confirmed for Promotion to the Super League?"
"Yes! We're promoted! We're definitely promoted!! Sheffield United is back in the top league!!"
The news spread through the stadium instantly. In a flash, Bramall Lane Stadium was filled with a clamor. Many who had been sitting down stood up again.
As if with amazing understanding, they paused for a moment before erupting in the loudest cheer of the season: "Oh Yeah!!!"
At the exit passage, many who were in a hurry to go home heard the shout and quickly stopped, turning back to look at the field, confused.
"Premier League!"
Some of the security guards inside, who were also Sheffield natives and fans of the team, excitedly explained to them: "Norwich drew with Millwall, only 97 points, and we have a 7-goal difference!
"We're back in the Premier League! We're back! They're celebrating!!"
These people quickly showed expressions of astonishment. Their eyes lit up, and they quickly started walking, then broke into a run, rushing back into the stadium.
The stands were already a scene of fervent chaos, and they couldn't get back to their seats.
Some people, caught up in the moment, actually ran down the stairs and rushed onto the field.
Instantly, scattered individuals burst out of the stands and onto the field, raising their hands and rushing towards the players and coaching staff.
"Sheffield United!! Sheffield United!!" They shouted the team's name madly, driving more people to join the wave, everyone falling into a frenzy.
"Hey! Hey!"
The security guards at the edge of the field, fulfilling their duty to maintain order, reached out to stop people, but seeing more and more people running down, they smiled helplessly.
"Let's go in too." One guard looked at the field, a little eager.
"It'll cost us money." The guard next to him also had longing in his eyes, but still maintained the last bit of reason.
"Cost money?"
The guard who made the suggestion, hearing this, thought about how everyone else was celebrating for Sheffield United, while his partner was worried about this, and immediately became angry. "What money? It's like this, and you're still afraid of the damn money?!"
"Charge!!" He tore off his security uniform and threw it on the ground, rushing in wearing his regular clothes.
The guard next to him, seeing him like this, finally had his emotions stirred up, tore off his security uniform, and rushed onto the field.
The two of them also motivated other security guards, and even some cleaning ladies couldn't control their legs. Some of them didn't even watch soccer, but followed out of herd mentality.
After all, this kind of moment was rare, maybe only once in a lifetime! On the field, Maël was still celebrating shoulder to shoulder with Gilbert, wondering why the cheers from the stands suddenly got louder, when he saw someone seemingly noticing something, rushing out from the stands in front of them.
"What the hell?"
He glanced at Gilbert, and in the moment of turning his head, noticed the chaotic scene behind him, and immediately turned around.
A dark mass of people rushed out of that stand, extremely zealous, like an infantry charge in ancient warfare, except without swords in their hands.
He quickly understood that this group was driving people from all directions to start rushing down from the stands. The field was about to be occupied by nearly thirty thousand fans! At this moment, Joelson, holding a phone, ran towards the players from the coaching area, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! They're here to celebrate, not a riot!
"Norwich drew, the promotion pressure is gone! It's confirmed, we will be in the Premier League next season!!"
Joelson was already over thirty, but at this moment, he was more like a three- or four-year-old child, jumping up and down in place with his phone like he had reverted to his childhood.
"Really?!"
Gareth Speed's expression became interesting. He had just been celebrating with the players and hadn't checked the results of the other two teams.
Mainly, he subconsciously believed that the others wouldn't make mistakes at this time, dropping points and handing them the Promotion to the Super League.
But the surprise came! "Haha!!"
Gareth Speed laughed. He didn't know how to express his current mood, so he chose an abstract angle: "Alan Shearer once said on a show that if I lead Sheffield United to Promotion to the Super League, he'd streak on the Thames River!!
"We did it, we did it! Hahaha! We're going to the Premier League!!"
His whole body became hot, his face visibly reddened, and he felt all the pressure and worry dissipate.
Gareth Speed sprinted towards Joelson, leaping high and jumping onto him, "I want to thank you! You must stay with the team, we'll be working together for a long, long time!"
Joelson was strong, and he caught Gareth Speed, picking up the towering head coach like he was holding a girl.
Of course, this pose didn't last long. Feeling it was inappropriate, they quickly separated.
"Promotion to the Super League?"
On the other side, Gilbert stood there blankly, watching Maël open his mouth wide, his shocked expression slowly turning into a big laugh, "Yes!!"
Maël didn't exclaim anything, but he still stood on the field with a flushed face, letting out a long breath, his heart surging.
Finally, this moment had arrived! More than half a season of perseverance, a season of effort, finally left something here! Watching the fans about to pounce on him, his breathing became rapid, and he vowed that he would not forget his feelings at this moment, would not forget these faces full of joy.
Now, all that's left is the championship!
His perseverance for the past half-season was right. He believed what Mendes said, that as long as he led the team to Promotion to the Super League, at the end of the season, everything he had lost would be returned to him in double.
Everyone would sing his praises, hailing him as the savior of Sheffield United, a legend!!
People would fall in love with him because of his deeds, and more people would look forward to his future, waiting for his Premier League debut when they tuned into Arsenal's games next season!
"Maël!"
"I love you!!"
"You and Mr. Gareth Speed saved us!"
The fans arrived, all eagerly expressing their love to Maël, afraid that if there were too many people, Maël wouldn't hear them.
Maël was about to greet them when he was lifted up by seven or eight strong men. They were very coordinated, quickly distributing themselves like they were carrying a coffin.
Then, they tossed him into the sky, which was where Maël belonged at this moment.
"Hey!!"
The fans shouted, and Maël quickly felt a force coming from below, lifting him into the sky, and then falling back down in weightlessness.
Inevitably, he was afraid that some fans would lose their grip and drop him on the ground, anxiously experiencing the first three or four tosses.
"Hey!!"
"Hey!!"
It wasn't until the fourth and fifth tosses that he smiled, enjoying the feeling of being airborne and weightless.
He opened his eyes, looking at the endless sky, and couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to win the Champions League, what it would feel like to win the World Cup? No! First, he should think about what it would feel like to win the EFL Championship! No, that's not right either! He should just enjoy this moment, savoring the excitement and admiration in people's hearts when they faced him.
Maël felt his figure slowly become 'taller'. The honor of leading the team to Promotion to the Super League and this moment of peak glory were deeply imprinted on him, and would never fade away.
People would remember this moment, and he would remember this moment.
...
After the celebration, Maël and his teammates walked towards the player tunnel, chatting and laughing. Some people hadn't yet come down from the emotional high, their bodies trembling slightly.
"Don't let up! Don't let up!"
Captain Robert clapped his hands, hoping everyone wouldn't forget the most important thing at the moment: "There's still one game, the most crucial one, we have to take down Queens Park Rangers!"
"Let's go!! Sheffield United, let's go!"
"We will be the champions!"
"Don't lose to them!"
The players also clapped their hands. After such a round of revelry, only a fool would relax, and of course, they couldn't be fools.
They would only go to Queens Park Rangers' home stadium with the highest excitement and fighting spirit, defeat them, and usher in an even greater celebration!
After Maël and his teammates finished cheering each other on, he picked up his phone and saw three missed calls from his aunt Betty. He called her back.
"Maël."
Her voice on the other end was excited, but she still tentatively asked, "Your uncle is working overtime right now. I watched the game with the kids. I haven't been following football for long, and I haven't learned much, but you guys got Promotion to the Super League, right?"
"Yes."
Maël happily shared the good news with his family, saying, "There's no suspense anymore. Sheffield United will be in the Premier League next season."
"Oh!" A burst of enthusiastic shouts came from the other end of the phone, probably from his three younger siblings at home, along with the sounds of banging on tables and chairs and jumping. Clearly, they were all celebrating.
"It just depends on whether we win the championship in the final round. Do you want to come and watch?"
Maël proactively asked. He really wanted his family to witness the final game, even though there was a risk of him failing and making a fool of himself. But if they succeeded, the sense of accomplishment would be unimaginable.
"Okay."
The excitement in Betty's voice intensified, and she even sounded a bit tearful with joy. "Maël, we'll come together next week. Help us book five tickets in advance. I won't stand on ceremony with you.
"Keep up the good work, you must keep up the good work. You're our greatest pride. All the neighbors already know about you. Come back for a visit in the summer."
"Definitely."
Maël agreed. After hanging up with his aunt, he remembered his contract with McCabe.
Now, he had already reached the second tier, entering the Premier League with a Promotion to the Super League spot, which meant he could get both tiers of bonuses.
£600,000!
After taxes, that's £360,000!
"It really is like that."
Maël smiled. He really valued money. "If you play football well, piles of money will very consciously fly into your pocket."
ps: Everyone go to sleep first, I won't sleep until I finish writing the last game today.
-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
To read the full translation, as well as more than 130+ full translations or to request new translations, check out: https:// randomtranslator.com/
You can also join the Random Translator Community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------