Maël woke up on the morning of June 1st, went downstairs, ate the nutritious meal Safina had prepared, and then got ready to head to the training ground.
He had already told Mendes to find him top-notch private technical and physical training coaches, and he expected to hear back soon.
In the meantime, he could temporarily put aside the ball control training that required two people and focus on grinding his Ball Control ability, striving to level up this important skill as soon as possible!
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...!"
Arriving on the field, Maël's feet touched the ball rapidly, sometimes cutting left and pushing right, then cutting right and pushing left, sometimes rolling the ball back and forth with both feet, and sometimes trying various Dribbling Skills with one foot.
His Frequency of touches wasn't particularly fast, but he could see some improvement after a period of training, and his stability had also greatly improved.
It seemed that this ability could definitely be trained, and the fact that it hadn't appeared on the skill panel yet probably meant there was something mysterious about it.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
He often got lost in thought while training, and whenever this happened, Maël would do his best to accelerate the Frequency of his touches, trying to control the ball at his maximum Speed to maintain full concentration.
He knew very well that only by being so focused and constantly challenging his limits could his Ball Control ability improve quickly.
Of course, sometimes when he trained until the world was spinning and the sky was dark... he couldn't help but wonder if this ability really existed, and if training it was even useful. Firstly, because it was indeed different from other skill-based abilities, it was difficult to define it as a characteristic ability, and it felt more like a comprehensive, integrated enhancement ability.
Secondly, from a realistic point of view, would someone with good Ball Control skills necessarily be able to dribble past opponents on the field? Definitely not.
Good Ball Control could be said to be just a raw skill; it also needed the support of soft skills, such as rhythm, reaction, rate, and so on.
These brain-related aspects couldn't possibly be included in the 'Ball Control' panel, could they?
Did he need specialized training?
Maël didn't think so. He felt like he could still find ways to train Ball Control, but he really couldn't find a way to train those ethereal concepts of rhythm and reaction.
"Maybe the private coach I find will be able to solve it?"
He could only pin his hopes on that, or maybe he shouldn't think too much about it and just focus on grinding out the Ball Control ability first!
At four in the afternoon, Maël finished his skill-based training and went to the gym to train his Strength and Coordination.
Unsurprisingly, his Ball Control panel still hadn't appeared.
It was impossible for him not to feel any annoyance or frustration... It had been many days, and he felt like he had been grinding something that didn't exist.
"Just keep at it!"
Maël cheered himself on, remembering that whenever he had these kinds of feelings in the past, forcing himself to grit his teeth and persevere always led to good results.
[Skill: Strong lv3]
[Proficiency: (789/2000)]
[Skill: Flexibility lv3]
[Proficiency: (568/2000)]
[Skill: Power Side Foot lv3]
[Proficiency: (366/2000)]
Looking at the proficiency of the three skills he was training, Maël found that the increase was pretty good. Before the season started, at least one ability would likely be upgraded.
He might as well take advantage of the off-season to grind hard for a while; the improvement Speed might even exceed his expectations!
At noon, Maël had just opened his phone when he saw many messages from Gilbert.
He was just about to change his clothes and go see him in the afternoon, but he was slightly stunned when he saw the messages.
——"Just kidding, my ticket was actually for nine o'clock this morning, bye-bye... I just didn't want to say goodbye, wanted to leave in a cool way, haha, see you next year!"
——"Of course, I can't say for sure. If I play well on the new team, I might come back early to show off and watch your game."
——"Work hard, I was the captain of Arsenal's U17 team, and you are the hope of that Arsenal U17 team. Let's not lose face. You're making your way in London, and I'm making my way elsewhere. Let's both make a name for ourselves!"
Gilbert left? Maël stared at the phone screen, feeling indescribable, with an emptiness in his heart.
He did leave rather suddenly, and rather coolly... But this was good too, saving him the farewell.
He was about to close his phone when he saw some missed calls in the call log, from Isabella. They had exchanged numbers before.
He called back, and a gentle yet energetic voice came from the other end: "Maël, you've really become a star now, you're really doing well. I can't even get through to you on the phone anymore."
"No," Maël, unsure of her intentions, replied with a smile, "I've been busy with extra training lately."
"I'm coming to London tomorrow."
Isabella's voice was filled with anticipation, making her sound even more vibrant, "Any interest in having dinner with me? I'm giving you a heads-up that there's good news."
Maël thought about the popularity of her sports brand store when he left Sheffield and guessed based on her previous promises.
"Good news? Did the collaboration clothes sell well, and you're giving me a bonus?"
"You guessed it! Pick me up at the airport tomorrow."
"Sure, see you tomorrow then." Maël became enthusiastic; he was naturally interested in getting more money.
After hanging up, he lay on the sofa in his mansion, looking at the comfortable surroundings, and thought about his last wish regarding living conditions before coming to London.
A sports car!
No sooner said than done, Maël dragged Harry out with him and headed to a large Ferrari dealership in central London.
Before going, he was a little worried that there wouldn't be any cars available. After all, he was meeting a beautiful lady tomorrow, and everyone wants to show up in style, driving a Ferrari with one hand on the wheel.
As it turned out, when he saw the latest Ferrari F430 models filling the 4S store, his worries instantly vanished.
New car, red exterior, convertible, top configuration! When he stated these requirements, he was quickly and enthusiastically led by the salesperson to a Ferrari covered in black gauze, the highest-spec car available.
The moment the black gauze was lifted, a two-seater, open-top Ferrari appeared before his eyes. Under the lights, its red exterior looked smooth and shiny, extremely beautiful.
"That's the one!"
Maël couldn't take his eyes off it, drooling with desire. He went to the sales counter with excitement to swipe his card and pay. In the end, including insurance and other fees, it came to £235,000.
That was about eight weeks of his after-tax salary, which he could afford.
"Vroom, vroom!" When Maël sat in the driver's seat and ignited the engine, the 4.3-liter V8 naturally aspirated engine quickly roared, and his seat and his whole body vibrated slightly.
"Cool," Harry said, sitting next to him, fastening his seat belt, his face also excited.
Maël drove the car out of the 4S store with a smile, onto the streets of central London, attracting many people's attention.
He slammed on the accelerator, enjoying the fun of the convertible, enjoying the sound of the engine roaring, and put on a punk song from the 90s, feeling his whole mood lifted.
"Oh!"
"Haha!"
He and Harry shouted excitedly from time to time, laughed happily, and drove all the way back, having a great time.
Parking the car in the underground garage along the small park, Maël finally lost the feeling that something was missing. He felt that everything in front of him was perfect.
"Take a picture."
He handed his phone to Harry, who was standing in front of him, and stood smiling in front of the underground garage.
"Click!" Harry took many pictures of him, commemorating this moment. After this day, Maël's life as a 'ball star' in London truly began.
...
The next afternoon, Maël drove his beloved Ferrari to the airport and saw Isabella waiting for him at the entrance.
She was wearing a white low-cut top, black slim-fitting trousers, and a brown-yellow lv bag on her right shoulder, which was close to her hair color. Her beautiful temperament was very eye-catching in the crowd.
"Hi."
Isabella walked over, her eyes slightly bright, and came to the left side to open the car door, "You got your driver's license?"
"Yeah."
Maël watched her sit down, stepped on the accelerator and drove towards the terminal below, all the way to central London, and couldn't help but praise, "You're even more beautiful."
"Haha..." Isabella chuckled, turned her head and said, "If I didn't bring a bonus, I probably wouldn't get such a compliment, right?"
"How could that be?" Maël shook his head. Isabella was indeed very beautiful, especially with her generous temperament, which was the most attractive of all the women he had met.
"The collaboration clothes sold more than 40,000 pieces."
Isabella put her bag in front of her, and the wind blowing from the roof made her golden hair flutter around, "A very good sales record, and people keep buying them. I'm planning to launch new models."
"I've been away from Sheffield for a long time." Maël didn't know much about this and asked, "Will their support and enthusiasm for me really last that long?"
"It definitely will."
Isabella answered resolutely, recalling the frenzy of that championship victory, "This generation of Sheffield United fans will never forget you. This fervor might only noticeably diminish after two or three years."
Maël raised an eyebrow, gazing ahead, savoring the cool feeling of a fancy car and a beautiful woman, and didn't speak for a moment.
Isabella quickly gave him the address of a restaurant, and he drove there. Twenty-odd minutes later, they were seated inside.
"As promised."
Isabella took a beautifully wrapped gift box from her bag and handed it to Maël. "Your birthday is coming up soon, so consider this an early birthday present. Of course, I'll give you another one then."
"Birthday?" Maël took the box, looked up, and said, "How did you know my birthday?"
Isabella showed almost no sign of confusion, smiling slightly, "You filled out the information when you were a spokesperson back then, forgotten?"
"Is that so..." Maël had indeed forgotten. He didn't delve into the matter, took the gift box, and began to examine it carefully.
Perhaps feeling it wasn't appropriate to open it in front of her, he put the gift box away, planning to look at it when he got home.
"Cheer up in London."
Isabella looked at Maël, her eyes filled with longing, "I really hope you can become an all-England superstar this year. When you succeed, my brand will also succeed. How wonderful."
"Haha..." Maël didn't respond to that, just a little curious, "Actually, I've always wanted to ask, did you start this brand just for fun?"
"No."
Isabella drooped her eyelids, raised them, and her thin lips moved slightly, "I want to buy a team, a team of my own."
Maël leaned back, a little startled by her, and after reacting, encouraged her, "Come on, I believe you will definitely have a chance. You must sign me then, and give me a super high salary."
"Haha..." They smiled together. Before long, the dishes came, and they ate together, chatting about life along the way.
Isabella must have had other things to do. Before leaving, she waved to Maël and smiled, "I'll come to London to watch you play. Call me when you're bored, bye-bye."
Maël waved goodbye to her. Slowly, he could actually feel that Isabella seemed to have a special emotion towards him.
After returning home, he quickly unwrapped the gift box she had given him, and found that it was a very thoughtful box.
There were many ingenious little designs inside, all kinds of petals and flowers, and a photo of the two of them when they were shooting the endorsement that day.
Of course, the most important thing was the 'pounds' that completely ruined this romantic atmosphere. The coppery smell and wrinkled appearance appearing here was simply outrageous! "50,000 pounds."
Maël held the money in his hand, roughly felt the amount, threw the box aside, and sighed, "So generous."
June 3rd, 32 days until the holiday countdown, Maël completely devoted himself to crazy extra training.
Right now, apart from the two private coaches who were about to arrive, he would have nothing else to do, at least until the summer transfer window.
He used all his time for training, physical therapy and recovery, and occasionally went out with Harry and Safina to get something for the house.
After Gilbert left, his days were much lonelier, and his relationship with Harry and Safina became closer.
Playing football and living alone abroad, this kind of loneliness must be endured.
"Not thinking about finding a girlfriend?"
Safina asked him this day while giving him a massage, she seemed very curious, "From my point of view, your conditions are very good in all aspects, there should be many little girls who like you."
"Thought about it." Maël told her truthfully, and shook his head, "But the most important thing right now is to gain a firm foothold at Arsenal.
"When I've made a name for myself here, I'll definitely consider this aspect. If I don't consider it then, it will seem like there's something wrong with me in some way."
"Haha..." Safina and Harry both laughed, they didn't plan to ask Maël this kind of question anymore.
Maël closed his eyes and enjoyed the massage from the two of them. He could already clearly distinguish which pair of hands were Safina's and which were Harry's.
I have to say, the job of massaging a man still has to be done by a woman. Not to mention how the physical therapy effect is, the psychological aspect feels good first.
In the following days, Maël's life became extremely regular. He went to the training ground in the morning to practice his Weak Foot ability, and after finishing, he would practice Strength in the gym at noon.
The training intensity of the Weak Foot was the smallest, and it was just right to match the greatest Strength.
At one o'clock in the afternoon, after the two of them had given him physical therapy and massage, he would go to the training ground to practice Ball Control ability. After finishing, he would go to the gym to practice Coordination, and occasionally add a little Strength depending on the state of the day.
June 8th, at two o'clock this afternoon, Maël, who was practicing Ball Control at the training ground, finally felt a special feeling appear.
"Bang bang bang!" He captured that this might be the edge of a breakthrough, and without any rest, he accelerated the Frequency under his feet, even though his legs felt a little sore.
More than ten minutes later, the line of characters he wanted to see most appeared before his eyes.
Skill: Ball Sense lv2
Proficiency (371/800)
Effect: You slowly realize the importance of footwork to a player, and you start training day and night. Gradually, you feel a sense of familiarity with the ball in both feet!
Here it comes!
Still the initial lv2!
"Phew," Maël exhaled, he didn't know how many days he had persisted, how much suffering he had endured, but today he finally saw the light.
Moreover, he could confirm that this skill's lv2 level was more difficult to achieve than other skills.
Even if it was classified as a mental skill, with an initial proficiency of 300, it still seemed extremely difficult to level up!
Additional Skill: Frequency lv2
Proficiency: (1/1500)
Effect: After practicing footwork, you gradually realize that having ball sense alone is not enough. Your body's reaction speed, foot frequency and rhythm, and various variation and change of direction abilities are all essential!
Note: First additional panel. The upgrade proficiency for all additional panels is 1500, it will not weaken, and it will not increase!
"Oh?" Maël's eyes widened in surprise, followed by a surge of excitement. This was close to his previous idea.
Additional skills! Various abilities related to Ball Control appear in the form of additional skills!
"1500 proficiency."
Maël didn't think it was too much, because he roughly knew how much of a huge improvement this upgrade would bring him.
He no longer had to worry about having footwork skills without the ability to break through after practicing Ball Control!
Nor did he have to worry about upgrading these small categories one by one from lv1 to lv5 in the future! "Must train them all!"
He not only had to step up his Ball Control training, but also improve all these additional characteristic skills.
If he could train these two abilities to a high level, it would be difficult for Premier League defenders to steal the ball from his feet in a one-on-one situation.
Perhaps, improving these two Ball Control abilities would also help him increase the success rate of Bicycle Dribbling and Step-Over Dribbling, providing an all-around boost to his Dribbling Skill! ps: Going to sleep, please vote for me.
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