August 27th, Maël, having finished his matches for the month, was doing extra training on the lawn in front of his house, while pondering a question.
Was it possible for his shooting and passing to develop comprehensive additional skills like his fancy footwork and Dribbling?
These were two abilities he had long wanted to improve comprehensively. He yearned for Chip Shots, Penalty Kicks, Finesse Shots, and various passing techniques, but he didn't want to train these supplementary skills individually.
According to the functions revealed by the proficiency panel before, in theory, as long as he trained, he would have a chance to get what he wanted.
However, he always had a vague feeling that shooting and passing were different from Dribbling and fancy footwork.
The latter two had a sense of comprehensive ability in themselves, while shooting and passing had many important sub-categories.
Just like a player with good Dribbling, it's hard to say exactly what makes him good, and you can only use vague language like 'very good at Dribbling' or 'very good at getting past people' to summarize.
Unless it's a special skill, like Robinho, the King of Bicycle Kicks, who has a distinct characteristic. But this is only a small minority.
But shooting is different. It's easy to distinguish between a good Long Shot and a good Side-Foot Shot, a good Volley and a good Header! These are all completely different fields. Excellence in one can gain a foothold in professional leagues, excellence in two can hope to become an excellent forward, and excellence in three can have a chance to be called an all-around striker! Chip Shots, Penalty Kicks, and Side-Foot Shots, although not as difficult and useful as Headers and Long Shots, seem to be slightly more difficult than Rainbow Flicks and Elastico.
Or rather, was he overthinking it, making the skills that are easier to score goals with and more likely to suddenly change the situation too complicated?
In reality, were these skills actually similar to Rainbow Flicks and Elastico? "Never mind."
Maël patted his head, deciding not to think about it for now. He would know once he tried.
However, in the following training, he couldn't help but think about this issue. The temptation to improve his comprehensive abilities was too great.
"Should I train them?"
He had a new idea and a desire to re-plan his training schedule.
For him, who had already become a superstar-level player, there were only two ways to improve his performance: develop more lv5 skills and improve his comprehensive abilities by filling in the gaps.
He had been training lv5 skills all along, but he had been dragging his feet on filling in the gaps.
In fact, this season he could already compete for some top individual honors, at least he could work towards that direction.
At this time, training with a slow and steady development mindset would definitely not be as effective as directly starting a full-speed sprint.
"Train!"
Maël made a decision. He opened the proficiency panel and looked at the skills he had been training recently.
[Skill: Judgment lv4]
[Proficiency: (3648/5000)]
[Skill: Sprint lv4]
[Proficiency: (2739/5000)]
[Skill: Godly Strength lv4]
[Proficiency: (2245/5000)]
[Skill: Arc Blade lv4]
[Proficiency: (1392/2000)]
Skills: Arc Guiding lv4
Proficiency: (1299/2000)
Skills: Fancy Dribbling lv4
Proficiency: (461/5000)
Additional Skill: Fancy Footwork lv3
Proficiency: (203/1500)
It can be noted that the average proficiency of the two skills, Sprint and Godly Strength, is just over halfway to leveling up.
There's definitely no rushing these two. Their improvement will surely bring him an unprecedented qualitative change. Therefore, more time and patience, perseverance, and effort are needed.
Arc Blade and Arc Guiding are very close, and it is estimated that they will be completed soon. At that time, he will usher in the era of three lv5 skills!
In addition to these two fancy abilities, since he just started practicing, there is still a long way to go before leveling up.
As for Judgment, because it automatically gains proficiency, he rarely pays attention to it on weekdays.
He just hopes to level up quickly so that his ability to read the game and process information in his brain can truly reach the limit of human beings.
After reading these, Maël had the idea of adjusting his training plan. He wanted to change the priority of training for each skill and the proportion of time invested.
First of all, it can be confirmed that Sprint and Godly Strength, Arc Blade and Arc Guiding, these four are undoubtedly the first!
Even if the first two are still a long way from leveling up, he is still willing to grind slowly and will not abandon the fundamentals in pursuit of new skills.
Even the Header, Volley, Instep Pass, and other skills that may be added to the plan in the future will be his top priority in training.
"As for this alternative fancy stuff..."
Maël looked at the 5,000 proficiency points of Fancy Dribbling and had an idea, "Why don't I put this main skill aside for now, continue to practice the additional skills, and put it down after practicing to lv4."
He had an expected result for practicing fancy skills a long time ago—to reach 4-star fancy! Now that it's almost done, perhaps the pace of chasing 5-star fancy can be slowed down for a while, and wait until other main skills are at lv5, or after checking for gaps and filling them, before chasing this.
"That's it."
Maël made a decision. Now his main training skills are five: four lv4-lv5 skills, one lv3-lv4 skill, and the skill to chase 4-star weak foot.
In this way, he can free up some time every day to grind additional shooting and passing skills.
If these two can be grinded out, then the four basic items of passing, Ball Control, Dribbling, and shooting will be complete. Simple Ball Control definitely does not need the help of additional skills.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
In the following training, Maël added the two items of passing and shooting to the group training to first experience whether he could feel the existence of additional skills.
By this afternoon, he felt a slight change in the feeling of shooting with both feet, but he couldn't be sure.
Passing is temporarily unavailable. Maybe this ability is not like shooting, which can be trained by yourself, setting up marker discs to simulate real scenes and control the quality.
"José!"
When eating in the afternoon, Maël called out to José and asked him to help formulate a training plan for these two skills.
"Still adding more?"
José was somewhat surprised this time. The current Maël is different from before; he is already a representative of all-around forwards, a super striker dominating the Premier League.
Is it really necessary to add new abilities and pursue diversified improvements at this time? "Actually, Davis and I both agree that you don't need to train anything else; you're already perfect."
José took out his notebook and wrote down what Maël said, "Although this might cost us our jobs, I still have to say... Don't you think that adjusting your condition is the top priority for you right now?"
Maël didn't say anything when he saw him recording and preparing for work, only shaking his head slightly.
"It's just..." José organized his words and said, "We understand all your physical indicators. Through your performance on the field, we can confidently judge that you definitely have the ability to compete with Messi and Ronaldo.
"This is even a conservative statement. To put it bluntly, I think you've already surpassed them.
"Right now, you should focus all your energy on recovery training and condition adjustment, as well as preventing injuries, developing commercial value, and marketing public relations, and so on.
"As long as you maintain a good mood and condition, and ensure that you can unleash all your abilities, you can directly launch an attack on the top 1. Time will slowly give you a good result.
"Moreover, after so many years of hard work to get to where you are today, it's time for you to put in the effort in marketing and other aspects to gain more wealth. This is a moment of harvest that many people dream of."
José said a lot. Having followed Maël for so long, his relationship with this young employer is not much different from that with Harry and Safina.
"You're right."
Maël didn't deny him, but still expressed his own thoughts, "But for me, now may not be the time to completely enjoy the competition and pursue economic benefits. I feel like I still have a way to go.
"Of course, this just means I will continue to move forward, not that I don't pay attention to the aspects you mentioned.
"Have you noticed that I'm actually doing all of these things at the same time?
"It's just..."
Seeing that he couldn't say it, José added with a wry smile, "It's just that you're still unwilling to let yourself go and want to continue the hard and tiring life."
"Haha..."
Maël smiled and raised his shoulders, saying, "Heaven has given me a great opportunity. My 'talent' allows me to see a different path, with the hope of reaching a height different from everyone else.
"In that case, of course, I have to put in more effort and desperately move forward until I see the end."
"What is the end for you?" José asked with a curious expression.
"The end."
Maël thought seriously for a moment. He rarely answers people's questions without thinking, "Two, I guess. One is the limit of myself, and the other is the limit of all Football players throughout history."
José smiled faintly, "I don't know about the latter, but the former, with your attitude, is definitely possible."
"I think, the day I reach my own limit..."
Maël stepped towards the stairs, halfway there, he looked at José with a confirmed expression, smiling brightly, "Is the day I reach the limit of all Football players, wait for it José!"
"Hahaha!" José then laughed out loud. This was certainly not ridicule, but a sigh at Maël's grand goal.
Maël laughed along with him, to avoid these words seeming too strange, too deliberate. He had long been accustomed to using joking methods to express his true thoughts.
From the next day, he began systematic comprehensive training of passing and shooting abilities.
José also once again corrected some of his details from the side, sometimes loudly explaining on the training ground: "The Football is out of control now! Did you notice that after you rubbed your toe over, you obviously couldn't keep up with the ball.
"Your Dribbling is so good, don't worry, just make sure your supporting foot is stable!" "Sometimes being too eager to do new moves can cause you to briefly forget the previous moves, don't do that."
"Not high enough!! Ah, this is a bit too high again, go and find the feeling of exerting force, find that cleverness!"
"Did you see that? There are three sets of marker cones here. Treat them as three defensive players. We need to use various high-altitude passing movements to perform a give-and-go, keeping the ball in the air for passing.
"The instep, the outside of the foot, even the heel and toe can be used, as long as the give-and-go effect is achieved."
"PassPassYeah, beautiful! You have a fancy foundation, so you should learn this quickly."
"Use the outside of your foot to flick it up! Oh, just a little bit off! This kind of passing method is actually very important. Sometimes when you don't have time to turn around, flicking the ball backwards with the outside of your foot in the air can instantly open up the situation."
In fact, a private technical coach doesn't necessarily have to be proficient in a certain technical movement. It's impossible to find such a versatile person. José certainly isn't one either.
His advantage, or rather the advantage of all excellent technical coaches, is that he can understand each technique, know what is right, reasonable, and effective, and know how to practice it.
For example, for skills like Chip Shot and passing, José's level may not necessarily be as good as Maël's.
But he can see what the perfect technical movements of some stars are in some scenarios through video replays and summaries, and then extract the elements from them, and constantly emphasize them to Maël.
"Bang bang... Bang...!"
Rather than saying he is a coach, it is better to say he is an assistant, a computer analysis system with eagle eyes, which can help Maël find all the mistakes.
After all the training that day, Maël took a shower and lay on the sofa, watching football while relieving physical fatigue.
Just like yesterday, he could clearly perceive today that shooting should have similar additional skills, but passing still gave him a vague feeling.
This made him feel even stranger, these two skills are obviously similar.
Let's practice for a few more days, just like the persistent training before, it should bring him results.
"Buzz buzz!" The roar of a car suddenly sounded from far to near, followed by the exposure of the car lights shining on the floor-to-ceiling windows into the house.
Maël turned his head and looked out, and saw Isabella's 911 slowly parked at the door. She and Aisha got out of the car together, carrying several large bags of things.
He walked to the door to open it, a smile welling up on his face, "Is it ready?"
The UEFA Awards Ceremony is coming soon. During the family gathering before, he asked Aisha to help him make a dress.
This thing they are holding in their hands now should be the clothes he will wear to attend the grand event.
"Of course." Isabella said a little helplessly, carrying the bag in, "If it's not ready, would I take you to get someone else's custom-made clothes before the awards ceremony like last time?"
"Giggle...!" Aisha, who was following behind, laughed, seemingly also remembering that day.
Maël had a little embarrassment on his face, but it quickly turned into a chuckle. He remembered that that day was also the day when he and Isabella basically confirmed their relationship.
If he remembers correctly, he and Isabella also have an agreement about the future... and that agreement has a chance to be realized this time.
"Come and try it on quickly."
Isabella took out the clothes from the bag. There were two black ones, one gray one, and one red one. All were very well-made, at least to Maël's aesthetic, there was nothing to criticize.
He and Isabella went upstairs together to try on the clothes in the room. Before long, he settled on a black suit.
"Why not choose the red one?" Isabella held up the red suit, a hint of regret on her pretty face. She might have originally hoped that Maël would choose this flamboyant outfit.
"The UEFA Awards Ceremony, in my impression, is probably more serious."
Maël put on the black suit, looking at himself in the mirror with a satisfied expression. "It's not about the importance, but the overall atmosphere. The FIFA Awards Ceremony feels like anything goes, you can wear whatever you want."
"I see." Isabella put down the red suit, smiling as she stared at Maël's face, as if waiting for something.
"What's wrong?"
Maël didn't react at first, but after glancing at her, he turned his head away.
The smile on Isabella's face grew stronger, with a hint of coquettish interrogation. "Then in your heart, what other differences are there between the UEFA Awards Ceremony and the FIFA Awards Ceremony?"
"Haha..."
Maël knew what she was referring to now. He turned around and smiled at Isabella, "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. I'll take you with me this time."
"Really?!"
A look of surprise appeared in Isabella's beautiful eyes, which then spread across her entire face. She stood up immediately, took Maël's hand, and walked downstairs. "Come with me, I'll show you something."
Maël followed her downstairs to Aisha's side.
Aisha looked at his new suit and her eyes lit up slightly. She couldn't help but praise, "It looks great. We can't even find models like that for our store. The way it looks on you is just too good."
"Isabella even said you would definitely choose the red one. I think this black one is very good."
Maël nodded and said with a smile, "Thanks, I'll have Harry bring the money to your store later."
While the two were talking, Isabella had already squatted down next to Aisha, rummaging through the bags Aisha had brought over, which probably contained some women's dresses.
"Ah, no need, to be able to..."
Aisha had just refused when she saw her best friend's expression and couldn't help but twitch slightly. "Isabella? Are you really going? I thought you were joking."
"Giggle." Isabella raised her chin with a smug look, teasing, "That's right, I'm really going this time, bless me! My good Aisha!"
"Tsk." Aisha pretended to be disdainful and jealous, but in reality, her eyes revealed sincere blessings and envy.
The UEFA Awards Ceremony, the level of this gala, is definitely one of the top in Europe, and it always attracts the attention of the world.
As a girl, she was very envious of Isabella for being able to go there, and as the guest's wife.
That is definitely a very special and glamorous experience, which no girl would not envy.
But as a best friend, she would still bless Isabella, bless her for finding such an excellent boyfriend, who loves her so much and is willing to take her to some very important places, announcing her existence to everyone.
"How about this one?"
Isabella took out a dress from time to time, fluttering it against her body and asking, "What about this one? I think this one is very good. Actually, I wanted to wear red, but you didn't choose the matching one."
"Wearing red is pretty good." Maël picked up the red diamond-studded dress and nodded with a smile, "I think this one matches my black suit very well."
Aisha watched from the side, feeling that this moment was beautiful, and also feeling like a third wheel, and for a moment she had a very complicated emotion.
Isabella had actually stopped Aisha from bringing her dresses on the way here, afraid that Maël wouldn't want to take her, and it would be awkward if the dresses were brought in. She had still put them in the car and brought them over.
Aisha vaguely remembered Isabella's worried face and the occasional unintentional comforting glances she gave herself beforehand. Looking at it now, she must be really surprised.
"Okay, I'm going upstairs to change. Help me take a look later, Aisha."
Isabella picked up the red dress and stood up excitedly. Seeing her best friend's expression, her expression changed slightly. "Thank you this time. When I get back, I might even have a little fame. I'll be a free spokesperson for your store."
"Haha..." Aisha smiled and nodded, "Okay, don't go back on your word then."
"I can also help you shoot an advertisement." Maël was in a good mood and readily agreed, then took Isabella upstairs together.
Aisha sat there, stunned for a moment before she realized that she seemed to have been hit by a surprise as well.
Maël's advertisement?
It must be 1.4 million pounds now, right? "Cough cough..." She coughed twice and couldn't help but take out her phone, happily conveying the news to her family.
Not long after, Isabella and Maël returned, the two people in formal attire standing in the villa's living room, forming a beautiful scene.
"Yay!"
"Ah!"
"Hehehe!"
Isabella pulled Maël, sometimes making funny faces, sometimes making strange movements, asking Aisha to take pictures of her.
This was her burning youth, of course she had to record it well.
Maël kept staring at her, sometimes cooperating with her. In short, this might also be an unforgettable night.
"Maël!"
Not long after, Davis ran out of the room, startled when he saw the two people in formal attire, then smiled and said, "The UEFA Best Player's 10-man shortlist has been updated to the final 3."
"I know I'm on it."
"I know he's on it." *2 The three people in the living room said in unison, blocking Davis, who wanted to create a surprise. They had experienced this kind of moment many times.
Davis chuckled twice in place, "Haha... well, isn't this something to be happy about?"
"Of course it's something to be happy about."
Aisha walked to his side and took his phone. They had met on many occasions and were quite familiar. "Come and see, the UEFA Best Player nominees!
"Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Lionel Maël!"
"Hahaha Yeah!" A burst of laughter rang out in the living room. Soon after, Harry, Safina, and José also came out together, smiling and sitting down to the side.
"Are we going this time?" Safina's face was a little expectant. They had accompanied Maël to the FIFA Awards Ceremony last time.
Moreover, that time, Maël was only shortlisted for a Ballon d'Or nomination and a Puskas nomination with dozens of people.
This time, it was a real top three, even if he couldn't get the best 'half-human' trophy, he could at least get a top three UEFA trophy.
"Of course."
Maël looked around and confirmed, "Let's all go together, Aisha too. After going to the FIFA Awards last time, I know that the awards ceremony also has an outside banquet center, I'll arrange for you to be there then."
"Yes!"
"Alright!"
Amidst a burst of celebration, Aisha's face turned red as she was repeatedly struck by surprises. She pointed to herself discreetly with her right hand and murmured, "Am I going too?"
"And..."
Maël held up a finger, looking at the team members who had been with him for so long, and said, "If we win this award, I will give each of you a generous gift and a raise."
"Mua!"
"Long live the boss!"
"Hahaha!"
Laughter filled the entire house. Watching everyone smile happily, many even held hands and imitated the spinning movements of Latin dance to celebrate.
A look of satisfaction appeared on Maël's face. This seemed to be a scene he had always wanted to see.
On August 31st, they would travel to the Grimaldi Conference Center in Morocco together!
Two days later, Maël and his entourage departed from London International Airport on a chartered plane. Experiencing the special service along the way, he also had the idea of buying a private jet.
In his memory, Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to have a G200 private jet worth £20 million, which he used to travel to events.
If he could really win his first The Football God award in his career this time, should he also get one? In the future, he could fly to the Ballon d'Or awards in his private jet and truly experience the life of a superstar?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile. This was indeed something to consider. Since he was reliving his life, he naturally had to experience everything.
"What are you smiling at?" Isabella sat next to him, took his hand, placed it on her back, and hugged him.
"Nothing."
Maël didn't tell Isabella for the time being. After restraining his smile, he took a deep breath, feeling a little nervous about the upcoming journey.
Will it be this time? After more than 4 hours, the plane landed at Agadir International Airport in Morocco. The group boarded a business car and headed directly to the hotel.
Maël also met Mendes here. After meeting, his first question was, "Will Cristiano Ronaldo attend this awards ceremony? What about Messi?"
"Cristiano Ronaldo will come." Mendes confirmed this first, then shook his head and said, "Messi is unknown, we still need to see the relevant news."
Maël nodded slightly, the pressure in his heart increased again, and asked, "Is there any relevant news that has been revealed? Does everyone have high hopes for me?"
Mendes still shook his head. "I don't know yet. After all, there is still one day before the awards ceremony. Tomorrow, there should be more news from various channels, and we can judge it then."
"However, the UEFA Awards Ceremony is different from the Ballon d'Or. Basically, there will be no early leaks of the winner."
"I estimate that tomorrow's news can only be used as a reference. The final result must come out on stage."
After Mendes said this, he gave Maël a meaningful look. "This is also the reason why Messi and Ronaldo will most likely attend this awards ceremony together. They don't know the result either, so they have to come to the scene to confirm."
Maël nodded, then suddenly looked up and smiled. "Mr. Mendes, does your subtext mean that you are optimistic about me? And you think this might be a battle between the three of us? It would be awkward for whoever doesn't win?"
Mendes stared at Maël, wondering how he had heard that. After pondering for a long time, he smiled and said, "Yes!"
"European Cup champion + club treble, a total of 4 championships in the year."
Maël murmured as he came to the window, looking at the road section downstairs of the hotel that was gradually being closed off, feeling the upcoming grand event. "I hope I won't be disappointed, my first important honor as an adult."
Sometimes, the closer you get, the more nervous you become. Last time, when he attended the Ballon d'Or, which had even higher standards, he didn't have any psychological fluctuations, at most just a little bit of awkwardness.
But this time, as the time drew closer, he became more and more nervous.
Not only was he afraid of disappointing himself, but he was also afraid that Isabella, who was accompanying him to the ceremony, would feel disappointed, and that the team members who came with expectations would feel disappointed.
"You'll get it sooner or later anyway, don't put so much pressure on yourself."
Mendes saw Maël's abnormality and stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder. "Keep up this performance, and I guarantee you'll win three UEFA Best Player awards in your career."
"Haha..." Maël laughed, jokingly easing his mood, "But what I hope most is to start winning consecutively from this year, and win as many as I play for in the years to come."
The smile on Mendes' face froze, but he was already used to Maël, who often said shocking things.
It all depends on tomorrow.
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