Chapter 813: What, Goal Drought?! Opening Triumph! Classic Celebration Returns! Blockbuster New Signing!

“Three–nil! Arsenal have killed the game off! Ma’el finishes with 1 goal and 1 assist! On a day this worth celebrating, he grabs a goal!!”

“This is him—you can always see him on every pitch, at every moment, blasting the ball into the net, sprinting off to celebrate!”

“…”

Out by the touchline, Ma’el ran with powerful strides, his other hand making one of the classic celebration gestures in football.

It looked like the sign-language for the number three, but in Italian culture, this gesture carries a special meaning—”Look how great I am! How brilliant!”

Once upon a time, the Italian goal machine Tony used this celebration, and today, with not the slightest guilt, Ma’el brought it to the stage of the English Super League as his own celebration.

Reaching the sideline, he launched into a flamboyant backflip for his second celebration, then swept his right hand gracefully up to the sky, “Yeah…..!!”

Before scoring this goal, he’d seen Podolski and Walcott warming up; clearly Wenger was going to take him and Van Persie off, let the rotation players feel the Premier League.

If this was the end of his match, then of course he had to celebrate the opening day win like a hat-trick of celebrations!

One goal and one assist—by his current standards, not exactly stunning, but it showed he would stay solid and keep pushing forward in the new season!

“Click click!”

Photographers by the pitch hammered their shutters, capturing commemorative shots of Ma’el; nowadays, as long as he scores, he inevitably becomes the most eye-catching figure on the pitch.

“Beep beep!”

Five minutes later he went off together with Gervinho, and Van Persie was subbed in the 78th minute; Gilbert and a number of players were handed their Premier League debuts.

“Bang!!”

Even though Walcott, in the 91st minute, met a crossing from Podolski and smashed in a spectacular scissor kick, Ma’el’s goal celebration photo still ended up as the cover image of the night.

“Premier League Round 1 report! Arsenal ease past Sunderland Team 4–0 at home!! Ma’el 1 goal and 1 assist, named Man of the Match!” — Sky Sports column

“Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3–2! Claim the Spain Super Cup! Messi’s first trophy of the new season!” — Asi Bao

“Manchester City grind out a 3–2 win over Southampton! Tevez scores the last-gasp winner!” — BBC Premier League column

And as the first round of fixtures ended, a single piece of transfer news instantly pulled Arsenal fans—still basking in the joy and thrill of a 39-game unbeaten run—into a brand-new surprise.

It also meant Real Madrid, still reeling from one stab of pain, sank straight into a fresh regret.

“Blockbuster!! 77.5 million pounds + 5% sell-on clause! Bell officially joins Arsenal! Announcement and contract signing expected tomorrow!!” — The Times

“Bell appears in North London with a Polish model, checking into a hotel next to Emirates Stadium.” — Sun

“Arsenal wrap up a perfect summer window! Apart from Oscar, they’ve basically landed all their targets; this proves the club’s pulling power for top players is back to its peak!” — London Evening Paper

“This is Levi’s failure in running Tottenham. For so many years, people talked about the Glazer Family, talked about Kroenke.

“But did the Glazers ever sell players like this? (I know Ferguson definitely played a crucial part.) How has Kroenke invested this year? And what are you doing, Levi?!” — Tottenham legend Blanchefleur

“Florentino can’t dodge responsibility this time, can he? Ten days left in the market, only after realizing there’s no chance of getting Ma’el do they go for Bell—what were they doing before that?” — former Real Madrid star Guti

“Congrats to Bell for choosing the place he should have chosen! His partnership with Ma’el and Van Persie will strike fear into the entire Premier League!” — former Arsenal captain Tony Adams

Across all major platforms, news of this transfer sprang up like mushrooms after rain, instantly occupying every headline.

To the naked eye, it was just a few lines of text, a few people’s comments.

But everyone understood exactly what kind of shockwaves and reactions this news would trigger in the football world over the coming days, and what kind of foreshadowing it laid for the European game in the next few years.

…

Night of August 18th, Real Madrid’s Valdebebas Training Base, inside the president’s office.

At the brown wooden desk, Old Buddha Florentino, a cigarette clamped between his lips, sat facing the window, staring gloomily at the silent streets of Madrid.

“Tsk… tsk…!”

His hands were shoved in his pockets, his mouth working on the cigarette again and again, as if only the crackle of burning tobacco and the smoke pouring into and out of his lungs could offer him any comfort.

Soon, ash fell onto his chest and slid down his expensive suit, staining the fabric.

He only checked whether it was still burning, then carried on smoking, as though nothing could pull his attention away—perhaps even as though he was doing this on purpose to punish himself.

“Wenger, Arsenal…..” he murmured, finally letting his thoughts settle on one man. “Ma’el.”

He was deeply regretful, and what made him most uneasy was a powerful premonition—Arsenal might, in the next few years, surpass Real Madrid in commercial value and global influence.

Could his partnership with Ronaldo’s leadership really outstrip the combination of Wenger and Ma’el?

He wasn’t sure, because he couldn’t see where Ma’el’s ceiling might be.

…

The next morning, in North London, just as the sun came up, the streets were already packed with Tottenham fans.