Chapter 784: Truce! Wang Shuo Won! Wang Shuo, Come Claim Your Golden Ball Award! Who Isn't a Master of Sarcasm?

Valcke paused and looked at Blatter and Nichols.

The former’s old face looked as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly, while the latter pretended to look away, probably trying hard to hold back a smile. This was too outrageous! Was there ever such a sickening request?

“Agree to it!” Blatter waved his large hand dismissively. After all, he was a politician, and shamelessness was a basic qualification.

“So it’s settled?” Valcke asked again.

Blatter nodded. “You will personally lead a team to London. Bring the legal team along, and while you’re at it, bring the Golden Ball Award, the Puskás Award, and the Best XI Award to him too.”

He wanted to solve all the problems in one fell swoop.

“Oh, right,” Blatter added. “Discuss it with Arsenal too. When the time comes, announce to the public that he’s injured.”

Valcke and Nichols both nodded in unison. They really wanted to laugh. Injured? What a perfect, versatile excuse!

On January 7, the match day for the third round of the FA Cup, the game was scheduled for the evening. The Gunners set off from London in the morning, heading north to Leeds. But right before the team departed, Arsenal’s official website formally announced that Wang Shuo had been injured in training.

This immediately caught the media’s attention. Over the past few days, all sorts of rumors had been cropping up endlessly. Word on the street was that Wang Shuo and FIFA had reached the settlement of the century! But there had never been an official statement on what exactly was going on.

Now, Wang Shuo’s sudden injury took everyone by surprise. From Mainz to Dortmund and now to Arsenal, Wang Shuo had always been known as an ironman with an impeccable attendance record. How could he possibly be injured? Wasn’t he just seen clocking in for training early this morning?

Before the team departed, Wenger stated in an interview with reporters, “He was injured during extra training this morning.”

When asked if the issue was serious, Wenger replied, “Uh, he went to the hospital for a detailed examination accompanied by the team doctor. I haven’t received further test results yet, so I can’t give an answer at this moment.”

As for how many days he would be out for, Wenger shook his head. “I’m not clear on that at the moment either. I’m waiting for a further report from the team doctor.”

After a series of questions, Wenger’s main stance was simply: “I don’t know, don’t ask me, I’m not going to say anything.”

All the media reporters were completely baffled. What was this all about?

That evening, Arsenal secured a 2-0 away victory against Leeds United.

It was worth noting that Henry, who had just joined on loan from the New York Red Bulls, scored the second goal when he came on as a substitute in the second half. This made everyone feel pessimistic about Chamak’s future at Arsenal. There was nothing they could do about it; he just couldn’t score! Throughout the entire season, Chamak hadn’t seen a single goal.

Now, against a Championship side like Leeds United, he still couldn’t find the back of the net. He was even outperformed by the veteran Henry, who only came on in the second half. How could this be acceptable?

With the transfer market opening, everyone speculated that Arsenal would likely bring in a center-back and a striker during the winter break, but there were no clear targets yet. Interestingly, during the post-match press conference for the FA Cup, the media’s most frequently asked questions were still about Wang Shuo. What kind of injury did Wang Shuo suffer? Wenger continued to plead total ignorance.

As the FIFA awards ceremony drew closer, everyone’s appetite was whetted.

Would Wang Shuo actually go to Zurich? Arsenal had officially announced Wang Shuo’s injury, but there was still no further news. How severe was the injury? They didn’t say!

FIFA, on the other hand, confidently declared that Wang Shuo would definitely attend the Golden Ball Award ceremony. Meanwhile, the media in Spain revealed that FIFA officials had exerted pressure on the players through sponsors, the Spain Football Association, and the two major clubs, Real Madrid and Barça, “inviting” Ronaldo and Messi, insisting they must attend the FIFA awards ceremony.

All preparations were carried out under the assumption that Wang Shuo would be present. It wasn’t until noon on the 9th, the day of the Golden Ball Award ceremony, that FIFA made a sudden public announcement: Wang Shuo’s injury had taken a turn, and he would not be able to attend this year’s awards ceremony as scheduled.

“We deeply regret this and wish Wang Shuo a speedy recovery so he can continue to bring us spectacular football matches,” the statement read.

FIFA also “urgently” brought out their contingency plan. While media and fans around the world were buzzing with discussion, three major awards were successively presented to Wang Shuo at the Zurich Opera House that evening. These were the Forward in the Best XI, the Puskás Award for the Goal of the Year, and finally, the FIFA Golden Ball Award!

The award presenters in attendance were also highly authoritative. The presenter for the Best XI of the Year was the King of Football, Pele. The players for the other ten positions were all present in person; only Wang Shuo “appeared” via video.

Blatter personally presented the FIFA Presidential Award to Ferguson. Gullit hosted the subsequent award ceremony, with legendary stars like Matthäus and Karembeu serving as presenters.

When it came to the Puskás Award, the former Real Madrid superstar and Mexico’s legendary striker, Sanchez, presented the award. Wang Shuo once again appeared via video to deliver his acceptance speech.

Finally, in the most prestigious and highly anticipated event, the presentation of the FIFA Golden Ball Award, Ronaldo personally announced Wang Shuo as the winner.

Then, Wang Shuo’s acceptance speech was broadcast. In the video, Wang Shuo very sincerely expressed his regret for not being able to attend the Golden Ball Award ceremony. Furthermore, he offered his deepest apologies to all the guests in attendance, as well as to all the coaches, captains, and media friends who had voted for him.