From Arsenal to the Ball God

”I’m telling you, brother, you have to remember how good everyone is to you. When you hit the jackpot, you better treat us to drinks every day.”

Nearby, many fans who were hearing for the first time about how much Jones put into the ’Premier League Golden Boot betting slip’ were stunned.

”So much?!”

”Oh my god...£4000?”

”If I remember correctly, this guy bought in right when Ma’el first joined, and back then the odds were like one to a dozen.”

”Could he really be hitting it big... I’m so jealous, damn it!”

Hearing the gasps of surprise, Jones felt a sense of pride and waved his hand, saying, ”The odds were 56 to 1 back then, I only put in £2300, not £4000.

”Later when the odds dropped to 23 or 24 to 1, I tried to buy again but there were too many betting on Ma’el that day. By the time it was my turn, the odds had dropped to only 19.5 to 1, damn those bookies.

”This time I bet £1700, so it adds up to £4000... not a one-time drop of £4000.”

Another round of exclamations and murmurs arose, the old beer drinkers of the UK rarely saved, most didn’t have much cash on hand.

Discovering that Jones was likely to turn his life around and achieve preliminary financial freedom, it’s easy to imagine their envy.

”£161,950!”

Someone with a calculator had calculated how much Jones would win when Ma’el won the Golden Boot. ”Shit, that’s a fortune! Let me calculate the tax.”

”No need,” Jones tapped his phone and smiled, ”the tax is covered by the bookies, this is my take-home money.”

Many people’s breaths quickened, a mix of emotions swirling within... no one had anything negative to say this time.

Ma’el had been at the top of the scoring chart since the end of October, and it’s been over a month now, with momentum to keep it that way.

Though he didn’t score in this round, anyone who watched the match knows he’s still in form, successfully breaking through over a dozen times during the game.

”What are the odds now?” someone cautiously asked, reaching for their wallet.

”6.5 to 1.” Someone who was just checking the odds on their phone promptly replied.

After a brief silence, another group set their gaze on the betting shop across the street, eyes gleaming with heat.

”Let’s do it!”

”With Ma’el’s current form, these odds are worth a bet!”

”£10,000 turning into £65,000, that’s like turning a battered pickup into a Mercedes! Charge!”

”You putting down £10,000?”

”No, I don’t have that kind of money.”

”...”

”Come on, support the Young General, this isn’t betting, it’s us praying to the gods that the young player wins the Golden Boot!”

”But only Ma’el himself can respond to you, right?”

”Hahaha.....!”

Many fans walked out of the pub, filled with anticipation, heading to the betting shop across the street.

The pub owner leaned close to Jones curiously asking, ”Aren’t you going to buy a bit more? You already have so much, now’s the time to top up.”

”Of course I need to buy.”

Jones took out his wallet, pulling out a bank card, ”For me, this isn’t betting anymore, it’s investing in Ma’el. If he succeeds, I can also sip the gravy.

”I haven’t come to the pub in months except to watch the game. I’m sure you’ve noticed... I’ve been working hard, stashing away quite a sum, ready to invest.”

”Then hurry and buy!” The pub owner urged, pointing at the betting shop, ”What if the odds fall again?”

”No, no, no.”

Jones took out his phone, opening the memo app filled with graphs and calculations of various sorts, ”Since it’s an investment, you’ve got to treat Ma’el like a stock. He was a bull stock in the past, but today he didn’t score, so he might drop a bit.

”Even if many Arsenal fans bet, it can’t change this downturn... The bookie might think Ma’el will decline, slowly increasing the odds to attract more bets.

”That’s when I get in at the bottom, it’ll be a surefire win!”

The pub owner looked at Jones, eventually saying, ”With your skill and guts, football betting is really beneath you.”

”This isn’t over yet.”

Jones continued scrolling through his charts, reaching Arsenal’s schedule and another analysis chart, ”In 3 days, Arsenal plays Manchester City in the League Cup, and I think Ma’el will give it his all.

”The players really want to win a championship.

”After this match, there are only 3 days of rest before Arsenal plays away at Wigan Athletic in the Premier League.

”Wigan’s not a strong opponent... I think after Ma’el pushes himself against Manchester City, he’ll feel a bit tired physically, Wenger might let him rest for this game, or only play half.

”If that happens, his Golden Boot odds might rise again, and that’s when I plan to jump in.”

”Bam!”

The pub owner slammed a glass on the table, giving a thumbs up: ”You’re a real genius, damn it.”

....

”We’re gonna strike it rich.”

That night, Ma’el sat in his mansion with his team of four, all staring at his phone screen.

The Lays chips and Mengniu ads were about to go out, tonight £204,000 would be deposited into Ma’el’s account.

”Easy money...!”

Harry blushed and sighed, the other three echoed... after Ma’el’s value soared, making money had indeed become a bit too easy.

”£204k after tax?”

Jose started counting on his fingers but after a while, couldn’t figure it out, so he awkwardly grinned, ”Anyway, with my after-tax weekly pay, I won’t make this in a year.”

His weekly pay was £4000, not low at all, higher than Ma’el’s starting pay at Sheffield United.

”Who could anyway?” Davis shook his head, though he just followed along, not really caring much about money as he was getting on in years.

As he initially said, his goal was to help Ma’el achieve honors.

Safina squatted next to Ma’el, looking like a little money-grubber, ”I feel like I can already smell the sour stench of money.”

”Isn’t it the tempting scent of money?” Harry laughed as he looked at her.

”£102k!”

Ma’el suddenly exclaimed excitedly, having clicked the screen to post the Mengniu brand ad, it all involved only copying and pasting, no extra work required.

This wasn’t an endorsement, he basically leveraged his following to promote for them.

The other four beamed, crowding to look at his hand, while they couldn’t make this money, they could still vicariously share their boss’s joy.

As Ma’el hit ’send’ a second time, they joined in shouting, ”£102k!”

”Hahaha.....!”

This brought smiles to the whole group, Safina and Jose even clapped, celebrating the boss’s first promotional post.

”That’s so satisfying.”

Ma’el leaned his head back, closing his eyes, then got up to walk over to the floor-to-ceiling window. In the others’ puzzled eyes, he walked out, heading to the underground garage.

When he returned, he was carrying four gift boxes, smiling as he walked back in.

”Ah.....!”

Safina was still in Ma’el’s joyous moment when she saw this and burst into joy herself, ”Yes...!”

”Not again.”

Harry immediately could not stop smiling, having received similar gifts from the boss before.

”What’s this?” Jose looked at them confused, then turned to see Ma’el holding the gift bag in front of him.

He instinctively took it, felt around inside, and quickly found a pair of Bvlgari rings.

”Ah?!” His jaw dropped, aware of the luxurious Naples brand, costing thousands of pounds, limited editions even more.

Jose soon saw the price on the receipt, £4799... and he felt a heavy gift box within, seemingly with something heavy inside.

”The gift isn’t what matters.”

Ma’el, watching their reactions, joyfully said, ”I’m giving each of you a pair of rings. If you have a wife, give them a wife’s ring, if not, hope you’ll find someone soon, hahaha...

”I promised you gifts for 30+ stats before, the focus is on that gift box.”

With that, he headed upstairs, leaving the others to open their gifts.

”Wotafa!”

”Two and a half stacks, £25,000!”

”Mua... I love this bonus, just in time for buying a car in London!”

Safina was the first to let out a sharp cry, ”Long live the boss!”

”Long live the boss!”

”May he live long, hahaha.....!”

Downstairs, the place was filled with joy, feeling strongly that they were following the right person.

”By the way.”

Davis rubbed the pounds in his hand, quietly laughing, ”I have a little daughter, just started working, and hasn’t dated anyone.”

”Then she’s gotta be older than Ma’el.” Jose beamed as he counted cash and said, ”My daughter’s young, give her a few more years and she’ll be at dating age, perfect for Ma’el.”

”What are you dreaming about.”

Safina closed the gift box, blissfully sitting on the sofa, ”Do you guys really think your family’s royalty, spinning up a princess just like that?”