From Arsenal to the Ball God

The midfield of the Spain team, Alonso, was unfortunate. After the match, an examination revealed two cracked ribs.

However, Ma’el later heard that, apart from a few games, De Jong’s style of play isn’t that dirty; he seldom gets red or yellow cards.

”Boom boom... Pop!”

Ma’el took the ball forward two steps, then dribbled towards the baseline, intending to test De Jong’s strength.

Unexpectedly, the opponent slipped due to nervousness, easily conceding, allowing Ma’el to gain a positional advantage.

”Thanks for the gift.”

Ma’el’s eyes lit up as he nudged the ball toward the center, cutting in from the right, a path he rarely takes.

”Bang!”

De Jong, chasing back, saw him cut inside, and lowered his center of gravity to collide with Ma’el. This had some effect, slowing Ma’el’s dribbling speed.

”Pop!” He kicked the ball into a safe area, then charged at De Jong... The previous collision he wasn’t prepared for, but this time he wanted to push De Jong away.

”Bang!”

A dull thud echoed, De Jong’s supporting leg lifted uncontrollably, causing his body to sway heavily to one side, nearly toppling.

A hint of gravity appeared in his eyes, but by the time he prepared to follow up, Ma’el had already dashed past.

”Damn it, truly a physical monster!” De Jong’s face showed a resigned helplessness, realizing beforehand but unable to do anything, he could only continue to chase back.

By then, Ma’el was already in the penalty area, facing the opponent’s wing-back, Kolarov.

This was an offensive wing-back; he had defensive abilities, but not too much.

”Boom boom... Boom boom...!”

Ma’el’s feet continuously contacted the football, shifting it left and right, occasionally feinting a large cut or pretending to dribble to the baseline, making Kolarov constantly adjust his defensive posture and balance.

His change of direction was very swift, unusually agile for someone with such a strong physique.

Kolarov was unprepared for this, instantly feeling strained, his footing unstable.

”Pop!”

Ma’el suddenly dribbled toward the baseline, Kolarov couldn’t keep up from the first step and was exhausted when trying to catch up.

His nightmare wasn’t over yet... because Ma’el didn’t plan to cross from the baseline!

”Pop!”

Another touch of the ball was heard. As Kolarov hadn’t stopped his momentum toward the baseline, Ma’el dribbled in the opposite direction and cut inside.

Kolarov knew his defensive position was vital, forcing a rotation to follow.

”Click!”

A crisp sound that made one’s teeth tingle was heard, as Kolarov twisted his ankle while turning, his body slightly lifting off the ground.

In that instant, he instinctively closed his eyes, feeling as if his body turned into a large X-ray, clearly seeing a fracture somewhere.

This was the subconscious left in the minds of these often-injured athletes from childhood to adulthood, after countless X-rays.

Skilled enough that when one gets injured, they seemingly become that machine, scanning their body.

”Ah...!” A tragic scream echoed, as Kolarov lay on the ground, clutching his left foot, his face showing great pain.

”Boom!!”

Ma’el didn’t notice at first; after releasing a dipping shot with the outside of his foot, he paid attention to the situation over there.

His shot didn’t go in, and as the Manchester City players watched the ball fly beyond the baseline, they collectively rushed toward Kolarov.

”Sorry.”

Ma’el turned, glanced over, feeling a sudden guilt, but these accidents are often unavoidable.

Not knowing whether Kolarov likes fruit baskets, he thought of sending him one afterward, hoping for a speedy recovery and return to the field.

Using dribbling to break an opponent’s ankle... something he’d always heard of, never imagined one day it would happen to him.

He walked over, patted Kolarov on the shoulder twice, then turned to dash back to his left wing; it was smoother over there.

”Oh no!”

”Let’s look at the replay; it seems Kolarov twisted too sharply when turning, snapping his ankle.

”Don’t know if there’s a major issue... The player likely won’t last the match; let’s see who Mancini uses to replace him!”

”Brutal Ma’el! A criminal performance! He broke Kolarov’s ankle with dribbling, a rare sight!”

”As the games progress, we’re witnessing the growth exhibited by this player; he’s developing numerous new abilities on the field.

”Will he continue improving at this rate? If so, one might not fathom what level he’ll reach!”

...

On the sidelines, Mancini, hands in his pockets, watched Kolarov’s treatment position with some helplessness.

The team’s main left-back was Klich; Kolarov could only be the primary substitute... In a multi-line championship race, losing a primary substitute is quite a loss.

”Devil!”

Watching Ma’el’s back, even the refined Italian coach had thoughts of cursing.

During the player rotation, he specifically kept the main right-back and right-center-back, allowing Sabaleta and Kolo Toure to remain on the field to alleviate Ma’el’s pressure.

They’re doing well; so far, they’ve not given Ma’el any clear chances.

Supposedly, everything was going smoothly, each side displaying their skills... but why did Ma’el injure Kolarov after just sending a corner to the right flank?

Aside from the formationless counter-attacks, these two were never supposed to have any interaction!