From Arsenal to the Ball God

In the 28th minute of the match, Alexander Song received a pass from Vermaelen and charged forward, finally launching a long shot from outside the penalty area, breaking through Wigan Athletic’s goal.

One to zero!

Wigan Athletic had just kicked off when Vermaelen, who had just assisted, intercepted with a forward steal, surged forward, dribbled past four players, and finally shot into the far corner of the goal.

Two to zero!

Consecutive goals!

A solo run by the center-back!

Vermaelen’s reputation as a goal-scoring defender is solidified; after scoring, he made a violin-playing gesture, echoing with Ma’el from afar.

”Hat-trick!”

Ma’el teasingly gave him a thumbs-up, encouraging him to get a hat-trick, which caused laughter on the bench, ”Haha.....”

A center-back scoring a hat trick—they couldn’t remember ever seeing that. It was too difficult.

And so the first half ended with Wenger substituting Chamberlain and Frimpong in the second half, giving the rotation players some Premier League experience.

In the 61st minute, Gervinho received Van Persie’s pass, charged into the penalty area, and fired a powerful shot at the near corner, securing Arsenal’s victory.

Three to zero!

More than ten minutes later, Walcott assisted Van Persie for another goal, sealing the match 4 to 0.

This was the final score at full-time. Arsenal achieved a significant victory..... When facing lower-ranked teams, they should exhibit such performance.

”Clap clap...!”

After the match, Ma’el stood up and applauded; this was truly an exciting goal fest.

He saw teammates he could rely on, which was essential during a compact schedule. Only if the team’s overall strength is formidable are they more likely to pursue team honors.

This might be the strongest Arsenal team since the peak period, so seize this opportunity and become a club legend here!

”I was worried about uncertainties, so I brought you along.”

Wenger approached him after the match, smiling broadly, ”I didn’t expect this match to be extraordinarily smooth. It seems like you came for nothing.

”No worries; from December 4th, you can rest until December 10th. You won’t be in the squad for the next away Champions League match.

”Prepare well, and help us win those five matches at the end of the month to maintain our lead at the top of the standings.

”You’re now a player I can rely on; with your physical condition, I have more assurance in whatever I do.”

Ma’el high-fived and hugged him, nodded in agreement, and took a deep breath, feeling some pressure indeed.

...

On December 5th, Mendes arrived in London with two foreign brands and met Ma’el at an upscale restaurant.

The cooperation with Mengniu fell through. After learning that Aguero’s offer was only 800,000 pounds a year, they thought it was a good bargain and eventually finalized the Argentine.

After that, they didn’t want to find another overlapping functional endorser from the Premier League..... If they desired more exposure, they would pick from the top Golden Ball Award contenders.

However, another Chinese brand joined the pursuit of Ma’el and also successfully gained Mendes’s favor.

”This is Fanlin Li, the signing representative of Tsingtao Beer.”

Mendes led Ma’el into the private room, raised his hand to introduce, ”And over there is Jason, the spokesperson for Lay’s Chips.

”They are all prepared for filming in London; if you have time, the shooting can be completed in a day or two.”

Ma’el nodded to them as he entered and sat down.

Before coming, he already knew the endorsement fees and durations of both companies: Tsingtao Beer offered a 3-year contract with 1.4 million pounds annually, Lay’s Chips offered a 2-year contract with 1.5 million pounds annually.

The specific bonus terms were very similar to that of Puma in weight and amount, but due to brand characteristics..... they wouldn’t set up such substantial overlap and tiered bonuses.

Still, this was very good, with two non-sports brands offering 420,000 pounds and 300,000 pounds each, proving their trust in Ma’el’s value.

”Pleasant cooperation.”

”Keep it up! Little star!”

The contracts were signed quickly; the four of them walked out of the restaurant together. After scheduling the start of the shoot for the next day, they said their goodbyes on the street.

Ma’el took out his phone to calculate; excluding the 15% commission for Mendes and 40% tax fees, he could earn 1.479 million pounds a year from these two companies.

If you add Puma, that brings it to 1.9125 million pounds, nearing 2 million pounds.

Quite impressive already, almost reaching his salary, and bonuses haven’t even been counted yet.

”Are you calculating money?”

Mendes saw his expression, guessed what he was doing, and said with a smile, ”I already calculated it for you long ago, just ask me.”

”No worries, I’ve already calculated.” Ma’el put down his phone, ”I need to thank Mr. Mendes for this type of income.”

Mendes shook his head and gestured with his hand, ”We help each other; I got a lot from you too..... In any case, this is the money you earned on the pitch.

”Only when you perform well and your value increases can I play a role..... You have always been the leading person.”

The two of them walked aimlessly along the road; from the time Ma’el joined Arsenal, they seldom took such walks together.

Clearly very important partners and good friends..... yet they rarely chatted, always meeting and departing in haste.

Winter in London was already a bit cold; one wore a Puma parka, the other a suit coat. From afar, they looked more like a family out for a stroll.

”These are the two before the Golden Boy Award.”

Mendes looked at the ground, rubbing his hands together, ”After the Golden Boy Award, there should be some more..... In short, well-known stars have many endorsements; some even have dozens of endorsements.