From Arsenal to the Ball God

”Otherwise, don’t even mention winning the title undefeated; they can hardly even win the title!”

After saying this, he left, probably to smoke in the restroom, leaving the players with their heads bowed in silence.

...

On January 6, Arshavin and Shamakh prepared to leave, and the entire Arsenal team gathered on this day to bid farewell to these two players who had contributed to the Gunners.

Arshavin returned to the team where he started, the Russian Super League powerhouse Zenit. He initially joined Arsenal for 16.5 million Euros, and upon leaving, brought in a transfer fee of 14.5 million Euros.

From any angle, this was a successful transfer!

Wenger was very reluctant during the farewell, hugging Arshavin for a long time before letting him go.

”Bye-bye!” Arshavin waved goodbye to the players with a smile, then specifically walked up to Ma’el, embraced him again, and then drove his sports car away from the base.

Not far from this, people saw him wiping tears with his left hand, unwilling to turn back, perhaps to avoid letting people see this moment.

Ma’el watched him all the way until he disappeared from sight, and beside him, a sigh could be heard.

There’s nothing that can be done, for there are no unbroken feasts in the world; people always have to learn to say goodbye.

He didn’t work with Arshavin for too long; they only played a few matches together, so there were not many feelings of reluctance. However, he remembered leaving Sheffield United back then, having stayed only one season.

And Arshavin stayed here for over three years. This time he’s leaving not only Arsenal but also the center of the football world.

He could only wish him well in his heart, hoping he could have a nice career end and play happily in the Russian Super League.

Shamakh’s departure was emotionally much more stable. He was only with the team for one season and never secured a main position.

He originally came on a free transfer from the Ligue 1 team, Bordeaux, stayed with the team for a year, and finally left with a transfer fee of 7.5 million Euros; this transfer was certainly not a failure.

He will go to Championship team West Ham United, seeking opportunities to become a regular starter in a secondary league.

”Arshavin and I will often come back to visit. On the day you win the championship, you will definitely receive our greetings.” Shamakh said with a cheerful smile, finally getting into a business car with his family to the airport.

After sending off the two, Wenger didn’t let everyone leave but stayed in place waiting.

Most people couldn’t guess his intentions, until shortly after, a business car drove up, and off came a mixed-race black man wearing an Arsenal scarf and a suit.

”Oh...!” Van Persie covered his mouth, standing in place and exclaimed.

Ma’el also widened his eyes; the person who came was none other than Thierry Henry, known as the King of Highbury. He really came back!

Henry, wearing sunglasses, walked up with a smile, ”One day, someone told me a statue of me was going to be erected in front of the Emirates Stadium, and I immediately hung up the phone, thinking what kind of joke is this.”

”But when a few days ago I received Mr. Wenger’s call, hearing him invite me to attend the statue unveiling... I believed it, and I immediately expressed my desire to return to Arsenal on loan.”

”Mr. Wenger agreed.”

Speaking of this, he searched through the crowd and saw Ma’el, then said with a smile, ”I know there are better players in the team now, but I still wanted to come back and see, thanks to Mr. Wenger for making it happen.”

He stepped up and embraced Mr. Wenger first. Both master and disciple were full of emotion, followed by Van Persie and several old teammates.

Ma’el quickly hugged Henry as well; it was his first time seeing the team’s legend. As soon as he stood there, it seemed he became the center of everyone and suddenly had a dazzling aura.

He understood it’s what Henry left behind at Arsenal and now reflected upon him... As long as he returned to the team, he’d always possess it.

He set a goal for himself, knowing that to become immortal in this club, he’d certainly have to surpass Henry.

In terms of performance and statistics, he might have already surpassed him, but in terms of honors and long-term contributions to the club, he is still far from it.

”Originally, the unveiling ceremony was planned for last month, but since the results were too good last month, it was postponed to January.”

Wenger explained at this point with a happy smile, ”This way, you can comfortably wear Arsenal’s jersey to complete the unveiling.”

Henry nodded, laughing, ”Unbelievable, I hope you all have statues like this in the future; there’s plenty of open space outside the stadium, haha...”

Thus, Emperor Henry joined the team amid a lot of rejoicing and indeed brought quite a bit of cheer and laughter into the team’s daily training.

On January 9, the third round of the FA Cup kicked off at Emirates Stadium.

Wenger’s attitude towards this match was quite ambiguous, fielding a lineup that was half reserve and half main players.

Ma’el and Van Persie both sat on the bench resting, but Alexander Song and others continued to fight on the pitch.

It was a highly intense match, and Wenger stood on the sidelines with a troubled expression, disappointed in the underperforming frontline.

When, in the 68th minute of the match, Emperor Henry, wearing the 12th jersey, finished warming up and stood on the sidelines... memories of the past suddenly began to overwhelm Ma’el. He looked at the current Emirates Stadium and recalled that classic moment.

”Oh....!” Amid cheers, Henry brushed the grass and entered the Emirates Stadium, returning to his home after five years.