From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 249 77: August Ends! Golden Boot Rankings Surge, Odds Drop! Champion's Ambition!

"They'll give it to Rooney."

"But it's still great; he's been so fierce, scoring 5 goals and providing 2 assists against Newcastle, Liverpool, and Manchester United, all strong teams!"

"The devil from Aix is approaching London... The unspeakable Korney monster lands in the Premier League... Ma'el scores a hat trick on his debut... The superstar conquers Old Trafford!"

"Hahaha, if the official media in England initially hated him, this might have happened... But he was the best in the lower leagues and arrived with high expectations."

"He won't... really be a strong contender for the Golden Boot this season, will he?"

"Not only that, if he keeps playing like this, Götze's Golden Boy Award is in danger."

"Where can we listen to the Song of Ma'el?"

Fans started discussing Ma'el again. Many were searching for everything about him, and those who initially doubted him seemed to have been won over.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly why these fans fell in love with him.

It might be because of his extraordinary talent, maybe they saw another possibility in life, or perhaps they purely enjoyed the passion he brings, or admired the brilliance of a young man shining brightly.

...

London, inside a lively Arsenal fan bar.

At a round table, a fan sitting in the center excitedly waved the lottery ticket in his hand, shouting, "2300 pounds, the odds when I bought it were 56 to 1!

"If Ma'el wins the Golden Boot this season, I'll have an extra 128,800 pounds in my pocket, tax-free!

"By then, when you come to this bar every week, you'll see a brand-new Mercedes SLS parked outside, and a generous Birmingham guy treating his London friends to drinks!"

Others in the bar looked at him, some with envy and jealousy, some relieved, and some still viewing him as if he were foolish.

"Did you really buy it?"

"Yes, Jones impulsively bought in for 2300 pounds; we were all there."

"I bought it too! But not much, only 200 pounds... But if I win, I'll still have over ten thousand pounds!"

"How come you dared to buy it?"

"Incredible courage."

"I think it's incredibly foolish. Did you forget about Rooney, Van Persie, and Aguero? How can Ma'el compete with them?"

"Why would you think that way?"

"No, you misunderstood... I really like Ma'el, I admire him, but a Premier League debutant, just 18, winning the Golden Boot is a bit of a stretch, right?"

The table fell silent. Clearly, whether they bought tickets or not, they acknowledged what he said.

However, watching Jones and others live in anticipation of striking it rich every day, their faces looked much brighter... Looking at Ma'el's stats, many felt a pull to try their luck, itching to bet.

"What's Ma'el's current ranking on the odds chart? What are the odds?"

Someone turned to ask. Odds aren't static; the bookies adjust them based on real-world conditions.

"Climbed 12 places to 11th, odds are 24 to 1."

"....."

Hearing the halved odds, many suppressed their urge, but some made up their minds to rush out to the betting shop next door.

"Already 5 goals, just over twenty more needed than last season's Golden Boot, let's go for it!"

"Do it!"

"Betting 1000!"

Jones, already holding a ticket, watched the betting craze heat up and felt deeply recognized. Smiling contentedly, he stood up and said, "I'm doubling down, another 1700 pounds!"

Many who initially followed him also clutched their lottery tickets and left the bar, heading to the betting shop next door.

Soon, a long line formed outside the betting shop... This scene was happening in real-time all over London, and many Arsenal fans soon had a new ticket for Ma'el to win the Golden Boot.

Even fans of other teams in other cities were influenced, thinking there's a slim chance of an upset with Ma'el.

Compared to other players, this miracle worker of the Championship stands a certain chance of continuing to produce miracles in the Premier League.

Thus, even if Ma'el hadn't yet scored more Premier League goals, his Golden Boot odds ranking was climbing, reaching 7th place.

The odds dropped from the original 56 to 1 after the 3rd round to 24 to 1, then slowly down to 16 to 1.

The bookies clearly couldn't withstand it; more and more payouts were exceeding their risk estimates, forcing them to lower the odds again and again.

Until it dropped to 15.5 to 1 did the enthusiasm finally get curbed, with the money flowing back to Van Persie, Rooney, Dzeko, and others.

...

Germany, Westphalia, Ruhr Area.

The young Götze lay on the sofa in pain, tears welling up in his eyes, with Reus supporting him.

"How did you injure yourself during training?"

A glimmer of sorrow touched Reus's eyes as he asked with concern, "What feels uncomfortable... how could you be so careless?"

"My back, my left arm feels weak, and now I have to stop due to injury again."

Götze's head was parallel to the ground, tears continuously dripping down as he bit his lip, saying, "It's the final sprint for the Golden Boy Award. Why is my luck so bad? I'm sorry... really sorry.

"Everyone was expecting me to bring a Golden Boy Award to Germany, but I can't do it now."

The team doctor soon arrived, sighed in relief after a simple examination, saying, "It's nothing serious, just a mild muscle strain, one or two weeks to recover."

"Really?"

Reus was the first to turn his head to look at him, with joy in his expression, "One to two weeks, and it'll be fine?"