Chapter Summaries

Sheffield United learned that Norwich’s draw had mathematically secured their promotion to the Premier League, and the stadium erupted in celebration. Maël celebrated with the fans and his teammates, then looked ahead to the final match against Queens Park Rangers and invited his family to attend.

• Sheffield United fans calculated that Norwich’s draw left them seven goals behind on goal difference, confirming Sheffield United’s promotion to the Premier League.
• Fans and security guards flooded onto the pitch as Joelson told the players that promotion was secured, and Gareth Speed celebrated with the team.
• Maël celebrated with Gilbert and was tossed into the air by fans, savoring the moment while thinking about winning the Championship title.
• Captain Robert reminded the players that they still had to beat Queens Park Rangers in the final match to win the title.
• Maël called his aunt Betty, confirmed the promotion, and invited his family to the final match; Betty agreed to bring the family and asked him to book five tickets.
• Maël remembered that promotion bonuses from both divisions would earn him £600,000 before tax and £360,000 after tax.

Maël and Sheffield United prepared for their decisive Championship title match against Queen's Park Rangers, while fans and family gathered in London to support them. The final showdown kicked off at Loftus Road Stadium, leaving the title still undecided.

• On a BBC program, Lineker and Alan Shearer praised Maël's record-breaking goals and assists and credited him with Sheffield United's extraordinary season.
• Maël rested, distributed tickets to family and friends, and met with Mendes before traveling to London for the match.
• Maël's relatives arrived, and he confirmed that he would return to Arsenal next season.
• Sheffield United supporters traveled to Loftus Road Stadium in huge numbers as the teams prepared for the title-deciding match.
• Maël and Sheffield United entered the pitch, the Championship Trophy was displayed, and the match against Queen's Park Rangers kicked off.

Maël scored a stoppage-time free kick to give Sheffield United a 1–0 victory over Queens Park Rangers and secure the Championship title. Norwich had won their match and waited anxiously for the result, but Maël’s goal ended their hopes of avoiding the playoffs.

• Maël created chances in the first half as Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers went into the break at nil-nil.
• Norwich defeated Cardiff City 1–0, passed 100 points, and waited for the result at Loftus Road.
• Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers battled through a tense second half, with neither side scoring before stoppage time.
• Maël won a late free kick and scored with a curling shot in the second minute of stoppage time.
• Sheffield United’s players and staff celebrated Maël’s goal, which secured the title and left him with 40 league goals.

Maël scored a late free kick to give Sheffield United a 1–0 win over Queens Park Rangers, secure the title, and earn direct promotion to the Premier League. The celebrations spread through the stadium and Sheffield, while the trophy ceremony was about to begin.

• Maël scored the free kick, and Sheffield United fans celebrated the title and promotion inside and outside the stadium.
• Neil learned that Maël had scored and Sheffield United were promoted, then celebrated with his granddaughter Leina Ni as fans hailed him and tossed him into the air.
• Sheffield erupted in cheers and fireworks as the news spread, and students at Sheffield University learned that Maël had helped lead the team to the title.
• At Loftus Road, Clermont, Betty, Wenger, Mendes, and others celebrated Maël's achievement, and Wenger agreed that Maël deserved a pay raise.
• The referee blew the final whistle on Sheffield United's 1–0 win; the players celebrated as Queens Park Rangers faced the Promotion Play-off Zone, and police cleared the pitch before the awards ceremony.

Sheffield United celebrated its Championship title as Maël and Robert lifted the trophy, and Maël reunited with his family on the pitch. Maël then swept the season’s major individual awards, leaving ready to return to the Premier League as the Championship’s Best Player, Golden Boot winner, and Assists Leader.

• Richard engraved Sheffield United’s name on the Championship Trophy, and the fans celebrated as Wenger, Mendes, and Isabella appeared on the stadium screens.
• Warnock left the pitch after Sheffield United’s victory, insisting he could have won the title with a player like Maël.
• Robert called Maël to help him lift the trophy, and the Sheffield United players celebrated their Championship title amid golden ribbons and fireworks.
• Maël embraced Clermont, Betty, and the children, then shared the trophy with his family for photos.
• Gregg Clarke presented Maël with the Season’s Best Player trophy, and McCabe and another official gave him the Golden Boot and Assists Leader awards.
• Maël posed for photos with his family and teammates, then exchanged congratulations with Gareth Speed and Joelson before leaving the celebrations.

After Sheffield United won the Championship, Maël and Gilbert celebrated with the team and received an emotional farewell from the club’s fans and staff. As the parade left Bramall Lane, Maël looked toward London, ready to return to Arsenal.

• Media coverage celebrated Sheffield United’s record points total and Maël’s 40 goals and 27 assists, drawing intense attention to the seventeen-year-old.
• On May 9, tens of thousands of fans lined Sheffield’s streets as the players celebrated the Championship title during a victory parade.
• Maël and Gilbert shared ambitious dreams of future honors while celebrating with their teammates on the parade bus.
• At Bramall Lane, fans unveiled a giant farewell banner for Maël and Gilbert and displayed messages thanking them for their contributions to Sheffield United.
• Maël said goodbye to his teammates, Gareth Speed, and Mr. Joelson, and agreed with Gareth Speed to meet again if he won the Premier League title.
• As the bus continued southeast, Maël waved goodbye to Sheffield and looked toward London, where he would return to Arsenal.

Maël moved to prepare for the next season, promoted Instagram with championship footage, and trained until he raised Sprint to lv4. His post brought Instagram a huge wave of European users, prompting Kevin Systrom to seek a higher financing price.

• Maël packed his awards, passed his driving test, and asked Mendes to find a spacious London house for him and his physiotherapists.
• Maël advertised his Instagram championship videos on Facebook and Twitter, then focused on training to improve his speed.
• Maël pushed through an intense workout and raised Sprint to lv4, then planned to test his new speed the next day.
• Kevin Systrom and Mike discovered that Instagram had gained nearly 600,000 European users in a week, largely because Maël had directed his followers to the app.
• Kevin Systrom called the investors and said Instagram's improved user data meant they needed to renegotiate the financing price.

Maël and Gilbert tested their top speed at Sheffield United's Training Base, where Maël recorded an astonishing 23.8 mph. After joining fans buying Maël's co-branded shirts, he planned his offseason training to prepare for the Premier League.

• Maël and Gilbert visited Sheffield United's Training Base and sprinted while analysts measured their top speeds.
• The data showed Gilbert's fastest speed was 19.9 mph and Maël's was 23.8 mph, equivalent to about 38.4 km/h.
• Maël and Gilbert walked through the city, met fans, and queued to buy shirts from Maël's Primacy collaboration featuring the Sheffield United logo.
• Maël wrote an offseason training plan focused on Strength, coordination, Weak Foot, First Touch, Ball Control, and Dribbling.

Maël returned to London with Gilbert, chose a luxurious mansion to rent, and watched Arsenal’s final match of the season end in a draw amid fan protests against Wenger. He and Gilbert prepared to join the team’s training the next day, hoping to help Arsenal improve next season.

• Maël learned that Gilbert might leave Arsenal on loan, but Gilbert said he still wanted to fight for a place and play at Emirates Stadium.
• Maël and Gilbert traveled to London, passed Emirates Stadium, and vowed to conquer it and win the Champions League together.
• Pepino showed Maël a mansion with extensive facilities and an annual rent of £650,000, and Maël agreed to rent it with the first right to purchase.
• Maël and Gilbert watched Arsenal draw 2–2 with Fulham after goals from Sidwell, Van Persie, Zamora, and Walcott, while Arsenal fans booed Wenger.
• Maël and Gilbert left Craven Cottage expecting to report to Arsenal and begin training the next day.

Maël and Gilbert returned to Arsenal and were welcomed by fans, academy players, and the First Team. Wenger proposed retraining Maël as an all-round center forward alongside Van Persie, and Maël began meeting his new teammates at training.

• Maël and Gilbert arrived at Colney, where Arsenal fans, Hans, and the youth players welcomed them back.
• Wenger and the coaching staff welcomed Maël, praised his Championship season, and discussed his possible move from winger to all-round center forward, with Van Persie dropping deeper.
• Maël and Gilbert joined the First Team training session and were introduced to the senior players, including Wilshere and Van Persie.
• Fabregas sat apart instead of joining the welcome game, while Maël and Gilbert ran through the line of teammates and exchanged greetings.
• Maël and Van Persie agreed to a good partnership in the future.

Maël impressed Van Persie with precise, powerful crosses during Arsenal training, but struggled in tight-space drills against the club’s defenders. Fabregas mocked Maël and Gilbert from the sidelines, provoking Wenger as the chapter ended with the two preparing to confront each other.

• Maël delivered curling crosses that Van Persie repeatedly turned into goals, convincing Van Persie that they could link up well.
• Alexandre Song worried Maël might steal his spotlight, while Ramsey and Diaby teased him about his passing claims.
• Maël and Gilbert struggled in one-on-one drills against Arsenal’s defenders as they adjusted to the pace and tactics of the Premier League.
• Fabregas mocked the newcomers from the sidelines, and Wenger sent Philip to tell him to leave or stay quiet.
• Maël beat Vermaelen with an explosive dribble in a two-on-two drill, but he and Gilbert later struggled against Vermaelen and Koscielny.
• After Fabregas praised the defenders while belittling the newcomers, Wenger strode toward him and the training session stopped as players and coaches gathered.

After Fabregas insulted Wenger and Gilbert, Maël and Gilbert beat him with broken hurdle rods, triggering a media storm and Fabregas’s departure for Barcelona. Suspended from training for a week, the two young players returned to extra practice, where Gilbert decided to leave on loan after the off-season.

• Wenger ordered Fabregas off the training ground after Fabregas demanded a transfer and insulted him and Gilbert.
• Maël and Gilbert broke a hurdle frame and struck Fabregas with its rods until their teammates pulled them away.
• Fabregas declared he would leave that night, and reports of the fight spread through the media as many Arsenal fans backed Maël and Gilbert.
• The club suspended Maël and Gilbert from training for a week, and they discussed Wenger’s response while heading to extra practice.
• Gilbert decided to pursue a loan for more playing time and planned to leave when the off-season began; Maël supported him, and they trained together.

Maël improved his stamina, trained his ball-control skills, and moved Harry and Safina into his new mansion, rewarding them with gifts and raises. As Arsenal began its holiday, Gilbert prepared to leave for Bournemouth to train, hoping to return as a player who could fight alongside Maël at Arsenal.

• Maël focused on ball control and dribbling, then raised his Stamina skill to lv3 during training.
• Maël signed a two-year rental agreement for a North London mansion with an option to buy it, and gave Ava £30,000.
• Maël welcomed Harry and Safina to the mansion, gave them Patek Philippe watches and £10,000 each, and raised their weekly wages to £3,000.
• Wenger told Maël that Arsenal's holiday would last five weeks and encouraged him to rest and prepare for the Premier League season.
• Maël unlocked the Unloading Force skill at lv2 while training, but Ball Control had not yet appeared.
• Gilbert told Maël he was leaving for Bournemouth to train before joining a new team, and said he hoped to return as a player who could fight beside Maël at Arsenal.

Maël trained intensely until he unlocked Ball Sense lv2 and the additional skill Frequency lv2, giving him a new path for improving his ball control. He continued settling into life in London, where he bought a Ferrari, met Isabella, and learned that Gilbert had left for his new team.

• Maël trained his ball control and physical abilities while waiting for news about private coaches, but the Ball Control panel did not appear.
• Gilbert told Maël he had already left for his new team, and Maël felt the loss of his friend.
• Isabella invited Maël to dinner in London, gave him an early birthday gift containing £50,000, and said she wanted to buy a football team.
• Maël bought a red Ferrari, then settled into a regular routine of extra training, recovery, and time with Harry and Safina.
• On June 8, Maël unlocked Ball Sense lv2 and the additional skill Frequency lv2, and decided to train both abilities further.

Maël hired José as his technical coach and Davis as his fitness coach, and their professional training helped him improve his ball-control skills. As Arsenal sold Fabregas and agreed to sell Nasri, Wenger received two offers and several inquiries for Maël.

• Maël reviewed his training progress and welcomed José, a former La Masia coach, and Davis, a retired fitness coach, to his team.
• Maël set the coaches' training priorities, and the three began a more professional training program at his mansion.
• Maël's Ball Control advanced to lv3, unlocking Sticky Touch, and his Ball Sense later advanced to lv3, unlocking Ball Control.
• Fabregas completed his transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona for 39 million euros, and Wenger accepted Manchester City's 27.5 million euro offer for Nasri.
• Philip told Wenger that two clubs had made offers for Maël and that seven or eight others had sent inquiries about his transfer.

Arsenal’s offers for Maël prompted Wenger to consider breaking the club’s wage structure to keep him, while Maël pushed through brutal training and reached Godly Strength lv4. At Arsenal’s first team training, Maël stunned his teammates by overpowering defenders and matching or surpassing Walcott’s speed.

• Wenger and Philip reviewed Chelsea’s €28 million and Manchester United’s €22.5 million offers for Maël, and Wenger said he would break Arsenal’s wage structure rather than lose him like Fabregas.
• Maël trained to exhaustion at Colney Training Base and reached Godly Strength lv4, leaving Davis puzzled by how much harder his body had become.
• Maël rejoined Arsenal’s first team, greeted Van Persie, Ramsey, Sagna, and others, and joined their preseason training.
• During an American football-style scrimmage, Maël knocked Sagna and Gibbs aside, outran Walcott, and charged through several more players to score a touchdown.
• Arsenal’s players marveled at Maël’s speed and strength, while Van Persie and Arshavin recognized that he could transform the team’s prospects.

Maël impressed Arsenal’s staff in training, prompting Wenger to plan a 4-3-3 that used him as a free-roaming winger. After Maël agreed to a new Arsenal contract, the team traveled to China, where Wenger named him a starter against Bayern Munich and Maël arrived eager to play before Chinese fans.

• Wenger praised Maël’s improved strength and speed and decided to build Arsenal’s attack around him on the wing in a 4-3-3.
• Wenger tutored Maël in Arsenal’s short-passing tactics, and Maël’s coordination ability advanced to lv4 on July 21.
• Mendes negotiated Maël’s new contract, which reached a £95,000 salary, a £100 million release clause, a one-year extension, and four years in total.
• Wenger announced Arsenal’s China Tour matches against Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors, then told Maël he would start against Bayern as the left winger.
• Arsenal arrived at Capital International Airport on July 28, where reporters questioned Wenger and fans greeted the team bus as Maël savored returning to China.

On his eighteenth birthday, Maël made his Arsenal debut against Bayern Munich at Workers' Stadium and stunned the crowd with his explosive speed on the left wing. His runs set up Van Persie's opening goal, leaving Arsenal ahead 1–0 as they celebrated together.

• Arsenal fans gathered outside Workers' Stadium, and Maël signed autographs before heading inside with Wilshere.
• Shen Fangjian introduced both teams' lineups, with Maël starting on Arsenal's left wing in temporary Number 31.
• Maël walked onto the packed pitch, faced Bayern's stars, and began his first match against top-level opposition.
• Maël beat Rafinha and Badstuber with two bursts of speed, then crossed the ball, but Boateng cleared it.
• Maël again escaped Rafinha and Badstuber, crossed for Van Persie, and Van Persie scored to give Arsenal a 1–0 lead.

Maël made a sensational impact on his Arsenal debut against Bayern Munich, assisting Van Persie and later scoring a spectacular goal on his eighteenth birthday. Arsenal led, Bayern equalized, and Maël's performance left both teams preparing for a fierce contest over the rest of the match.

• Maël sprinted past Bayern's defense and assisted Van Persie, giving Arsenal the lead and earning an ecstatic celebration with his teammates.
• Heynckes instructed Badstuber to cover Rafinha and urged Rafinha to attack, while Bayern created chances through Robben and Müller.
• Schweinsteiger scored after Rafinha's overlapping run, equalizing for Bayern, and Wenger brought Frimpong on to strengthen Arsenal's left side.
• Frimpong won the ball and passed to Maël, who powered past Badstuber and drove toward goal before Neuer turned his shot wide.
• Maël scored from a corner's rebound with a fierce shot that struck the post and went in, giving Arsenal the lead and celebrating his eighteenth birthday in front of the crowd.

Maël scored a long-range goal before halftime, then helped Arsenal equalize after Bayern took a 3-2 lead. His blistering run left Alaba behind, and Gervinho’s deflected shot made it 3-3.

• Maël scored a long-range goal to extend Arsenal’s lead, and Heynckes criticized Bayern’s midfield for allowing the shot.
• Arsenal’s players celebrated Maël’s performance in the dressing room, where Sagna danced and joked about choreographing a dance for him.
• Alaba replaced Rafinha at halftime and prayed twice before preparing to defend against Maël.
• Robben scored twice as Bayern came back to lead 3-2, finishing a quick attack in the 49th minute and then beating Arsenal’s defense in the 53rd.
• Maël burst past Alaba with a long touch into open space, then passed to Gervinho, whose shot deflected off Boateng into the net for Arsenal’s equalizer.