August 8, Aix, southern France.
At 7:10 in the evening, there were only 20 minutes left in Cardiff City's home game against Sheffield United.
In an old residential building, a family of five prepared cold beer, rich snacks and canapes, and waited expectantly.
"How long until it starts?"
A middle-aged woman was busy serving dishes. She looked a little tired, but her spirits were not affected at all. "I heard from the people in the supermarket that he is a genius to be able to play in the Championship at the age of 17."
"genius?"
The middle-aged man sitting on the sofa was beaming with joy, and hummed with pride, "Playing in a professional league for the first time, and starting the game, it's far more than a genius can describe it, our nephew is a genius!"
"Clemont! Clemont!"
The third child in the family, Ava, ran out from the inner room, shouting her father's name, aggrieved and anxious, with red eyes and soft and sticky voice: "My brother gave me pizza, but my sister ate two pieces!"
"Call Dad."
Clemont had a serious expression on his face, but after he finished speaking, he changed his expression and picked him up and placed him on his lap lovingly, "You can't finish such a big pizza by yourself."
"Then why doesn't she let her brother buy it for her? She wants to eat mine." Ava wiped her tears with one hand and said naively.
The eldest sister and the second brother came out together at this time. The former rolled his eyes slightly and said, "I only ate two pieces. I'll buy you another one another day."
The family's noise and chatter added a lively atmosphere to the cottage, which was not bad, as that was what a big family was like.
"Does Maher really get 2500 pounds a week now?"
The eldest sister sat on the sofa, thinking about the 3000 pounds that Maher had sent back some time ago while eating pizza. "Isn't this much more than you and mom earn combined?"
"We are just ordinary people."
Clemont smiled. He didn't care about his own face at this time. He just praised his nephew: "After Maher's performance today, he can be regarded as a little star. This weekly salary of 2500 pounds will increase."
He glanced at his wife, whose eyes showed relief that she insisted on letting Mahel play football, but also resentment and fear.
They almost stifled their nephew's talent.
The wife turned her head and said nothing. As time passed, she had long forgotten her previous hesitation and struggle.
"Brother! Brother!"
Suddenly, the youngest daughter Ava pointed at the TV with wide eyes, clapping her hands and jumping, "Look, my brother is out!"
The whole family looked at the screen and saw a close-up of Maher's face. He looked very serious and seemed to be in the player tunnel.
"Mael! A product of Arsenal's youth academy! Today is destined to be a day he will remember!
"Kevin gave this young player enough trust in this game, making him one of the few players who started in his debut!" The commentator's voice sounded, pulling them into the exciting and tense game atmosphere.
I have to say, this is an extremely mysterious feeling.
He was once an ordinary and even taciturn person, but when we met again he was already on TV, and his identity had also undergone a major transformation.
"Ah" Ava opened her mouth wide and shouted with a smile.
The others were not allowed to express anything recklessly, but judging from the occasional tremors in their bodies due to excitement, their emotions were the same as Ava's.
Colney training base, Arsenal U17 dormitory.
As the sounds of several doors opening were heard, everyone who received the news rushed out almost immediately and hurried to the youth team meeting room.
"Don't lie in the dorm anymore! Come out!"
"In the second round of the English Championship, our former teammate Maher got the chance to start!"
"Hurry to the meeting room! Coach Hans is waiting for us there!"
Some kind-hearted people did not forget to share this joy with their teammates. They knocked on the doors of those who were not paying attention to their mobile phone messages and said, "I'm not kidding. Check your phones to see if there is any message from Coach Hans."
There was another crackling sound, as if many people jumped off the beds in the room and put on their shoes in a panic. Soon, more than ten people ran out of the dormitory building together and rushed towards the direction of the youth team meeting room, as if they were in a 100-meter race.
On the way there, someone did not forget to express his shock to the others, "I never thought they would get the chance."
"Yeah, and who would have thought that Mahel would get the starting spot first?"
"Hurry up! We'll miss the 7:30 game!"
"Is Gilbert on the roster?"
"I've been selected, why bother about it? If you go too late, you won't even be able to see Maher's appearance!"
There were also people who walked slowly with mixed emotions, with envy, jealousy, or disbelief in their eyes, just like before.
Maher's speed of advancement has exceeded their understanding time and time again, leaving them feeling disconnected all the time, always feeling that he is still the trial player they remembered.
If the climb was slow, giving these people a chance to react and accept, they wouldn't remain like this forever.
Not long after, the people who arrived at the meeting room first saw Coach Hans walking back and forth with his hands behind his back. He looked anxious and surprised and could no longer sit still.
"I'm sorry, I got the news late."
Hans waved to the players, then slapped the back of his right hand on the palm of his left hand, and his words were incoherent: "I didn't expect that Ma. Maer would start directly in this game."
He wasn't stuttering, it was a kind of aphasia caused by excitement. "I didn't see them in the last game against the English Parliament. I thought they had been completely marginalized in the club."
The players shook their heads and waved their hands to indicate that everything was fine. They walked to their seats in the conference room, sat down, and looked up at the big screen.
There, the live broadcast of the game of their U17 team's 'outstanding graduate' Maher was being played.
The logo on the upper left corner clearly states, this is the English Championship!
Cardiff City Stadium, players' tunnel.
A panting sound was heard, and Maher was constantly adjusting his breathing, trying to make himself more focused and calm.
He was holding a little caddy in his right hand, and beside him stood a group of tall and strong Championship players. They were about to walk out of the stadium and embark on the road to the professional arena.
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle sounded, and the three referees in front of the players led the front row of players into the court.
Maher numbly followed the Sheffield players in front of him, his heart pounding non-stop, even his hearing was somewhat damaged, and he could only hear a burst of noisy sounds in his ears.
He walked through the dark player tunnel corridor, step by step towards the brightly lit court, towards the place he had been waiting for for a long time.
"Oh!!!"
The moment he walked out of the stadium, the sounds in his ears finally became clear, and the scene in front of him became bright. It was the roar of the fans and the spotlights.
Looking around, the stadium that can accommodate more than 30,000 people was packed with people. The waving arms turned the stands into a sea of joy. This was a blissful feast for football fans.
He walked onto the court with somewhat numb legs, went through the entrance ceremony in a daze, and stood in his seat.
"Come on! Come on!!" A shout came from the bench. It was Gilbert in a vest waving at him.
Maher calmed down a bit. He knew that there must be a lot of people he cared about watching him at this moment, and he couldn't lose face on the court.
"call"
Taking a deep breath, he heard the fans on the sidelines start counting down.
"Seventeen. Three. Two. One!!"
When the countdown ended, the referee standing on the extended line of the center circle raised his right hand and blew the whistle to start the game, "Beep!!"
The second round of the Championship has officially begun!
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(End of this chapter)