Chapter 747 - 137: Early Qualification! Challenging for the Golden Ball Award! Making the Premier League Submit! The Big Three’s Crazy Goal-Scoring Race!

"This will be a huge advantage for them.

"Because in the second half of the season, they will have home advantage.

"More importantly, after the tenth round, the Gunners are in second place. And from here on out, aside from an away match against Manchester City in the sixteenth round, all their other matches are against mid-to-lower table teams.

"What does this mean?

"As long as Wenger and his Arsenal maintain steady performances, and as long as Wang Shuo consistently scores, the Gunners could even win all the way through!

"I believe that all the teams aiming for the Premier League title right now, like Manchester City and Manchester United, must be sitting on pins and needles.

"It’s absolutely terrifying!

"And all of this is built upon Wang Shuo’s twenty-two goals!

"With his goals alone, he has dragged Arsenal out of the vortex of restructuring and a severe slump.

"Now, the Gunners are getting back on track, and the upcoming schedule is relatively relaxed. Who can possibly stop Wang Shuo and his Arsenal?"

The guests on Match of the Day couldn’t answer this question. During the preceding period, the Gunners’ schedule had been incredibly difficult. Not only did they have to restructure, but they also needed to build chemistry, cultivate mutual understanding, and cope with an arduous fixture list.

But now, they had broken through! Not only had they broken through, but they were also sitting in second place in the Premier League. At this moment, everyone was surprised to realize that the Gunners were about to embark on a rapid, explosive sprint. Who wouldn’t be afraid?

...

The day after the Stanford Bridge massacre, aside from the frantic coverage by traditional media, a new topic emerged online and rapidly surged to the number one spot on global trends.

"Wang Shuo for the Golden Ball Award!"

Numerous media outlets reported on it, and countless netizens showed massive support. Twenty-two goals and ten assists in ten Premier League matches! With such a weighty report card presented to everyone, what else was there to say?

Dortmund manager Klopp said during an interview with Bild in Germany, "I have never seen such a young player possess such terrifying hunger.

"He was born to score, born for championships, and born for the Golden Ball Award!"

Former Arsenal star Henry, currently playing for the New York Red Bulls in the United States, stated, "Wang Shuo deserves the 2011 Golden Ball Award!

"He will make up for the regrets of Arsenal fans and become the first player in the club’s history to win the Golden Ball Award!"

Henry was the Arsenal legend closest to winning the Golden Ball Award, but in 2003, he lost to Juventus’s Nedved. And in 2004, after helping Arsenal win the title with an invincible, unbeaten record, he lost to AC Milan’s Shevchenko. This had always been a great regret for Henry!

"Wang Shuo is even more outstanding than I was. I think his winning the Golden Ball Award is thoroughly deserved!" Henry affirmed.

In the Netherlands, Bergkamp also chimed in, "If this year’s Golden Ball Award winner isn’t Wang Shuo, it’s impossible to imagine who else is qualified to receive this award!"

Meanwhile, on the internet, netizens offered their support to Wang Shuo, spawning many trending comments.

"Seventy percent of the Earth is covered by water, and the remaining thirty percent is covered by Wang Shuo’s scoring range!"

"Since Wang Shuo arrived, our Arsenal is invincible!"

"Let’s be ’four-real’ about the facts. With Wang Shuo here, who still dares to say our Arsenal is only fighting for fourth?"

Some fans even tagged FIFA and the Golden Ball Award. "Hurry up, get the trophy ready, engrave his name, and mail it to London... We only accept SF Express."

As more and more netizens joined in, the entire internet buzzed with discussion once again. This was especially true regarding the new season’s Football King wager. Before the season started, Ronaldo had loudly proclaimed his goal of scoring fifty goals in the new season. Although Messi hadn’t made any proclamations, he clearly wasn’t going to be outdone.

Now, La Liga was in its eleventh round. However, because the first round was postponed due to a strike, it was strictly speaking only the tenth round. Ronaldo had scored fourteen goals, and Messi had scored fifteen. This report card wasn’t too shabby at all. But compared to Wang Shuo’s twenty-two goals in ten rounds, they were somewhat overshadowed.

However, the fans of the Big Three possessed immense combativeness on the internet, and once again, they clashed in a fierce, inescapable battle.

...

Wang Shuo’s house in Hampstead had begun renovations. The exterior facade of the villa could only be refurbished—the style couldn’t be changed—but the interior was set for a complete overhaul. After all, the property was quite old.

Wang Shuo wanted to set up a gym and a ball-training room at home; he didn’t have many other requests. The interior design style was relatively minimalist.

Shen Qinghe was in charge of overseeing the project. She handled all the daily renovation matters.

After the match against Chelsea, Wang Shuo found some free time to visit Hampstead and check on the renovation progress. Additionally, he had rented an office near the Hampstead subway station. Thomas Essien had also rushed over from Germany. After the three of them had a meal together, they headed to the office for a meeting.

The two of them each shoved an interview list toward Wang Shuo. A headache immediately struck Wang Shuo at the sight of them.

The densely packed appointment lists contained all the exclusive interviews he needed to accept in the coming period from media outlets across the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and other countries. This also included some television program recordings, such as for the BBC, Sky Sports, German National Television, and so on.

Although the schedules were staggered and could be adjusted on the fly, he was genuinely going to be incredibly busy.

"Wang Shuo, just hold on a little longer. These are things you have to do," Shen Qinghe said, noticing Wang Shuo’s impatience.

He had never been someone who liked to show off or give interviews everywhere. But it couldn’t be helped. To compete for the Golden Ball Award, they had to build momentum. If you didn’t give those media reporters and television stations a taste of sweetness, why would they be willing to help you?