Chapter 705 131: Advance! King of the Gunners! A Hero Shapes the Times! European Best Player! Bloody Massacre at Old Trafford

At this moment, the fierce edge he displayed on the pitch was gone. Instead, he wore a calm, graceful smile, waving continuously at the cameras and fans, drawing wave after wave of screams.

At the end of the red carpet, there was an added interview segment. The host would invite the guests walking the red carpet over for an interview, and Wang Shuo naturally couldn't avoid it either.

"Mr. Wang, right where you are standing now, we interviewed the other two top three finalists for the inaugural European Best Player award, Ronaldo and Messi.

"They both believe you are the top favorite for this year's European Best Player. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shuo immediately burst into laughter. "I'm sure that's not all they said, right?"

The host smiled in tacit agreement. As professional hosts, they certainly couldn't repeat the exact original words. While Ronaldo and Messi both considered Wang Shuo the top favorite, they were also very unconvinced and had said quite a lot.

Wang Shuo understood this as well.

In previous years, UEFA's annual awards included categories for the best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, forward, and best player. But since last year, hadn't France Football Magazine's Golden Ball Award merged with FIFA's World Footballer of the Year? That left a void for the European Golden Ball Award. Thus, UEFA took the opportunity to step in, merging the previous positional awards into a single European Best Player award.

Furthermore, their promotional campaigns essentially marketed it as the European Golden Ball Award, intending to replace the award by France Football Magazine. From this alone, one could see that the tit-for-tat rivalry between UEFA and FIFA not only had a long history but would also continue into the future.

As for how Wang Shuo viewed Ronaldo and Messi's remarks...

"I think they're right!" Wang Shuo joked with a completely straight face.

"You also feel you're the big favorite?" the host pressed with a smile.

"I definitely hope to win, but Ronaldo and Messi are very respectable opponents. If they win, I will also offer my heartfelt congratulations," Wang Shuo said candidly.

But deep down, he was thinking, "If those two win the award, UEFA won't even need to hold a second edition for this new award; they might as well just scrap it!"

Wang Shuo scored 54 goals in the Bundesliga and 22 goals in the Champions League last season, and Dortmund even secured the treble. With a report card like this, how could he not win European Best Player? Most importantly, Wang Shuo eliminated Ronaldo's Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals and defeated Messi's Barça in the finals. Was that not prestigious enough?

When it came to the selection process, UEFA still had more integrity than FIFA. Didn't last year's Best Player award go to Diego Milito, who helped Inter Milan win the treble? Yet in the subsequent selection for the FIFA Golden Ball Award, Diego Milito didn't even make the 23-man shortlist.

Wang Shuo was actually more worried about the 2011 FIFA awards ceremony. Given FIFA's consistent track record of predictable antics, it wasn't guaranteed he would win the award.

"Mr. Wang, during the past season, the football king bet between you, Ronaldo, and Messi drew sustained attention from media and fans worldwide.

"Just now during our interviews, both Ronaldo and Messi mentioned that the bet will continue in the new season. What are your thoughts on this?"

Wang Shuo nodded. "We've discussed this matter before. It will definitely continue."

"Are you confident?"

"Of course!" After a brief pause, Wang Shuo added, "Actually, for us, this bet is more of a challenge and breakthrough of our own limits. We all think it's a great thing that gives us more motivation!"

Attending the UEFA annual congress for the second time, Wang Shuo received a lot more attention all the way from the conference center entrance to the Prince's Hall.

From time to time, people would come up to greet him. Some were even individuals Wang Shuo didn't recognize, requiring them to proactively introduce themselves. Sponsors, legendary veterans, club executives, and officials from UEFA and various national Football Associations gathered together under one roof.

Compared to last year, the most obvious change for Wang Shuo was his seating. The staff ushered him to the front row of the players' section, an absolute prime spot reserved for those going on stage to receive an award. Of course, this wasn't considered a rigged outcome, because Ronaldo and Messi were sitting there as well.

"Sorry, I'm one step ahead again." As soon as Wang Shuo sat down, he tried his best to control his smile, making himself look as harmless as possible.

Ronaldo and Messi seemed to have anticipated he would say this and immediately fired back.

"It doesn't matter. You were ahead by seven goals last year, and now you're only leading by three. That's a piece of cake!" Ronaldo said in an imposing, domineering manner.

Messi, on the other hand, put on a different face. "It's a pity you just joined Arsenal, and your team is so weak. Letting you score a few goals first is no big deal."

These two guys had definitely colluded beforehand.

As of right now, Arsenal's strength was indeed weaker than Dortmund's from last season. However, Wang Shuo believed that if the Gunners could properly develop all the young players in this lineup and maintain the team's stability, their future combat power would be incredibly strong. Wenger's eye for talent was truly accurate!

"Rio and I were just talking. I plan to score 50 goals in La Liga this season," Ronaldo said.

Hearing Ronaldo's words, Wang Shuo was taken aback for a moment and turned to look at Messi.

"I'll definitely have more than him," Messi added.

He thought, "Holy crap! Brothers, are you two really this fierce? Fifty goals?"

Although Wang Shuo scored 54 goals in the Bundesliga last season, that was in the Bundesliga. Moving to the Premier League for the new season—especially with Arsenal's current lineup—Wang Shuo didn't dare set too high of a goal for himself.