Chapter 706 131: Advancing! King of the Gunners! Heroes Create the Times! European Best Player! The Bloody Massacre at Old Trafford

So his target was forty goals.

That was already the highest in Premier League history!

"To be honest, Wang, your choice of Arsenal this summer really took us by surprise," Ronaldo said with some emotion.

"I think Arsenal is pretty good."

"They're not bad. I almost went there back in the day, but with Arsenal undergoing massive reconstruction right now, they definitely won't see results for at least two or three years."

Messi nodded repeatedly in agreement. Everyone could see whether a team was up to par or not.

Take Torres, for example. Why did he transfer from Liverpool to Chelsea? Did people really think the Spanish center-forward was a fool?

He had left Atletico Madrid, the club that nurtured him since childhood, and joined Liverpool for one sole purpose: to win championships. That move indeed propelled his career forward significantly.

However, following Benitez's dismissal, Liverpool began rebuilding. With players like Harvey Alonso and Mascherano leaving one after another, Torres, as the team's top scorer, knew very well that Liverpool would need at least three years to recover. Perhaps even longer. Rebuilding meant risk, and no one could predict what would happen during the process.

It was just that no one expected Torres to suffer such a crushing defeat upon joining Chelsea, causing his career to plummet overnight.

"I don't see it that way," Wang Shuo voiced his disagreement.

Ronaldo and Messi both looked at him.

"Circumstances create heroes. Everyone wants to assess the situation and join teams that are already fully formed, where they can see immediate success upon arrival. But how can it be that easy?"

Ronaldo and Messi agreed with this sentiment, but not entirely. After all, superstars like them had the luxury of choice! No matter which team they went to, they would be the undisputed stars and easily claim their spots!

"The reason I chose Arsenal is partly because Wenger's reconstruction plan and his football philosophy really moved me. But more importantly, I believe that with my abilities, no matter which team I join, I can help them push for the championship in the shortest possible time!"

Wang Shuo spoke with absolute confidence.

Circumstances creating heroes? That was certainly one path to success. But a hero shaping their circumstances was far rarer! It was also a reflection of supreme confidence in one's own abilities!

Ronaldo and Messi exchanged a glance and shook their heads in silence.

"Tonight, you're the boss!" Ronaldo said with a laugh.

Messi nodded continuously in agreement.

As a side note, this season's La Liga should have kicked off long ago. However, due to unpaid wages, the players' union was currently organizing a strike. It wasn't even clear if the second round of La Liga, scheduled for this weekend, would kick off as planned.

In recent years, La Liga had become a league of extremes—the rich were drowning in wealth, while the poor were dying of thirst. The La Liga Giants were raking in cash hand over fist, while the other eighteen teams were drowning in debt, unable to even pay their players' salaries.

Over at the Arsenal camp, Ivan Gazidis had arrived to attend the draw.

Although the Gunners' recent performance wasn't particularly dazzling, they were undisputedly a Pot 1 seeded team. Among the thirty-two Champions League group stage teams, their coefficient ranking was fifth, even higher than Real Madrid.

It was worth mentioning that Dortmund, having been the top-ranked Pot 4 team last season, leaped straight into Pot 2 after winning the title. Among the four participating Premier League teams, all were in Pot 1 except for Manchester City, which was in Pot 3.

Before the draw, many hoped Arsenal would draw Dortmund so Wang Shuo could face his former club. However, Arsenal drew La Liga's Villarreal from Pot 2 and Ligue 1's Lille from Pot 3. For Pot 4, they drew Serie A's Naples.

When the results of this draw were revealed, everyone in Prince's Hall instantly gasped in shock.

Wang Shuo also frowned at the sight.

The first thought that surfaced in his mind was a popular rumor: Over the past few years, UEFA had been deliberately suppressing the Premier League!

As the fourth-place team in the Premier League last season, Arsenal had run into Ligue 1 champions Lille, La Liga's fourth-place Villarreal, and Serie A's third-place Naples. On paper, the competition in this group would be incredibly fierce.

Of course, looking deeper, Lille's current strength was far from what it used to be after selling Hazard. Although Villarreal and Naples were both formidable, they weren't exactly top-tier threats. Wang Shuo felt that as long as Arsenal performed normally, advancing from the group stage shouldn't be an issue.

Among the four Premier League teams, Manchester United had the best luck in the draw.

Ferguson's team drew Primeira Liga's Benfica from Pot 2, Swiss Basel from Pot 3, and Romania's Oțelul Galați from the final pot. Based on this draw, Manchester United was practically guaranteed a free pass to the knockout stage.

"Your group is going to be a tough one," Ronaldo remarked from the side.

In contrast, both Real Madrid and Barça had drawn groups where the disparity between the four tiers was clear-cut. As super-powerhouses, there was zero suspense regarding Real Madrid and Barça advancing.

"If a team has the strength, they can advance from even the toughest group. If they lack the strength, they'll still be eliminated even if they draw a free pass!" Wang Shuo remained entirely unfazed.

From the day he chose to join Arsenal, he knew he would encounter all sorts of obstacles and challenges. The Gunners' weakness wasn't a recent development.

Yet, Wang Shuo was still willing to come.

Why?

Think about it. If Maradona hadn't gone to Naples, but instead joined Inter Milan, AC Milan, or Juventus—or even teams like Rome or Lazio—would he still be the Maradona the world knew?

Wenger was right. If Wang Shuo went to teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, or Manchester City, it would merely be icing on the cake.