The football world was instantly thrown into a frenzy!
FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala!
The annual FIFA awards ceremony!
The once-a-year football extravaganza was underway!
At this time last year,
Kai, who had debuted only half a season earlier, had outshone Italian prodigy Balotelli to win the youngest-ever Golden Boy Award.
And this year,
having just arrived in the Premier League for half a season,
he had led Arsenal to maintain a terrifying winning streak across all competitions!
In just half a season, he had created over a hundred goals!
Holder of goal and assist records across the five major European leagues!
The youngest-ever Golden Boy, the first player in history with a transfer value exceeding 100 million!
At 17, ranked first in the historical football market value chart!
So many titles!
So many honors!
Kai had sent the modern football world into an unstoppable storm!
"Will Kai win the Ballon d'Or tonight? If he succeeds, he will surpass Ronaldo Nazário and become the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history!"
"Oh my God, almost forgot—he will also become the youngest FIFA World Player of the Year! After all, the Ballon d'Or and World Player of the Year have merged!"
European media erupted in discussion instantly!
That night,
Zurich, Zurich Opera House.
Lights blazing!
Countless media outlets from around the world swarmed in.
Everyone undoubtedly wanted to see the face of the 17-year-old Arsenal captain!
When a 17-year-old player is linked to the Ballon d'Or,
it already sounds absurd and incredible.
17 years old and a Ballon d'Or?!
At this age, winning just a Golden Boy award is enough to earn the title of prodigy.
But with Kai's meteoric rise,
the standards of "genius" had been constantly raised,
reaching a level that people could hardly imagine!
Under the night sky of Zurich,
at the confluence of the Limmat River and Lake Zurich,
the Zurich Opera House shone brilliantly!
Media swarmed in.
Luxury cars lined up at the entrance.
With the constant clicking of cameras,
one after another of the football world's biggest stars appeared in the lens.
This was a true gathering of the world's football giants!
"The camera shows Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Casillas, Ramos, Xavi, Iniesta…"
"Wow, so many from La Liga! Mostly Real Madrid and Barcelona."
"These past years, La Liga has been incredibly strong. Just this season's Champions League knockout stage alone has three La Liga teams!"
Finally, the figure everyone had been eagerly waiting for appeared in the frame!
A stretched Rolls-Royce pulled up in the parking area.
Kai, dressed sharply in a suit, stepped out, facing a roar of thousands of fans!
The media erupted instantly!
The cameras clicked endlessly.
Journalists practically wanted to tear down the barriers to get their lenses right in front of this prodigy.
It was sensational!
In the era dominated by La Liga giants,
standing before them now was a super star single-handedly carrying the Premier League!
The most expensive player in the world, atop the football market value chart!
A super talent that countless top clubs were willing to pay astronomical release clauses to sign!
A 17-year-old figure appearing at the FIFA Awards!
Jorge Mendes accompanied Kai the entire way.
Many representatives from elite clubs were also present.
Although their players couldn't hope to claim any awards that night,
just seeing the world-famous Arsenal captain up close was enough for them to drop everything and rush to Switzerland!
As Kai entered the venue,
countless media photographers followed closely behind.
Tonight,
in this world-renowned opera house,
at the FIFA Year-End Gala,
something sensational was bound to happen!
In the star-studded venue,
countless eyes converged.
When they saw the vibrant 17-year-old Arsenal captain, appearing like the moon among stars,
the entire opera house buzzed.
Among the stars casting glances,
the first to react were naturally Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Their expressions differed,
but both carried a complex look.
This was also the first time the former football prodigies—the "dual stars"—shared a frame with Kai, who had now shattered the dual-star hierarchy of modern football!
The media at the scene became restless with excitement.
Kai, Messi, and Ronaldo—three legends sharing the same frame of the century.
The entire venue erupted into a frenzied climax!
The ceremony officially began!
Dutch football legend Gullit served as the host and walked onto the stage.
As per tradition,
the first announcement was the FIFA Best XI!
"In recent years, La Liga stars have dominated half of the Best XI for several consecutive years!"
"Barcelona, crowned sextuple champions last season and now aiming for a quintuple this season, have a core squad that helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup. La Liga has clearly become the center of European football today."
As the media analyzed the situation,
the venue's large screens displayed names one after another.
Both the on-site media and fans watching the broadcast were stunned.
More than half of the Best XI come from La Liga!
"La Liga has been so strong in recent years, dominating the Champions League!"
English media and fans held their breath.
Without Kai, tonight's Best XI might have been a Spanish football one-man show!
"The football landscape is about to undergo a major shift! La Liga's dominance? That's a thing of the past. With Kai in the mix, La Liga's peak will soon collapse, and the Premier League era is overturning everything!"
London-based media were present,
praising their superstar, Kai.
As the Best XI was fully revealed on the screens,
the venue erupted.
Casillas held the goalkeeper spot.
The defensive line was split between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The front line featured Messi and Ronaldo.
And the most sensational midfield spot?
Kai unquestionably led the Best XI midfield!
By his side were Barcelona's absolute Dream Team core, Xavi and Iniesta!
"Half a season in the Premier League, Kai has scored over 50 goals and provided nearly 60 assists!"
"Add his first-half-year performance at Crystal Palace, and in the entire 2011 year, Kai alone created nearly 200 goals!!"
"This is a revolutionary super midfielder!"
"His emergence has redefined the upper limit of expectations! He has drastically elevated the standards for midfielders!"
On-site reporters shook with excitement:
"Kai is the ultimate embodiment of a No. 10 playmaker!"
Amidst the thunderous applause,
Pele, the legendary footballer, presented the award.
Kai, facing thousands of eyes, strode confidently onto the stage.
Wenger in the audience couldn't stop applauding.
Arsenal's supporters were all present in full force.
The other ten stars of the Best XI also lined up on the stage.
The media were stunned to realize:
In this year's ceremony,
Messi and Ronaldo, who once monopolized the spotlight, could no longer claim the center stage.
Among all the glittering stars,
Kai was undoubtedly the brightest superstar!
An Asian with golden skin, appearing on the FIFA Best XI with absolute authority!
At that moment,
fans watching the live broadcast from around the world were instantly electrified!
In South London, Selhurst Park,
Crystal Palace fans erupted in passionate cheers:
"This is our eternal Eagle King! He's our Crystal Palace legend!"
"Our Eagle King has reached the world's highest stage!"
"He led the FIFA Best XI for the entire previous year!"
Meanwhile, North London's Arsenal fans also erupted in unrestrained cheers:
"Our Gunner King will lead Arsenal, long fallen, forward without hesitation!"
"He will tear through the dark era, lifting the fog that has shrouded the Gunners!"
On-site,
Guardiola could not hide his shock.
In his mind, Barcelona's new-era midfield trio was fully embodied on stage:
Kai, Xavi, Iniesta!
If these three appeared together in a lineup,
even then-Barça coach Guardiola would be stunned.
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