Chapter 145: Champions League Champions and Invitation from Chinese Super League Giants!
It's hard to refuse such a generous offer, especially when Mansour said so, and Sophia quickly produced the contract.
Lin Quan had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
He had set his sights on the suburban mansion and decided to go with that one.
Since it was Mansour footing the bill, discounts and such were naturally not considered, and Lin Quan bought the mansion for the original price of 5.5 million euros.
In this way, Guardiola only spent 6.5 million euros to buy the downtown luxury house.
All in all, it amounted to saving half the money.
However, the difference was that originally both houses belonged to Guardiola.
But now, the ownership of one of the houses was in Lin Quan's name.
Since it was his own estate, it had to be tidied up properly!
So, over the next week, Lin Quan and Guardiola were busy dealing with their respective houses.
On May 25th, after more than a week of busyness, they finally breathed a sigh of relief after finishing tidying up their houses.
Just then, Bayern sent Guardiola tickets to the Champions League final, so the two of them flew directly to London to watch the final between Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.
The Champions League final was held at Wembley Stadium in London, marking the first time in Champions League history that there was a national derby from Germany.
The match was fiercely contested, with Dortmund launching waves of attacks in the first 20 minutes.
But Bayern goalkeeper Neuer repeatedly thwarted their shots, keeping the goal safe.
Then Bayern launched a counterattack, with Alaba sending a wonderful pass in the front court to set up a one-on-one opportunity for Robben.
When Robben received the ball, there was no one within ten meters of him except for the Dortmund goalkeeper.
But faced with what was almost a certain goal, Robben missed the chance again.
This goal reminded people of his missed chance in the previous World Cup final.
"This shot..."
Guardiola frowned as he watched. When Robben faced the goalkeeper with so much space around him and no defending players nearby, how could he be so easily blocked by the goalkeeper?
If it were Messi taking that shot, Guardiola was sure the probability of scoring would be over 90%!
"A slight feint would have been better. The goalkeeper's weight was already leaning down, so it would have been difficult for him to adjust direction."
Lin Quan also felt that Robben's shot was off. Perhaps he was too anxious?
"Did Robben miss a penalty in last year's Champions League final?"
Lin Quan remembered something and asked.
"Yeah, his penalty was read correctly by Cech and saved directly."
Guardiola had a deep understanding of Bayern's matches, especially the last Champions League final where they lost to Chelsea.
"Missing excellent opportunities in three consecutive finals of major tournaments is likely to have a significant impact on the player's psychology."
Lin Quan thought for a moment. If he missed a crucial chance in the World Cup or Champions League final, wouldn't he be criticized by the fans?
He remembered Messi's missed one-on-one in the 2014 World Cup final, which brought him so much criticism afterward that Messi even considered retiring from the national team.
And Robben missed such golden opportunities three times.
If he were Robben, he might be left with psychological scars by now.
But he underestimated Robben's psychological resilience.
Under tremendous pressure, Robben redeemed himself in the second half.
In the 58th minute, Robben attracted the goalkeeper's attention in the penalty area and passed the ball to Mandzukic, who scored into the empty goal.
1-0 to Bayern.
The goal scored by Mandzukic was likely the key goal to ensure they won the Champions League trophy.
Dortmund's fans obviously knew this, as their faces were filled with despair.
But at a critical moment, Reus stepped up.
In the 66th minute of the second half, Reus dribbled into the penalty area and was about to pass the Bayern defender when he was fouled by Dante.
The referee awarded a penalty.
But from the slow-motion replays on the scene, it should have been a red card plus a penalty.
Dante's foot was raised too high and didn't touch the ball, instead kicking down Reus.
Reus fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain and couldn't get up for a long time.
Since Lewandowski missed a penalty opportunity in the last match against Bayern, and Reus was injured and receiving treatment on the sidelines, the penalty was given to Gundogan.
Gundogan fooled Neuer, shooting to the left of the goal, and Neuer dove the wrong way, making it 1-1.
After the score was tied, Dortmund's morale soared, and they launched a more aggressive attack on Bayern's goal.
But Bayern seized the opportunity to launch a quick counterattack. Thomas Müller held off Dortmund's defenders in the front court, dribbled past the goalkeeper, and passed the ball across the goal.
It was a golden opportunity, with Dortmund's goal already empty.
But Robben's start was a bit slow, and Subotic cleared the ball off the goal line.
If Robben had touched the ball, it would have been a goal for sure.
Seeing the crucial clearance by the players, Klopp, in his suit, waved his fists excitedly on the sidelines.
He was really scared by that last play!
But it was from this attack that Bayern gradually took control of the game.
They kept launching attacks on Dortmund's goal, each time getting closer to scoring.
"Dortmund is in danger!"
Guardiola, with his excellent reading of the game, made an accurate judgment.
Sure enough, in the 88th minute, Bayern's attack caused chaos in Dortmund's penalty area.
Robben emerged from the crowd, dodged the defenders' tackles, dribbled into the penalty area, and once again got a one-on-one chance.
This time, Robben didn't miss the chance.
Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, he calmly shot to the far corner and scored.
The score on the field became 2-1, and Bayern once again took the lead!
It was a decisive goal!
After scoring, Robben was very excited. He ran towards the sidelines, shaking his arms and murmuring something.
Three years! Exactly three years! After missing a one-on-one chance in the World Cup final, he had been tormented for three years. With this goal, he could finally break free from the shadow of multiple finals losses.
After the restart, Dortmund launched a frenzied attack on Bayern, trying to equalize the score.
But Bayern held off their attacks.
After three minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle of the game.
With goals from Robben and Mandzukic, Bayern defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the final and lifted the trophy of the 2012-2013 Champions League.
At the moment the whistle blew, Bayern's players ran wildly across the field celebrating.
Even the usually calm and composed old coach Heynckes was excitedly waving his fists, celebrating this hard-won championship.
On Dortmund's side, their players seemed to have drained all their strength, some standing still with blank eyes.
Some with their hands on their knees, looking down at the grass.
And some collapsed on the ground, their faces full of unwillingness.
As for Reus, he knelt on the ground, lying on the grass, shaking his shoulders, apparently crying quietly.
They were so close to the championship, but now it seemed so far away.
Seeing Reus's sad expression, Lin Quan sighed inwardly.
This was probably Reus's closest chance to the Champions League trophy. If he continued to stay at Dortmund in the future, he probably wouldn't have another chance to reach the final.
This season's Dortmund is the final glory of the Klopp era.
If Reus were willing to switch to another team, he might have a better chance.
But given his love for Dortmund, Lin Quan couldn't bring himself to advise him to leave, and Reus probably wouldn't accept it anyway.
So, Lin Quan could only wish him well in his heart and hope he stayed safe and avoided injuries.
After the Champions League final, Lin Quan didn't return to Munich with Guardiola but headed straight to Berlin.
He was getting ready for the final of the German Cup!
The German Cup match was scheduled for June 1st at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
This match was the season's finale for Werder Bremen and Lin Quan's last battle at Werder Bremen.
He hoped to put a perfect end to this season's journey.
After getting off the plane and heading to the team's designated meeting point, Lin Quan thought he was early enough.
But to his surprise, someone was even earlier than him!
"Lin, I thought you wouldn't show up!"
Seeing Lin Quan, Arnautovic, who was practicing headers on the field, lit up and hurriedly ran over to give Lin Quan a bear hug.
"Are you the only one here?"
Lin Quan glanced at the training ground and noticed there weren't many people.
"Hehe, I came over after finishing the national team's game. They're probably still playing in the World Cup qualifiers!"
Lin Quan nodded in understanding.
Spain's group only had five teams, so they had a bye this round and no games to play.
But other groups weren't as lucky; they all had six teams, so they were likely playing this round.
"Nice to see you so happy. Did you score in the national team?"
"Hehe, scored one, nothing worth mentioning, really."
Arnautovic had a proud expression on his face, but he downplayed it with his words.
Lin Quan didn't bother to comment on his blatant modesty: trying to act so humble!
"Oh, by the way, Lin, do you know anything about the Chinese Super League?"
Seeing Lin Quan taking off his jacket and picking up a soccer ball from the ground, getting ready to train, Arnautovic remembered something and immediately came over to ask.
Lin Quan paused for a moment. Had news of Chinese Super League teams reaching out to him leaked so quickly?
After the Bundesliga season ended, there were several invitations from the Chinese Super League to Pereira's side.
Among them, Guangzhou Evergrande showed the most sincerity, offering Lin Quan a salary of $25 million per year and a signing fee of $50 million to join.
With ambitions to promote their brand through star-studded football, Evergrande was willing to spend big on football.
Two years ago, with the gimmick of signing the Brazilian MVP for $1,000, they successfully boosted their reputation.
If they could attract the world's best Chinese player with a higher amount now, the advertising effect would be ten times greater than recruiting Hulk back then!
Lin Quan asked calmly, "Hmm, I know a little. Why? Are there Chinese Super League teams interested in you?"
He remembered that Arnautovic did transfer to the Chinese Super League in another timeline.
But that was back in 2019. Why was it happening so much earlier now?
"Hehe, you guessed right! My brother said I have quite a following over in China, and my abilities have gained unanimous recognition from Chinese Super League clubs. There are several clubs interested in signing me!"
Hearing Arnautovic's words, Lin Quan felt relieved.
Arnautovic's brother Daniel was his agent, so if he said that, it seemed that indeed some Chinese Super League teams had contacted him.
However, how could Arnautovic have a following in China?
What Lin Quan didn't know was that Werder Bremen's popularity in China this season was noticeably higher than in previous seasons.
Apart from their impressive performance and attractive playing style, having a player of Chinese descent in the team contributed significantly.
Although he couldn't represent the national team, seeing a player of Chinese descent on the European stage, especially leading the team as its core player, was a source of happiness for many Chinese fans.
Just like Jeremy Lin, who shone brightly in the NBA last year, he wasn't of Chinese nationality either.
But with no local players in the NBA, seeing an Asian player excel on the NBA stage would garner support from many Chinese fans.
"Which team is interested in you?"
The Chinese Super League's level was not very high, and Lin Quan generally didn't recommend going there for money.
Unless it was at the end of one's career, when playing in the top five leagues became difficult, or if the salary offered was exceptionally high.
However, considering that the Chinese Super League was still in the early stages of money-driven football, it hadn't reached the stage of crazy expansion yet. So who could be offering so much money?
"A club based in Shanghai, called Shenhua, I think?"
"Don't go there!"
"Huh?"
"Don't go to Shenhua; you'll likely get owed wages!"
"Really, is that true?"
Arnautovic was taken aback. If a club couldn't even pay its players on time, what was the point of playing football there?
"It is true. Drogba and Anelka both got scammed. Haven't you been keeping up with the news?"
Arnautovic quickly grabbed his phone and searched for relevant news online.
After reading it, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Thank goodness he didn't go. If he had, he'd probably have been scammed to death!
"Some teams in the Chinese Super League are indeed generous and willing to spend money, like the other team in Shanghai or the team in Guangzhou. If you want to go for the money, you can try these two clubs."
Lin Quan showed Arnautovic the news about Guangzhou Evergrande offering Hulk $7 million per year.
Arnautovic's eyes widened when he saw Hulk's salary.
A Brazilian player who had never played in the top five leagues was getting $7 million.
If he joined as a regular starter from the Bundesliga, wouldn't he be able to get $10 million?
That salary was five times higher than what he was getting at Werder Bremen!
Five times! Playing for a year in China was equivalent to playing five years in the Bundesliga!
"But I suggest not going for the money too soon. The level in the Chinese Super League isn't high, and if you go there, your position in the national team might not be guaranteed!"
Austria had a strong football level, with many players playing in the top five leagues.
Arnautovic was able to secure a starting position in the national team mainly because of his good performances at the club.
But if he went to a lower-level league like the Chinese Super League, the Austrian national team coach might have doubts about his form and be reluctant to call him up.
"Okay, okay, I got it!"
Thinking about the salaries offered in the Chinese Super League, Arnautovic couldn't help but swallow hard.
Over the next few days, teammates who had finished their national team games gradually arrived at the training ground.
But De Bruyne's figure had yet to appear.
(End of this chapter)