Chapter 439: Establishing a Management Company and Recruiting Haaland and Mbappé Early!
After signing Lin Quan, Mercedes-Benz immediately spread the word, inviting mainstream media journalists and some celebrities worldwide to a press conference at their headquarters to announce the partnership. This announcement sparked widespread discussion among the public and made Mercedes-Benz's competitors anxious.
"Dieter, that old fox, what a bold move! An 8-year, 200 million euro endorsement deal, he's really willing to spend!" As competitors of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi were well aware of the situation. Previously, when Mercedes-Benz hired Schwarzenegger, Beckham, and Federer, the highest endorsement fee was only 12 million euros per year. However, to secure Lin Quan, they doubled the price.
In the eyes of BMW and Audi, the money was well spent! Lin Quan's influence in Europe and globally, especially in China, can significantly help Mercedes-Benz widen the gap with its competitors. To keep up, BMW and Audi must spend heavily to hire top Chinese stars, but those stars lack international influence, making the investment less valuable.
Moreover, there are no Chinese sports stars at Lin Quan's level right now, and entertainment stars often have short-lived popularity, requiring frequent changes. Lin Quan's enduring presence in European football ensures constant exposure. After Messi and Ronaldo retire, his fame will likely increase, making him a legendary figure in football.
BMW and Audi's marketing heads couldn't help but feel regret: how did they miss such an excellent candidate right in front of them? Dieter is indeed a savvy veteran!
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche was giving Lin Quan a tour of the company's headquarters. Dieter didn't underestimate Lin Quan due to his youth and personally explained the exhibits and the history of Mercedes-Benz, founded by Carl Benz, the inventor of the automobile.
After the tour, they had lunch together. Dieter proposed, "Mr. Lin, I plan to have our design department create a car for you with a football and green field theme. What do you think?"
A football-themed car? It didn't seem like a joke. Lin Quan recalled that after Federer retired, Mercedes-Benz had designed a tennis-themed car for him, and Federer was involved in the design process. Although Lin Quan knew nothing about car design, he didn't oppose the idea. After all, it was another income stream.
Top basketball stars often have signature shoes designed for them, earning royalties from sales. Similarly, a custom car, even with lower sales, could still be lucrative. They signed an additional contract for this project, with Mercedes-Benz offering a 10% royalty, nearly double the typical rate for sports gear.
Lin Quan knew it wasn't easy money. Whether he could earn it depended on the car's sales. Nevertheless, he was satisfied with Mercedes-Benz's sincerity. To minimize disruptions, Mercedes-Benz agreed that besides a few annual events, all other engagements would be mutually agreed upon. Some events, beneficial for players, Lin Quan might attend if available.
Signing this significant deal made Lin Quan happy, but someone else was even happier.
"Uncle Pere, you've been grinning the whole time. Are you that happy?" Lin Quan asked.
"Of course! Someone's giving us so much money, how can I not be happy?" Pere replied, counting his earnings. Agents typically take 10% of a player's income, but Pere, being a relative, only took 5%. With a 200 million euro deal, Pere stood to make 10 million euros!
Pere realized how crucial it was to choose the right talent. If he hadn't partnered with Lin Quan, he wouldn't have had such lucrative opportunities. Even signing his brother Guardiola wouldn't have earned as much since coaches earn less from endorsements and have no transfer fees.
In 2007-2010, Guardiola did numerous ads, earning extra income before his salary increase in 2010. After that, his ad frequency decreased. Despite his lower commission, Pere's earnings from Lin Quan's sponsorships were substantial, rivaling top agents like Mendes and Raiola.
However, Pere's feeling of financial inadequacy stemmed from his plans to expand his company's scale, recruiting more talents and signing more promising players.
After calculating his earnings, Pere let out a long sigh of relief, looking quite satisfied. Suddenly, he turned to Lin Quan beside him, his eyes sparkling with an idea:
"Lin, Pep always tells me you have a keen eye for talent, always spotting potential stars. Can you help me with something for my agency?"
"You want me to help you find new talent, right?" Lin Quan felt like he was being eyed by a hungry wolf the moment Pere's eyes started twinkling.
"Does that mean you agree?" Pere rubbed his hands together, looking like he was about to strike gold.
Pere's topic intrigued Lin Quan. He had been thinking about investments lately. After earning a substantial sum from Mercedes-Benz, he now had enough money to buy stocks and even invest in his uncle's agency.
With his knowledge from the future, it wouldn't be difficult to scout young players before they became famous. Imagine recruiting future stars like Mbappé and Haaland—once they become famous, the agency would make a fortune effortlessly.
Having made up his mind, Lin Quan asked, "Is your company looking for a major shareholder? How about making me one?"
Pere was momentarily stunned. He had only wanted Lin Quan's help, not expecting him to want to join the business. How could he refuse? Lin Quan's influence in the football world was enormous.
Recently, the best way to sign young players was to tell them that Lin Quan was under their agency. The promise of a signed autograph from Lin Quan was enough to convince many of his young fans to sign up. If Lin Quan officially joined the agency, Pere could openly tell potential recruits: "Our boss is Lin Quan, yes, the number 10 of Manchester City, the god on the field!"
If Lin Quan knew Pere's thoughts, he would likely smack him. Such shamelessness! Also, not everyone was a fan of Lin Quan. Mbappé idolized Ronaldo, and many South American players looked up to Messi. Lin Quan's influence was strongest in Europe and Asia, where almost every young player idolized him. However, Asia lacked many top-tier talents, except for a few promising players from Japan and South Korea.
In contrast, Europe had many potential future stars, such as Chouameni from France, Gavi from Spain, and Leão from Portugal. South America also had upcoming talents like Enzo and Álvarez. If the agency could sign all these players, it would become a dominant force in football.
Pere might not know all this, but he wholeheartedly supported Lin Quan joining the agency. Lin Quan invested 10 million euros to acquire 50% of the company's shares, making the uncle-nephew duo equal partners.
After this investment, Lin Quan was out of money. To replenish his funds, he took on several short-term endorsement deals, including clothing, food, watches, and even children's toys. These endorsements brought him millions of euros, ensuring he wouldn't worry about finances for a while. However, he took on so many that he grew tired of shooting ads, finding it more exhausting than playing football. Consequently, he decided not to consider more endorsements for the next year and a half.
While Lin Quan was busy with ads, Bosque led a group of young Spanish players to two consecutive victories on the field. On October 10, they defeated Luxembourg 4-0 at home. Luxembourg, ranked 93rd in the world, was relatively weak, given their small population of 600,000. Valencia's forward Paco scored twice, and Morata, continuing his excellent form from the Champions League, scored a goal and provided an assist as a substitute. Before the final whistle, Cazorla scored again, sealing a 4-0 victory.
However, in their second match against the tougher Ukraine, ranked in the world's top 30, Spain's performance was lackluster. The young Spanish team struggled, even losing control of the game in the first half. Just as Spain seemed doomed to lose, Ukraine committed a handball in the penalty area, giving Spain a penalty.
Shockingly, Paco missed the penalty, squandering the golden opportunity. Bosque, watching from the sidelines, was furious. He had just praised Paco's potential after the Luxembourg game, only to be disappointed. This was Paco's first penalty for the national team, and he missed it, a stark contrast to Lin Quan, who never missed penalties.
After missing the penalty, Paco was devastated. The penalty was initially supposed to be taken by the captain, Fabregas, who, wanting to give the younger player a chance and seeing Paco's good form from the previous game, had generously stepped aside. Unfortunately, this decision backfired.
Missing the penalty, Paco faced inevitable criticism from fans and media, a harsh blow for a newcomer.