Chapter 223: Skyrocketing value and plan start
As Wang Feng led Inter Milan to continue advancing, his agent, Balmond, also achieved considerable success in the commercial endorsement field. "Since you became the first Asian to win the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player, the companies wanting you as their spokesperson have been endless," Balmond exclaimed excitedly over the phone.
"This includes family businesses from West Asia as well as leading companies from Japan and South Korea. I have been very cautious in selecting the deals, but even after careful consideration, there are still dozens of high-quality contracts waiting to be signed."
The total annual value of these commercial endorsement contracts, after tax, has exceeded one billion euros. This is not an exaggeration because Wang Feng is the only world football superstar from Asia, attracting all the attention and favor onto himself.
The economic strength of a continent can be gauged by how much they are willing to pay. Wang Feng divides this income into three parts: one for his family, one for investment in business groups, and one saved for future use.
He's now living the legendary life where every breath earns him a lot of money. Even if he were to retire now, he would live the rest of his life without financial worries.
"I don't think Inter Milan can fully satisfy your commercial value anymore," Bamonde said. "Perhaps Serie A has a high level of tactics and skills, but their commercial operations are simply terrible."
"Comparatively, Real Madrid might be the most suitable club for you. Just look at how they utilized Beckham's commercial value, making both the club and the player immensely wealthy. And your value surpasses that of the Englishman. Have you considered joining Real Madrid?"
"I don't have such plans at the moment. You know, the dressing room at Real Madrid is too complicated. Ronaldo has complained to me more than once, and they've already shown signs of decline this season. It's too risky to go there at this time."
"Well, that's a pity," Bamonde sighed, then suddenly exclaimed, "By the way, we finally settled the contract with Nike!"
Nike had started negotiations for an extension with Wang Feng a long time ago but couldn't reach an agreement. The initial offer of eight million euros per year enraged Balmond because back in 2003, they offered over 8.3 million euros to an NBA rookie, James.
Just as he was about to start negotiations with Adidas, the Nike executives urgently made a new proposal, increasing the offer to 12 million euros per year. However, it still didn't meet Balmond's expectations.
His demand was simple: since football is the world's number one sport and Wang Feng is the number one player, it's only fair that his endorsement fee is also the world's number one. Moreover, Wang Feng brings with him the lucrative Asian market.
"What's the final price?" Wang Feng curiously asked.
"90 million euros over five years, with an annual endorsement fee of 18 million euros!" Balmond proudly declared. Wang Feng was surprised; this endorsement contract should be the highest at Nike's current stage. He had truly achieved it!
"Now, the Nike executives privately refer to me as the super vampire who's no less than Raiola and Mendes. I like this title. It seems I'll have more stars under my wing!"
Earning so much money, Wang Feng also planned to officially start his development program. He had established a youth training company in China a long time ago but hadn't advertised or recruited publicly. Everything was done as he planned, for public welfare.
With his good relationship with Belgium's Genk and essential sponsorship support, he had set up a cooperative platform, which could annually train about ten young players for clubs.
Genk's scale was still too small. Wang Feng planned to discuss with Inter Milan President Moratti later, hoping to establish a similar cooperative relationship.
Wang Feng personally reviewed the first batch of selected candidates, all of whom were children from poor families like him when he was young. They were only about ten years old, the age for learning knowledge and basic football skills. To ensure their safety abroad, several domestic staff would live with them in Genk.
Just like before, Wang Feng would support them until they turned eighteen. They would train in the youth camp and study cultural knowledge in local schools. After reaching adulthood, they could choose to take the normal path to university or pursue a professional football career, and Wang Feng wouldn't intervene.
After the age of eighteen, Wang Feng wouldn't sponsor them anymore.
In fact, the estimated cost of training a child to eighteen wouldn't exceed 100,000 euros. Wang Feng definitely had the ability to support more, but he planned to accumulate experience first and gradually increase the scale later.
On March 6th, in the 24th round of Serie A, the league-leading Inter Milan would battle it out with second-placed Roma. Although Inter Milan had a considerable lead, Roma had to strive for victory to keep their chances of a comeback alive.
At the Olympic Stadium, Roma first launched an offensive against Inter Milan's defense. They earned a free kick in the attacking half through Cassano's sharp breakthrough, and Totti scored from the resulting set-piece, opening the scoring for Roma.
However, Inter Milan wasn't a team to be bullied. Shortly after falling behind, they seized an opportunity on the counterattack. Ribery's cross caused a defensive error from Pelizzoli, and the ball fell directly to Wang Feng's feet, who promptly equalized.
Just four minutes later, the Nerazzurri struck again. Ribery's cross found Adriano in the penalty area, who headed the ball back, and Wang Feng, following up, volleyed it into the net to put Inter ahead.
Just before halftime, Inter Milan earned another free kick opportunity in the attacking half. Wang Feng took it himself and scored, extending their lead, and completing his own hat-trick.
As the second half began, Roma continued to fight. In the 62nd minute, they earned a corner kick, and Totti's precise delivery found Montella in the middle of the box, who headed home to make it 2-3.
This goal dispelled any thoughts Mancini had of substituting Wang Feng. A slight lapse in concentration could allow the hard-earned three points to slip away. So, he opted to replace Ribery with Recoba instead.
Wang Feng didn't disappoint. Under Roma's fierce attack, he dealt a fatal blow to the opponents. It was a defensive counterattack, with Zanetti finding Wang Feng in midfield with a long pass.
He then stormed forward with the ball, evading the challenges of Samuel and Zebina, before laying it off to Recoba, who had surged up from the right. Recoba, full of energy, sprinted towards the penalty area along the sideline before delivering a cross.
The ball evaded De Rossi's block and landed perfectly at the feet of Wang Feng, who, without stopping the ball, struck it directly into the net, piercing Pelizzoli's defenses once again.
4-2! Wang Feng sealed the victory for Inter Milan with his fourth goal!
Scoring a quadruple for the first time this season, Wang Feng ran along the sidelines in excitement, while the Roma fans booed him, the ultimate acknowledgment of his performance!
This goal completely shattered the home team's confidence. They couldn't pose any more significant threats to Inter Milan, and the final score remained 4-2. The Nerazzurri's lead at the top of the table expanded further, indicating that they might clinch the title ahead of schedule this season.
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