Chapter 394: Chapter 393: Not Going, But Returning, Returning Home!
Mansour’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.
Could it be that he had been talking directly with Deng Kai?
What kind of identity did Deng Kai have?
Could he... also be the illegitimate child of some VIP?
"Haha, yes, I am also very interested in football," Mansour steered the conversation back to football, and everyone shared their thoughts on the current match as well as on the major stars of the sport.
Even Ronaldo joined in and offered some rather superficial opinions.
For instance, he believed that Lazio would be one of the most competitive teams in Serie A this year.
He thought that the current Lazio, which had blended the essence of both Lazio and Valencia, could arm-wrestle with teams like Juventus, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.
At the same time, he also believed that Arsenal would make an impact in the Champions League, while Manchester United would continue to dominate the English Premier League, aiming for their fourth consecutive title.
To be honest, Deng Kai was impressed with Ronaldo’s predictions.
Getting everything right could only be attributed to a top student.
Only by getting everything wrong could one be considered a true genius.
Ronaldo was undoubtedly a genius!
As the conversation became more animated, Mansour even directly expressed his appreciation for Deng Kai, inquiring if he could collect one of Deng Kai’s football shirts.
As he spoke, he glanced at the one Deng Kai was currently wearing.
Even Ronaldo understood what Mansour meant at this point.
If it were him, he would strip off his shirt and give it to Mr. Mansour on the spot.
After all, this was a super-wealthy tycoon.
Not to mention a Crown Prince, he was at least a Prince, right?
However, Deng Kai shook his head slightly.
Ronaldo’s smile froze on his face. Not being very scheming at his young age, his thoughts were plainly reflected on his face.
The thirty-year-old Mansour was much more composed. He even chuckled lightly, "Oh? Does that mean Kai is preparing a surprise for me?"
Deng Kai nodded: "Mr. Mansour knows me well. Participating in these juvenile-level competitions, Ronaldo and I would already not be fighting fair, so how could we dare show off?"
"If I am to give Mr. Mansour a shirt, it must be my most valuable one. Next season, we will be playing in the Champions League. I would like to give you the shirt I’ll wear in our last Champions League match."
"How does Mr. Mansour feel about this idea?"
The atmosphere around them lightened.
Mansour even felt this youngster was quite amusing and joked, "Well then, I’ll have to watch all of Sporting Lisbon’s European matches next season. Just don’t get knocked out in the group stages; otherwise, it won’t have much value for my collection."
Deng Kai also joked: "See, I just brought another fan to Sporting Lisbon. Don’t worry, we might just keep you following the matches until next April or May!"
Mansour gave Deng Kai a thumbs up, knowing that Deng Kai was always fond of talking big, but somehow, he almost always pulled through.
April or May would be the time for the Champions League quarter-finals, or even the semi-finals.
A team of that calibre, in any of the top three leagues, could definitely compete for a top-four spot!
Sporting Lisbon’s goal for their European campaign was indeed not low.
In the end, Mansour said he wanted to reciprocate with a gift for Deng Kai.
He showed Deng Kai a photo.
It was of the BMW X5, a luxury SUV that had been on the market for two and a half years and was selling very well globally. The vehicle, a new model to be announced next year, could accelerate from zero to a hundred in just 5.5 seconds, claiming the title of the world’s fastest SUV!
The SUV’s price was currently quite steep, making it a bona fide luxury vehicle.
However, Deng Kai shook his head: "It indeed is a nice car, and it will remain so even many years from now. Unfortunately, I have seen the BYD’s ideal L9 years later!"
BYD: ???
BYD: How much did that leek car sell for, I’ll double it!
Mansour was full of question marks.
Deng Kai: "Thanks for your kindness, but I’m still far from the legal driving age. Giving me this car would be a waste."
Deng Kai didn’t say that he didn’t match up to the car. Him giving a football shirt and the other party giving a luxury car, that was reasonable.
What he meant was that he didn’t need it.
This left Mansour with a headache.
For someone like Mansour, who would definitely not owe anyone a favor if he could solve things with money, he generously said, "Then what do you want? I’ll make sure to get it for you!"
Deng Kai smiled, truly a man of wealth and taste, he liked this crude language.
He pulled out his phone, accessed the soccer website Goal Emperor, and brought up last season’s Premier League standings. Pointing to the team in seventeenth place, he said, "A partial share in a Championship team should suffice."
Mansour didn’t respond for a long time.
Ronaldo was somewhat perplexed. What were they talking about? Why could he recognize every word, but still not understand?
Was Deng Kai looking to buy some shares in a football team?
Wasn’t he afraid of losing all his investment?
This was a team facing relegation, after all.
And... it almost had no room for growth, as its city hosted another top-tier team in the world.
A city doesn’t recognize two kings.
The skies of Manchester could not accommodate two colors!
However, Mansour’s subsequent reaction shocked Ronaldo more than he could have imagined; he waved his hand expansively and said, "Everyone get out."
Mansour’s bodyguards didn’t hesitate for a second and left one after the other.
Mansour turned to Deng Kai.
Deng Kai patted Ronaldo on the shoulder, "Go out and tell Mr. Maxa for me, let the rest of the teammates leave first. I have other dinner plans."
Ronaldo trotted away from the intimidating box.
"It looks like I need to reorganize my advisory team!" Mansour’s expression turned increasingly grave.
Mansour is currently in charge of the UAE’s National Documentation and Research Center, but at the same time, he is also a board member of the Abu Dhabi Development Foundation.
This foundation holds an enormous fortune, and its key responsibilities include making profits, expanding UAE’s influence, promoting a positive image of UAE, and establishing its own channels of communication in the mainstream world, among other tasks.
But most of these responsibilities are still in the planning stages, and the specific implementation methods require further discussion.
One approach that Mansour personally supports is the acquisition and operation of football clubs in the top five European leagues to achieve some of the aforementioned objectives.
Due to factors beyond football, the Premier League is their ideal target for implementing this plan.
But the plan isn’t given much attention and has been delayed in approval.
How could a project still in its infancy leak to the outside?
"There’s no need, your team is undoubtedly fine," Deng Kai said with a smile. "It’s just that the UAE isn’t the only one with such a demand."
Deng Kai winked.
Mansour had a sudden realization, "You mean China...?"
Deng Kai placed his finger on his lips, signaling not to say it out loud.
Then the two men shared a knowing laugh.
"Why Manchester City?" Mansour asked. They actually had a more favorable view of Chelsea, but they were a step too late.
A Russian was already in contact with Chelsea.
"Because Manchester has United," Deng Kai explained. "As long as City improves slightly, it can ride on United’s coattails and benefit from their traffic. This is the attention even a peripheral small-town club can’t get, even if they win the Premier League."
"And once City matches or surpasses United, it would be like standing on the shoulders of the red giant."
"All the influence we hope for will be ours!"
After some thought, Mansour said, "But this year they have been relegated to the second tier of English football."
Deng Kai replied, "That’s why this is a good opportunity to get involved. The difficulty of buying a Championship team is at least ten times less than buying a Premier League team."
Deng Kai didn’t mention money because the last thing Mansour lacked was cash.
People from the Emirates don’t look at the price tags when they shop.
Mansour said, "But if it remains a Championship team, my purchase would be pointless. I’m not a businessman, you understand what I mean?"
Deng Kai assured him, "They will get promoted."
Mansour retorted, "No one can guarantee that a Championship team will definitely become a Premier League team."
Deng Kai responded confidently, "I can guarantee it, if your takeover makes it difficult for them to get promoted next season. Then, the season after next, they will surely enter the Premier League."
Mansour spread his hands and asked, "Why? Sometimes, promotion and relegation of a team isn’t as simple as the fans think. Some teams must not be relegated, while others must be promoted, decisions that are made even before the start of the match."
Deng Kai pointed to himself, "It doesn’t matter. I’ll take action!"
"You?" Mansour’s pupils narrowed, "You’re going to Manchester City?"
Deng Kai shook his head, "Not going, it’s returning... returning home."
