Chapter 589: Chapter 588: The Premier League’s Favorite Fan-Favorite Captain
Maxa stepped forward and spoke frankly, "If everyone really thinks that money is negligible, then why does no one care about the Football League Cup with its £100,000 prize?"
"But why do many teams give up on the league to fight for the FA Cup, which offers a reward of £2 million?"
"£100,000 events are too numerous, squeezing the teams and players, but can I play several more FA Cups with a prize of £2 million?"
"Don’t give me that talk about Europa League qualification and the like; we’re all adults, let’s keep it simple, communicate in a straightforward manner!"
Maxa even vividly quoted lyrics from Deng Kai’s popular playlist.
Ashley Young also stood out and said, "Captain Kai told me that for young people my age, if you don’t have money, then you are nothing!"
"I know you’re going to say that Captain Kai is using money to stimulate and tempt me."
"But that’s not it."
"What Captain Kai said next was that we should train harder, play harder, and seize every opportunity to shine."
"That way, we can tell those people that they are wrong!"
"As long as you have dreams, everyone is incredible!"
"Half a year ago, Watford was even unwilling to offer me a professional contract. But just a few days ago, someone told me that if I am willing to go back, I could become an important rotation player, a key development prospect for Watford!"
"I believe that in another six months, they would promise me a starting position in the team! Or even more!"
"But I will continue to stay at Manchester City, learn more from Captain Kai, and become even more incredible!"
If the above were either old hands or foreigners.
Then the statement from Ashley Young, a local youth academy player, carried a significant impact.
Because he was also nominated for this year’s European Golden Boy award, although ranking quite low.
But compared to his previous status of not getting a contract, this was a huge improvement.
The English media always hype their own, and Ashley Young’s experience pales in comparison to Ribery’s.
But in the mouths of the English media, he’s the next Beckham!
...
On November 30th, the 16th round of the Premier League.
A united Manchester City triumphed 2-0 over Bolton at their home ground, ending their two-game losing streak.
Jia Der, who joined Bolton, still failed to score.
The team had already decided to sell him in the winter transfer window.
But these were not the important news of the day.
The important news of today was... a bombshell from Football Emperor!
Football Emperor: "If you don’t know what Deng Kai has been busy with during this time, then you’ll be amazed that missing two games got the team back so much!"
"First off! Manchester City will relocate to the Manchester City Stadium next season, but there is a substantial amount of renovation costs to be paid."
"Just a few days ago, Manchester City settled all expenses and even added an additional renovation budget, which will further improve the comfort of the seating and other amenities."
"Next season, Manchester City fans will be able to watch games in one of the most comfortable stadiums in the Premier League! And the ticket prices won’t increase!"
"Those who say Deng Kai uses money to buy off teammates and staff, now you can also say that Deng Kai has bought off the fans! Because he was the main participant in the proposal and related finances!"
"Deng Kai is not only the youngest captain in the Premier League, but also the most fan-pampering!"
The fans exploded instantly!
New stadium!
Comfort upgrades!
Top-tier air conditioning and ventilation systems!
Comfortable seats, more convenient catering system!
Additionally, it is said that the stadium’s big screen, camera positions, and sound systems, etc., have all been upgraded.
These are not small expenses.
Manchester City is heavily investing in its hardware.
This demonstrated Mansour’s long-term commitment to this place.
These things might seem unrelated to the team’s matches, but they affect every single game the team would play for a long time afterward!
There has always been debate over whether good stadium facilities and training equipment or good performance should come first.
But with the impact of money-driven football on European football, this question had an answer.
With good hardware infrastructure and various excellent teaching resources, good results would naturally follow.
Although there were teams that flashed brightly only to fade away, they, like shooting stars, often couldn’t last.
Frankly, Manchester City’s fans weren’t interested in their team becoming a shooting star.
So what if you’ve topped the Premier League?
How many times has the neighboring Manchester United topped the Premier League?
You are who your opponents and friends are.
Mansour and Deng Kai’s long-term cultivation attitude, one could say, really hit Manchester City fans right in the heart!
Love it, love it!
"Understanding Football King": "Additionally, it has been announced in player and staff meetings inside Manchester City. If the team can win the League Cup this year, Mansour will offer an additional three million euro bonus reward!"
Three million euros!
That’s even higher than the FA Cup prize money!
Have the folks at Manchester City never seen the Championship Trophy?
For just the League Cup... Is it worth it?
Crazy!
The executives of other Premier League clubs were nearly driven mad.
If you’re rewarding three million euros for a League Cup, how much should we plan to reward clubs competing for the FA Cup?
What about Manchester United, the Premier League, Liverpool, Chelsea, who are preparing to compete for the Premier League Championship?
What?
No rewards?
This comparison is just too cruel.
It’s not that players are solely money-driven, but news of one family offering a hefty bonus and another offering nothing really hurts.
Attitude is something that sometimes you can’t control voluntarily.
Negativity is negativity.
No matter how much you force a smile, it’s still negativity.
And this negativity would manifest in training and matches.
You’d run a couple of kilometers less.
Your jumps would be three to five centimeters lower.
You’d run half a second to a second slower.
Soon, Manchester City officially confirmed this news, and Mansour himself formally announced this performance-based contract: "Three million for the League Cup! Five million for the FA Cup! Eight million for the Premier League! Ten million for the Champions League!"
"These amounts are only valid for the first time winning the prize, with subsequent fixed rewards being five hundred thousand, one million, three million, and five million respectively!"
"Additionally, the reward period for the first three prizes is within three years. The Champions League prize can be awarded anytime within five years!"
"I believe that showing our team’s future plans with concrete actions is more reliable than any pleasing words!"
"Of course, I must properly criticize Deng Kai. He at least doubled the team’s bonus investment! Truly a great captain, but not exactly a good employee!"
Mansour even interacted with Deng Kai at the end.
To the discerning eye, Mansour was highlighting the significant role played by Deng Kai.
With this, the statements made earlier by Baggio, Hierro, and others were corroborated.
