Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Prior to this, Lin Feng had actually considered whether to continue staying at Real Madrid.

Without a doubt, Real Madrid is a good club.

The platform is large enough, has mature business operations, and possesses strong capabilities, giving it the opportunity to compete for various honors and awards.

Therefore, for the vast majority of players in today's football world, Real Madrid is their ideal club.

There are countless players who have dreamed of joining Real Madrid since they were young!
Although Lin Feng doesn't have any so-called dream of playing for Real Madrid, he has to admit that Real Madrid is indeed the most suitable team for him at present, perhaps without exception.

So he was actually already preparing to renew his contract with Real Madrid, although he didn't intend to extend it for that long.

A new three- or five-year contract would be sufficient; eight years is far too long.

However, considering the salary offered by Real Madrid, this timeframe doesn't seem unacceptable.

It takes a lot of courage and determination to offer an annual salary of 2500 million yuan to retain employees in 2010.

Chairman Calderon has shown such sincerity and offered such good treatment; it would be rather heartless of me to remain indifferent.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Lin Feng decided to renew his contract with Real Madrid.

After receiving the news from Mendes that Lin Feng had agreed to renew his contract, Real Madrid's top management collectively breathed a sigh of relief, especially club president Calderon.

In last summer's election, if he hadn't signed Lin Feng and Mourinho, bringing Real Madrid two Champions League titles and two league titles, he really wouldn't have been confident of defeating Florentino.

From that moment on, he became determined to renew his contract with Lin Feng.

Now that this goal has finally been achieved, a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

"Immediately announce this news on the official website and share this great news with Real Madrid fans all over the world!"

"But Chairman, we haven't signed formal contract extensions with the players yet!"

"Hehe, you don't need to worry about that. I'll personally take the contract to visit Lin Feng and renew it with him right now!"

To avoid any unforeseen complications, Calderon couldn't wait any longer and immediately drove to Lin Feng's residence with the club manager and several senior executives.

Although Lin Feng knew Real Madrid was in a hurry, he didn't expect it to be this urgent.

He had only hung up the phone with Mendes for less than an hour when the other party showed up at his house.

After calling his private lawyer and carefully reviewing the contract several times to ensure there were no hidden traps or clauses unfavorable to him, Lin Feng picked up a pen and signed his name on the contract.

The contract offered by Real Madrid was even more lucrative than what he had heard from Mendes.

In addition to his fixed annual salary of €1300 million after tax, he also receives a loyalty bonus that accumulates and increases each year, as well as appearance fees, goal bonuses, assist bonuses, and a series of other bonuses.

If he fulfills this contract without transferring, then including loyalty bonuses, fixed annual salary, and various bonuses, his take-home pay will definitely exceed 2 million euros.

Although it can't compare to what Ronaldo earned in the Saudi league in a year—2022, after all—that was in 2.

Back in 2010, based solely on the salary and bonuses paid by the club, he would have surpassed any active player in the football world to become the highest-paid athlete in the entire football industry.

If you include commercial endorsement fees, his annual income would probably exceed 5000 million euros, enough to rank him among the top three active athletes!

The news caused a huge stir. When Real Madrid announced on their official website that they had renewed Lin Feng's contract, the entire football world was shocked.

[Oh no, my eyes are going to be blinded by this long string of zeros!]

[My goodness! A 1300 million annual salary, after tax! Real Madrid is really generous!]

It's not that Real Madrid is willing to give up the equipment; it's that Barcelona's arms ban is too severe!

[When Barcelona renewed Messi's contract last summer, they directly increased his annual salary to 1100 million euros. Keep in mind that Lin Feng's annual salary at that time was only 650 million euros. Although Lin Feng himself hasn't said anything, the more silent he is, the more uneasy Real Madrid is likely to become!]

Yes, if Lin Feng doesn't renew his contract soon, other clubs will get restless. After all, nobody turns down money. The only explanation for Lin Feng's delay in renewing his contract is that he doesn't want to stay at Real Madrid; he wants to go to another team!

No wonder Real Madrid has been so eager to renew Lin Feng's contract since the beginning of last year; they were afraid he would leave!

[If I were Real Madrid's president, I'd be scared too. Players of this caliber are incredibly rare. Losing them wouldn't be easy, especially since Lin Feng is only 22 years old, still very young. He could easily play for Real Madrid for at least another ten years!]

Thanks to Lin Feng's consistent performance over the past few years, coupled with his age advantage, Real Madrid's record-breaking contract extension has not only avoided criticism but has also been praised by all parties.

Real Madrid fans, in particular, were initially on edge, but after confirming the club's official announcement, they were completely relieved.

1300 million is expensive, but it's well worth the price.

Messi, who is next door, is only 200 million euros cheaper than Lin Feng, but the two have achieved vastly different results in leading their respective clubs.

Before joining Real Madrid, Lin Feng had already led the team to win the Champions League. After joining Real Madrid, he immediately led the team to achieve consecutive Champions League titles.

In contrast, Messi, who had won once by riding on the coattails of players like Ronaldinho, failed to even reach the final in the following years.

While Real Madrid fans widely acknowledge Messi's individual talent, he has clearly not done enough in terms of team contribution.

……

"Oh, what a pity!"

Sir Alex Ferguson, who was preparing to make another offer this summer, locked himself in his office and brooded for a long time after hearing the news that Lin Feng had renewed his contract with Real Madrid.

He had initially thought he had a chance when he saw that Lin Feng hadn't renewed his contract with Real Madrid.

Unexpectedly, this devastating news arrived: an eight-year contract plus a €3 million release clause. As long as Real Madrid is unwilling to let him go, no one can take Lin Feng away from the Bernabéu!

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger and Manchester City's new manager Roberto Mancini shared similar sentiments.

Wenger had long admired Lin Feng, and a few years ago he even tried to sell his possessions to save money to bring Lin Feng to the Emirates Stadium, hoping to build the team around him and lead it to a new era.

Before I could save enough money, I couldn't afford to buy a house anymore!

Neither the €3 million release clause nor Lin Feng's pre-tax salary of €2500 million is something Arsenal, currently facing financial difficulties, can afford.

So after learning the news of Lin Feng's contract renewal, the professor could only smile bitterly and accept the reality that he was not meant to be with him.

Mancini's new club, Manchester City, is in a completely different situation from the previous two. As Lin Feng's former head coach, he knows Lin Feng's abilities very well. So, after accepting the invitation from the Middle Eastern consortium and taking the reins of Manchester City, he immediately recommended Lin Feng to his new club.

Coincidentally, Sheikh Mansour, the big boss of the Abu Dhabi consortium behind Manchester City, had recently watched Lin Feng's performance at the Club World Cup held in the UAE, and he was impressed by the handsome and highly skilled player.

So when he heard Mancini's recommendation, he didn't hesitate and immediately transferred money to the club, asking them to buy Lin Feng.

The Abu Dhabi consortium's financial resources are unfathomable. The €3 million release clause might be prohibitive for other teams, but it's not a problem for them.

Moreover, before Lin Feng renewed his contract, his penalty for breach of contract was not this high at all.

But now, even if they had the money, they probably couldn't buy Lin Feng. Firstly, since the player himself has decided to renew his contract with Real Madrid, he most likely wants to stay at Real Madrid.

Secondly, Real Madrid is not short of money. After spending so much effort to finally secure Lin Feng, they would never sell the core of the team for the next ten years for a mere 3 million euros.

After all, Real Madrid is not Inter Milan. Moratti chose to sell Lin Feng mainly because he had already achieved his dream after winning the Champions League and planned to sell the team and retire from the football industry.

If Moratti had no intention of retiring, he would never have let Lin Feng go so easily.

"We have nothing but money, but a superstar like Lin Feng can't be won over with money!"

Mancini sighed; Lin Feng's contract renewal had shattered his illusions.

If they can sign Lin Feng, he is confident that he can lead Manchester City to quickly break into the Premier League and become a new powerhouse.

Even after accumulating experience for several years, achieving excellent results in the Champions League is not out of the question.

But now, this plan is no longer feasible.

Manchester City can only activate their backup plan and buy other star players on the market to make up for the lack of Lin Feng by relying on numbers.

……

"congratulations!"

The news of Lin Feng's contract renewal has not only attracted widespread attention among fans, but has even alarmed his teammates.

"Brother Lin, tell us quickly, is your new contract salary really as high as the rumors suggest?"

"1300 million euros! That's enough for me to live on for the rest of my life!"

"Brother Lin, we just signed a big contract, aren't you going to treat everyone to a meal?"

His teammates chattered amongst themselves, some congratulating him while others curiously inquired about the details of the contract.

Some people even egged him on, demanding that he treat them to a meal.

"Treating you to dinner is no problem, but please don't ask about the contract. There's a confidentiality agreement, so I can't talk about it."

"Don't worry, you guys. Don't you understand the current situation in football? The later you renew your contracts, the higher your annual salary will be. You'll all sign big contracts sooner or later!"

Five years ago, if he had said this, he would probably have been met with scorn.

But back in 2010, after witnessing the financial bubble in the football world over the past two years, his teammates believed him wholeheartedly.

Before 2008, the highest salary in Real Madrid was only 600 million. After signing Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, the highest salary rose to 950 million. Now Lin Feng has renewed his contract, and his annual salary has increased to 1300 million.

Although they can't compare to superstars like Lin Feng and Cristiano Ronaldo, a salary increase of one or two million shouldn't be a problem.

A few days later, Real Madrid also renewed the contract of their starting goalkeeper, Iker Casillas.

After the contract renewal, Casillas' annual salary increased significantly from 500 million to 800 million.

This increase not only exceeded Casillas's expectations but also delighted the other players on the team.

They dared not dream of Lin Feng's 1300 million, but they felt they still had a chance to compete for Cassie's 800 million. Even if they couldn't get 800 million, 750 million or even 700 million seemed achievable.

However, they kept in mind Lin Feng's words: the later the contract is renewed, the greater the annual salary increase will be.

So they weren't in a hurry to negotiate with the club, which secretly relieved Real Madrid's management.

The consecutive contract renewals with two key players have significantly increased Real Madrid's financial pressure, with Lin Feng's salary alone increasing by more than 1200 million euros.

If we include Casillas's salary increase, Real Madrid will have to spend nearly 2000 million euros more on the salaries of these two players alone each year!

La Liga's taxes are still too high; nearly half of their annual salaries go to taxes!
Moreover, the team's salary structure has also created a major problem. If the players collectively protest and demand a pay rise, even a wealthy club like Real Madrid would find it difficult to cope.

So it's very good when players don't make a fuss or bring it up.

As for the future?

Let's talk about that later!

After all, when Barcelona renewed Messi's contract with a staggering €1.38 million annual salary, they didn't consider what would happen in the future.

As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding, and he who takes another's money is bound to do his bidding."

After renewing his contract, Lin Feng became incredibly dominant in the following matches.

In the 19th round of the league, Real Madrid played against Deportivo La Coruña away.

Despite being closely marked by the opponent, Lin Feng still delivered a brilliant performance with two goals and one assist, leading the team to a 3-1 victory over Super Deportivo La Coruña and securing their fourth consecutive win!

Back at home, Real Madrid were even more unstoppable, thrashing their younger brother Espanyol 5-0.

Lin Feng completed a hat-trick and provided two assists in this match, accounting for all of the team's goals!

If Mourinho hadn't substituted him so early, he might have been able to complete a hat-trick of goals and assists.

February 14th marks more than half a month since Real Madrid renewed Lin Feng's contract.

Logically speaking, the high-energy state he had in the previous rounds should have subsided by now, right?

But it didn't!

In the 22nd round match against the bottom-ranked team, Salez, Lin Feng once again delivered a powerful blow, leading his team to a resounding 6-0 victory.

He was in even better form than in the previous match, scoring four goals in this game and completing a quadruple.

It is worth mentioning that his four goals in 17 minutes across the first and second halves is the fastest four-goal haul in La Liga history.

The last person to set this record was in 1941!
I'm convinced, I'm truly convinced!

[Please, Emperor Lin, stop your supernatural powers!]

If he keeps kicking like this, I'm starting to worry about Lin Huang's legs!

Lin Feng's recent form has been so outstanding that it has sparked discussion throughout the football world.

Countless people are discussing how long his current state can last.

His fans, especially the vast number of Chinese fans who were waiting to watch the World Cup, were almost scared to tears.

Now, they watch Lin Feng's matches with bated breath, fearing that an opponent might accidentally slide tackle and injure their captain! (End of Chapter)