Team Spirit

Chapter 122 (Seeking Monthly Tickets) Stadium Naming Deals Tricks, French Twin Dwarfs Go for Green Gun

England's squad has never been a problem; it's always been star-studded.

However, their playing style limits their goal tally, especially in crucial matches.

Now, they seem to be starting to find the key to a breakthrough!

"Huh? What's going on? Why are there fluorescent green words on the jersey of Spanish player Iniesta?"

"This means... Lu Kai is destined to win?"

The camera focused on Iniesta.

After more than seventy minutes of frantic running, his jersey was already soaked with sweat.

The words "Lu Kai will win" are so eye-catching on the red jersey.

Iniesta was completely stunned.

How could it be this one?

So I ended up choosing the wrong jersey between the two!

He was utterly devastated... What if he ruined Eva's signature!

Torres: ? ? ?

"Traitor!"

"Traitor!"

"Traitor!"

Some Spanish fans are very dissatisfied with this match, and whoever takes the initiative to speak out at this time will be the scapegoat.

And Iniesta was undoubtedly the best choice.

Countless people at the scene hurled insults at Iniesta.

The Spanish coach was also very unhappy with what Iniesta had done, as it was very demoralizing.

Iniesta: Do we still have morale?

Ultimately, Spain substituted midfielder Suarez for Iniesta.

The crowd booed loudly.

No one on the Spanish team's bench dared to greet Iniesta.

Even saying "thank you for your hard work" feels irritating.

Conversely, England substituted Lu Kai with Chopra.

The audience erupted in applause to welcome the five-time winner of the Land Ball King.

He not only made people forget about Carlton and Pennant, but even started making people wonder whether Irving or Heskey should give way to Lu Kai!

The contrast is so striking!
Ultimately, the score remained unchanged.

England thrashed Spain 5-1 to win the UEFA U19 Championship, the U19 European Championship, and the UEFA European Under-19 Championship!
……

Sky Sports: "The secret to England's major tournament victory has been revealed – Lu Kai!"

BBC: "With eight goals and three assists, Lu Kai won both the European Under-21 Championship's Best Player and Golden Boot awards!"

The Times: "Queen of England personally presented Lu Kai with the award; a knighthood is imminent!"

Dongqiudi: "Lu Kai's five goals secured his fifth title of the season! This is the second time in his career that he has been crowned a five-title champion! Liverpool doubles their title!"

Les Echos: "Lu Kai's personal statistics have changed this season! Total goals surpassed 50, total assists reached 37! Total goal contributions this season reached 87!"

Manchester Evening News: "Defensive midfielders are going crazy! Lu Kai, who has played mostly as a defensive midfielder this season, has created the most goals in Europe!"

Kent Post: "Without coefficients, Lu Kai would have been the European Golden Boot winner for two consecutive years!"

The coefficient is calculated by multiplying your goal score by 2, or by 1.5 or 0.5.

The coefficients for the Premier League and European competitions are both 2.

The second-tier league is 1.5, and the lower-level league is 1 or less.

Basically, only players from top-tier and second-tier leagues can win the European Golden Boot.

France Football: "Lu Kai has created more than 55 goals for three consecutive seasons and more than 85 goals for two consecutive seasons! He is turning the professional league into an amateur league!"

Sports Weekly: "Lu Kai doesn't know the European Youth Championship is good, he mistakenly thinks the English Third Division is the Kent Premier League!"

Following closely behind is the latest issue of Eva's "My Love Diary in Asen Green".

This is a special feature on the European Under-21 Championship.

The article highlighted Lu Kai's significant breakthrough for England U19, which led to another major championship they hadn't won in many years.

Although the conflict between Carlton and Lu Kai is not shown directly.

However, Lu Kai's statement that he was irreconcilable with Carlton and that he was confident in leading England U19 to the championship was included (in a later recording).

This further enhanced Lu Kai's personal charm.

Saying something and not doing it makes you an idiot.

But if you do what you say, that's awesome!
With that, all the events of this summer have come to an end.

And the major transfers of the major clubs have almost all been announced.

Manchester United have signed Rio Ferdinand from Leeds United for £29.1 million.

Celebrating Ferguson's continued tenure.

Manchester United are about to set sail again.

Some people believe that Ferdinand's price tag is too high and he doesn't deserve such treatment.

But some people believe that he deserves all the wonderful things Manchester United fans can imagine.

Real Madrid welcomes Ronaldo, Figo, Zidane, and Ronaldo again – a superstar every year, the Galácticos are officially formed!
With stars like Rivaldo, Nesta, and Seedorf joining AC Milan, the Rossoneri are aiming for the Champions League.

With Cannavaro and Crespo joining Inter Milan, the strongest players are already in the squad.

Michael Ballack, the four-time runner-up who lost to Brazil in the World Cup and secured another runner-up finish, and his club teammate Ze Roberto transferred to Bayern Munich, marking the end of Leverkusen's dominance and the resurgence of the Bundesliga's vampires.

Riquelme and the disillusioned Mendieta joined Barcelona, ​​but they could not rival the brilliance of Real Madrid.

Arsenal, the Premier League and FA Cup double winners, acquired defensive midfielder Gilbert Silva for £4.5 million, a shrewd move that only slightly strengthened their squad.

This is somewhat contrary to the trend of many big clubs making large-scale reinforcements.

People couldn't help but joke that "gunmen only pick up trash."

This was originally used to describe Dartford, but now it can also perfectly describe Arsenal.

To what extent did Dartford pick up trash?
After Dartford sold Anqi for a hefty £3.7 million, everyone thought they would find a reliable goalkeeper.

Twenty-five years and older, or even in your thirties is acceptable.

After all, he's steady and reliable.

However, Dartford has reached a deal with Shrewsbury Town, their League Three rivals from last season.

They eventually spent £20,000 to buy their 15-year-old goalkeeper from their youth academy, Joe Hart.

Regarding this deal, the reporter interviewed Dartford legend Ashley Young.

Ashley Young: "It's fake! It must be fake! How could anyone be 1.85 meters tall at the age of fifteen!"

Ashley Young was unaware that Joe Hart would grow another five or six centimeters in the following year.

He eventually reached a height of 191cm!

People considered this deal to be utterly "nonsense"!
BBC: "So, is Kasper the starting goalkeeper for Dartford this season?"

"Are Lu Kai and Alfred crazy? Casper is only sixteen!"

"The goalkeeper position is a very experience-dependent position, and Dartford absolutely made the wrong choice!"

"Is Lu Kai trying to curry favor with Schmeichel? Kasper didn't get to Manchester City through connections, but he's still considered a 'connected' player at Dartford!"

In response, Scott, a 22-year-old veteran substitute for Dartford, said that everyone had misunderstood Dartford.

Joe Hart and Casper have great potential, and buying them was the right decision.

As for Dartford's starting goalkeeper for the new season, it should of course be Scott.

It's his turn now.

He's probably better than those two kids.

They're not geniuses.

Is it a genius who has fallen to Turford?

……

Pond Convenience Store.

“BBK Group is very sincere. They won our armband advertising for 500,000 pounds.” Jiang Mengyun was reporting to Lu Kai on the recent investment promotion work. “Moreover, BBK has a good meaning. Our experience and their vision are almost perfectly aligned.”

"By the way, the new product they're promoting is called BBK DVD. It's based on the old VCD, but with an extra 'D'. That 'D' is an abbreviation for Dartford!"

Lu Kai nodded.

I, BBK, still know how to behave.

Dartford's advertising spending is very high this year because they qualify for European competitions!
Of course, their own performance is the most important thing; the European competition is just an added bonus.

"Puma is also willing to continue to renew its equipment sponsorship contract with us, and has significantly increased its contract offer."

"One million pounds in cash, plus three hundred thousand pounds in equipment."

"However, it's still only a one-year renewal, which is rather conservative."

Lu Kai nodded, indicating he could understand.

League Two teams aren't much better than League Three teams, and not all of them even have equipment sponsors.

Good teams probably only cost around 100,000 to 200,000.

Dartford had 500,000 last year, and this year it's a million.

This is clearly a data usage fee, and anyone knows it can't last.

Adidas and Nike have been slow to enter the market, which means they are waiting.

They don't need to chase trends; they are chased by trends.

If Dartford can truly transform themselves, they will naturally have the opportunity to cooperate with them, and at that time, it will certainly be a big deal.

For now, let's just let other brands help nurture the pests.

You'd never guess which group secured Dartford's most valuable shirt sponsorship.

"Drink Chinese strong liquor, beat up British football hooligans!"

"Jingjiu, Jingjiu, is worth having!"

"Lu Kaiyao, drink some strong liquor!"

That's right! Jinjiu Group beat Lianxiang Group to a £1 million deal to secure the front-of-house advertising sponsorship at Dartford.

In 1994, Kongfu Banquet Wine became the top advertiser on CCTV with a record-breaking price of 3079 million RMB, making it an instant hit.

Sales surged.

From 1995 to 1996, Qinchi Liquor became the top advertiser on CCTV with bids of 6666 million and 320 million yuan respectively, creating a sales legend for liquor.

The major wine industries instantly felt the power of advertising.

One million pounds for Jinjiu isn't considered extravagant in China; it wouldn't even get you a good advertising deal.

However, by taking the international route, they successfully broke through the competition.

Sales exploded as soon as the news of the collaboration broke.

It just so happens that those who follow Dartford in China are mostly fans. Fans, while physically fit, also have high demands and enjoy drinking.

They are practically the perfect consumer group for sea cucumbers... no, they are practically the perfect consumer group for Jinjiu liquor.

Based on this, the program will be expanded to male users nationwide.

This advertising campaign is definitely a win-win for Jinjiu.

However, Lianxiang is at a disadvantage because they are focused on going international, while Dartford is one of the most promising opportunities that Chinese foreign companies should seize right now.

Soon, they began negotiations with Dartford regarding the stadium's naming rights.

They hope to rename the Riverside Stadium to "Lianxiang Stadium" in the coming year.

Because Dartford has a UEFA Cup match to play.

This will allow Europe and even the whole world to know about LinkInfo, and the effect will be greatly improved.

In terms of specific amounts, stadium naming rights are generally lower than chest sponsorships.

The riverside sports field is under renovation, so its image and atmosphere are not very good.

Anyway, after some back and forth, they finally agreed on 800,000 pounds.

Lu Kai's side is satisfied with the price.

It's just a matter of changing a name; this money is pure free money.

Of course, some people say that Dartford Stadium's arbitrary naming will cause the team to lose its heritage.

But please, what exactly does "foundation" mean?
Is over a hundred years of experience in the ninth-level competition considered a foundation?

First, survive.

Even if you live a good life.

Only consider those trivial matters as a last resort.

Besides, does stadium naming rights really have any impact?

not necessarily.

Many people feel that the old name of a stadium has a certain connotation, which is simply because they are used to it and don't want to change it.

PDD's style is both tacky and low-class. Has that affected its sponsorship of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala?
Will it cause its market value to explode?

However, the naming rights issue has indeed sparked some discussion in Dartford. Some fans even wanted to "negotiate" with Lu Kai, asking him to respect the original name of the Riverside Stadium.

Without a doubt, these are Wellington United fans.

The name of the Riverside Stadium is none of Dartford's business; they'd love to see the stadium renamed.

Because Riverside Stadium belongs to Wellington, while Green Gun Stadium belongs to Dartford.

In response, Lu Kai accepted the fans' demands for negotiation, but also organized Dartford fans to participate.

Lu Kai: "In fact, I have always thought that a well-known stadium name is too easy, which is not conducive to us distinguishing between new fans, ordinary fans, veteran fans and fanatic fans."

"If Dartford's stadium changes its name frequently, then we can easily tell who started liking Dartford and when by what people call it."

"In this way, true veteran fans will be respected and new fans will be taken care of. There won't be people claiming to be 20-year veteran fans when they don't even know that this stadium was called Lianxiang Stadium 20 years ago."

"The Riverside Stadium will not only be renamed Lianxiang Stadium, but in the future it could also be a Nike Stadium, an Adidas Stadium, a Jinjiu Stadium, a BBQ Stadium, a Barbecue Stadium..."

"Datford is not just any football club; it's not easy to be a fan, and it's not something you can easily use to show off."

"We need to make sure you genuinely like it!"

"If you truly like him, you have to accept everything about him, including the parts you don't like."

"For development, for building a better stadium, for a more comfortable viewing environment, for better support for the players, for a more competitive squad... this is the only way for Dartford."

"Our true glory has never been that name, but the victories we've achieved year after year, the championship trophies we've won!"

Lu Kai's speech received widespread support from major clubs.

Honestly, many clubs want to sell their team naming rights, but local fans won't allow it.

They are too deeply bound to the fans to resist.

Seeing Lu Kai act so bravely, of course I had to applaud and cheer.

It is understood that after the controversy surrounding the renaming of Riverside Stadium broke, three Premier League clubs and several League One and League Two clubs began commercial negotiations regarding stadium naming rights.

Lu Kai thus became the first person to rename an English stadium!
But just as things were settled in Dartford, the Lianxiang Group suddenly backed out.

Conference room in a London hotel.

"Mr. Zhou, what's going on here?" Lu Kai asked bluntly.

Mr. Zhou also felt embarrassed: "It's like this, this is our newly developed sponsorship plan, you can take a look. We've significantly increased the sponsorship limit!"

Lu Kai's pupils contracted.

Goodness, that means we've significantly lowered the minimum sponsorship amount.

Jiang Mengyun opened the contract and was immediately furious.

This is an "incentive contract".

Similar to the salary contracts Dartford offered to its players, it featured low salaries and high bonuses.

What a despicable bastard!
The contract stipulated that the sponsorship fee of £800,000 be reduced to £300,000.

It's cheaper than armband advertising.

It's worth noting that Dartford spent over £200,000 on advertising on billboards and tickets at Riverside Stadium this season, through the Kelow family's barbecue restaurant, Daniel's sports equipment brand, Jack's auto repair shop, and several other major sponsors.

The sponsorship of stadium naming rights, chest advertisements, armband advertisements, and equipment sponsorships inherently require the donation of four to six advertising billboards.

Based on this calculation, the actual cost of sponsoring the stadium was probably only a little over 100,000 pounds.

Even if Dartford does something great in a season, the home stadium exposure alone would be worth more than this amount of money.

Of course, they didn't completely underestimate Dartford; they started to use some tricks.

Dartford won the League Two title this season and are expected to pay out a £100,000 bonus.

Winning the UK Championship also comes with a prize of £100,000.

That's nothing; many contracts include a bonus for winning a championship.

Their deception is evident in the three major cup competitions.

"Reaching the FA Cup Round of 16, £100,000. The quarterfinals, another £100,000. The semifinals, another £100,000. Winning the championship, another £500,000, and the runner-up, £100,000... up to a maximum of £800,000!" Mr. Zhou exclaimed enthusiastically. "You know, the FA Cup champion already has a huge reward, but our combined rewards aren't much less impressive!"

"In addition, there's a lot of prize money from the EFL Cup. Dartford is good at playing in the EFL Cup, right? If we take all that prize money, it'll be a whopping £700,000! Much more than the prize money from the EFL Cup itself!"

Lu Kai looked at the list and saw that the top eight teams in the EFL Cup would receive 100,000, the top four teams would receive another 400,000, the champion would receive another 200,000, and the runner-up would receive 100,000.

They really treat the runners-up equally.

No wonder they say the second-place finisher is the biggest loser.

At least in Lian Xiang's eyes, there is no difference between second place and the top 16 or top 8.

Only the champion receives special treatment.

"Why is it that the prize money for the EFL Cup champion is less than that for the semi-finalists?" Lu Kai asked knowingly.

Mr. Zhou smiled and said, "These cup competitions are all single-match events, so you're not guaranteed a home game. But the EFL Cup semi-finals are divided into home and away matches, so there will definitely be a home game."

"Then we can increase the exposure of the stadium, right?"

Lu Kai guessed that was the reason: "What about the UEFA Cup?"

The prize money for the UEFA Cup is also quite interesting; qualifying for the main tournament earns you £200,000.

Entering the second round, 200,000.

Enter the third round, 500,000.

To advance to the top 16, you'll need 200,000.

Make it to the top eight, 500,000.

Make it to the semi-finals, 200,000.

The champion will receive a prize of one million, and the runner-up will receive a prize of two hundred thousand.

It's too distorted, or rather too subjective; it's not a proper tiered reward system.

President Zhou smiled and said, "Our boss comes from a family of loyal and virtuous officials for three generations, which is why he was able to advance to the third round. He deserves a generous reward."

"In business, the key is to attract wealth from all directions, with the top eight receiving substantial rewards."

"As for the UEFA Cup title, such a prestigious trophy deserves a reward no matter how much. What do you think of a massive prize pool of £2.8 million?"

Lu Kai smiled on the outside, but cursed inwardly.

UEFA Cup champion? You guys really dare to make such a wild idea!
It looks like a collection of rewards, but upon closer inspection, it's all about cannibalism.

The EFL Cup and the FA Cup have total prize money of £700,000 and £800,000 respectively.

However, what many don't realize is that even among Premier League teams, very few can simultaneously win the prize money for both the most basic FA Cup Round of 16 and EFL Cup quarterfinals.

There are still so many rounds ahead of us, it's a complete waste of time.

The UEFA Cup may seem to have increased the prize money, but it's important to remember that each round of the UEFA Cup consists of two matches, one at home and one away, with a guaranteed home game. So, it's definitely not a bad deal.

Moreover, as a second-tier European competition trophy, the UEFA Cup is not yet significantly different from the Champions League, making it a heavyweight trophy.

Therefore, all teams will play extremely hard.

Each round is very difficult, unlike the EFL Cup and FA Cup, where you can be matched with opponents who will give up and easily advance.

Therefore, it's virtually impossible for Dartford to make it to the third round and win their first €500,000 prize.

This means they have to play four games and defeat two strong opponents.

Even if they manage to make it to the third round, it will be much harder to win the £500,000 prize for reaching the quarterfinals! They'll be stuck with two more opponents and four more matches.

Try to put the high amounts on the back, turning "four in the morning and three in the evening" into "three in the morning and four in the evening," but I bet you won't live to see the end of your life!
Moreover... all of this is predicated on Dartford qualifying for the UEFA Cup group stage.

Before that, they still have to play two UEFA Cup qualifying playoff matches.

I can't get in, and I don't have a single penny.

He's even better at getting something for nothing than Lu Kai.

And an award is an award, and happiness is happiness. What the hell is this called a reward?
I'll slap you twice!

"Lu, what do you think of this?" President Zhou asked kindly.

Lu Kai nodded: "I think it's very good."

Jiang Mengyun was dumbfounded.

Xiao Kai, if you're being kidnapped, blink twice!
This contract is clearly a trap!
We might only get 300,000, while they stole 500,000!

Lu Kai smiled slightly at this.

He would certainly be satisfied with a stadium naming fee of 800,000, but if you insist on getting close to 2 million, why wouldn't he be happy to do it?

Even just thinking about it can save you 500,000.

Lu Kai wanted to get at least another million.

In terms of return on investment, Lu Kai is actually the one who benefits.

Those who gamble and lose deserve to be taken advantage of; those who are less skilled deserve to be fleeced.

However, we can't always let them change their minds. Even if we're satisfied, we still have to try to trick them a little more.

“But actually the EFL Cup and FA Cup have a lot of influence in England. Could the prize money for the quarter-finals and semi-finals be increased a bit more?” Lu Kai looked a little dissatisfied. “And the championship is very prestigious.”

Mr. Zhou, being a seasoned veteran, said, "How about this, I'll use my personal authority to increase the amount by £50,000 for each of the four semi-finalists and eight quarter-finalists in these two cup competitions, making it £200,000 in total."

Lu Kai: "It's not like we can all take it, is it..."

Unwilling to continue arguing with Lu Kai, President Zhou unleashed his trump card: "The League Cup winner's prize money will be doubled to £400,000! The FA Cup winner's prize money will be £700,000! And another £200,000 for each! One word: yes or no!"

Lu Kai nodded: "It's already just one word, so we can't just say no. Okay, every little bit helps."

Mr. Zhou sneered inwardly.

Innocent!

It seems like a lot, but in reality, you won't get much. Forget about winning the championship, you probably won't even get the tens of thousands of pounds in prize money for the quarterfinals or semifinals!

Lu Kai scoffed in return.

This adds £600,000 to the total prize pool. No matter how much they manage to win, it will be a huge boost for the team!
As for whether Lian Xiang benefited from Dartford's success, or whether they made a huge profit after Dartford achieved good results... that's not true.

The nature of the product means that advertising baijiu (Chinese liquor) on the Spring Festival Gala can cause sales to surge a hundredfold or even a thousandfold.

However, even with the naming rights to Dartford's stadium, Lianxiang could barely generate any substantial profit. At this stage, Lianxiang's products were still far behind those of foreign counterparts, and sales in Europe were not viable.

As for China, after the national football team suffered a major setback in the World Cup, its influence on football plummeted.

Basketball rose to prominence overnight.

Therefore, if the final cost of this sponsorship exceeds one million pounds, Lianxiang will lose money; the more it exceeds, the more Lianxiang will lose.

It's really more cost-effective to just pay a fixed naming fee.

Thus, the two parties reached an agreement on the incentive terms regarding the stadium naming rights fee.

Lianxiang announced that it had reached a super naming rights contract with Dartford, totaling up to £5.4 million, which exceeds the naming rights fees of 80% of football club stadiums in the Premier League.

All of Europe was shocked!

However, according to the internal report of Lianxiang, the sponsorship fee was estimated to be at most £500,000 and at least £300,000 as a base salary.

Lian Xiang just wanted to ride on Dartford's popularity and the spotlight of European competition.

They don't really have high hopes for Dartford after their promotion.

In their plans, Dartford's most likely prize is the £100,000 from the UK Championship.

Meanwhile, Dartford adjusted the team's season goals accordingly based on the bonuses awarded to the team.

We aim to reach the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.

And both the FA Cup and the World Cup are aimed at winning the title; in short, it's a head-to-head battle!

They aim to reach the third round of the Europa League.

Promotion to League Two is almost certain.

Based on this, the UK Championship can be played as needed, and it can be skipped if the schedule is too dense.

In short, play the best value-for-money matches and pay off the debts on the pitch as soon as possible!
This brings Dartford's current available cash balance to a staggering £26.2 million.

Under Lillian's persuasive tactics, the team underwent a large-scale pay rise, but the increase was not very high, slightly lower than that of other teams in League Two.

The total salary expenditure for the new season was kept at around £1.2 million.

The average annual salary for each player is £60,000, or £1,150 per week.

Of course, Dartford also receives some bonuses, which could potentially increase his annual salary to over £80,000 if the team performs well.

That leaves £25 million.

But the money wasn't held for long, because construction on the Green Gun Stadium officially began.

The speed and pace of the Chinese are quite different from the slow-moving, hesitant British.

Since they are operating at a loss and have official backing, the payment period is set quite leniently.

Dartford needs to pay a 50% advance payment to a third party to guarantee the basic ability to complete the project.

The next three years will be divided into five payment milestones based on the progress, with a total payment of 85% of the funds. This means that £14 million will be transferred in over the next two years.

Ten percent will be paid after the project passes inspection and is completed.

The remaining 5% will be used as a maintenance and management fund, etc.

The first advance payment was substantial, amounting to £20 million.

According to Zhongjian, they were losing money on this project, and the first payment was the foundation for ensuring the project's full launch.

Moreover, the money was supervised by a third party and officially endorsed; Lu Kai had Jiang Mengyun follow up on all these details.

When it comes to foreign affairs, our official stance is clear and unambiguous.

Even if you break your teeth, you just have to swallow it.

In short, reliable!
This stands in stark contrast to a certain major country in South Asia.

This leaves Dartford with only five million pounds on their books, but the opening of the stadium will cover the previous five million pounds of investment over the past three years.

Including previous loans, Dartford only has £21 million in debt, of which £1 million will be repaid in one year, £14 million in two years, and £6 million in the third year.

Thank goodness, thank goodness!

Less than a week.

Sangtian!

Of course, Dartford's massive investment also shook the English football world.

Let alone the last two years, even in the 2022 winter transfer window, the total transfer spending of all 72 clubs in the Championship, League One, and League Two only reached £20 million.

Both this investment and the debt Dartford has is truly terrifying.

Given the enormous debt, Lu Kai had no choice but to book a flight to France overnight.

We need to go collect some substantial swill.

With the current scumbags in the team, it will be difficult to plug the gap of more than 20 million pounds.

After all, the stadium is just the first step; the team has many other expenses to make.

Furthermore, the team must ensure adequate talent reserves to avoid a situation where it collapses after being dismantled by a top club.

Lu Kai's first stop was Guingamp, where he met Drogba.

But Drogba showed absolutely no intention of contacting Lu Kai.

He joined Guingamp in Ligue 1 from Le Mans in the winter transfer window last season, making eleven appearances for the team, scoring three goals, and helping the club avoid relegation.

He and the club are currently enjoying a honeymoon period and have no plans to leave.

Although Dartford has European competitions, it's only in appearance.

If you can't get past the qualifying rounds, it's all for nothing.

There's no reason for him to skip the fifth division and go play in League Two.

Lu Kai was not disappointed; he had only become acquainted with Drogba to begin with.

The old Drogba team was just a community team, low-level, no name, so foreign players wouldn't come. They could only scrape by in England.

But if Dartford moves up the rankings in the next two or three years, they'll be able to make a living all over Europe.

At that time, the team will be in a period of explosive growth in talent.

Geniuses are no match for dogs, and football kings are everywhere!
After leaving Gangan, Lu Kai traveled to Bordeaux, a city in southwestern France.

I got Valbuena's contact information by paying 100 pounds to the Bordeaux Football Club.

Valbuena, born in 1984, is 1.63 meters tall.

An attacking midfielder can also play as a winger on either the left or right wing.

He will play for French powerhouses such as Marseille and Lyon in the future.

He is best known to ordinary fans for his involvement in the video scandal with Benzema.

In other words, Valbuena liked to film and document his sexual encounters with his girlfriend.

But the video fell into the wrong hands, and these people wanted to blackmail Valbuena, demanding a ransom of 150,000 euros.

However, these people had no connection with Valbuena, and they didn't give the old man at the Bordeaux football club a hundred yuan like Lu Kai did.

So they found Benzema's childhood friend, recruited him, and asked Benzema to deliver a message to Valbuena.

Benzema comes from a wealthy and influential family and thinks it would be bad if the video were really exposed. They are all national team-level stars, so they'd pay money to keep them safe.

At the time, the French national team was training in Clairefontaine, and Benzema spent the entire training camp trying to persuade Valbuena.

Valbuena couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, so she finally called the police.

Friendly reminder: Valbuena did the right thing; in such situations, you must trust the official channels.

Valbuena did not say it was related to Benzema, but the police investigated and eventually detained five people involved, including Benzema.

Lobbyist Benzema is also considered to be one of the participants.

This incident caused a huge uproar within the French team and sparked widespread discussion in the world of football.

This occurred in 2015, and Benzema was subsequently dismissed from the national team, missing out on subsequent European Championships, World Cups, and other international tournaments. This resulted in a significant gap in his national team honors throughout his career.

Valbuena was thus excluded from the national team, and his competitive form subsequently declined. His girlfriend also broke up with him because she could not bear the huge amount of gossip.

It's a lose-lose situation.

"Are you sure you're Dartford and that the player you want to sign is me, Valbuena?" Valbuena on the other end of the phone was clearly incredulous.

After all, he had just been released by Bordeaux's youth academy because of his short stature.

Ashley Young: That's it! Come on!

After facing setbacks for most of the summer, Valbuena got the opportunity to join Languerc, a fifth-tier French team.

Please note that this is the fifth level in France.

France only has three levels of professional teams; the fourth level is semi-professional.

Langham is equivalent to a sixth-tier club in England, and its level of incompetence is on par with Eastwood.

Playing for a team like that basically means your professional career is over before it even begins.

Who could have imagined that Valbuena would win the Player of the Year award in the French Third Division the following year, thus earning the opportunity to join Ligue 1 giants Marseille?
“Our salaries aren’t high, but they’re definitely more than double what you’re earning now,” Lu Kai explained. “Our schedule is very packed, so every player will have plenty of playing time and a chance to start.”

"We still have European competitions to play this season, the UEFA Cup. I wonder what you think?"

Valbuena was immediately excited: "Where are you? I'm coming to find you!"

He was afraid Lu Kai would run away.

Lu Kai then gave an address.

……

A free parking lot in Arles, southern France.

Jingle Bell!
My phone alarm went off.

A boy wakes up from his dilapidated car.

He checked the time and ran outside.

However, the sharp pain in his feet made him limp as he ran.

Soon, he arrived at the training ground of the Ales Football Club.

"Hello, I am..." The boy was about to introduce himself when a staff member at the stadium threw him a jersey and told him to hurry up and warm up.

As a third-tier professional team in France, they don't have much time to remember the names of these trial players.

Unless you are good enough.

But the staff didn't think the boy was outstanding.

With a long scar on his face, he didn't look like a good person.

They, Ales, do not welcome football hooligans.

They wouldn't have sent this young man a trial invitation if it weren't for his impressive resume of training at a big club like Lille.

During the match, several coaches were exchanging information.

"Who hired that guy with the scar on his face? He's obviously no good."

"Hmm, this scarred guy is slow to get going and his running style is awkward."

"It's inconsistent; sometimes it's like a master, and sometimes it's like a complete novice."

"He's not very tall either, and I heard he got into a fight in Lille; he's a troublemaker."

"His skills and emotions are too unstable, and his body has no potential for further development. Let's put him on the waiting list for now. No one else is considering him."

So after the trial period, the boy only received the result of "go back and wait for notification".

He was very pessimistic about this.

He had heard similar news frequently over the past two or three years.

He currently plays for Boulogne, a fourth-tier team in his hometown, which is a semi-professional club.

He is a free agent this summer and hopes to join a professional team; this is his best opportunity.

Because it's very difficult for professional teams to spend tens of thousands of euros to buy a player from a semi-professional team.

Free franchise opportunities are more likely.

But Boulogne has already given him an ultimatum: if he doesn't renew his contract with the team, they will no longer use him.

Everyone is looking for a better option while still employed, which puts Scarface in a very unfavorable position.

Scarface walked back to the parking lot, only to find someone standing next to his car.

"Car thief?" Scarface looked around, grabbed a broken stick, and stealthily approached from behind, striking the man with it...

"Fuck! Let me go! If you dare touch me, my brother will kill you in a heartbeat!" Scarface screamed desperately.

The other party actually had accomplices!
The mantis stalks the cicada, but the oriole follows behind!

I got fooled.

"Hey Ribery, calm down!"

Ok?
Scarface stopped struggling after realizing that the other person had called out his name.

His name is Frank Ribery.

The situation then calmed down.

Lu Kaisong released Ribery, while Valbuena clutched his arm, having been hit by Ribery's stick.

That damned scar dared to mess with me, the Bordeaux Dwarf Tiger!
Believe it or not, I'll film you in the future!

"You know me?" Ribery looked at Lu Kai. "What are you doing next to my car?"
Lu Kai pointed to the car door and said, "Your car door isn't locked, it's easy for it to be stolen. I'll guard it here for you... for about an hour now."

Ribery immediately broke down: "If my car doors are locked, then why aren't they locked?"

Valbuena pointed to the dilapidated car and explained, "Nobody wants this kind of junk. Car thieves steal this kind of car, and their hourly wages are going to drop."

Ribery's scar is red.

I've been tricked.

Lu Kai said meaningfully, "That's not necessarily true. The junk car you don't want might be a future supercar in my eyes."

How was your trial at Ares? Did it go smoothly?

Ribery had intended to tell the truth, but Valbuena had just challenged him, so he feigned nonchalance and said, "Of course, it went very smoothly."

"They signed me, and I'll be playing in the professional league starting next season."

If it were the old Valbuena, it would probably be breached by now.

But now... the color green has given him the courage to face the truth.

Lu Kai nodded: "That's a pity. If Ares thinks you're not a qualified substitute, then we might be able to give you a chance to play in the UEFA Cup."

"But if you've already signed a contract, then it'll be very troublesome..."

"What?" Ribery froze on the spot: "The UEFA Cup?"

"If you're not a pigeon, then who are you, Ji Ba?"

"I don't think you're even older than me."

Lu Kai looked down at himself: "I'm definitely older than you."

Ribery really broke down this time.

"It's necessary to formally introduce myself." Lu Kai flashed a bright smile: "Hello, my name is Lu Kai, I am the chairman of Dartford Royal VCD Football Club, and also the team captain."

"If you haven't heard of us, you've probably heard of the nickname 'Green Gun'!"

"I sincerely invite you to join Green Gun."

"This season, we will compete in the third tier of English football, and will also be registered for multiple competitions including the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and EFL Trophy."

"Most importantly, as last season's EFL Cup champions, we will also participate in the UEFA Cup this season, becoming the ninth and only non-Premier League English team to participate in European competition!"

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Newcastle all play in the Champions League.

Leeds United, Chelsea, and Blackburn Rovers will play in the UEFA Cup.

Fulham and Aston Villa qualified for the Intertoto Cup, with Fulham becoming one of the three champions of this year's Intertoto Cup (which will be played in July and August), thus qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

It can be roughly understood as the current UEFA League, the third tier of European competitions, except that it is not played at the same time as the Champions League and the UEFA Cup, but is completed in the summer to determine the three teams that qualify for the UEFA Cup. Therefore, there are three winners of the Intertoto Cup.

Dartford, on the other hand, earned a place in the UEFA Cup qualifying play-offs by winning the EFL Cup.

This was a year of full recovery for the Premier League in European competitions, and the first time the Premier League had four Champions League spots.

The English are full of hope.

But in the end... they failed to win the Champions League this year.

Ribery reacted exactly like Valbuena.

As amateur players, when European teams extended invitations to them, the word "rejection" was long forgotten.

And so, Lu Kai's trip to France was completed, fulfilling his minimum objective.

They brought back two players who are less than 1.7 meters tall.

He's known as "the French Ashley Young"!
(End of this chapter)