After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

Shortly after the first round of the World Cup, in a conference room at a luxury hotel in London.

Today, Dad Yan has an important negotiation to conduct.

Brand marketing manager Mark had arrived early and was spreading out several thick documents on the sleek, long conference table.

Mark was a sharp-looking Englishman, his hair neatly combed. Upon seeing Mr. Yan enter, he immediately stood up, a professional smile on his face.

"Boss, the Adidas representative will be here in about five minutes."

Yan's father nodded and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"Is everything ready?" He was asking about the materials Mark had prepared in advance, including various data and market analysis about Yan Yuan.

"It's all here." Mark patted the file. "The stats are impressive: Bundesliga Golden Boot, Champions League Golden Boot, the youngest double Golden Boot winner, a key player in the Champions League semi-finals, a rising star in the England national team, and a Chinese background. Brands can't help but be tempted."

Today is the day for negotiating his son's endorsement contract. Before the negotiations began, Yan's father had already discussed the general direction of the negotiations with the brand manager, Mark.

No matter how good the endorsement fee is right now, we're only negotiating, not signing.

Yan's father wants to wait until after the World Cup to formally sign an endorsement contract with his son, as this is the only way to maximize profits.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the meeting room door was pushed open again.

Two men in sharp suits walked in. The one in the lead was Rogers, Adidas' senior director in charge of player signings, followed by his assistant.

After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, the two sides got straight to the point.

Rogers didn't elaborate much; he had clearly done an in-depth assessment of Yan Yuan's value.

"Mr. Yan, Mr. Mark," he said, placing his hands on the table and looking directly at Mr. Yan.

"We are very interested in Yan Yuan. He is a phenomenal rising star, and he is also a superstar who came from the Bundesliga. We at Adidas are willing to offer our utmost sincerity." He gestured to his assistant to hand over a draft contract.

Adidas, like Bayern Munich, is eager to sign every superstar who has come from the Bundesliga.

"A three-year contract worth 48 million euros is an unprecedented investment we've made in young players, which is enough to demonstrate how much we value them."

Yan's father took the draft contract, his eyes sweeping over the striking number, but his face did not show much emotion.

He didn't immediately open it to take a closer look, but instead raised his head and looked at Rogers gently.

"Mr. Rogers, thank you very much for Adidas's appreciation and this very generous offer. Yan Yuan's success today is inseparable from the platform and opportunities provided, and we have always admired Adidas's brand philosophy."

He paused, then calmly changed the subject.

"However, we currently have a unified understanding regarding the signing of the contract."

Rogers leaned forward slightly:

"Mr. Yan, please speak."

"The World Cup." Father Yan uttered the word, his voice not loud, but carrying weight.

"My son is now focusing all his energy on the competition in Russia."

As his father and agent, I believe the most important thing to do right now is to fully support him in focusing on the game and not be distracted by any off-court factors.

Negotiations can be held, but the final decision on cooperation should be made after the World Cup dust settles. At that time, everything will be clearer and fairer.

Brand manager Mark added at the opportune moment:

"That's right, Mr. Rogers. You've seen Yan Yuan's form. He already scored 1 goal and provided 1 assist in the first group stage match. He's on a roll. As the youngest player to win both the European Golden Boot and the Golden Shoe, Yan Yuan is also a strong contender for the World Cup Golden Boot."

The World Cup is a major stage that can exponentially increase a player's value. Signing a player now versus signing them after the World Cup could represent completely different levels of value.

Rogers remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly weighing the weight of his words.

He certainly understood the reasoning behind it; the World Cup is a super amplifier for the value of star players.

"I understand your considerations, Mr. Yan. Waiting may indeed bring greater value, however," he changed his tone, with a hint of probing,

"4800 million euros is already an extremely high assessment based on his current achievements and future potential. The World Cup is uncertain, what if..."

What Rogers wanted to say was that

What if Yan Yuan doesn't perform well?

"What if he performs even better?" Mr. Yan chimed in, a smile on his face reflecting his absolute trust in his son's abilities.

Rogers was speechless for a moment.

"Let me tell you, Mr. Rogers."

My son is only 18 years old, and he has already achieved honors that many players dream of throughout their entire careers—the Champions League Golden Boot and the Bundesliga Golden Boot, and he is the youngest double Golden Boot winner in history. This is not just about talent, but also proof of his extraordinary effort and mentality.

Yan's father leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more forceful.

"More importantly, I am Chinese, and his mother is of Chinese descent."

Behind Yan Yuan stands the world's largest, most passionate, and fastest-growing fan market.

Every touch of the ball and every goal he scores generates attention and commercial potential in China that even top superstars like Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar cannot match.

These top stars are indeed great, but they don't possess Yan Yuan's unique "Chinese attribute".

Even if his performance in this World Cup was mediocre, it won't affect his unique commercial appeal.

Adidas also took this into consideration, which is why they wanted to sign a contract with Yan Yuan as soon as possible; securing the Chinese market was extremely important to them.

Sales in the Greater China region account for nearly 14% of Adidas' global revenue, a market that everyone envies, not to mention Nike is also eyeing it covetously.

Yan's father pointed to the draft contract and continued.

"Therefore, Yan Yuan's value cannot be measured by traditional star endorsement contracts. Signing now might mean missing out for both of us."

Rogers' gaze lingered on Yan's father's face for a long time, and for a moment only the faint sound of the air conditioner running could be heard in the conference room.

Finally, he slowly nodded, a wry smile tinged with admiration on his face.

"Hmm... alright... Mr. Yan, you are an excellent agent and father. Adidas is willing to wait until after the World Cup to discuss this further, but I hope that by then you will still consider us as your first choice." He stood up and extended his hand to Mr. Yan again.

"Thank you, Mr. Rogers." Mr. Yan stood up and shook hands.

After seeing off the Adidas representatives, Yan's father and Mark did not leave the meeting room.

Mark looked at Yan's father and said sincerely:

"Boss, that explanation about the Chinese market you just gave was crucial; they really couldn't refute it."

Yan's father took a sip of tea, and his expression relaxed a bit:

"It's just a fact. Our strategy for facing Nike remains unchanged. The core is still to wait and emphasize the unique commercial attributes of Yan Yuan."

The meeting with Nike took place in the afternoon.

Nike sent its representative, Hansen, their head of sports marketing for Europe.

The atmosphere was equally direct and efficient.

Hansen's opening remarks were equally enthusiastic, emphasizing Nike's enormous influence globally, especially among young people, and their successful experience in building star brands.

The draft contract he submitted was slightly lower than Adidas's, amounting to 40 million euros over three years.

Because Nike has too many star athletes under its brand.

"Mr. Hansen, thank you for Nike's recognition." Yan's father almost perfectly replicated the rhythm and core points of the morning.

He reiterated his firm stance of waiting for the World Cup to end and cited Yan Yuan's young achievements and the huge potential of the Chinese market as the core pillars of the negotiations.

"4000 million euros does show Nike's sincerity," Yan's father said calmly. "But as I said before, signing now is not the right time, and it cannot fully reflect the value Yan Yuan may reach after the World Cup. His Chinese genes and background are an irreplaceable commercial gold mine."

Hansen had clearly done his homework; he tried to emphasize the advantages of Nike's brand value:

"Mr. Yan, our global promotion network and marketing resources are top-notch, capable of maximizing Yan Yuan's business potential..."

"Mr. Hansen, we have no doubt about Nike's capabilities."

Father Yan gently interrupted.

"But the fundamental commercial value of a player lies in the player's own performance and market appeal."

The World Cup is the biggest stage and testing ground for football players. Nike is willing to wait to ensure that the foundation of our future cooperation is the most solid and maximizes its value.

Seeing the unquestionable look in Yan's father's eyes and the detailed data in Mark's hand, Hansen finally chose to compromise.

"Alright, Mr. Yan," he shrugged, a helpless smile on his face.

"You are an extremely difficult negotiating partner. Nike respects your decision and looks forward to Yan Yuan wearing Nike boots after the World Cup and starting a new legend with us."

He also promised to discuss it after the World Cup.

After seeing Hansen off, Mark organized the documents, his tone tinged with excitement: "Both giants have agreed. We don't even need to negotiate Puma's $2600 million offer anymore."

Compared to Adidas and Nike, Puma is indeed far less competitive.

Yan's father grunted in response, but his face didn't show any sign of relief.

He took out his phone and checked the time. In Russia, England's next group stage match was about to begin.

Just as he put away his phone and prepared to leave with Mark, his phone vibrated.

It was an unfamiliar number from China.

Slightly surprised, Yan's father gestured for Mark to wait a moment and then answered the phone.

"Hello, is this Mr. Yan Zhen'an, Mr. Yan Yuan's agent?" A young male voice came from the other end of the phone, speaking Mandarin with a standard Beijing accent.

"Yes, this is you. May I ask who this is?" Yan's father asked with professional caution.

"Hello Mr. Yan, it's a great honor to contact you. I'm Li, the Business Development Director for ByteDance's Douyin (TikTok) business." The other person spoke quickly, displaying the enthusiasm typical of the internet industry.

"Our Douyin platform very much hopes to invite Mr. Yan Yuan to officially join us."

We are well aware that Mr. Yan Yuan is now a globally renowned superstar and the pride of all Chinese football fans. He has a massive following of young fans in China, and our platform's attributes are a perfect match for his image and influence!

"Douyin..." Yan's father repeated in a low voice.

Yan's father used this software before, and his relatives in China often forwarded him edited videos of Yan Yuan scoring goals through this software.

He had heard of this short video platform from China and knew how popular it was among young people in the country.

2018 was the year Douyin (TikTok) surged ahead and became a nationwide sensation.

"Yes, Mr. Yan!" Director Li's voice was even more enthusiastic. "We are very sincere. As long as Mr. Yan Yuan agrees to join, even if it is just occasionally sharing some training, life clips or interacting with fans in the early stages, we are willing to pay an exclusive joining fee of 1000 million US dollars. In the future, we can also provide very attractive commercial revenue sharing based on the content playback and interaction."

$1000 million? Just for a place to be established?

This number stirred something within Yan's father.

This is almost equivalent to a year's endorsement fee for a second-tier sports brand, and it seems that Yan Yuan doesn't need to put in too much effort.

He glanced at Mark beside him, who had obviously overheard the phone call as well, his face showing surprise before he quickly searched for something on his tablet.

Then he nodded affirmatively to Yan's father and mouthed, "Booming!"

As a professional brand marketing manager, Mark quickly recognized Douyin's potential in China.

"Director Li," Yan's father said, maintaining a steady tone.

"Thank you for recognizing Yan Yuan and for this very generous invitation. We are well aware of Douyin's enormous influence in China." His tone remained calm and composed.

"However, Yan Yuan's entire focus is currently on the World Cup. As his agent and father, I believe that he needs absolute focus during the World Cup."

Any business collaborations, including platform onboarding, will be thoroughly evaluated and decided upon after the World Cup. It's too early to discuss specific onboarding details now.

Director Li on the other end of the phone sounded quite anxious:

"Mr. Yan, the World Cup is at its peak right now. Every time Mr. Yan Yuan scores a goal, the domestic attention explodes."

Now is the best time to move in! We…”

"Director Li," Yan's father interrupted him.

"While popularity is important, the player's condition and mentality are even more important. We don't want anything to distract him right now."

"If your company maintains this enthusiasm after the World Cup, we would be happy to sit down and discuss it in detail. Yan Yuan also highly values ​​fans in China and believes that a suitable way to cooperate will emerge in the future."

Director Li remained silent for a few seconds, clearly processing the answer.

Finally, he sighed helplessly, but his tone remained respectful:

"Alright, Mr. Yan, we fully understand and respect your love and care for Yan Yuan as a father and agent, as well as your career plans. We will wait patiently and look forward to further communication with you and Mr. Yan Yuan after the World Cup. We wish Yan Yuan continued success in the upcoming matches!"

After hanging up the phone, Mark immediately came over:

"Boss, $1000 million? That's an amazing number. Although it's not as big as Adidas or Nike's contracts, it seems... easier to handle?"

Yan's father put his phone back in his pocket, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yes, it's a pleasant surprise," he nodded.

"However, the principle remains the same. Signing any contract now would be a loss. If we play well in the World Cup, the 1000 million from Douyin might just be the beginning, and we can negotiate more later."

"Even if he doesn't play well... the contract won't change much. Whether we can negotiate a big endorsement deal depends entirely on how many goals my son scores in Russia."

Yan's father walked to the window. Outside, the streets of London were bustling with traffic in the afternoon.

But his gaze seemed to have already crossed mountains and rivers, and was now fixed on the distant Russian arena.

"Come on, Mark," he said, turning to Mark. "You've had a tough day. Let's find a bar and grab a couple of drinks."

"With pleasure, boss." Mark quickly packed his things and followed.

No matter how much progress is made at the negotiating table, the real deciding factor is currently running on the green field of Russia.

As Yan's father got into the car, his fingers unconsciously tapped his knees—a small, unintentional gesture born of his deep concern.

On the car radio, the commentator's voice had already begun to hype up the next round of England's matches.

Yan's father closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

His battle was temporarily over.

My son's battle in Russia has just reached its climax.

Whether Yan's father can negotiate an unprecedentedly large contract depends on his son's performance at the World Cup.

If Yan Yuan is skilled enough, and with a bit of luck, he could indeed become the World Cup Golden Boot winner.

At 18, Yan Yuan became the first player in football history to win three Golden Boots in a single season, and one with the support of the Chinese market. (Gerd Müller also had three Golden Boots, but not in a single season.)

How much will his endorsement fee be then?