Soccer: Maxed-out ball control, the skill is too overpowered.

Jorge Mendes, a European sports mogul.

The most famous players under its wing are Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho, and other top stars include Di Maria, Falcao, and De Gea.

Some say that Mendes is a pure capitalist with no human touch, and that players are just tools for making money in his hands;

Some argue that, compared to other exploitative agents, Mendes is indeed professional enough to help his players obtain higher profits.

Those who dislike him are usually from clubs.

Lu Xiao believes that Mendes' reputation is irrelevant.

As long as it helps me get the benefits I deserve, whether it's a club salary or business operations.

Lu Xiaocai didn't care about human relationships.

In business, as long as you're professional enough, that's all that matters.

I thought Mendes' team would send someone to communicate with me, but I didn't expect Mendes himself to call me.

"Hello, Mr. Mendes."

"I watched your video, and my intuition tells me that you, like Ronaldo and Messi, are a genius who will shake the world in the future..."

Therefore, I sincerely invite you to sign with my agency.

We will definitely use the most professional and mature solutions to help you manage your assets properly, secure the most reasonable salary, and find the most suitable business partnerships for you.

If you can't make the decision yourself, we can also discuss it with your family...

Despite being a top agent, Mendes did not adopt a condescending attitude, but rather communicated with Lu Xiao on an equal footing.

Even though he knew that the person opposite him was just a 16-year-old child.

"No need, we can sign the contract directly. It's a pleasure working with you, Mr. Mendes."

"It's been a pleasure working with you, and I'm sure you won't regret it. My assistant will be traveling to Leverkusen tomorrow to sign your agent contract and accompany you to negotiate with the club."

If you are satisfied, he will become your exclusive agent from now on.

Don't worry, he graduated from law school and has a lawyer's license and a broker's license. You can also ask him for help with legal issues.

So fast?

They just inquired about my interest today, and they'll send someone to sign the contract tomorrow.

Mendes' team is quite efficient.

……

The following morning, Lu Xiao walked out of the gym at the Bayer Leverkusen training base.

Upon arriving at the agreed-upon coffee shop, Mendes' agent and assistant had been waiting for quite some time.

At first glance, Lu Xiao could only describe it with two words—professional.

It perfectly embodies Lu Xiao's stereotypical image of an elite lawyer and businessperson.

A white man in his thirties, with a thin face, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a sharp suit.

"Mr. Lu, hello. I am the economic agent of Mendes' team, and from now on I will be your personal assistant. This is my business card. I can help you with anything, including contractual and personal issues... I will be available 24 hours a day as much as possible."

"You're too kind, there's no need for that."

Lu Xiao chuckled twice.

I glanced at the agent's business card... Wow!

Harry Kane?

Sharing a name with a future England superstar?

Hopefully, his name won't hinder him from winning the championship in the future.

If he can officially sign with Bayer Leverkusen, he can focus on training most of the time and then go to high school to catch up on his academic studies after training sessions.

The base, school, and dormitory are three points in a straight line.

There are usually few opportunities to ask an agent for help.

"No, that's part of our service philosophy. Taking care of the players' lives is also part of our agent services."

"Okay, I'll contact you if I need anything. Now let's deal with Leverkusen's professional contracts first..."

Lu Xiao thought carefully about her request.

Daily training, intra-team practice matches, reserve team matches, and youth training matches do not increase template fusion values.

Only regular professional competitions for first-team players, such as the Bundesliga, the German Cup, and the Champions League, can generate growth.

Lu Xiao hopes to quickly integrate into the first team and seize the opportunity to prove himself.

Therefore, there will be restrictions on contracts that are about to be signed.

When Lu Xiao made his demands, Harry Kane carefully took notes on his tablet and recorded the conversation beforehand with a voice recorder.

"First and foremost, it must be positioned as a first-team team, not a youth training or reserve team."

"It would be best to stipulate a minimum number of appearances per season in the contract..."

For a 16-year-old player with no prior achievements and unable to prove himself,

Demanding that the club sign a first-team contract and specify the number of appearances is an unreasonable request and quite difficult to obtain.

But Harry Kane still confidently guaranteed it.

"I understand, it will be resolved."

……

"With Lu's talent, he's only worth 1000 euros?"

"That's already quite high. Right now, 16-year-old youth trainees only have apprentice contracts with a weekly wage of less than 1000 euros."

A heated argument broke out in the Leverkusen meeting room.

On one side is Michael Schade, president of Bayer Leverkusen;

One side is Lu Xiao's agent, Harry Kane.

The two sides argued endlessly over the details of the contract.

Generally, 16-year-old players around the same age as Lu Xiao earn 850 euros per week.

Looking at all the players in Leverkusen's youth academy and reserve team, the prices are all like this.

In the past, Lu Xiao would have been satisfied long ago.

An income of 1000 euros per week amounts to 30000 euros per month!

In Lu Xiao's view, this was already a huge sum of money.

His weekly wage in Bayern Munich's youth academy was only 500 euros.

Agent Harry Kane was furious.

"In that case, I don't think there's any need to discuss it further. I believe other clubs will appreciate Lu Xiao."

Harry Kane used reverse psychology.

The other party dared not be negligent.

"Wait a minute...we can still discuss it. How many do you want?"

"It should at least reach the lowest salary level of the first team."

"That's impossible!"

Leverkusen CEO Shad argued his case forcefully.

The lowest salary tier for first-team players, those positioned as "substitutes," earns €14500 per week.

16-year-old Lu Xiao wants to earn more than 1 euros?

The club will not pay a high salary to someone who is not performing well, as they have not yet assessed Lu Xiao's true level and potential.

"I'm sorry then."

Harry Kane and Lu Xiao got up to leave.

Lu Xiao, standing to the side, could barely suppress the urge to smile.

This is clearly the same bargaining tactic used in night markets in China; it's exactly the same.

As expected, Leverkusen president Schade really chickened out.

"Don't rush, how about this? Let's sign a contract for 5000 euros first, positioning him as a 'rising star'."

If Lu can meet the playing standards and fulfill the requirement of 10 appearances in the new season...

How about the contract being officially upgraded to €15000 per week?

In addition, appearance fees and goal bonuses are calculated according to the first team standard.

The club has already shown great sincerity by offering these terms.

It's clear that Leverkusen's president, Schade, really cares about Lu Xiao and doesn't want to let this future talent leave.

A weekly wage of 15000 is small change.

What if... Lu Xiao really does have the potential to be a world-class player, as Hyypia said?

You'll definitely regret letting him go.

Harry Kane gave Lu Xiao a wink, to see what Lu Xiao's intentions were.

Lu Xiao felt the contract was pretty good.

At least prove that you have some value in the first team, and that's enough.

So, after Harry Kane helped review the legal issues,

Both parties completed the signing.

Lu Xiao has officially become a player for Bayer Leverkusen's first team!

-

Weekly wage: €5000 (automatically changed to €15000 if the player makes more than 10 appearances in a season).

Appearance fee: 3000 euros;

Goal/Assist Bonus: €3000;

Salary increases automatically by 25% each season.

Both parties have the right to offer priority for contract extension based on the season's performance.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Come on, smile!"

Click!

Lu Xiao held up a Bayer Leverkusen number 39 jersey and posed for a photo with the club's head coach Hyypia and president Schade.

Bayer Leverkusen's official website used this photo to publicly announce the signing of the new player.

Meanwhile, in a great Eastern country...

Xiao Liu, the editor of the sports-focused Sina Weibo account "Sports Weekly," is browsing external news.

It is now July 2013, the peak transfer season for major leagues.

He wanted to compile a list of each club's transfer activities and uncover some sensational news.

For example, the "traitor" Götze, who defected from Dortmund to Bayern.

The German media is buzzing; this is definitely a fascinating transfer story.

"Wait a minute? A Chinese player?"

Xiao Liu was stunned when he saw the Bayer Leverkusen website.

He was shocked to see a standard Eastern face and a standard Chinese name appear in the team's transfer announcement!

"Lu Shaw, a player playing abroad...?"

Does this mean that another Chinese player is about to join the Bundesliga?