Chapter 81 Contract Renewal
There is a two-hour time difference between Istanbul and Milan, and the flight time is also between two and three hours. When the plane landed in Milan, it was late at night in Milan.
The club's bus is already waiting at Malpensa Airport to take the players home one by one.
Ancelotti gave the players a day off, urging them to rest well. Milan's next match is an away game against Atalanta in the 8th round of Serie A, which is four days away, so they can still squeeze in a day of rest.
Fino slept soundly until noon before waking up naturally.
Fino drew back the curtains and realized it was drizzling outside. Pedestrians hurried by with umbrellas of different colors, the colors filtering through the rain-soaked windows, becoming mottled, distorted, and hazy.
Fino opened the window, and moisture drifted in on the breeze. The air was filled with a unique scent, a mixture of the chill of the temperature drop and the freshness of plants washed by the rain.
The rain wasn't heavy, but it had been falling for some time, and small puddles had formed on the road.
Fino stared blankly at the puddle on the road.
Unlike last year in Glasgow, he didn't dwell on those unhappy experiences. In fact, he hadn't thought about his past life for a long time; after all, it was ten years ago. As his work and life became increasingly fulfilling, that memory was gradually fading...
He was simply spacing out, enjoying this rare rainy afternoon on his day off, not having to think about anything or do anything, feeling extremely relaxed.
When his stomach started to rumble, Fino was about to make something to eat when his phone rang.
Fino glanced at it; it was Mendes. It seemed his contract renewal was almost finalized.
"Good afternoon, Jorge." Fino leaned back against the window, scribbling on the glass with his finger as he casually greeted Mendes.
"Good afternoon, Finney. Your contract renewal has been finalized," Mendes said, getting straight to the point.
Given Milan's current salary structure and Fino's affection for the club, Mendes didn't ask for an exorbitant salary. He and Galliani quickly reached an agreement: an annual salary of 4 million euros, increasing by 1 million euros each year.
After doubling his annual salary, Galliani hopes that Fino's release clause will also double, reaching 100 million euros.
In fact, he has already begun to regret introducing a release clause into Fino's contract last year. At the time, it was only because the annual salary was too low, and the release clause was added to reflect fairness, at least on the surface.
But now they've shot themselves in the foot.
If he doesn't mention the release clause, things will be fine, but once he does, Mendes gets really angry.
When Mendes reached an agreement with Fino and reviewed Fino's contract, Mendes was furious.
AC Milan is a shameless and despicable liar!
Italian Serie A teams rarely include release clauses in contracts, and transfers are mostly based on negotiated pricing. However, Fino's contract has a huge release clause.
It's obvious that Milan is taking advantage of Fino's youthful spirit. Without offering a matching salary, they're using a release clause to trick Fino: "Although the salary is a bit low, your contract is more flexible than others."
Where was the freedom? At the time, Fino was just a rising superstar. What sucker would pay 50 million euros to buy him? Milan directly locked up Fino's future with a high release clause.
To the club's surprise, Fino proved exceptionally capable. In just one year, his market value skyrocketed, and coupled with the general premium in the transfer market, his value was approaching €50 million. At this point, the €50 million release clause began to hinder Milan, depriving them of the initiative to retain him.
Therefore, Galliani hopes to raise the release clause to 100 million euros to prevent Fino from being released by other teams at a low price in the future.
"Where in the world can you find such a good thing?" Mendes retorted sarcastically.
"Mr. Galliani, this year has truly been a year of massive salary inflation. After Ibrahimovic received 12 million euros, teams all over the world are busy raising salaries. Kaká's father is quite dissatisfied with his 9 million euro annual salary!" Mendes said pointedly. "But our Fini, he will always be a Milan child, so he understands the club's difficulties and doesn't want to put the club in a difficult position regarding his salary. Whether it was the 2 million euros when he renewed his contract last year or the 4 million euros this time, we accepted it."
Mendes scoffed at this point: "Our Fini was Milan's top scorer last year, fourth in the Serie A top scorer list, and only earned 2 million euros a year, but his release clause was as high as 50 million euros. Only an honest kid like Fini would sign such a contract."
Galliani gave an awkward laugh. He knew, of course, that last year's contract was unfair, but he still had to fight for the benefits he deserved.
“Fini is certainly a good kid, we’ve all seen his performance, and raising his release clause is precisely because the club values him.”
Mendes was deeply impressed by Galliani's eloquence. "Others show their importance with annual salaries, but you show it with release clauses."
They're pretending to care; their real intention is probably to prevent being sold off cheaply.
"If we want to increase the termination fee, a 4 million annual salary is definitely not enough. If word gets out, my team and I will be laughed at by our peers."
Galliani was certainly unwilling to increase the numbers further, as he also had the heavy burden of Berlusconi on his shoulders, who had clearly instructed him to control salary expenditures.
At this point, Mendes thoughtfully offered another solution: "Or, we could discuss the issue of Fino's portrait rights."
Galliani hesitated for a moment, but then agreed. He knew perfectly well that as Fino became more popular, Fino's image rights were becoming increasingly valuable, but relinquishing some of Fino's image rights was better than planting a time bomb in the termination fee.
"Image rights are negotiable, but the release clause needs to be cancelled outright. In fact, even a €100 million release clause is hardly reassuring for the club. We must completely eliminate the possibility of a transfer through the release clause. Mr. Mendes, your team is very well-informed, and I believe you understand the club's expectations for Fino. We cannot let go of our future flag without knowing the full story."
Mendes agreed.
Fino himself has no intention of leaving Milan, so whether there is a release clause or not, or whether the amount is large or small, doesn't really matter.
From Galliani's perspective, however, he needs to safeguard Milan's initiative in the transfer market, especially since the club has shown a tendency to give up on Kaká. The future star must not be taken away by triggering the release clause!
Mendes capitalized on the differing demands of both parties regarding the release clause to wrest a significant portion of Fino's image rights from the club.
For agents, image rights are money. Compared to the image rights of a future superstar, a few million more or less in annual salary is not that important.
Mendes proudly reported his battle results to Fino over the phone.
"The contract term remains at the maximum of 5 years, with an annual salary of 4 million euros after tax, increasing by 1 million euros every year. The release clause has been cancelled, and we own 70% of the image rights, while the club owns 30%. The club has made the biggest concession on image rights. Apart from Maldini, we have obtained the highest percentage of image rights in the Milan team. Even Kaká does not have as much image rights as we do."
Fino was somewhat surprised by the outcome of the negotiations; he hadn't expected the club to make such a big concession in such a short time.
Moreover, this negotiation was conducted without any prior notice, maintaining a high level of secrecy. Mendes neither used the media to create momentum nor tried to drag other clubs into the conflict to threaten Milan like Kaka's father did, which was very dignified.
"Thank you for your hard work, Jorge." Fino expressed his sincere admiration for Mendes and his team.
Mendes snapped his fingers and said casually, "We'll sign the contract on your birthday, October 24th. I'll pick you up in Milanello then. Remember when we first met? You asked me to prepare a birthday gift that suited your taste. I prepared two. This contract renewal is the first, and the other will be given to you on your birthday. At least you're satisfied with this one, right?"
“Very satisfied, even more satisfied than I expected.” Fino smiled and complimented Mendes. “Again, signing you was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
"Hmm~ Italians have a sweet tongue, but I like them!"
On October 24, Fino's 20th birthday, the club's official website and social media simultaneously announced Fino's contract extension.
[To all Rossoneri: We are thrilled to announce that the club has extended the contract of @Fino Cabrini until the summer of 2013. Happy 20th birthday to our Fino! We wish you all the best in your career and all the love at AC Milan!]
The accompanying photo still shows Fino in a suit shaking hands with Galliani.
The news immediately sparked a huge discussion online. The message released by Milan's official media was forwarded tens of thousands of times within a dozen minutes, and the number of forwards continued to rise rapidly as time went on.
On fan forums, some people started comparing Fino's photos from last year's contract renewal with his photos from this year. Compared to last year, Fino's features are more strikingly beautiful, with a cold and aloof gaze, making him much more visually impactful.
I've been following Finney since he was a teenager, when he was still training as a goalkeeper. The reason I followed him was simple: his looks. Finney was incredibly handsome even as a child, with chubby cheeks and a cool, aloof look, like a spoiled little prince, but his smile was so sweet. Then I became a "mommy fan," watching him change positions, watching him join the first team, and I even bought his jersey from when he wore number 66. But today, I suddenly realized that my maternal love has changed...
[I'm so envious of you, OP! You still have a number 66 jersey. Are you selling it?]
I completely understand. Looking at that face, it's hard for a mother's love not to change.
A year ago, I still felt like I was transitioning from adolescence to young adulthood, but now I've completely lost my baby fat and look like a young adult.
[(blushing emoji) I want to talk...]
[(blushing emoji) I want to talk...]
[(blushing emoji) I want to talk...]
[Congratulations to Galliani, you've nurtured another cash cow. He plays well and looks good too. Milan's young star team has a worthy successor.]
...
Once the discussion gained traction, it inevitably attracted the attention of netizens outside the football circle. Fino's good looks directly won over a large group of fans who don't follow football.
I thought she was a newly debuted movie star or model, but it turns out she's a soccer player. With looks like that, isn't it a waste for her to play soccer?
The thought of such a face enduring the elements on the court is heartbreaking!
On the bright side, imagine someone with that face running around the field in shorts and socks, sweating profusely, occasionally lifting their jersey to wipe their face, revealing a nice six-pack...
Wow, thinking about it this way makes me feel so much better! From today onwards, I'm an AC Milan fan! I'm going to go figure out how to book tickets!
I checked AC Milan's official media and found that this handsome young man's teammates are all very good-looking too!
...
Fino's contract renewal announcement triggered a chain reaction, and AC Milan attracted many more fans (especially fans of his looks). Not only did sales of Fino's number 14 jersey surge, but sales of his teammates' jerseys also increased.
Galliani was overjoyed; as long as he maintained his reputation, sales would naturally follow!
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