Chapter 192: 18 million sponsorship contract

The defeat in this focus battle made the outside world pessimistic about Manchester United's prospects this season.

Moyes' performance in the first five games as coach of the team can only be described as poor.

After five rounds, Manchester United had 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses.

The winners were all weak teams in the middle and lower reaches of the Premier League, while the losers were their arch-rivals Liverpool and Manchester City.

Moyes' Manchester United failed to win a single game against the strong teams ranked at the top of the Premier League standings.

Although they repelled Chelsea's challenge at home in the second round of the league, judging from Chelsea's recent performance, the magic bird who returned to the club for the second time seems to have lost his magic. Chelsea's record this season is not as good as that of Di Matteo last season.

In the first eight rounds of last season, Chelsea had seven wins and one draw, ranking first.

Therefore, a draw with Chelsea, who are in poor form, does not seem to be something worth praising.

The reporters on Fleet Street obviously knew how to make big news, so after the Manchester City derby, they swarmed over Moyes and wanted to interview him.

"Coach Moyes, what do you think of Manchester United's current record?"

"Coach Moyes, why didn't your team win the Manchester City derby?"

"Coach Moyes, Manchester United is now ranked eighth in the standings, eight points behind Manchester City, which is at the top. Do you think Manchester United can still win the championship this season?"

"Coach Moyes, have you ever considered resigning? Or, what kind of results do you think will make the Manchester United boss fire you?"

…

After answering one question after another, Moyes's face was already exhausted.

This group of reporters is really going too far! But what is surprising is that even when Moyes was asked such impolite questions by the reporters, he did not lose his temper on the spot.

"The league is still long and it has just begun. I am very confident in my team!"

"Manchester City played better today and they deserved the win. The loss is my responsibility and I have nothing to say!"

"As I said before, the league has just started and it is too early to predict who will win the championship. We still have 33 games to play and no one knows what will happen next."

"I am satisfied with my current coaching results. Although the team has encountered some ups and downs in performance, that is related to the schedule. In the next games, we will work hard to win more games and catch up with the points difference!"

Moyes answered all the reporters' questions without missing a single one.

This made the reporter who had been making things difficult for him couldn't help but sigh in his heart:

Moyes is really a good-tempered person!

If it were Mourinho, he would have started scolding the reporters a long time ago.

However, as a head coach, having such a good temper may not necessarily be a good thing.

After the game, there was a lot of criticism of Moyes from the outside world.

Some people believe that his conservatism in the use of players and stubbornness in tactical play are the main reasons for Manchester United's loss.

Some people also believe that Moyes' temperament is completely incompatible with the Red Devils, and choosing him as Manchester United's head coach is a mistake.

Faced with various criticisms from the outside world, Manchester United's board of directors had to stand up and make a statement.

Joel Glazer says the board will not sack David Moyes over one defeat.

The meritorious coach Ferguson also made a public statement to the media, asking everyone to give Moyes more time.

With the club owner and Ferguson coming forward one after another, the outside criticism finally subsided temporarily.

However, the doubts and dissatisfaction towards Moyes have not disappeared.

…

In the fifth round, apart from Liverpool's home loss to Southampton, there were no other upsets.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham all won the games.

It is precisely because of Liverpool’s loss that Manchester City is the only team left in the Premier League that has maintained a winning streak.

In the five major leagues, Serie A's Roma, La Liga's Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and Bundesliga's Dortmund are also currently maintaining a winning streak.

After the game, Lin Quan treated Guardiola to a meal.

When he heard Guardiola introduce the assistant coach beside him who was not yet bald as Ten Hag, he couldn't help but look at him a few more times.

This guy seems to be the right choice to end Manchester United’s chaotic period?

Many Manchester United fans regarded him as a savior, until the 7:0 victory at Anfield...

Losing a game doesn’t mean anything. Although he lost more often, his record has indeed improved significantly since he coached Manchester United, which shows that this guy still has some skills.

"The Bundesliga games are so boring. Bayern's lead is too big and the game is not exciting at all!"

After watching the derby between Manchester City and Manchester United, Guardiola couldn't help but complain.

How interesting it is to have a highly competitive league like the Premier League, Bundesliga?

The Bundesliga is all about Bayern Munich! "Well, coach, we don't seem to be at the top of the standings yet..."

Ten Hag said cautiously to Guardiola.

"Really? Oh, we were tied by Freiburg!"

Guardiola patted his forehead, thinking about the previous game in which the team was unexpectedly tied in an away game because he put Martinez in the center back position.

But Bayern is still unbeaten now. Except for Dortmund which has two more points than them, other teams cannot threaten them.

After he leads the team to regain the top spot, he can continue to tinker with his new tactics.

Schweinsteiger was not very satisfied and planned to adjust his usage. Thomas Muller's technique was too rough and Guardiola wanted to teach him how to play football himself.

Kroos is pretty good. He has a very accurate long pass and is very good at catching the opponent's defensive gaps. He always appears in the most suitable position to receive the ball, allowing him to pass the ball safely.

However, Kroos' shortcomings are also obvious. He has no breakthrough ability, weak explosive power, and slow speed. He can only play as a defensive midfielder and cannot play as an attacking midfielder.

If he plays as a defensive midfielder, his defensive ability is not strong enough and he needs someone to protect him, otherwise he will become a time bomb for the team.

This gives Guardiola a headache.

Bayern is not without defensive midfielders. Martinez is a qualified candidate, but Martinez has great uses. It's a pity that he is only used to do dirty and tiring work.

Oh, let me go back and study it further!

I just don't believe it. After doing this experiment again and again, won't I get the answer I want? ...

After Guardiola left, Pere came again.

"Your wine estate has been purchased. Here is the key to the estate. If you have time, you can come and have a look at it anytime!"

After Lin Quan thanked him, he asked, "Who usually takes care of the manor?"

"Don't worry about that. There are local organizations that specialize in managing vineyards to help take care of them. You only need to pay them a management fee every year!"

It makes sense. As an investment product, the local government will definitely provide various supporting services so that investors don’t have to go to the fields to grow grapes themselves.

"Also, we have already bought the shares of the Internet company you invested in before, but we bought the B shares out of the AB shares, which have limited voting rights, but there will be no problem with shareholder dividends and the like."

Lin Quan nodded. It was too difficult to buy Class A shares from a listed company.

There may be an opportunity to buy Class A shares during the seed round investment stage before the other party's IPO financing stage, but after the public offering of shares, this possibility is basically ruled out.

This is also the case for the actual helmsman of many companies. Although they only own a small portion of the shares, they can firmly grasp the actual control of the company in their own hands by relying on the extremely high voting weight of the Class A shares in their hands.

Lin Quan is not very interested in the actual control of these Internet companies. He just wants to take advantage of the development of the Internet and make some money.

"One more thing!"

"What's up?"

"After seeing your outstanding performance in the Premier League, Nike and Adidas have shown greater interest in signing you. This is the new contract they submitted!"

Pere has actually been keeping this matter under wraps for some time. Adidas and Nike had already submitted the contract before the start of the Champions League group stage.

But he knew that Lin Quan was not very anxious about the matter, so he did not rush to report to Lin Quan.

Now that the Champions League group stage has begun, the first month of the Premier League has also come to an end.

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Lin Quan's outstanding performance crushed the outside world's doubts and made the two companies completely determined.

Lin Quan thought about it. He originally planned to delay it until the end of this season or the World Cup.

But Guardiola told him one thing, that is, these sports brands have a great influence in football.

If I can sign a contract with them, it will be of great help in winning various awards.

For example, the annual selection of the Golden Boy Award and the Ballon d'Or is actually a competition between the players' connections and influence in football.

A good sponsor can make a big difference.

For example, the Ballon d'Or award ceremony was deliberately postponed for a period of time in a certain year, causing a scarred man who won the Champions League to miss the opportunity to win the Ballon d'Or. The latter has been criticizing the Ballon d'Or for this.

He will have to sign the contract sooner or later, and delaying it any further will not be a good idea.

Thinking of this, Lin Quan said to Pere:

"Which of these two companies offers better conditions?"

Pere had obviously studied this before, so he said:

"Nike's sponsorship fee is high, and its publicity and promotion efforts are the greatest, so overall, Nike is the most sincere!"

"Then sign a contract with Nike and reject the contract with Adidas!"

Lin Quan made his choice quickly. Now that he had made the decision, he didn't like to delay things any further.

Only by resolving this issue as soon as possible can we focus on the competition and training.

Perez knew what he was thinking, so after he made the decision, he quickly notified Nike and told them that they agreed to the contract.

After receiving Lin Quan's reply, Nike's sports director breathed a sigh of relief.

In order to compete with Adidas for Lin Quan, Nike has been observing and contacting Lin Quan for more than half a year.

Seeing that the opponent's influence in football is growing, he is gradually showing the potential of a superstar.

Everyone at Nike was very anxious, fearing that such a potential stock would be poached by Adidas.

Adidas already has Messi. If they poach Lin Quan, Nike will not be able to compete with just Cristiano Ronaldo.

Besides, Ronaldo is 28 years old this year, and his peak period can only last for four or five years at most.

When he gets old, who can Nike rely on to keep up appearances? No one! Therefore, they are very eager to sign a super star like Lin Quan who is young enough and has excellent influence and strength.

In this way, even if Ronaldo's form declines in the future and he falls out of the ranks of the two greatest players, they will have someone who can take his place, or even surpass him and replace Ronaldo's position.

By that time, Adidas will face the dilemma of Messi's increasing age and declining form.

Nike may be able to take this opportunity to overturn the status of both parties in football in one fell swoop.

In addition, Lin Quan's Asian identity will also help Nike further expand its market in Asia.

With the rapid development of China's economy, the Asian market, especially the Chinese market, is becoming increasingly important to Nike.

By signing Lin Quan, they can even save some money and no longer have to go to China to hire local sports stars to do promotion.

After comprehensive consideration, Nike felt that Lin Quan's commercial value was greater than Ronaldo's! Therefore, they personally visited Lin Quan and his agent, and cordially invited Lin Quan to Nike headquarters for a signing ceremony.

Considering that the other party offered a three-year contract worth 18 million euros, Lin Quan accepted Nike's invitation.

We boarded the special plane provided by the other party and set off for Portland, Oregon.

At Nike's headquarters, Lin Quan was warmly welcomed by Nike.

Nike CEO Mark Parker and brand president Charlie Denson both came out in person to welcome him.

"Lin, I've been waiting for you for half a year, and you're finally here!"

Mark gave Lin Quan a warm hug and said to him with a smile.

"Lin, welcome. We have invited more than 200 reporters from various media to attend the signing ceremony. Believe me, signing with us is definitely the right choice!"

Charlie Denson's words show that Nike values ​​Lin Quan. If it didn't, it wouldn't have invited news media from all over the world to attend the signing ceremony.

These words also showed Lin Quan the strength and influence of Nike. Not every brand can have such a huge influence and appeal, and can easily invite so many media to support it.

However, Lin Quan was not very enthusiastic about this. He felt that even if Nike had a strong appeal, if the player signing with them was an ordinary player, these reporters might not necessarily give them this face.

After all, it was the huge sensation created by the powerful combination of the two parties and Nike's influence in the media circle that ultimately attracted so many reporters.

It is somewhat shameless for Nike to take all the credit for themselves.

However, the sincerity shown by Nike later made Lin Quan dispel his doubts about them.

"Lin, these are the sneakers our R&D department developed and designed specifically for you. They are custom-made sneakers just for you!"

The appearance of this pair of sneakers made Lin Quan's eyes light up.

For football players, good equipment is necessary.

For most players, owning a pair of customized sneakers is their dream.

"Can I try it?"

"Of course, it is not perfect yet. We need direct feedback and opinions from players to further improve it. I hope you can wear this pair of shoes and achieve better results on the court!"

Players achieve better results, sponsors gain more exposure and make more money.

Both parties get what they need!

PS: Based on readers' feedback, this chapter has been extensively revised.

PS: After reading everyone's opinions, thank you for your suggestions. This chapter has been completely revised. The signed sponsor has been changed to Nike. I personally don't like Nike and Adidas because of the cotton incident and haven't bought their products for two years. However, considering the background of the times, domestic brands were not very good in 2013. Not only did they have no influence in the football world, but they were also not professional enough in football shoes. I overlooked this point, so I made some changes. Thank you for your suggestions! 　　 　 (End of this chapter)