Chapter 762 This is a beautiful move!
When Yang Huan witnessed Southampton's 3-0 victory over European champions Bayern Munich at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton, with a total score of 6-0, countless fans in China were also watching TV.
Even though the Champions League match was in the middle of the week and was scheduled in the early morning, it still couldn't stop this group of fanatical fans.
What is it like to witness a football team invested by a Chinese owner reach the Champions League final?
I believe that this question asked on Zhihu before the game will receive thousands of answers!
In the living room of the Zhuang family in Beijing, not only Zhuang Mingyang and his wife, but also Mr. Zhuang, Zhuang Ziqing, and even Zhuang Zicheng went home specially just to watch this crucial event with their family.
The moment the referee blew the whistle, everyone in the living room was delighted.
"Well, the game is finally over!"
The voice of He Wei, the TV commentator from Capital TV, came from the TV.
"Southampton made it to the Champions League final in a miraculous way, which was beyond everyone's expectations."
"Yes!" The famous CCTV commentator and former international footballer Xu Yang also gave a thumbs up.
"The Saints have always been underestimated in the past. They performed well in the group stage and the round of 16. Everyone thought it was a lucky draw. But in the quarter-finals, they beat Real Madrid. In the semi-finals, they beat Bayern Munich. They proved their strength very well!"
"I think this team is definitely aiming for the championship and has the ability to win it!"
“Haha!” He Wei laughed. “Indeed, many people were saints in name only before, but now… to use a popular phrase on the Internet, their faces are swollen!”
"Isn't it?" Xu Yang also smiled. "Southampton is a team that is not weak in itself. Judging from the current team lineup, this team is definitely in the top five. Coupled with the four-year integration of head coach Bielsa, it is definitely not surprising that the team is performing now."
"Yes, the Times of England once did a special feature. In the fans' questionnaire survey, the fans generally believed that the biggest contributor to Southampton's outstanding performance was the management, followed by the head coach, and then the players."
"That's right!" Xu Yang agreed. "In modern professional football, the role of management is quite huge. There is a common saying in the football circle that the outcome of a game is basically determined the moment you step onto the field."
"That is to say, the decisive factor lies outside the court!"
"Yes, it's crucial!" Xu Yang nodded. "And from the past few years, Southampton's management has been very professional. Many of their decisions and measures have broken the fixed mindset of traditional professional football."
"For example, they were the first to use online press conferences, but only now, four years later, have other teams started to follow suit. And their so-called Saints Fan Club has membership fees of up to £100 million a year, and in the past year or two, there have been calls from the outside world for expansion."
He Wei nodded, "Yes, these have completely broken our previous understanding of traditional professional football. However, what surprised me the most was their new stadium."
“Yeah, that’s right!”
"I have a friend who studies the real estate industry. He told me that Southampton's approach has attracted considerable attention throughout Europe because they have completely overturned many traditional commercial real estate models."
"He even told me that Southampton has only been launched for a short time, but it has already achieved considerable success. As a result, the market value of football teams in some major European cities has skyrocketed, because investment giants have begun to pay attention to this area!"
"Haha, that's right, that's why I said that Southampton has been subverting our past understanding of traditional football."
As a former international player, Xu Yang has personally experienced professional football and has a deeper understanding.
"In the past, we always thought that football, especially European professional football, was already very developed, but Southampton has once again broken this impression of ours. It has used facts to tell the world that it is wrong. It is still very backward and has huge potential that has not been tapped."
"Look, their new stadium includes an artificial island. It is said that the total investment is as high as 500 million pounds. But now the annual income from the new stadium is conservatively estimated to be more than 300 million pounds. It will pay back in two years. This business is really smart!"
He Wei laughed again and nodded in admiration, "But only Southampton can do this."
"Yes, I heard that the Saints held a sponsor conference, reportedly to integrate sponsors, and will continue to integrate partners. This practice means that the Saints occupy a dominant position in this commercial feast, and it is being transformed into a commercial cooperation platform. This is why everyone is optimistic about this team!"
"That's right!" He Wei also felt that Xu Yang's analysis was very reasonable.
Coincidentally, at this moment, the camera shifted from the players celebrating at St. Mary's Stadium to the stands.
It was bright red, and everywhere were filled with fans wearing red and white striped shirts. There were just too many of them.
"This is St. Mary's Stadium. There are more than 30,000 people, and the seats are packed. The atmosphere is very enthusiastic!"
The camera moved and finally landed on the chairman's stand.
"This is the management of Bayern Munich. We see Rummenigge, who is..."
Xu Yang quickly added, "Bayern Munich's acting chairman Herbert Hainer is also the chairman of Adidas."
"Yes! In addition, we also saw that Southampton's management also came over to say hello to Bayern Munich's top executives. This is the bald man, Peter Kenyon, who is known as the strongest professional manager in Europe. The one next to him is Ron Gourlay."
"Both of them are the hottest professional managers in Europe right now. One is the CEO of the Saints, and the other is the COO. And this guy walking over, oh my god, look, it's Yang Huan!"
"Isn't it? It is indeed Yang Huan. I heard that he appears in the stands for every game. He looks so young!"
"Yes, what impressed me most was his wedding of the century. Even Prince William of the United Kingdom drove his wedding car. Just tell me, how awesome was that!"
"Well, I have a friend in the UK, and he told me that Yang Huan is very popular in British high society now. He has almost become the most popular topic of discussion in British high society, and his every move is also very eye-catching."
"Yes, Southampton just announced the operating model of the new stadium, and Tottenham Hotspur immediately followed suit, announcing that they would emulate Southampton's model in North London. As a result, they were accused of plagiarism, haha..."
"Actually, there shouldn't be any plagiarism. I heard that Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton are strategic allies. The two clubs have a very good relationship. Moreover, one is in North London and the other is in Southampton. The two teams are located in the south and the north, which just happens to sandwich Arsenal and Chelsea in the middle, hehe..."
"Teacher Xu, what do you think Yang Huan will say when he meets Rummenigge?"
"Well, maybe they are discussing player transfers!"
"Yes, I heard that many transfers were negotiated under such circumstances."
"Well, however, it may be difficult for Bayern Munich's players to be favored by Southampton. To be frank, the players in each position of the three lines of the Saints are not as strong as those of Bayern Munich, but at least they are not weaker."
"Does that mean Bayern Munich wants to poach Southampton players?"
"Well, there is such a possibility!"
…
Capital TV was very generous this time and extended the live broadcast for several minutes, allowing all fans to see Southampton's post-match celebration with their own eyes.
Among them, the most interesting thing is undoubtedly that after the game, the Saints players, including those on the bench, led by captain Neuer, bowed and thanked the fans in the stands on all sides.
This has become a routine after every Southampton game.
The fans are God!
Southampton is not just talking, but doing it with actual actions!
"My brother-in-law is so awesome. He first defeated Real Madrid and now he's defeated Bayern Munich. The Champions League title is already secured!" Zhuang Zicheng, who is a more lively person, cheered excitedly.
He is also a die-hard football fan and recently fell in love with Southampton because of Yang Huan.
This time, seeing Southampton reach the Champions League final, he was also very excited.
Instead, his father Zhuang Mingyang asked curiously, "Haven't we just made it to the finals? Does that mean we can definitely win?"
After hearing this, Zhuang Zicheng's smile froze and his face was full of contempt.
He looked around again and made sure there were no outsiders, then he breathed a sigh of relief.
If this problem were known to outsiders, he would be in great trouble.
A die-hard and veteran football fan actually has a father who can’t even recognize all the teams?
"Dad, the other team that will make it to the Champions League final will most likely be Atletico Madrid." Zhuang Ziqing glared at his younger brother, blaming him for being disrespectful and not being serious with their father.
"Atletico Madrid?" Zhuang Mingyang still didn't understand.
He knew Madrid, and he also knew Atlético, but Atlético…
"It's the Spanish team that Ah Huan bought from Qian's!"
"What?" Zhuang Mingyang was a little surprised. "Is it the Spanish team that almost bankrupted the Qian family?"
No wonder he was surprised, because it was really unbelievable!
When Qian bought Atletico Madrid, he fell into a huge pit.
But how long has it been? In just one or two years, under Yang Huan's leadership, this team has been completely transformed. Not only is it extremely powerful, but it has also made it to the Champions League final in one go. Isn't this too shocking?
"Yes, that's the one!" Zhuang Ziqing nodded proudly.
Yang Huan’s glory is also hers!
"Dad, this is called turning decay into magic, this is how powerful my brother-in-law is!"
Zhuang Mingyang was indeed unable to understand it, but he did not doubt it. After all, his beloved son-in-law was always surprising in everything he did, so this one more thing was not too much.
However, both teams participating in the Champions League final are ours, and it’s so exciting just thinking about it!
But I wonder if Yang Huan will be struggling in his heart about which team to support in the final?
Southampton is a team that has been painstakingly managed and carefully cultivated over many years.
But the problem is, Atletico Madrid is not bad either.
Not to mention the strength of the Colchoneros in recent years, just looking at Atletico Madrid's lineup, plus Simeone, they are not inferior to Southampton.
Besides, in terms of team lineup and commercial potential, Atletico Madrid may not lose to Southampton.
In this case, both teams are close friends, but it is indeed a difficult question whether the left hand will support the right hand.
But it doesn’t matter. If this kind of happy trouble is a headache, it’s Yang Huan’s business.
As for the rest of us, just watch the show!
"Actually, Dad, let me tell you, this is just the tip of the iceberg." Zhuang Zicheng chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Zhuang Mingyang frowned and looked at his son in a dignified manner.
That expression seemed to be saying, if you dare to keep it a secret again, do you believe I will beat you up?
Zhuang Zicheng didn't dare to say more. "I just found out about this not long ago. It turns out that my brother-in-law started to secretly invest in Bitcoin four years ago."
"Bitcoin?" The name is new, but not surprising, because it has been so popular in the past period of time, right?
“Yes, and I dare say that he holds the most Bitcoin in the world. But what? Last year, when Bitcoin reached its highest price, he secretly sold all of it. I don’t know how much he made, but at least, I estimate it to be several billion dollars.”
"Billions of dollars?" Not only Zhuang Mingyang, but even Old Master Zhuang, who had his head down as if he was asleep, raised his head.
“Yes, Bitcoin was almost worthless at the time, so this money was almost earned for nothing.”
Zhuang Mingyang was a little surprised and looked at Zhuang Ziqing, who was also very surprised and obviously didn't know about this matter.
"What did he do with such a large sum of money?"
“Acquisition!”
"Acquisition?"
Zhuang Zicheng nodded and smiled, with an expression full of admiration. "Yes, he recently acquired more than a dozen small companies with strong technology and R&D capabilities in Germany, France and other European countries."
When Mr. Zhuang heard this, he and Zhuang Mingyang looked at each other and both showed expressions of admiration.
Money is a good thing, but it is useless.
In an age when the whole world is printing money on a large scale, there is no need to save money.
On the contrary, technology, especially world-leading technology, is too important and too critical.
This kid is really smart!
This is a really beautiful move!