Chapter 780 Throwing a Stone to Test the Water
"Hello, Louis!"
Young walked up to Luiz Filipe Vieira with a smile and shook his hand.
The Champions League final was held at Benfica's Stadium of Light. Although the stadium had been requisitioned by UEFA, Benfica was still the host, so naturally it took on the role of host to receive guests.
"Master Huan, let me introduce you!" Vieira turned around immediately.
Next to him stood a Portuguese middle-aged man in his early fifties, with gray hair, wearing a pair of glasses, a black suit and a blue tie. His friendly smile carried a bit of the majesty of a superior.
As soon as Yang Huan saw him, he recognized him immediately. This was the mayor of Lisbon, Antonio Luis dos Santos da Costa, whom he had just met two days ago.
In addition to being the mayor of Lisbon, this mayor is also a very important member of the ruling Social Democratic Party and is said to be interested in running for prime minister.
Oh, by the way, his father seems to be a very famous writer, so the topic they like to talk about is literature.
But it was clear that Antonio da Costa was not the man Vieira wanted to highlight.
Because, as Vieira pointed his finger, the mayor of Lisbon consciously stepped aside.
At this time, Yang Huan noticed an old man in his seventies, who gave the first impression of being tall.
But soon, he remembered.
Isn't this the President of Portugal, Anibal Antonio Cavaco Silva?
"Oh, hello, President Silva!" Yang Huan immediately smiled and extended his hand.
"Hello, Mr. Yang Huan, welcome to Lisbon!"
"Thank you!" Yang Huan thanked with a smile.
"This is..." President Silva noticed Zhuang Ziqing standing next to Yang Huan.
"My wife, Zhuang Ziqing!"
"Oh, beautiful Miss Zhuang, I'm so glad to see you!"
Zhuang Ziqing was also a person who was used to big occasions, so she immediately greeted him with a smile, "Thank you, President Silva!"
This made Su Jingyan, who was standing not far behind Yang Huan, a little stunned.
"The President of Portugal is here? Wow, am I seeing things?"
But when she saw Zhuang Ziqing accompanying Yang Huan and talking to the President of Portugal and the Mayor of Lisbon with such ease and grace, she couldn't help but admire her. After all, she was a lady from a noble family and had seen the world.
If it were me, and I suddenly met the President of Portugal, wouldn’t my legs be trembling?
On the other hand, Zhuang Ziqing and Yang Huan, standing together, are indeed a match made in heaven.
"In Europe, football is not just football, it is also a very important social channel. Therefore, whenever there are important football matches, many political and business celebrities will gather at the stadium. It is not uncommon for the top leaders of countries to attend in person."
After hearing what Zhang Ning said, Su Jingyan understood a little.
"In that case, Yang Huan's previous Saints fan club, which charged each member a membership fee of 100,000 pounds, was not a random thing!"
"Of course. Do you think that all the rich people are fools? Do you know who the members are? The future King of England, Prince William, the only heir to the Grosvenor family, the only heir to the Cork family, the only son of the Prime Minister of Qatar..."
“With so many people gathered together, even if they do nothing, the influence is quite amazing!”
Su Jingyan deeply agreed with Zhang Ning's words.
On the surface, the laws in foreign countries, especially in developed countries like Europe and the United States, are very sound and it seems that corruption and bribery will not happen. In fact, this idea is totally wrong.
It’s not that there is no corruption in these countries. On the contrary, their corruption is very, very serious.
It’s just that they do it more secretly and skillfully!
While Su Jingyan was thinking, Yang Huan and Zhuang Ziqing had already started chatting with the Portuguese President and others in front.
"Mr. Yang Huan, I just came back from a visit to China!" said President Silva.
Yang Huan also paid attention to this piece of news.
According to domestic media reports, the President of Portugal led the largest delegation in history to visit China.
"I have always attached great importance to developing relations with China and have been strengthening the economic and trade relations between the two sides. We very much welcome Chinese investors to invest in Portugal. At the same time, we are very grateful for the important role that Chinese investors have played in the economic development of our country in the past few years!"
In the past few years, many properties in Portugal have been sold to investors from China.
Even at Lisbon International Airport, as soon as you walk out of the waiting hall, you can see real estate advertisements written in Chinese.
Therefore, President Silva’s remarks are not surprising.
"While in China, I also mentioned you when I talked with your top leader!"
"Really?" Yang Huan really didn't know.
"Yes, he thinks highly of you, and I also jokingly mentioned that you already have quite large investments in many European countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France and Germany, so why not consider us in Portugal?"
Yang Huan never expected that he would become the topic of discussion when the leaders of two countries met.
Isn’t this a bit too lofty?
But it feels sour and refreshing, I like it!
"Mr. President, I am very willing to come to Portugal to invest and have been looking for opportunities!" Yang Huan said with a smile.
This is not just a polite remark, but the truth.
As for Portugal, there is really nothing worthy of Yang Huan's attention in terms of industry.
But when it comes to tourism resources, Portugal is quite outstanding and is well-known all over the world.
"Really?" President Silva laughed. "It is our honor to attract young talents like Mr. Yang Huan to invest in Portugal. We should not only welcome them, but also give them strong support!"
Today, Portugal's economy has fallen into a difficult situation. Many banks have even collapsed and a debt crisis has occurred. Under such circumstances, stepping up efforts to attract foreign investors has become a very important means of self-rescue.
To put it bluntly, Portugal now has to lower its prices and strongly invite foreign investors to buy at the bottom.
"Mr. President, in fact, I have always been very interested in Portuguese football and youth training. As you know, our country is now stepping up efforts to develop football. We are even considering arranging a group of young players to receive professional training in major European clubs every year."
After hearing this, President Silva nodded repeatedly. He also mentioned this point during his visit to China.
Portugal's youth training is indeed good. Although there has not been a talent spurt like Spain and Germany in recent years, the training of players has always been very stable.
Of course, due to various reasons, Portugal's stars in recent years have never been able to reach the overall height of the golden generation such as Figo and Rui Costa, but there are still rare geniuses like Cristiano Ronaldo emerging.
Moreover, to a certain extent, the Portuguese style is also in line with the characteristics of the Chinese, especially those in the south.
When Yang Huan said this, he changed the subject and said, "But I know that the current football environment in Portugal is very complicated. Many teams have various problems, even in terms of player training, there are many problems, just like real estate!"
The last one can be regarded as Yang Huan’s protest on behalf of his compatriots in China.
Because many investors from China bought houses in Portugal, but ended up being cheated.
The Portuguese government certainly does not support such behavior, but it has also done something inactive.
"Mr. Yang Huan, please believe that we will give you a satisfactory answer in the shortest possible time regarding your questions about real estate investment!" President Silva was also worried that the poor domestic investment environment would scare away such a large consortium.
Apart from anything else, just take Yang Huan’s investments in Madrid and Milan, which are huge investments of more than ten figures.
"As for the issue of our domestic investment environment, we will also do our utmost to protect the interests of foreign investors. As for investment and cooperation in football, since it involves a large number of fans, so..."
Vieira, who was standing by, suddenly had his eyes light up when he heard this.
He immediately thought of a piece of news. That is, two days ago, Zhao Yuanfang, the CEO of the famous football investment group from Monaco, came to Portugal and was said to have had contact with Porto. This company is said to have a close connection with Master Huan.
Could it be that Young Master Huan is interested in investing in a football club in Portugal?
Yang Huan smiled slightly, "It's okay, take your time, but our company has recently taken a fancy to two or three projects in Lisbon and Lagos, with an investment amount of more than 500 million euros. I hope the government can complete the procedures as soon as possible!"
President Silva's eyes suddenly lit up. What a big deal, isn't it?
A single move, a trial throw, is 500 million euros. Isn't this a big deal?
But President Silva soon realized that this Chinese was quite shrewd.
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and a center of politics, economy, culture and education, not to mention its tourism resources. It is one of the most famous tourist cities in Europe.
And what about Rags?
Ordinary people have certainly never heard of it, but as a Portuguese, President Silva knows it very well. Lagos is known to have the most beautiful coastline and beaches in Europe. In this small town in the southwest corner of the European continent, you can enjoy the unparalleled 360-degree view of the Atlantic Ocean.
Although the world-famous Cape Roca is known as the end of the world for Europeans, what is it actually like?
Only those who truly know how to appreciate beautiful scenery will know that Lagos is the real end of the world, because only here can you enjoy the most beautiful Atlantic Ocean view.
With the rise of Portugal's tourism industry in recent years, Lagos has received more and more attention and recognition.
But at least until now, there is still considerable investment potential here.
From this point alone, it can be seen that this Young Master Huan is not as extravagant and dissolute as rumored outside. On the contrary, he is very shrewd. But it can also be seen that he is indeed sincere in coming to Portugal to invest.
"Okay, Mr. Yang Huan, I'll remember that. I'll arrange for people to follow up later!" President Silva promised with a smile.
"As for the matter of investing in the football club, we will also consider it carefully and will definitely give you a satisfactory answer!"
Yang Huan laughed, "Then I would like to thank President Silva first!"
The two men exchanged a few more polite words and said a lot of polite words before the Portuguese president and others apologized and left.
During the period, he even mentioned that he hoped Southampton would have the opportunity to introduce more Portuguese players.
This made Yang Huan laugh.
Because, neither of the two teams participating in the Champions League final had a single Portuguese player!
However, Yang Huan also had a response plan and immediately mentioned that Southampton was working on introducing Benfica's promising midfielder, Bernardo Silva, and Braga's Rafa Silva.
Both players are rising stars of Portugal. Rafa is 20 years old and has performed well in the Braga first team. He has been selected for the Portugal national team and is known as the Hazard of Portugal.
As for Bernardo Silva, he is younger, only nineteen years old, and is regarded as Benfica's most promising midfield talent. He is hailed as the Messi of Portugal, which shows his extraordinary potential.
Southampton is reserving talents for the future, and since the two players have great potential but are not expensive, they were bought and continue to play for Benfica and Braga on loan.
If they can perform well in the future, they will naturally have the opportunity to go further.
On the other hand, if the development is not as expected, the Saints will consider cashing them out.
At worst, you’ll just lose some money!
This is also one of the methods used by European giants to select players.
Just after Yang Huan saw off the Portuguese President and others, the stadium staff walked into the VIP lounge and informed everyone that the game was about to begin and that these VIPs could enter!