Chapter 386: Chapter 85: First in the Bundesliga! A Sky-High Contract! Advance, Dortmund! The Shadow of Bayern’s Great Comeback Reappears

Shen Qinghe was a bit embarrassed by Thomas Essien’s praise.

"Actually, it’s mainly because we were so well-prepared. I really didn’t expect Dortmund to be so sloppy."

"This is a contract worth over a hundred million yuan. If this were my dad’s company, we would have confirmed everything countless times and considered every single aspect from top to bottom before ever bringing it to the negotiating table."

This was Shen Qinghe’s first time negotiating with a football club, and it was a genuinely new experience for her.

"You were playing on a whole different level!" Wang Shuo praised her with a laugh.

Shen Qinghe’s smile widened.

"A British author named Simon Cooper wrote a book called *Soccer Economics*. In it, he says that European clubs’ transfer operations are extremely crude. For transfers of star players worth tens of millions of euros, they often do little to no preparation and just make decisions based on gut feelings."

"And then there’s Chelsea’s acquisition of Drogba. They spent tens of millions of euros, and after he arrived, they just dumped him in a hotel and paid him no mind. I thought it was absurd when I read about it."

"If you convert that to yuan, that’s hundreds of millions. Setting aside everything else, imagine a company spending hundreds of millions on a complete set of equipment, only to leave it outside, exposed to the elements, as soon as it’s delivered. Could you believe that?"

Wang Shuo laughed.

He felt that while Shen Qinghe’s analogy wasn’t perfect, it was quite fitting.

European clubs had always treated players like they were disposable assets.

This was probably related to how quickly they made money.

"Think about it. Forget the Premier League, just look at the Bundesliga. Aren’t they also making money hand over fist from all over the world?"

There are broadcasting rights, and then there’s brand value.

The former sells for a hefty price every year, and the latter brings in a ton of sponsorships.

Making money that fast meant they never felt the sting when they spent it. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Alright, let’s leave it at that for now. Next, we’ll see how Dortmund reacts."

At this, Wang Shuo looked at Shen Qinghe. "Come on, I’m treating you guys to a meal to celebrate you winning the first battle!"

Shen Qinghe agreed, and Thomas Essien, ever the third wheel, was of course happy to tag along.

As it happened, Shen Qinghe also wanted to use this opportunity to properly introduce the commercial blueprint she had planned for Wang Shuo to both him and Thomas Essien.

The next step was definitely to assemble a team quickly and establish contact with major brands.

The first on the list was Adidas.

Of course, the story of Giant Yao and Nike couldn’t be completely replicated for Wang Shuo and Adidas.

The two sports had completely different business models.

For example, basketball shoes had much higher sales, and star players received not only their contracted sponsorship fees but also a cut of the sales revenue.

In comparison, football boots didn’t sell nearly as well.

But basketball couldn’t compare to football’s widespread grassroots support and influence.

More importantly, how big was the market in China now?

It was, without a doubt, the top priority in both Nike’s and Adidas’s global strategies.

The market environment in 2010 was a world away from what it had been in 2003.

Shen Qinghe was confident that with Wang Shuo’s current achievements, his commercial value would be every bit as high as Giant Yao’s and Flying Liu’s.

At this thought, a flicker of emotion stirred in Shen Qinghe’s heart, and she turned her head to look at Wang Shuo.

As if sensing her gaze, Wang Shuo happened to turn his head at that very moment.

Their eyes met, and Wang Shuo broke into a smile.

Shen Qinghe offered a faint, reserved smile in return.

...

After eliminating Juventus 6–0 on aggregate, Dortmund drew Benfica from the Primeira Liga in the subsequent UEFA Europa League quarter-final draw.

They were a formidable team in their own right.

In the Round of 16, Benfica had thrashed Hertha Berlin, drawing 1–1 away before winning 4–0 at home.

This was a clear testament to the Primeira Liga team’s strength.

Therefore, drawing this opponent was quite a dangerous prospect for Dortmund.

After the draw was announced, Wang Shuo made a point of watching that 4–0 match.

Many of Benfica’s players left a deep impression on him.

For example, the Paraguayan forward Oscar Cardozo, who scored a brace.

There were Saviola, Aimar, and Di María from Argentina, as well as the former Real Madrid player, Harvey Garcia.

The center-back, David Luis, also left a deep impression on Wang Shuo.

As a forward, he would naturally be matched up against David Luis.

All in all, Benfica was by no means a weak team.

However, the first leg of their matchup wouldn’t be until April 1st.

Until then, Dortmund’s full attention was on the league.

With only eight rounds left in the Bundesliga, every one of Dortmund’s upcoming matches could be considered a decisive battle!

This was especially true for matchday 27, when the team would go head-to-head with the second-place team in the league, Bayer Leverkusen.

According to Klopp, this would be a pivotal match that would decide the fate of the championship.

If they could take down Bayer Leverkusen, the rest of the Bundesliga season would be much easier.

Due to their midweek UEFA Europa League match, Dortmund’s game was scheduled for the last day of the weekend’s fixtures.

The clash between the titans, Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, would naturally benefit Bayern.

The day before this clash of titans, ahead of Bayern’s away match against Frankfurt, Bayern Chairman Rummenigge told reporters, "After this match, we will further close the gap!"