章 135: Nike Enters the Scene
Lin's unexpected rise to fame brought more benefits than he could have imagined!
When Lin suddenly became popular due to the two Champions League semi-finals, Nike, another giant in the sports brand world, took notice.
After watching highlights of Lin's performances in the league and national team and seeing his skyrocketing popularity on social media, Nike immediately realized that he could be the next Messi or Ronaldo.
They had to sign him right away!
So, they quickly sent representatives from the United States to Europe to meet with Lin and his agent, to see if they could persuade him to join Nike and become one of their sponsored athletes.
Nike hadn't signed many football players in Europe. The few big names included Ronaldo, Ibrahimović, Neymar, and Falcao.
Their previous signings, like Henry, Ronaldinho, and Drogba, had either retired or were at the end of their careers, unable to carry Nike's flag in the football world anymore.
Although Ronaldo, at 28, was still in his prime, his peak would last only another four to five years.
Nike needed to find a new, influential player who could succeed Ronaldo and carry their brand image in football.
This was why they didn't hesitate to spend heavily to sign Neymar!
Nike originally had high hopes for Neymar because many football experts believed he had great talent and could be the third star alongside Messi and Ronaldo.
But now, with Lin's sudden rise, they had a new option.
The external praise for Lin and his outstanding performance in the Bundesliga were enough to prove that he was a genuinely talented player.
Signing such a player, with his current achievements as a baseline, ensured that Nike wouldn't suffer a significant loss due to a misjudgment.
More importantly, Lin was very young, and his future potential was enormous.
Nike wanted to sign him before he fully established his fame and value, which would save them a lot of money.
Additionally, from a business development perspective, Lin was of Asian descent.
Signing him might help Nike develop its business in Greater China, something Neymar couldn't achieve.
So, after thorough analysis by Nike's internal analysts, they concluded that Lin was more important than Neymar, second only to Ronaldo.
They needed to secure him quickly and couldn't afford any delays.
If another brand signed him first, it would be a huge loss for Nike.
---
After the experience with Adidas, Pere wasn't surprised by Nike's visit.
However, when he saw their contract offer, his heart couldn't help but race.
Nike was indeed generous!
Adidas had offered 9 million euros for three years, but Nike started with 21 million euros for five years.
The contract amount doubled, with only two more years added.
On average, they would pay 4.2 million euros per year, 40% more than Adidas.
But after seeing the contract amount, Pere shook his head and refused:
"Sorry, we can't sign this contract."
"Why? Have you already signed with another company?"
Nike's football director, Baberi, was shocked, thinking they were too late.
Since Lin played in the Bundesliga, Adidas was the most likely company to approach him.
The thought of Adidas signing such a promising player filled Baberi with anxiety.
"Although it involves commercial secrets, out of respect for your company's sincerity, I can tell you that my player hasn't signed with any company yet."
Baberi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Pere's words.
If Lin hadn't signed yet, Nike still had a chance.
But why did Pere refuse to sign the contract?
Baberi suspected it was about the contract amount, so he tentatively asked:
"If Lin hasn't signed with another company, why not consider Nike?"
Pere knew Baberi was testing their stance but decided to be upfront:
"My player needs a contract that matches his strength and status. Your company's offer is a bit lacking in sincerity."
So it was about the contract amount. Baberi understood immediately.
This was an easy but tricky problem to solve.
The easy part was that money could solve it.
The tricky part was that he might not have enough authority to meet their demands.
"Lin is indeed a very talented and potential player, and Nike is very sincere about working with him."
Seeing Pere unmoved, Baberi gritted his teeth and made an offer close to his limit:
"Five years, 25 million euros. How about that?"
Pere raised his eyebrows. The amount increased by 4 million euros, averaging 5 million euros per year.
Although it wasn't as much as Ronaldo's contract, it was 70% higher than Adidas's offer.
This was probably Baberi's limit. Anything higher likely wasn't within his authority.
"I feel your company's sincerity, and I will convey it to Lin."
Baberi finally felt relieved hearing Pere's response.
With that, his trip wasn't in vain. He could wait for the news!
---
"5 years, 25 million? From Nike?"
Lin was surprised when he got a call from Pere about Nike's offer.
Nike's generosity was indeed impressive.
This offer was much higher than Adidas's and very tempting.
However, for certain reasons, Lin wasn't interested in Nike or Adidas.
Also, the contract length was too long. Signing it would put him at a disadvantage.
"Don't rush to answer them. Let's see what other brands have to offer!"
Lin wasn't in a hurry; the sponsors were.
He wanted to use Nike and Adidas's offers to gauge other brands' interest in him.
---
With Adidas's influence in Germany, they quickly learned about Nike approaching Lin.
"Did you find out Nike's offer?"
Adidas was worried about Nike's approach.
Nike was known for their big spending and generosity.
Their influence in football wasn't as strong as Adidas's, but they were willing to spend money!
Jimmy Dano was concerned that Nike would offer Lin a high price and that Lin would be swayed by the amount and sign with Nike.
Although it had been less than half a month since they last approached Lin, his influence in European football had grown significantly.
He was no longer an unknown young star but a true star.
Worse, with his rapid growth and influence in football, he seemed to be on his way to becoming a superstar.
This made Adidas, once confident in their offer, lose some confidence.
If this continued, Adidas might have to increase their offer to sign him.
"No news yet, but Nike is known for big spending. Our people said Baberi left Bremen with a smile, indicating the talks went well, and Nike likely offered a high price!"
Jimmy Dano couldn't sit still after hearing this:
"Send someone to Bremen again!"
"The same contract?"
Asked the assistant.
"Increase the amount by 1 million, make it 10 million for three years. That should satisfy him!"
Jimmy gritted his teeth, as if the extra million was coming out of his own pocket.
Upon hearing Adidas's second offer, Lin refused after just hearing the amount.
An extra million?
That was hardly an increase.
Adidas's offer lacked sincerity.
---
In the 31st round of the Bundesliga, Werder Bremen faced Bayer Leverkusen away.
For Werder Bremen, this was a revenge match.
They had previously lost 2-4 to Leverkusen at home, breaking their unbeaten home record.
With De Bruyne absent, Lin had to lead the team alone, so Werder Bremen didn't accept that loss.
Since the second half of the season, Werder Bremen had been in great form, with results improving.
The players had been eager to avenge their earlier defeat to Leverkusen.
This match was insignificant for Werder Bremen, as they had already secured a Champions League spot for next season.
Whether they finished second or third didn't matter much, as they had no European points and would likely be placed in the third tier in the Champions League.
But for Leverkusen, this match was crucial.
With Schalke 04 having beaten Hamburg, a loss would reduce Leverkusen's lead to three points.
With three rounds left, a three-point lead wasn't safe.
So, Leverkusen aimed to at least draw with Werder Bremen.
While other teams feared Werder Bremen, Leverkusen wasn't afraid.
They had already beaten Werder Bremen once and had a psychological advantage.
After the match started, Leverkusen tried to surprise Werder Bremen with an early attack, just like before.
But Werder Bremen had the same plan and their attack was more threatening.
Just one minute in, Werder Bremen had a high-quality shot that threatened Leverkusen's goal.
Shocked, Leverkusen quickly pulled back their players to defend against Werder Bremen's attack.
They focused on defending Werder Bremen's forwards, just as they had in their previous win.
But this time, the tactic didn't work and even backfired.
With De Bruyne in the lineup, marking the forwards didn't stop Werder Bremen's offense.
De Bruyne was also a strong finisher.
In the 20th minute of the first half, after a series of passes, De Bruyne received a pass at the edge of the box.
He unleashed a powerful shot over 100 km/h, breaking Leverkusen's goal and opening the scoring for Werder Bremen.
After playing together for a whole season, Lin and De Bruyne were fully familiar with their teammates' playing styles.
And their teammates could keep up with their pace. This goal started with Lin on the wing, drawing defenders and creating space for De Bruyne to shoot from a distance.
Striker Arnautović acted as a pivot, returning the ball to De Bruyne, who had an open shot.
Leverkusen's players thought the goal was due to luck, not realizing it was Werder Bremen's strategy.
They quickly paid for their oversight!
In the 38th minute of the first half, using a similar method, Lin initiated the attack, drew defenders
, and passed to a teammate.
The teammate then passed to De Bruyne, who scored another long shot, closer to the goal than the first.
This shot was even faster, and the goalkeeper could only watch the ball fly into the net.
2-0!
De Bruyne, who missed the previous match, scored twice to prove himself to Leverkusen's fans.
If they underestimated him and didn't defend properly, the consequences were severe!
Leverkusen learned their lesson and strengthened their defense on De Bruyne, denying him further shooting opportunities.
But with Werder Bremen's duo, one-on-one marking wasn't a problem.
You might mark one, but not the other.
Especially when the other was a dribbling wizard!
So, when Leverkusen focused on De Bruyne, Lin stepped up.
In the 53rd minute, his dribble forced a foul from Wollscheid.
Wollscheid received a yellow card and gave Werder Bremen a good free-kick position.
De Bruyne chose not to shoot directly but played a tactical pass with Lin.
Lin quickly broke towards the right side of the box, drew defenders, and passed back to De Bruyne.
De Bruyne then made a through ball behind the defenders.
Leverkusen's defenders couldn't turn in time and saw Lin rush past them.
In a hurry, they pulled Lin down in the box.
The referee, close to the foul, saw the clear pull and awarded a penalty.
Lin quickly got up and walked to the penalty spot. If they hadn't fouled him, it was uncertain if he would have scored with so many defenders.
But the foul was a big mistake.
Since they gave him a gift, Lin wouldn't be polite.
He took the penalty himself, scoring and extending the lead to 3-0.
With this goal, Leverkusen's hopes of a comeback were gone.
Schaaf soon made substitutions, bringing on youngsters Füllkrug and Petersen to give them more playing time.
As the season neared its end, Werder Bremen's coaching staff had to consider a realistic issue:
How would they play without Lin and De Bruyne next season?
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