With the end of all the group matches, the top 16 matchups of this World Cup have also been released:
Brazil vs Chile
Colombia vs England
Netherlands vs Mexico
Costa Rica vs Greece
France VS Nigeria
Germany VS Algeria
Argentina vs Switzerland
Belgium vs United States
Among these eight duels, most of them were battles between strong and weak teams with different strengths.
This also includes "rookies pecking each other" like Costa Rica and Greece.
Of course, the most topical thing is the battle between England and Brother that has been hyped by the media!
Without him, under the tout of the British media, England is the "favorite" in every international competition.
Every time, the media shouts the slogan: "Bring football home!"
However, this slogan has been chanted for almost fifty years, and football shows no sign of coming home.
As for this World Cup in Brazil, people in the football industry and the media also understand that the Three Lions are going through an embarrassing era of sluggishness. They also know that with the current lineup and strength of England's players, it will be difficult to win the championship.
Therefore, they did not clamor for unrealistic slogans such as "reaching the finals" and "winning the championship" again.
In the eyes of many English fans, being able to reach the quarterfinals in the end is already a blessing.
However, the emergence of Ling Feng, a talented midfielder, surprised them and they found someone they could brag about.
The offensive firepower displayed by Colombia in this tournament is shocking.
In three games, he scored nine goals and conceded only two!
Second only to the "Tulip Army" Netherlands, which scored ten goals and conceded three!
Especially Ronaldo's personal performance is amazing!
Although the difference in worth between the two teams is 100 million euros.
However, excluding the inflated value of English players, the overall strength of the two teams is actually almost the same.
This kind of "powerful showdown" with similar strengths is what fans love to see!
Not to mention, the core players on both sides are all first-class handsome guys!
In football, image is also a very big plus point.
Many wealthy teams, in addition to considering the player's personal strength, often also consider the player's image when recruiting.
A good image means it can attract more fans and has high commercial value.
Their stunning performance in the World Cup and their outstanding looks have earned the two a lot of attention.
The number of social media fans has increased by millions!
And this duel between supernovas, under the hype of the media, has become the focus of everyone's attention!
. . .
June 29th, the day of the competition.
Rio de Janeiro, Maracana Stadium.
This stadium is a sacred place for Brazilians and a symbol of Brazilian football history.
According to statistics, the number of spectators entering the stadium to watch this game exceeded 70,000!
This attendance is the highest since the group stage!
In addition to fans from England and Colombia, there were also many neutral fans who flocked to this stadium.
This shows how interesting this duel is!
In a VIP stand area with a very good view, neither high nor low, Ling Feng's parents were wearing their son's No. 15 jersey, looking around excitedly:
"Wow, the view here is great."
"Yes, you can see it very clearly."
After sighing, Lingshan turned to look at Mendes, smiled and thanked: "Mr. Mendes, thank you so much."
Mendes, who was wearing a black polo shirt, took off his sunglasses and smiled:
"Mr. Ling, just call me Jorge. You don't have to be so polite."
"Ling is an important client of mine, and making proper arrangements for him and his family is what I should do."
Ling Feng shined in the World Cup, and as an agent, Mendes was naturally happy.
The better Ling Feng performs on the court, the higher his salary and commercial value will be.
As his agent, the commission you may earn will be higher.
Speaking of which, Mendes still underestimated Ling Feng's strength.
He predicted that Ling Feng might get playing time in the World Cup and even perform well.
However, he did not expect that Ling Feng would become England's indispensable frontcourt core in just three games!
In Mendes' view, signing Ling Feng is definitely the wisest decision he has made this year!
In order to maintain a long-term cooperative relationship with Ling Feng, a cash cow, he naturally has to get closer to the players.
Becoming a player's friend has always been his purpose in dealing with players!
Of course, helping Ling Feng's parents with all their needs while watching the game in Brazil is what a loyal friend should do.
In this World Cup, the teams of many of his players and clients have entered the top 16.
However, his most important client, the King of Portugal, failed to even qualify in the group.
So, after much consideration, he decided to go to the scene to watch the focus of the battle between England and Colombia.
Without him, just because among the two teams in this game, there are two young customers that he values very much and are the most valuable:
England's "New Beckham" Ling Feng, and Colombia's "National Treasure" Ronaldo!
Not long after he sat down, Mendes' cell phone started ringing.
Taking out his phone and seeing the caller ID on the screen, Mendes raised his eyebrows.
He sat up straight first, then pressed the answer button, and then took the lead in saying hello in Spanish:
"Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman!"
The next second, a slightly hoarse and deep old voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Good afternoon, Jorge."
The caller was none other than Florentino Perez, the chairman of La Liga club Real Madrid, nicknamed "Lafayette"!
Over the years, Mendes has successively helped Pepe, Coentrao, Marcelo, Di Maria and others join Real Madrid, and has established a good relationship with Florentino.
The two of them would have a cup of tea together from time to time, just like friends.
Of course.
In Mendes' view, at this critical and sensitive node of the World Cup, when the Real Madrid president suddenly called him, it was certainly not to invite him to tea or to taste red wine from a Spanish winery.
Of course, he would not take the initiative to ask the other party's intention.
Because he knows very well that this person has great prestige and status in football and has always done things vigorously and resolutely.
Sure enough, just after saying hello, Florentino on the other end of the phone said directly:
"That boy No. 10 from Colombia is your client?"
"Yes."
"I want him!"
Mendes was not surprised that Florentino took a fancy to Ronaldo.
This is not the first team president to call him and claim that he wants Ronaldo.
In terms of skills, Ronaldo is the best player under the age of 23 in this World Cup, bar none!
In terms of appearance, Ronaldo is definitely a handsome guy among European aesthetics.
In terms of commercial value, Ronaldo is backed by the entire Colombian market and has huge commercial potential.
You know, the official language of Colombia is Spanish!
Obviously, Florentino wants to find a suitable new owner for Real Madrid's No. 10 jersey.
And James Rodriguez, the star of this World Cup, is his choice!
Of course, in addition to sporting reasons and expanding Real Madrid's influence in Colombia, there are also personal reasons.
Through Ronaldo's deal, Florentino's ACS Construction Group can reach into Colombia and win many big orders.
All in all, there are many benefits to buying Ronaldo, whether it is Real Madrid or Florentino himself!
Although I have already smelled the high commission that can be earned in this transaction.
However, Mendes, who was excited in his heart, still replied very firmly:
"Of course, no problem! I don't think James would refuse an invitation from the greatest club in the world."
"It's just that Monaco will not let him go so easily. After all, James, as the core of the team's frontcourt, performed very well last season and helped the team almost win the league championship."
"I understand what you mean. As for the team, we can talk slowly. I hope to reach an agreement with the players first!"
"That's easy to say."
In just a few words, the two almost finalized a blockbuster transfer that would surely shock the football world!
Of course, as a professional agent, the reason why Mendes directly agreed to Florentino's trade proposal was not that he had the right to help players make transfer decisions privately, but that he concluded that Ronaldo would not refuse 100%. Real Madrid invitation!
Ronaldo is a loyal fan of Real Madrid.
This season's semi-final between Real Madrid and Bayern, Ronaldo even drove nearly 600 kilometers from Monaco to Munich just to watch this game.
After the game, he also took a photo with Ronaldo.
If he knew Real Madrid wanted him, Ronaldo would have bought a flight ticket and wanted to fly to Spain immediately!
After making two irrelevant remarks, Mendes thought Florentino would hang up the phone immediately.
Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly asked a question that surprised him:
"By the way, that boy No. 15 from England is also your client?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a look of surprise flashed across Mendes's eyes.
Um?
One James is not enough, but he directly packaged two of my most promising and valuable supernovas? !
However, Mendes has no doubts about Florentino's magnanimity and style.
In the summer of 2009, in order to build the "Galactico Phase II", Florentino, who entered the palace for the second time, spent 250 million euros and won famous players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Benzema, and Xabi Alonso. The star also didn't blink an eye.
You know, that summer window is considered by many Real Madrid fans to be the greatest transfer window in Real Madrid history.
Because Real Madrid won the past, present and future three Ballon d'Or players in one go!
As his thoughts were spinning, Mendes did not forget to answer:
"Yeah, I just signed him this year."
"He's not bad, we can come to Real Madrid too!"
Although Ling Feng's current reputation and career history are completely inconsistent with Real Madrid's superstar recruitment policy.
But who makes the British media so good at bragging?
New Beckham!
This nickname reminds Lafayette of Beckham, who was signed from Manchester United.
Not to mention the competitive aspect, after signing Beckham that year, Real Madrid gained huge benefits in terms of commercial development.
Especially its influence in England has also grown greatly.
But now, suddenly there is such a young Englishman who has the appearance to compete with Beckham and his skills are not bad. Of course, Florentino is a little wary.
Spending big money to buy superstars is a tyrannical signing idea.
However, this signing idea has high risks and high returns.
Just like Kaka back then.
Buying young demons and scratch-off lottery tickets is another way to recruit players.
The most important thing is that the risk is low and the return is high!
If you scratch out "Thank you for participating", you won't lose much.
Once you scratch out the first prize, take off straight away!
In Florentino's opinion, Ling Feng's business would definitely make a profit.
Just buy it, and then develop it commercially and sponsor it, just like Beckham did back then, and you can easily recover the transfer fee and player salary.
However, what he didn't expect was that Mendes, who had been very cheerful just now, hesitated:
"Mr. Chairman, this is a bit difficult to deal with."
Compared with Ronaldo, who has been practicing in European football for several years, Ling Feng's situation is more special.
After all the calculations, Ling Feng only participated in half a season in the professional arena.
However, the speed at which he soared was comparable to that of a rocket.
Although he has not played a game in the Premier League yet.
However, after three warm-up matches and three World Cup group matches, Ling Feng has established a firm foothold in the England national team, and there are faint signs of becoming the core of a new generation of England midfielders.
With his performance in the World Cup, Ling Feng's worth of 10 million euros will at least double after the World Cup.
As for the team, Leicester City is absolutely unwilling to let go of its core and future.
Unless the player himself has a strong will and Real Madrid offers an offer he can't refuse!
However, are Real Madrid willing to spend tens of millions of euros in transfer fees for a Championship player who has never participated in a Premier League game?
Mendes was skeptical.
It's not that he thinks Real Madrid can't pay, but that Lafayette is too shrewd to do so.
What's more, from his professional perspective, it would not be a good choice for Ling Feng to join Real Madrid at this age.
This is the critical period for young players to need a lot of playing time in order to quickly increase their numbers.
As the saying goes, when a wealthy family goes deep, it is as deep as the sea.
With Ling Feng's current fame and status in football, even if he joins Real Madrid, he will not be able to play as the main player.
It's not that he's not strong enough, but that the big clubs don't just look at the player's strength when selecting players.
The dressing room of a wealthy club is not that easy to mess around with.
In particular, factional fighting in Real Madrid has always existed.
If Ling Feng goes in as a small shrimp, there will definitely not even be any residue left!
In the career plan Mendes gave Ling Feng, Ling Feng first played two seasons in Leicester City to familiarize himself with the rhythm of the Premier League.
Then go to a mid-to-upper-tier team in the Premier League, participate in European competitions, and strive to win a cup championship.
When you are twenty-three years old, you can go to the giant teams in the five major European leagues and compete for championship honors!
Of course, based on Ling Feng's current terrifying growth rate, it may be earlier to join a wealthy club.
But not now!
There are still two thousand words left, which I am still writing, and I will finish them together tomorrow.
(End of chapter)
