From Arsenal to the Ball God

”I’ve been waiting for you.”

In the office, Alto, the General Manager of the UK branch, stood up from his seat and extended his right hand to Ma’el, ”Alto, Mr. Mendes should be very familiar with me by now.”

”Hello.”

Ma’el shook his hand and gave a brief hug, then sat down across from him with Mendes.

”Let’s get straight to the point.” Alto handed a contract to Ma’el and turned to Mendes, asking, ”How much does the player currently know about this contract?”

Mendes replied with a smile, ”He only knows about the additional bonuses… you know, he’s a hot football star in the Premier League right now.”

”People lining up to sign him stretch all the way to Southampton, and with various interviews and social events, plus a tight schedule, he hasn’t had time to understand it in detail.”

Ma’el covered his face with the contract and glanced at him from the side. So, this is a mix of lies and truth... an exaggeration based on reality, huh?

He chuckled to himself, flipping through the bonus contract in his hands, finding it somewhat similar to the one from Arsenal.

It still listed club honors he might earn in order of importance, with different bonuses for different tiers.

However, in addition, Puma had specifically bolded personal honors... Compared to the bonuses offered by the club, they would definitely place more value on the player’s individual achievements.

For instance, the first tier included World Cup Champion, European Cup Champion, and Champions League Champion trophies.

But there were four individual honors: FIFA Golden Ball Award, UEFA Best Player, FIFA Team of the Year, and European Golden Boot.

The bonus for this level is an astounding 2 million Pounds.

The second tier is Premier League Champion, FA Cup Champion, and Club World Cup Champion trophies.

Personal honors are the Golden Boy Award, National Soccer Player of the Year, Premier League Golden Boot, Premier League Season’s Best Player, European Cup and Champions League Golden Boot, and Best Player, World Cup Golden Ball Award — nine in total.

The bonus for this level is 1 million Pounds, which is also quite attractive.

Other various championships, official best eleven (not always available) in any major tournament and best player in finals, are worth 500,000 Pounds.

Overall, as additional bonuses, this contract is very lucrative... As long as the player truly performs phenomenally, it’s easy to earn over 5 million Pounds a year in endorsements, or even more!

Ma’el’s breathing became uneven, as if he saw countless green bills fluttering down the path ahead of him.

If he performs well… with this bonus plus the club’s salary and bonuses, he could quickly acquire that mansion, truly securing a multimillion-pound fixed asset, a foundation.

Considering future possibilities — if ins needs refinancing, a well-lined pocket could allow him to acquire more shares.

”Since the player knows about the additional bonuses, it’s time to discuss the tiered bonuses.”

Alto focused on Ma’el’s right hand, estimating his page-flipping speed, and explained, ”The tiered bonus is calculated based on the player’s accumulated bonuses for the season. The method is simple.

”Equal to or less than 3 million Pounds, an additional 300,000 Pounds for every million acquired.

”From 3 to 6 million Pounds, an extra 500,000 Pounds for every million; above 6 million Pounds, 800,000 Pounds per million, nearly double.

”Note, this is not like a complicated tier tax rate calculation; rather, it’s a straightforward calculation within a single season.

”Upon reaching a new tier, all accumulated bonuses within the season are settled according to the new tier’s bonus.”

Mendes smiled at Ma’el. These were the conditions he fought for in previous negotiations, well aware of them.

He hadn’t mentioned it... wanting instead to bring this punch with a thrilling surprise and motivation during their meeting here.

He believed Ma’el would be deeply impressed by this contract and strive for those team and individual honors stated in it.

”I understand.”

Ma’el put the contract down, interlocking his fingers and nodding with satisfaction, ”What do I need to do?”

”Photoshoots and up to six advertisements a year.”

Alto leaned forward a bit, with a friendly demeanor, ”It won’t take much time, in total, no more than 15 days a year.

”Other than that, in any match and training session post-signing, you may need to wear Puma cleats.

”If shin guards are exposed, and in cases of wearing headbands or Kinesiology Tape, they need to be Puma brand as well.”

”No problem.” Ma’el, not caring much about this, agreed directly, ”Then I might have to choose some Puma shin guards, Kinesiology Tape, bandages, etc., right now... I have a league match tomorrow.”

”Follow me to the storage room.”

Alto stood up with a smile and led the two to the elevator, ”Let’s pick a few things you might need tomorrow.”

”Later, I’ll send you several samples of all Puma clothing and sports equipment. You can slowly choose what you like to use in daily life.”

”Do I need to pay?” Ma’el joked, having been fond of Puma’s clothing in his previous life, feeling a bit unaccustomed to suddenly becoming an ambassador.

”Hahaha...” The three laughed together as they walked into the warehouse, jointly selecting equipment for Ma’el’s match the next day.

When preparing cleats, Ma’el suddenly felt a bit different, realizing his football career was inextricably linked with shoes, marking one of his significant bonds.

”I seem to have heard of football shoes with celebrity endorsements?”