From Arsenal to the Ball God

After the match, Alexander Song came to the center of the living room, clapping to his own beat and dancing joyfully, entertaining himself with great delight.

Ma’el and Van Persie applauded him, as if everyone found some extra energy and confidence to win against Liverpool and Manchester United in the next two matches.

The performance of the team’s rotation squad was excellent, helping the team secure a victory and move forward!

They also cannot neglect the responsibility and demeanor of the core players; they have to fight hard against Liverpool and Manchester United and uphold this family through January!

...

January 22nd, two days before the match against Liverpool, and eight days before the match against Manchester United.

Ma’el started his Ferrari, preparing to go out. Before the awards ceremony, he had mentioned that he wanted to properly thank Isabella this time.

It just so happened that a friend of hers wanted him to leave a photo at a suit store to boost the brand’s sophistication, so he straightforwardly agreed.

This wasn’t an advertisement or endorsement; it was just to show support and repay a favor.

On the way, his phone rang. When he picked it up, he found it was from Kevin Strom.

He switched the phone to his left hand, connected the call, and placed it by his ear, driving his beloved Ferrari with one hand, ”Kevin, do you have good news?”

”Sort of. How did you guess? Media news?”

”No, generally, if there’s nothing, you wouldn’t contact me. You also wouldn’t for bad news because I can’t solve your problems.”

”Haha.... I don’t know if you’ve heard the rumor, but Facebook is interested in acquiring us. They’ve offered a full acquisition price of 1.5 billion US Dollars.... which means your 10% stake would be worth 150 million US Dollars.”

”I’ve heard this news.”

Ma’el noticed traffic seemed to be blocked due to some accident, so he gradually stepped on the brakes to slow down, ”What do you think? Keep going, or sell it off?”

The development of Instagram was faster than he imagined, possibly due to his involvement too.

In less than a year, its valuation had risen from 30 million US Dollars to 1.5 billion US Dollars, a 50-fold increase!

Now, if the company wanted to raise more funds, Ma’el couldn’t afford it anymore. 1% would be 15 million US Dollars, which translated to over 10 million Pounds.

The plan to acquire more stock shares fell through, but this way, he made over 100 million US Dollars effortlessly!

That impulsive transaction ultimately brought him a handsome reward!

Moreover, knowing the future trend of Instagram, he could also choose not to sell his 10% stake, as the cooperation agreement didn’t require him to sell his shares in such circumstances.

He could completely wait, let that 10% appreciate more, and sell it when he personally needed the money.

”I want to sell it.”

Kevin Strom didn’t beat around the bush, candidly stating: ”The initial intention of making this software was just to create a successful, valuable app, not to make a great one.

”Besides, if we move further up, once we directly compete with Facebook and Twitter, some troubles might arise.”

Ma’el nodded slightly, knowing it would be tough to persuade him otherwise, ”I respect your decision, but frankly, I’m not currently inclined to sell my shares in the company.”

”.....” From the other end, there was hesitation and then: ”Originally, I should respect your decision too, but they mean a full acquisition. If you don’t want to sell, it might affect the ultimate takeover.

”However, I can’t deny your decision either. How about this, I know you’re likely too busy to come over, give me a time, and I’ll have someone from Facebook come to you.

”No rush, negotiations are still ongoing for the first half of the year. We still have some leeway.”

”Alright.” Ma’el agreed, thought for a moment, then said, ”Around mid-February, I am just too busy in January.”

They agreed on that too, and while saying goodbye, ”Ma’el, this cooperation was indeed very pleasant. I really look forward to working with you again in the future.

”Congratulations on being in the top ten for the Golden Ball Award and winning the Golden Boy and Puskas. We’ve always been following your news, haha.....Bye, after the acquisition ends, I’ll come to the United Kingdom.”

Ma’el put down the phone, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth, so, is he now considered to be worth over a hundred million Pounds?

...

In front of the suit store, quite a number of people were already waiting—employees of the store, Aisha’s parents, as well as her uncle and aunt.

Isabella was wearing a khaki trench coat with tight jeans today, matched with mid-calf boots, and accessorized with a scarf and bag, she looked very fashionable. She always knew how to dress well.

She looked at Aisha with a bit of worry, ”Weren’t you coming alone? Why so many people?”

Aisha looked apologetic and said, ”Originally, I was supposed to be alone, but I couldn’t hold back and mentioned it while dining yesterday. It just so happens my uncle is an Arsenal fan.

”They insisted on coming, and I couldn’t stop them.....but don’t worry, my father contacted the Mendes Agency to pay an advertising fee.”

”How much is his advertising fee now?” Isabella glanced at Aisha’s father and asked, ”It should be quite expensive.”

”His Facebook and Twitter post is quoted at 400,000 Pounds now. For a store like ours, that’s indeed quite pricey, and he might not even take it.”

Aisha bit her lower lip, wearing a bright colored tailored suit and trousers, she stood almost 1.8 meters tall, resembling a capable career woman, yet today, she seemed nervous and anxious.