From Arsenal to the Ball God

A smile quickly appeared on his face. He didn’t linger by Ma’el’s side but ran step by step towards the green field, looking to try a couple of kicks with a soccer ball.

”Deng deng deng.”

Watching his joyful running figure, Ma’el remembered when he once ran to the pitch wearing Hans’ shoes, running towards his own future... He hoped that this kid would have the same journey.

He had once gifted himself, giving himself a pair of now-collaborative soccer shoes.

”His name is Alfonso, a kid from Grini. Due to rampant drug and smuggling activities, it’s very impoverished there.”

A staff member had been observing Ma’el, seemingly understanding his thoughts, and explained, ”His mother is raising four children on her own, and they struggle with food, so there’s naturally no money to support him.

”He seldom accepts assistance from the coaches, who have to lend him new cleats under the guise of borrowing.

”He would wear the same pair of shoes for months, repairing them again and again until they completely fell apart.”

After listening, Ma’el nodded and remembered his name.

”Boom boom... Boom!”

Watching Alfonso energetically dribbling the ball and finishing a shot, seeing the smile on his face, Ma’el realized another layer of what success means.

He would pass on the kindness Hans once showed him, hoping his soccer shoes could be the start of many kids’ soccer careers.

After finishing his journey at Clairefontaine, he and Legrain visited several larger youth training academies, as well as some small interest classes, experiencing different kinds of soccer.

He handed out quite a few pairs of soccer shoes along the way, and when he finally spoke to Alto, the other party chuckled wryly, ”452 pairs, the statisticians just informed me. Goodness, should I be happy or feel sorry for you?”

”Of course, be happy.”

Ma’el smiled, ”I’m not even sorry for the massive bonuses Puma paid me, so this amount is nothing.”

”Haha... true.” This time, Alto had the chance to calculate things with Ma’el, and after taking a deep breath, he said, ”European Cup champion, European Cup best player + Golden Boot, do you know how much you can earn?”

”How much?”

”One top-tier award, two second-tier awards, totaling 4 million Pounds! Including extra bonuses, it totals 6 million Pounds.

”My goodness... in just 30 days, you’ve earned almost as much as last year. Is the money too easy to make?”

Ma’el couldn’t help but laugh, ”Yes, it seems like starting next season, my endorsement fee will be 9.85 million Pounds, almost breaking the 10 million mark.”

This was also a milestone moment—a contract with a primary endorsement brand for 10 million Pounds a year definitely signified that he was stepping into the ranks of the world’s top superstars.

As his match performances and personal play matched those of a super giant, his money-making ability slowly caught up!

”Yes, the new season hasn’t started yet, and by regulations, this 4 million Pounds will be added to your endorsement fee...

”But one thing, you previously mentioned counting the European Cup bonuses into next season, so the extra bonus clause is newly calculated, just reaching 4 million.”

”I understand.” Ma’el nodded; for him, that was undoubtedly the best scenario.

He knew that next season, he would surely earn more, reaching the full weight of the ’extra bonus’ clause of 6 million wouldn’t be a problem!

”How are the sales of the collaborative soccer shoes?” he proactively asked, being quite curious about that.

”As of yesterday, a total of 430,000 pairs have been sold, with sales revenue of 81.5 million Pounds...”

Alto surely watched those numbers slowly rise, but when he said them aloud, he couldn’t help but marvel, ”The result is much better than expected, though considering your unprecedented performance in the European Cup, it’s understandable.

”I’m estimating that selling 1.5 million pairs this year is definitely an achievable target, and if the sales exceed 350 million US Dollars, this pair of shoes will occupy 1% of the market share.”

Ma’el roughly calculated in his mind; when he initially signed the contract, it was a 12% revenue share agreement.

Which means, these 430,000 pairs of soccer shoes could earn him nearly 10 million Pounds, with around 6 million Pounds after tax!

Much more than he imagined, it seemed he underestimated this market... No wonder these stars continuously release collaborative shoes and related merchandise; as long as you have fame, the earning potential is tremendous.

So, after one European Cup, his post-tax income from Puma is nearing 10 million Pounds?

Directly surpassing last year’s total income?

Ma’el couldn’t suppress his smile as he said to Alto, ”You guys do a good job with the promotion, and I’ll work hard playing soccer, striving to sell 2 million pairs this year.

”If out of every hundred people playing soccer, one pair of my collaborative soccer shoes is worn, it’s a very fulfilling accomplishment.”

”Alright! Keep it up!” Alto cheered for him and also for Puma, ”Since we’ve already cooperated for more than a year, I think there’s nothing we can’t say between us, so I’ll make a wish here.

”I hope your presence will enable Puma to maintain rapid growth, giving us hope to catch up with Nike and Adi, and even surpass them in the future!

”I don’t think it’s impossible; this year’s end report should demonstrate some hope and give all of us confidence... I’ll send you a copy then.”

”Keep it up!” Ma’el could sense Alto’s mindset when saying this; it must have been a declaration filled with optimism and grandeur during a time of triumphant advance in life.

Helping Puma overtake the two giants?

This is a very challenging task, but he’s willing to give it a try because it’s also a very interesting task!