Chapter 279: The transfer that shocked football
"Congratulations, Wang!" In a private estate in the suburbs of Milan, Florentino met with Wang Feng. "Your performance shocked us all, especially when you saved Ronaldinho and Iniesta's penalties at the end. My jaw almost dropped!"
Wang Feng modestly responded with a few words. Accompanying Florentino were Real Madrid's executive manager Jeffrey and the first-team supervisor Sande, showing their appreciation for Wang Feng.
"Winning the Champions League by defeating Barcelona is the perfect achievement. I believe Real Madrid fans will warmly welcome you," Sande said. "In fact, many fans write to the club every year wanting to bring you in. You already have a solid fan base in Madrid."
"We have reached an agreement with Inter Milan, and the transfer news will be officially announced in a few days!" Florentino said. Originally, he planned to announce it after the World Cup, but the election situation forced him to do so earlier.
In addition, Florentino's visit was also to discuss the future direction of the new Galacticos with Wang Feng. "We plan to hire a new head coach to lead the Galacticos. Currently, we are favoring Capello from Juventus and Schuster from Getafe. Which one do you think is more suitable?"
Although Wang Feng was valued by the club, he was new to the scene, so he did not express any opinions on the choice of head coach, indicating that he would fully respect the club's decision, which Florentino appreciated.
However, Wang Feng subtly expressed his concern about Capello's coaching style, wondering if his defensive-oriented tactical system was truly suitable for the Galacticos.
As for transfers, everything was still unclear, but Florentino stated that there would be substantial investment, whether for stability in midfield and defense or for attacking assistance upfront, they would choose excellent players.
The World Cup often unveils many emerging talents, so most clubs initiate their transfer plans after the tournament ends.
They then discussed Wang Feng's commercial development. Florentino believed that Inter Milan had not fully explored Wang Feng's commercial value. "Whether it's endorsements or commercial activities, Real Madrid's operation will be more mature."
It's worth mentioning that, after several rounds of negotiations between agent Balmond and the club, Wang Feng's first contract with Real Madrid was for five years, with an annual salary of �12 million after tax in the first year, making him the undisputed world number one.
Currently, the highest annual salary in the world belongs to Chelsea's Shevchenko, who earns a net weekly wage of ��130,000 from Abramovich, roughly nearly �10 million a year.
Moreover, Wang Feng's contract stipulated that if Real Madrid achieved certain results, such as winning the Copa del Rey, La Liga, or the Champions League, his salary for the next year would increase by 5% to 15%.
In theory, his annual salary in 2011 could reach up to �24 million after tax, an absurd figure. Of course, to achieve this, Real Madrid would need to win the Champions League for the next five years, which is almost an impossible task.
In addition to the annual salary, the contract also included other lucrative bonuses, whether helping the team achieve results or winning personal honors, there would be a substantial reward.
There were also various commercial activities. The club would only take 20% of Wang Feng's image rights, which was unprecedented for Real Madrid. Even Beckham had to hand over 50% of his image rights, while other superstars even more.
Three days after Inter Milan's championship celebration, Real Madrid officially announced to the world that they would pay a transfer fee of �100 million to acquire the core of the Nerazzurri - Wang Feng!
In an interview, Florentino said that Real Madrid had gone through a regrettable period of decline, but everything would be different from now on, and the Galacticos would set sail again!
"Wang Feng is undoubtedly the best player in today's football world. I am confident that his arrival will bring Real Madrid back to its former glory."
This news shocked the entire football world. Real Madrid fans were ecstatic, taking to the streets with banners welcoming Wang Feng to Madrid. Having just defeated Barcelona single-handedly, he was highly respected among the fans.
Internally, all the turmoil within the club was quelled. Most senior executives believed that Wang Feng would bring qualitative changes to the team, and with his arrival, Florentino solidified his position as president, eliminating uncertainties from the election.
Italy, on the other hand, mourned, especially Inter Milan fans. Some complained about the unfairness of the Football Association leading to Wang Feng's departure, while others hoped that Inter could do everything possible to retain him.
All media outlets scrambled to dig up first-hand information. Soon, the news of Wang Feng reaching a transfer agreement a year ago and continuing to fight for Inter Milan to win their fifth Champions League trophy under Moratti's retention was exposed.
Although everyone speculated that it was the year Moggi ordered the referee to send Wang Feng off, leading him to consider leaving, they still wanted confirmation from Wang Feng himself.
"The Calciopoli" case was still under investigation, and Wang Feng didn't want to stand in the spotlight at this time. Therefore, in interviews, he remained silent about the reasons for the transfer, simply expressing gratitude to the Inter Milan club.
Moratti also became the focus of the media's attention. In an interview, he said, "It's regrettable that Wang is leaving the Meazza, but we will always remember his contributions to Inter Milan. We hope everything goes well for him in the future."
However, no matter how you look at it, the parting between the Nerazzurri and Wang Feng was peaceful, without quarrels or disputes, which is very rare for a superstar.
"For Inter Milan, the loss of Wang Feng, a core player, is immeasurable, but given the current chaotic situation in Serie A, his decision is not unreasonable," commented Milan Sports Daily.
Turin Sports Daily and Rome Sports Daily believed that Wang Feng's departure from Serie A was just the beginning, and more and more superstars would choose to leave. "The decline of Serie A is inevitable."
Spanish newspaper Marca expressed a warm welcome to Wang Feng, "We all know how well-suited Wang Feng is to the Galacticos. He will continue his legendary career here."
Catalonia's Daily Sports, on the other hand, stated that Wang Feng made a foolish decision. "He had the opportunity to join the best team in the world, becoming the pioneer of a dream dynasty, but chose to stand on the opposite side."
"Anyone who tries to challenge Barcelona's position will be torn apart by reality!"
In China, there was also discussion about Wang Feng's transfer news. The superstar policy of the early Galacticos era had left a deep impression on many fans, who believed that Real Madrid was one of the best clubs and deserved a player like Wang Feng.
However, many rational fans felt that Wang Feng would face great challenges. After all, in recent years, the Galacticos' performance has been somewhat poor, and whether he can make a difference remains to be seen.
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