Chapter 700: Commercial Value Inconsistent with Status (Second Perspective)
After scoring, De Bruyne spread his arms, enjoying the feeling of the entire city pouring adoration on him. This was how he wanted to sprint on the field, not sit on the bench!
Teammates rushed over to surround him, with Huang Hu excitedly patting the Belgian's back, "You were amazing today! With such a spectacular volley, were you secretly practicing without telling me?"
"No, no, I have to work harder too. If the forwards score fewer goals than the midfielders, it's really embarrassing," replied De Bruyne with a laugh.
The others burst into laughter, and De Bruyne didn't take credit for himself but instead praised Selke for his excellent positioning, which created the opportunity for the shot.
The remaining minutes saw Werder Bremen successfully maintain their lead. When the referee blew the final whistle, the electronic scoreboard read 2-1 in favor of the home team.
It was a victory for the Weser Stadium! All Werder Bremen fans stood up to applaud their team. They fought until the last moment, and led by Fritz, the players also expressed their gratitude to the supporters, thanking them for their tireless cheering.
After this round, Werder Bremen climbed to 9th place in the league standings, just two points behind the Champions League qualification zone.
However, three days later, in the second round of the Europa League group stage, facing Besiktas who had traveled from afar, Werder Bremen struggled with their dual commitments.
The Turkish Super League, although not the strongest in Europe, was still at a decent level, ranking just below leagues like the Portuguese Primeira Liga and the Dutch Eredivisie. Besiktas, who dominated there, naturally couldn't be underestimated.
After the away team took the lead, Selke equalized with a header from a free kick, assisted by De Bruyne. The Belgian's precise passing ability quickly made him the team's top assist provider.
In the end, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
"Dual commitments are indeed the biggest enemy of small teams. Without sufficient depth on the bench, everyone looks particularly exhausted," commented one observer.
"Coach Schaaf tried rotations, but he couldn't be too drastic, as the gap between the first team and the substitutes was very obvious."
"The margin for error in the six Europa League group matches is much smaller than in the league. A slight lapse could lead to elimination. Currently, Werder Bremen's performance is somewhat worrying."
The head coach understood that the team lacked the qualifications for rotation. Ensuring the stability and attendance of the first team was the key. Greedily spreading out the front was ultimately unrealistic, but he hoped to reap some rewards by the end of the season.
Next, on October 5th, Werder Bremen rushed to Bavaria without stopping, participating in the 7th round of the Bundesliga and challenging Augsburg away.
This team was not strong, but they showed strong fighting spirit at home. The two sides remained deadlocked without a goal until the 81st minute.
Fritz's ball from the left flank, at a 45-degree angle, flew into the penalty area, bypassing Selke who feigned a shot in the middle, and found Huang Hu at the far post who poked it in.
1-0! Werder Bremen defeated Augsburg and secured their first consecutive league victory of the new season.
Huang Hu's commercial value could not be compared with veterans like Wang Feng and Dong Fangzhuo, but backed by the vast domestic market, he still attracted a lot of attention from capital.
Especially after officially representing the national team, his visibility increased significantly, and the recognition and support from everyone continued to grow, bringing in more revenue.
For example, his jersey sales. Originally, Fritz's jersey was the best seller for Werder Bremen, but since last season, Huang Hu's sales had been steadily increasing, surpassing the German's by more than twice.
Many domestic fans wanted to collect authentic jerseys, so overseas students started doing proxy business. Of course, this was also related to the gradual improvement of awareness of authentic products.
There were also various endorsements. Balmond also intended to sign him under Nike. Although the interest from the other party was lacking, due to the pressure of public opinion, they still offered a endorsement fee of 3 years, 2 million euros.
After all, their company's biggest endorsement star was Wang Feng, who belonged to the same agent as Huang Hu. It wouldn't look good if there were any conflicts.
Unexpectedly, Adidas also approached him at this time. They had long coveted the vast domestic market but had been suppressed by Nike. Almost all the famous players were under the latter.
After detailed research and analysis, the senior management of Adidas believed that Huang Hu was very likely to become the new leader of Chinese football after Wang Feng, so signing him meant seizing the future!
They had missed one era and didn't want to miss another.
So Adidas brought Huang Huo a sky-high contract of 5 years, 8 million euros. Although this figure couldn't be compared with stars like Messi, Ronaldo, or Neymar, it was still astonishing.
For example, when the well-known Argentine star Aguero signed with Nike, he received 1.2 million euros per year. After switching to Puma, it only increased to 2 million euros.
Within Werder Bremen, Huang Hu was also the only one to have a contract with a major shoe company. Even among mid-tier teams in the top five leagues, he was special.
It could be said that his commercial value did not match his status in football.
As for other sponsorships, they were too numerous to list, covering all aspects of life. With steady improvement over three years, Huang Hu proved to the world that he was not a flash in the pan.
Lang watches offered him a contract worth 1 million euros for 3 years. The Chinese youngster only needed to wear the latest styles and shoot a few photos. Hugo Boss also invited him to be a model for their new clothes.
It's worth mentioning that Huang Hu's image was quite in line with mainstream European aesthetics, combined with his obvious recognition, at least in Germany, his advertising effect was not inferior to Bayern Munich stars.
After getting so much money, he didn't indulge in extravagance. He still lived in the club's dormitory and just bought a beloved sports car, treating his teammates to meals and drinks.
In October, it was time for the national team matches. This time, the Chinese team would gather in Thailand and play two friendly matches against Japan and Australia.
Huang Hu had heard of Bangkok's prosperity and luxury, especially being a paradise for men. So he eagerly wanted to sneak out and have some fun. However, after the last lesson, the coaching staff and team management became stricter.
"Thailand is more chaotic than Europe. We will give you some free time, but unauthorized leaving the team is absolutely not allowed. Otherwise, it won't be as simple as extra training!" The team leader glanced around sternly, finally casting his gaze on Huang Hu.
He felt a chill down his spine and quickly nodded along with the others, realizing that his plan to enjoy some leisure time had gone down the drain.
In the friendly matches, the Chinese team drew 2-2 with Japan and 1-1 with Australia. This result disappointed many domestic fans. Without Wang Feng, they couldn't maintain absolute dominance against Asian teams.
However, many sensible people believed in the future. After all, the average age of this team was less than 24 years old. They still had plenty of time to grow and improve on the high-level stage of European football.
The ultimate goal of the team was naturally the 2018 World Cup. By then, this group of young soldiers would have fully grown, and it was believed that they would be stronger than in 2010, providing more support for Wang Feng!
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