From Arsenal to the Ball God

On the night of July 8th, Ma’el and Mendes arrived at the LVMH Group headquarters, ready to sign their first endorsement contract after the European Cup.

Because of this, he had to postpone his return to London by a few days.

The contract signed today was with Dior Perfume, which, like Louis Vuitton, belongs to the LVMH Group, the top luxury goods group in France and the entire world.

Its controller, Bernard Arnault, is France’s richest man and ranks fourth in the latest edition of the Forbes global rich list.

It is said that to show his importance, he will also appear at the headquarters today to host the entire signing ceremony.

This is different from before; when signing with Louis Vuitton, the LV Group only sent a regional manager and two lawyers, besides efficient payment, there weren’t many other privileges.

But this time, old man Arnault will personally show up to welcome the duo.

Throughout the journey, Ma’el is full of energy, curious about the upcoming signing ceremony..... Naturally, this means he is formally stepping into a whole new stage.

Previously, his endorsement contract summed up to around 500 million pounds, when dealing with these big groups, it was mostly with their agents, lacking attention from the core level.

After the European Cup victory, everything slowly changed, his contract sum doubled, surpassing 1000 million, gradually connecting with the most powerful circle in Europe.

Perhaps from both a wealth and many other aspects, there is still quite a gap between him and these people.

However, there is something about him that attracts them, demanding their attention..... It represents his progress on his main front, showing that he is gradually able to leverage many resources through his own influence.

And this, is just him at 18 years old, not yet having truly reached his peak state.

Just two years of effort to reach this point, Ma’el can certainly believe that his future self can leverage more and gain more respect through this career and identity he likes.

”Hoo hoo.....”

The gentle breeze of Paris blows through the car window onto Ma’el’s face, giving him a sense of satisfaction..... this visible feedback lets him mostly stay in a comfortable state.

Turning to glance at Mendes, he notices the expression of a similar mood but the fatigue in his eyes is unmistakable.

”You’re quite tired too, aren’t you?” he voiced his inquiry, Mendes had asked him this question yesterday, but he hadn’t noticed Mendes’s state at the time.

Mendes dazed for a moment, leaned forward slightly, with a wry smile, ”Yes, ever since you finished the European Cup semi-finals, I can only sleep about 4 and a half hours a day.

”In the past two days, occasionally sleeping a bit more, sometimes just 3-4 hours, constantly dealing with endless phone calls, attending countless events.”

Ma’el listened, moved and puzzled, ”There are so many people in the agency, why do you handle so much yourself?”

”Haha.....” Mendes gave Ma’el a smile, ”You don’t seem to fully understand the kind of impact the 18-year-old you has brought to the whole world? How crazy these merchants are?

”I want to say, precisely because there are many people in the company, who filter a lot of information for me, I can still have a bit of rest time each day.

”Otherwise, you’d have to pray to God to help you accomplish those tasks.”

Ma’el grinned lightly, an old thought resurfaced, ”As everything gets more formal, I think I need to start my own company.

”It will be used to interface with Mendes Agency, and all major commercial brands.

”Meanwhile, pursuing the proposal I’ve long mentioned, representing my main social media accounts in all countries, handling marketing promotions and events.”

This matter needs resolution, as all the timing is ripe!

He is no longer just a super sports athlete, but gradually growing into a super international star!

In the future, his personal IP value will exponentially rise, and marketing and promotion must keep pace, which will rapidly enhance his influence and business value.

Leaving it to Mendes Agency is indeed convenient, but the results cannot match what he’d achieve by creating his own company.

The rationale is simple, marketing requires long-term large-scale funding.....

Mendes earns a 2.75% salary and a 15% endorsement fee commission solely based on professional level and resources accumulated over years, acquiring just his rightful share, you can’t expect him to spend from his own pocket.

Even for the sake of mutual benefit, he might invest in this regard, but the investment amount and achieved results would certainly not suffice.

So Ma’el should do it himself, nurturing some professional operations, investing a certain amount in operations, and collaborating with Mendes Agency to accelerate improvements along this line.

This surely can’t result in a loss, as long as he maintains strong performance on the field, this investment will multiply back to his pocket in a better way.

Mendes evidently understands Ma’el’s thoughts too, nodding in support, ”It surely needs to be done, a long time ago I suggested it to you, and you also had discussions with me.

”Perhaps due to intensive scheduling, daily busyness and other reasons, there’s been no action taken.

”Even if not for sports commercial marketing, as endorsement fees and business revenues increase, you should establish a media company to interface with my agency and endorsement brands.