One hundred million yen.
Converted to Euros, that's 580,000 euros.
Which is roughly just over 10,000 euros per week.
So, while one hundred million yen sounds like a lot, it's actually not that high.
One must remember that since the Calciopoli scandal, Serie A has been in a continuous decline, its influence among the top five leagues shrinking. It's now considered a "retirement home" by the fans.
Players in their prime, aside from those at the giant clubs, are generally unwilling to play in Serie A, preferring the Premier League or La Liga.
Today's Serie A has become a sanctuary for old boys.
However, Juventus is at least a powerhouse in Serie A, and this year they even spent 100 million in transfer fees to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the club.
So this 580,000 euro offer was truly a pure lottery ticket.
Next was first place.
Everyone knew who it would be. Even before Tendou had played, he had already received a 6 million euro offer from Spurs.
And now.
After his debut, he had registered 1 goal and 1 assist, single-handedly creating two goals.
Compared to his previous performances in Blue Lock, 1 goal and 1 assist might seem average, not as dazzling as Barou's hat-trick.
But don't forget.
At the end of this match, he had gone head-to-head with Noa.
Even if he was at a slight disadvantage, the gap was not the instant-kill that people had expected.
Tendou had the ability to contend with Noa!
This point alone proved that he had the ability to establish himself in the top five leagues.
This was a huge plus.
So, what was his latest offer?
"1.37 billion... worth 8 million Euros!"
Isagi Yoichi felt his throat go dry.
Compared to the first offer, Tendou's offer this time had increased by a full 2 million Euros. The increase was more than what Barou would get for scoring three consecutive hat-tricks.
This meant that before Tendou had even officially debuted, his salary had reached the level of 150,000 Euros a week.
And what about Isagi himself?
He glanced at his own offer. His annual salary was only 20,000 Euros higher than Tendou's weekly salary.
His annual salary... was barely more than Tendou's weekly one.
What was even more outrageous was that more than one club was offering Tendou 8 million Euros.
Manchester City, Manchester United, PSG, Liverpool, Atlético Madrid, Bayern, Inter Milan, and Barcelona had all extended an olive branch to Tendou.
This lineup of clubs alone was enough for Tendou to brag about for a lifetime.
"150,000 Euros a week, huh? You're really something."
Prince looked at his own club's offer and was very satisfied.
If nothing unexpected happened, the number of clubs competing for Tendou would only decrease.
Because every club has its own salary system.
Take Real Madrid, for example.
Although the Galácticos are star-studded, their salary structure makes it impossible for them to offer players exorbitant annual salaries.
Even at his peak, Cristiano Ronaldo's annual salary had just reached 30 million, far lower than Messi's 138 million Euros at Barcelona.
Especially after the introduction of the break-even rule.
What was that specifically?
It was roughly that the amount of money a club could use in the transfer window was determined by how much profit it made each year.
This Financial Fair Play act began in the 2013-2014 season.
The reason, of course, was the inhumanly massive investments by Chelsea's owner, Abramovich, which seriously affected the normal operations of other clubs.
If every club played like that, player salaries would inflate to an uncontrollable level, and the survival space for smaller clubs would become even more difficult.
Ultimately, clubs that could no longer support themselves would choose to sell, while wealthy owners would enter with huge sums of money, further inflating player values and completely disrupting the entire market.
In fact, before the introduction of the break-even rule, this was how football was developing.
And that was the famous era of "money football."
All in all.
Prince firmly believed that as Tendou's performance became more and more outstanding, the number of offers he received would only decrease, but the annual salary would get higher and higher.
Tottenham probably wouldn't last long before they were out of the race.
His Manchester City's biggest rivals in the Premier League would have to be Manchester United and Liverpool.
Thanks to the foundation laid by the Old Sir, even when Manchester United was in a nosedive towards the relegation zone in 2025, the club was still profitable.
And it was second only to Real Madrid in the world, higher than Barcelona.
This was very frustrating.
And after Barcelona came Liverpool and Manchester City.
So in the Premier League, setting aside any "childhood Real Madrid dream" or other dreams Tendou might have, Manchester City's rivals would be Manchester United and Liverpool.
And in La Liga, the two giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, would probably also make a move.
Currently, both clubs faced the same problem.
Cristiano Ronaldo had left for Juventus this year, and Messi was also approaching the end of his career.
Both giants were in desperate need of finding the next CR7/Messi to support the team for the next decade.
The "Son of France" had already been snapped up by PSG. Would this handsome Asian kid be one of the next generation's duo of superstars?
...
The match was over.
The players from both teams returned to their respective locker rooms.
And then.
"Tendou, there's an interview. I need you to come."
The match had just ended when Teieri Anri knocked and walked in.
"I'm not a professional player. I have the right to refuse, don't I?"
"You do, but I still hope you can go. This will get you more exposure."
Teieri Anri looked at Tendou pitifully.
Tendou indeed had no obligation to be interviewed, nor did he have to worry about being fined.
But Blue Lock TV needed him to increase exposure and attract traffic.
"I know."
Tendou got up and followed Anri to the press room.
A man of about 40 with a goatee was already waiting there.
"Hello, Tendou..."
"Let's begin. I have other things to do."
"Is it for training? As expected, success doesn't come without..."
"No, I have to call my girlfriend. She should be really wanting to talk to me right now."
"...So that's the reason."
The reporter was speechless.
He thought to himself that this kid had too much personality.
He had interviewed many young players, like Kira Ryosuke, who were all well-behaved, afraid of saying the wrong thing or leaving a bad impression on the fans.
This kid, on the other hand, had the nerve to say that his girlfriend was more important than extra training.
"...Alright then, let's start today's interview," the reporter said, speechless on the inside but still smiling on the outside. "You were selected as the most valuable player of this match. A performance of 1 goal and 1 assist is truly amazing."
"You've also received offers of an 8 million Euro annual salary from Manchester City and other clubs. You've now become a player watched by the whole world. Can you tell us your true feelings right now?"
"Feelings?"
Tendou crossed his legs and placed his clasped hands on his knees.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I have no particular feelings."
"Uh, you could talk about your mood right now, like being happy or something."
"Why should I be happy about something like this?"
The way he said it was the epitome of acting cool.
An annual salary of 8 million Euros, a figure that countless people dreamed of but could never attain.
The reporter also felt that this kid was a bit arrogant. The players in Blue Lock right now were probably all jealous of him.
Little did he know.
Tendou really wasn't short on money. That huge bet he placed on the Blue Lock team against the U-20s was enough for him to splurge for a long time.
"Money is just a number to me. Of course, I don't say this because I'm a rich kid or anything."
"I just simply feel that if you live your life solely for money, it would be very meaningless."
"I've noticed which clubs have made offers for me. Compared to what 8 million Euros can bring materially, I care more about the non-material things."
Hearing this, the reporter asked, a bit sourly, "For example?"
"My own value. Compared to the things that 8 million Euros can bring, like driving a luxury car or living in a mansion, I care more about the other meaning behind these numbers. The final offers from those clubs will determine my value at this stage of my life."
Good heavens. The reporter almost threw up when he heard his words.
On one hand, he says he doesn't care about their offers, that 8 million Euros is like a floating cloud in his eyes, just a string of numbers.
But the next thing he says implies that if they want him, they have to add more money.
He was so damn shameless.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"