Free Web NovelChapter 515: Chapter 104: Wang Shuo Strikes It Rich, the Golden Ball Award List, Dortmund’s Limit, and a Puskás Award Contender
"I’m telling you, Jurgen, what Wang Shuo is doing is the right move," Krawietz reminded Klopp.
Klopp was no fool.
On the contrary, he was an extremely intelligent man with high emotional intelligence, and he understood his assistant’s meaning in an instant.
Dortmund’s salaries weren’t high to begin with; they were even on the low side.
Wang Shuo earning an annual salary of 8 million euros put him far ahead of everyone else at Dortmund.
It was at least double that of the second-highest-paid player, Kael.
Of course, Wang Shuo’s performance was excellent, so there was nothing to argue about.
On the surface, everyone felt he deserved such a high salary.
But what did the other Dortmund players really think?
Human nature has always been a complicated thing.
Football is a team sport; no one can talk about their achievements in isolation from the team.
So, how many of them would genuinely admit that Wang Shuo’s current success and income were all well-deserved?
And how many would secretly feel that their own efforts weren’t being recognized, that their contributions were being overshadowed by Wang Shuo?
Usually, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
But now, Wang Shuo was earning 8 million euros a year, signing one commercial contract after another, and his income was constantly climbing.
Would the others get jealous? Would they not have their own thoughts on the matter?
If one person, or even a few people, thought this way, it wouldn’t be a major issue and the impact would be minimal.
But what if more people started thinking that way?
What if those people united?
In a way, the locker room is a workplace!
And what Wang Shuo was doing now was bestowing some favors on his teammates and coaches, using this method to win over and unite everyone, pulling the vast majority of them to his side.
This way, even if a few people harbored jealousy and resentment, they wouldn’t be able to stir up any trouble.
There’s a common saying in the world of professional football.
Signing a star player by breaking the salary structure is always a huge risk.
Because they can easily be isolated in the locker room!
And isolation in the locker room naturally turns into isolation on the pitch!
"Is the kid really that smart?" Klopp was looking at him in a new light.
In his memory, Wang Shuo never seemed to care much about anything other than training and matches.
Back in his early days at Mainz, he wasn’t even very good at treating people to meals.
Of course, that was mainly because everyone was poor back then.
"He’s learning. Look, over the past two or three years, he’s developed more of a superstar’s bearing."
"To say nothing of anything else, didn’t Subotic, Reus, Götze, and Hummels all borrow money from him to buy houses?"
"I heard he’s still paying the rent on his old house in Mainz, and that he’s taken good care of those few players who came from China."
Krawietz’s greatest strength was data collection and analysis, and gathering intelligence was also his forte.
Klopp knew about this too; Heidel had even mentioned it to him.
"Wang Shuo is truly loyal and kind-hearted!"
"He’s not just aiming for the Bundesliga title and the Golden Boot Award right now; he also wants to climb the rankings for the Golden Ball Award. That’s why you see him in such great form this season," Buvac added from the side.
"And from what I see, that assistant of his is a capable person. I’m guessing this was her idea."
Both Klopp and Krawietz had met Shen Qinghe and had a very good impression of her.
She spoke and acted with grace and propriety, calm and composed, and most importantly, she was exceptionally beautiful.
They just always felt that her relationship with Wang Shuo was a bit strange.
...
"Wang, thank you for the Rolex!"
In the players’ lounge at Strobelallee, just as Wang Shuo walked in, Götze threw his arms around his neck, looking exceptionally excited.
"This is the first luxury watch of my life!"
"What’s there to be so polite about between us?"
Wang Shuo said with a chuckle.
Inwardly, he couldn’t help but admire Shen Qinghe.
Giving gifts to the people around him was indeed Shen Qinghe’s suggestion, and she was the one who prepared them.
She had gone through Chen Jialin to place a custom order directly with Rolex, even getting a discount. All told, it only came out to a few hundred thousand euros.
But everyone was genuinely happy after receiving the gifts.
Wang Shuo found it strange, too.
’But isn’t Shen Qinghe still in college?’
’How does she know so much?’
"I used to go to the company with my dad all the time when I was little. I watched how he managed the company and its employees, so I picked up a thing or two."
Shen Qinghe’s explanation made Wang Shuo see her in an even more impressive light.
Besides the watches, many people in the locker room were interested in Wang Shuo’s exclusive football boots.
The design was novel, they were very eye-catching on the pitch, and they were especially comfortable to wear.
Most importantly, you couldn’t buy them anywhere!
When Wang Shuo entered, he saw his teammates all studying his new boots with great interest. He immediately smiled and told them all to try them on to see if they fit.
The boots were custom-made to Wang Shuo’s foot shape and size, so they didn’t fit everyone.
"The sizing issue is easy to solve. I’ll have them send over some boots in different sizes later, along with other new styles. Just see what you like, and I’ll have them all sent over."
Dortmund’s sponsor was Kappa, but they only sponsored the jerseys and shorts. While they did provide boots, they were all outsourced and manufactured, and the quality wasn’t great.
And on the Dortmund team, Wang Shuo was currently the only one with a personal boot sponsorship deal.
It didn’t matter what anyone else chose to wear.
