Chapter 49: Mr. Hundred Million

Because of Momo’s recent performance, many clubs paying attention to him consciously raised their offers to a higher level.

Hao Da Pao once again made bold claims about Momo’s clearly established status as a future flagbearer (as mentioned in the previous chapter). This only fueled the imagination of those players who recognized Momo's talent, particularly regarding the vast Chinese market behind him.

It’s worth noting that at Munich 1860, Momo’s jersey was the best-selling item, with a significant portion purchased by Chinese fans—genuine merchandise.

Even Real Madrid made a €3 million offer for him. Some might think this figure low, but considering that just over half a year ago, when Momo was still a Real Madrid player, his market value was only around €10,000, their reaction becomes clearer.

Imagine holding a gem disguised as a rough stone—if you fail to recognize its worth and sell it cheaply, would you be willing to pay a high price to buy it back once its true value is revealed?

This is only one side of the story. On the other hand, Bayern Munich raised their bid to €10 million and issued a statement in the Munich Evening News declaring that if Momo was willing to join Bayern, they would be prepared to pay the transfer fee.

However, when it comes to wealth, Bayern Munich simply can’t compete with Paris Saint-Germain this season. Even without delving into how much money PSG currently has, the transfer fee for Ronaldinho alone represents a considerable financial influx.

(Leaving aside Bayern’s offloading of veteran players.)

Therefore, PSG’s direct offer of €12 million was hardly surprising.

(At that time, the euro to RMB exchange rate was roughly 1:8; in 2003, it would rise to 1:10.)

Some might wonder why PSG, being so wealthy, only increased their offer by €2 million instead of doubling it—wouldn’t doubling be the true mark of extravagance?

But for Momo, a €12 million valuation was already the ceiling. These clubs weren’t fools, and from their perspective, even without Momo, their teams would not collapse. The offer was more an investment in Momo’s talent and the vast Chinese market he represented. In this day and age, there is no shortage of geniuses.

The news of Momo’s skyrocketing value reached PepsiCo first. As a multinational corporation, such a price surge was hardly a surprise to them—it was like being handed a pillow while dozing.

They excelled at hype and quickly contacted newspapers and online influencers, flooding public attention with eye-catching headlines:

“Mr. 100 Million Yuan Momo: Multiple Top Clubs in Pursuit”

“Market Value Exceeds 100 Million: Elite Clubs Battle Fiercely”

“Superstar Momo’s Path to a Sky-High Price”

It felt as if the entire nation was helping to build his legend.

Hao Haidong also caught wind of this. Of course, it was impossible for him not to feel some jealousy.

(Later, Hao Haidong transferred to Sheffield United in the Premier League for a symbolic fee of one pound.)

A market value of 100 million yuan! Remember, when Fan Zhiyi parted ways with his previous club, the severance fee was in the millions, which he considered exorbitant and hard to repay.

Even in later years, Zhang Xizhe—the Chinese player who held the top market value for a time—peaked at only €1.5 million after an increase of €650,000.

Suddenly, Momo attracted a great deal of resentment. Some clubs were struggling to even pay wages, while Momo’s valuation in RMB had broken the 100 million mark!

Yet, in this matter, Hao Haidong and Fan Zhiyi—both outspoken personalities—remained silent and offered no criticism.

Fan Zhiyi, pushed to the edge, even laughed and said, “What’s the matter? Isn’t my fellow countryman worth this price?”

At that time, Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai had transferred to Crystal Palace on four-year contracts worth only £1 million.

Later, due to issues surrounding the 2002 World Cup and friendly matches that harmed the club’s interests, Crystal Palace listed them for sale at £2–3 million, with a minimum of £1 million, causing quite a stir.

Since neither Fan Zhiyi nor Hao Haidong spoke out, the media found the story somewhat dull. They preferred intense conflicts, as such drama drew more attention.

“Hey, kid, what are you thinking now?”

The voice belonged to Mino. At that moment, Momo found Mino’s expression strange and serious.

“What do you mean, what am I thinking?” Momo replied somewhat distractedly.

“What do you think about PSG’s offer?” Mino pressed.

The winter transfer window was approaching, and PSG’s transfer fee was indeed substantial.

“Mino? What are you trying to say? You want me to go to Paris Saint-Germain?”

The two stared at each other for a long time, and Momo inexplicably sensed a certain gravity in Mino’s demeanor.

“That depends on you, kid. Do you want to make money or what? Huh? You know what I mean!”

In truth, Mino’s question was somewhat redundant. Everyone likes money, but among footballers, most prioritize their career prospects.

“Mino, Paris is a great place, but I don’t want to go.”

Paris Saint-Germain? Momo truly had little interest. Although Ligue 1 is one of the top five European leagues, it did not appeal to him.

He disliked the situation where one team dominates alone. He preferred leagues where several strong teams compete—like Serie A, the Premier League, or La Liga.

“Then why do you want to go to Porto? Well, Porto’s price isn’t high, and the team isn’t very strong. I just can’t figure it out.”

Every inch of Mino’s corpulence seemed to express bafflement, while Momo’s expression grew subtle. Would he confess that it was simply for the championship?

Soon, the two arrived at the Yanjing Brewery factory, where Mino handled the agent fee negotiations as usual.

The Yanjing beer commercial felt a bit dull, at least to Momo.

It featured scenes of a football match, a goal scored, then Momo appearing to take a sip of beer. The Yanjing beer bottle was then magnified with a close-up of the brand’s name.

There was a small mishap during filming: Momo’s face instantly flushed bright red after just one sip, as if drunk.

In reality, Momo was perfectly sober; he simply abstained from smoking and drinking. This was actually his first time drinking alcohol in this lifetime—and among his two lives, one of the few times he had ever touched alcohol.

Well, having a non-drinker endorse beer was somewhat laughable.

Yet amidst the amusement, there was a hint of admiration.

This was a professional footballer taking responsibility for his football career.