Chapter Twenty-Eight: 64 Million Yuan?

It was a chance in the seventy-fifth minute.

Momo seized on a mistake in Wolfsburg’s own half and took possession. Then came a merciless strike, a full-blooded shot that ripped through goalkeeper Reitmeier’s grasp and found the net.

At the Allianz Arena, Momo completed the first hat trick of his Bundesliga career and helped his side into a 3-2 lead over Wolfsburg.

And at that very moment, Bayern Munich’s inquiry had already been sent off, along with a tentative offer of four million euros.

But the board at Munich 1860 were no fools. They understood Momo’s value well enough; otherwise, why would they have paid such a sum to bring him over from Hanover 96 in the first place?

So the two Munich clubs haggled and bargained, back and forth, until the figure reached eight million euros. That was four times the two million euros they had paid for him, and it also set a new transfer record for a young player at the time.

Of course, when Ronaldo moved in the 2003–04 season, that record would likely be broken again. Ronaldo’s transfer fee was 13 million pounds; at the exchange rates of the time, one hundred euros was roughly worth eight hundred yuan, while one hundred pounds could be exchanged for about twelve to thirteen hundred yuan.

In truth, the hierarchy at Munich 1860 had begun to waver a little. Then news arrived that Momo had just led the team to a 3-2 victory over Wolfsburg, with a hat trick no less, at such a decisive moment. Eight million euros to take away our rising star? Not a chance.

Bayern Munich’s board naturally understood what Munich 1860 were thinking, but they could not back down, for endless price increases were a real possibility. More importantly, Bayern Munich, usually so free with its money, was in the grip of a rare financial crisis.

Even the team’s bonuses had been abolished. Although Kahn, Ballack, and Scholl refused to comment on the matter, Kahn still could not help muttering, “They’re the only champions in the world who don’t get a bonus!”

It was said that Hitzfeld had already applied to Bayern Munich’s executives for “the necessary bonuses to reward a winning streak!”

It was bad enough to cut salaries; now they were even scrapping bonuses. No wonder Bayern Munich had been playing so poorly. Although they still held the top spot in the league table with a firm hand, the newspapers mocked them mercilessly: Bayern Munich had a line-up as glittering as Ballack and company, yet their ambition seemed to stretch no further than the league title. It was no different from the way the Real Madrid president in later years kept going on about Bale, “I bought a Bale last year,” and then, “I won the league title this year.”

In the end, Munich 1860 beat Wolfsburg 3-2 at home. After the match, Momo, fresh from his hat trick, attended the press conference with the coach.

A reporter from the Munich Evening News, having received word from Bayern Munich, stood up and asked, “Hello, I’m a reporter from the Munich Evening News.”

Pacult knew this was a highly influential local paper and treated the question with due courtesy. “Hello. What would you like to ask?”

The reporter from the Munich Evening News coughed lightly, then spoke with a sharp edge. “It has been rumored that not long ago Bayern Munich made an offer of eight million euros in an attempt to sign Momo during the winter transfer window, and that the club’s senior officials have taken an ambiguous stance. Does that mean Momo could be joining Bayern Munich next season?”

Indeed, this was Bayern Munich’s usual trick. Under normal circumstances, Bayern would quietly contact a player, work out an agreement, and then let player and club exert pressure together before the transfer naturally fell through to Bayern.

After all, facing Bayern Munich, very few players could bring themselves to say no. More often than not, they would half-laugh and half-comply with lines like, “Ah, a club like Bayern Munich has always been the one I’ve admired,” or, “It’s really hard to refuse an invitation from Bayern Munich!”

Pacult looked a little unprepared. As Wolfsburg’s coach, he treated the whole thing like a joke. Bayern’s reputation for poaching players was notorious everywhere, and most important of all, they had scarcely ever failed.

Pizarro, Klose, Toni, and a whole string of others, including players from Dortmund in later years, all bowed before Bayern Munich’s money. Prestige, wealth, and trophies: a threefold temptation. Go, or do not go?

Pacult glanced nervously at Momo. He had received no such news, and after forcing himself to remain calm, he looked over at him. Just as he was about to speak, the Munich Evening News reporter had already turned the microphone toward Momo.

It was an obvious attempt to get a statement. They wanted to know Momo’s attitude. Momo did not evade it; he simply asked one question.

“Would I be a starter at Bayern Munich?”

In all honesty, this question was nothing more than an instinctive reply. Momo only cared whether he could get on the pitch. If he could not play, then even if they sent him to Real Madrid, he would have no interest. But clearly the reporter from the Munich Evening News, as well as everyone else present, misunderstood him.

“Well, that isn’t for me to say! But Bayern Munich will be yours in the future.”

What he meant was: don’t worry. Even if you are not a starter now, you will be one later.

To that, Momo only kept smiling.

Pacult, on the other hand, was not amused. He abruptly cut short the post-match interview and led Momo away. Momo followed obediently, while Wolfsburg, never one to miss a chance to stir things up, had their coach say, “Indeed. No one can refuse an invitation from Bayern Munich.”

By then the news back home had exploded. People had been following the likes of Fan Zhiyi, who had gone to Manchester City and Crystal Palace, and then suddenly this message came through: Bayern Munich wants Momo! An eight-million-euro bid! The 64-million-boy Momo!

This truly caused a sensation. Sports Weekly even went so far as to Photoshop Momo into a Bayern Munich shirt.

China’s first Bundesliga giant-club star, the 86-million-boy Momo.

When the reporter asked whether he might be going to Bayern Munich, Momo had only replied, “Would I be a starter at Bayern Munich?”

Did that mean Momo’s heart was already leaning toward Bayern Munich? Did it mean he would transfer to Bayern Munich next season?

On this matter, many players back home came forward to speak. Hao Haidong said, “That Momo kid is really not playing fair. He was just here a moment ago, and then he’s suddenly off to the city rival! Isn’t that just like a Chinese person surrendering to Japan and becoming a collaborator?”

Whether Hao Haidong’s words were appropriate or not is another matter, but Chinese people have always valued loyalty and love of country. If Momo really did that, then his reputation at home would be utterly ruined. By then, his fan forum had already surged in numbers, shooting up to more than three thousand members in an instant.

“Sixty-four-million boy? Traitor?”

“Looks like a man with three surnames to me.”

And all sorts of other unfriendly messages came pouring in.

So how would Momo respond?