The reporter had to admit, he was taken aback by the kid's "shameless" aura.
But the frustrating part was, when this report came out, the fans wouldn't think he was being hypocritical; they would praise him for his firm conviction, for not being swayed by vulgar things like money.
Even if a few clever people could see through Tendou's ploy, a group of "great scholars" would immediately jump out to defend him.
It couldn't be helped.
Tendou's age was just too young.
Most of the young stars in the fans' eyes were chasing big contracts so they could live a life of debauchery.
A type like Tendou, while not extinct, was certainly in the minority.
Fans love stars and idols like this; it gives them a sense of satisfaction that their "investment" was not misplaced.
But it had to be said, although what Tendou said was infuriating, this kind of news was exactly what attracted people.
"He's an even more troublesome guy than Itoshi Sae."
"Why are all these football geniuses so good at getting on people's nerves?"
The reporter grumbled about both Tendou and Itoshi Sae in his mind.
He then asked Tendou a few more questions and concluded the interview.
From the reporter's perspective, Tendou was clearly quite uncooperative in this interview.
He recalled his previous interviews with other players, like Bayern's Isagi Yoichi, who was much more accommodating.
"But..." the reporter suddenly smiled after leaving the room, "...a player without personality can't become a superstar."
And Tendou.
He returned to the Manchester City lounge and came out after taking a shower. Chigiri and the others immediately surrounded him, asking about the content of the interview.
"You'll know when the news is out, won't you?"
"Tch."
Chigiri was annoyed. We're all good friends, what's there to hide?
But he quickly became excited again.
After this match, the few of them who had received offers had all gained a lot of attention.
Tendou, in particular, had hit several trending topics.
[65-meter ultra-long-range lob]
[Tendou Kageyoshi, famous with one goal]
[Fearless, the young genius Tendou Kageyoshi challenges the world's number one]
[Asia's prodigy, a superstar of world football, Loki's rival has arrived]
[...]
Exaggerated headlines like these were all over the internet.
Chigiri and Reo were very excited; their offers had both broken into the top ten.
But Nagi Seishiro.
The offer this genius from Blue Lock received was unexpectedly low.
In the original manga, Nagi Seishiro scored a heaven-defying goal in this match and received an offer of 88 million.
Now.
Tendou's existence had deprived him of the opportunity to showcase himself.
And this guy was indeed very undisciplined.
For the Blue Lock players, being able to join a team in the top five leagues, even if it was just the youth academy, was an incredibly valuable experience and opportunity.
Everyone was training hard for playing time.
Only Nagi Seishiro always maintained a "come what may" attitude.
Nagi seemed to have realized this problem as well. He stared at Tendou, as if trying to find an answer in him.
Tendou, of course, knew what his problem was. Just as Agi had said, Nagi lacked the ability to attack independently.
When he first started playing, he had Reo to lead him. Later, in Blue Lock, he had Isagi to lead him.
Nagi never needed to think too much; he just had to wait for his "babysitter" to deliver the ball to him, and then he would score the goal. That was enough.
But Tendou was not Isagi, nor was he Mikage Reo.
He didn't like this kind of guy who only passively waited for opportunities.
Tendou only gave him one sentence, "Genius is just the ticket to see me. Keep it up."
"Hey, Tendou, you're here. Hurry up and come over."
Prince walked over at this moment and led Tendou away.
A short while later.
He was brought to a photo studio by Prince.
"What is this for?"
"Isn't it obvious? A commercial shoot!"
Prince grinned, told Tendou to go change his clothes, and explained, "Football players need popularity too. It will bring you unexpected things."
Tendou wasn't a fool like Isagi and the others. He of course understood this.
For most football players, the majority of their income does not come from on the field.
According to statistics, in 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo's off-field income reached 113 million Euros, far exceeding his annual salary.
In this aspect, the platform of Real Madrid played a huge role (the team's squad strength, global influence, etc.).
Soon after.
The shoot was over.
Prince didn't rush to send Tendou back. Instead, he found a place to have coffee with him.
"So, what did you want to see me about?"
"Of course, it's about you joining Manchester City. After the match, our head coach already called me and told me to bring you back to Manchester, no matter what."
"Haven't we already talked about this? I'll consider it after the Neo Egoist League is over."
Tendou elegantly lifted his teacup and took a sip.
He was in no hurry at all. Let the bullets fly for a little longer.
"You're really playing hard to get. But at least give me an answer so I can report back to my coach."
"I want a special talent clause."
"No problem. We'll get it for you even if you don't ask."
The so-called special talent clause is specifically designed for non-EU players.
As long as it can be proven that the player has a special talent that can significantly benefit English football, they can be exempted from the work permit system and appearance rate restrictions.
"And I want my annual salary to be post-tax."
"That shouldn't be a problem either. Our club's finances are very healthy, and after bringing in Josep, our transfer funds are very sufficient."
"And then there's the guarantee of playing time."
"That, I can't guarantee you."
Just as I thought, Prince said to himself.
Compared to money, a genius player like Tendou cared more about whether he could get to play.
And Manchester City, they needed to produce results in the next few years. If Tendou couldn't adapt to the intensity of the Premier League in a short time, it would be very troublesome.
"But I will explain it to Josep. By the way, I think you urgently need an agent right now. Want me to introduce one to you?"
Hearing this, Tendou became interested.
To compete on the professional stage, an agent is indispensable.
They can handle many troublesome matters for you, and at the same time, bring you countless off-field income opportunities.
The most famous European agents are undoubtedly Mendes and Raiola.
The two have enormous power in Europe.
However, Prince's agent was neither of these two, but Jonathan Barnett.
This man, in the scope of Europe, was not as well-known as Mendes and Raiola, but in England, his power was the undisputed number one.
"Before the end of the Neo Egoist League, I'll meet with him."
"Good. I'll arrange a meeting for you in advance. Jonathan is very interested in you, or rather, he is very optimistic about your future."
"There's one more thing."
...
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