Chapter 763 - 139: Wonder Goal! Golden Ball Award Rankings! The Value of a Superstar! Wang Shuo: Golden Ball Award? I Don’t Care Anymore!

And yet, he just had to go and provoke Wang Shuo instead?

Valcke and Nichols were certain that the moment Blatter mentioned Wang Shuo, he never expected the situation to blow up like this. His comment about Wang Shuo not having participated in a World Cup was meant to be a casual tease, much like his previous jabs at the Premier League. As a result, the situation had escalated out of control, leaving them without a solution.

The two right-hand men exchanged a glance, reaching an unspoken consensus. This situation was truly unmanageable! The seventy-five-year-old man really couldn’t keep his mouth shut! Well, he had made this mess, so he could clean it up himself!

Blatter noticed the eerie silence and immediately knocked firmly on the desk. "Think of a way. How do we resolve this?" he asked in a deep voice. He knew perfectly well that he was the one who had caused this mess, but he would never admit it!

Valcke and Nichols exchanged another glance, and Valcke subtly pursed his lips at him. Nichols was speechless. It couldn’t be helped; after all, out of the three of them, he held the lowest rank.

"Actually, the biggest problem right now is that Wang Shuo has publicly stated he will not attend the Golden Ball Award ceremony."

Hearing this, Blatter slammed his hand on the desk with a loud BANG and stood up. "Then it’s absolutely impossible to give him the award!"

He thought he could still win the award without showing up to claim it? In his dreams! Looking back at the history of the FIFA World Footballer of the Year and France Football Magazine’s Golden Ball Award, had there ever been a precedent for a winner being absent? Especially when Wang Shuo had announced his absence to the public in advance!

"Then what about the votes? How do we explain that?" Nichols countered.

Blatter opened his mouth to speak but stopped. Frustrated, he had no choice but to sit back down in his chair. Nichols was right. This involved 209 ballots, cast collectively alongside media reporters from all over the world. Could Blatter ignore the voting results and give the award to someone else? Yes! No one could restrain Blatter. But could they bear the consequences? Would an award presented under such circumstances retain any authority? The FIFA Golden Ball Award would be utterly ruined!

Not to mention, if UEFA invited Wang Shuo over at this juncture and presented him with some other award, wouldn’t that be a vicious slap in the face to FIFA? There was also the European Best Player, hosted by UEFA at the end of August 2012. Although it hadn’t been established for long, it already posed a threat to the FIFA Golden Ball Award.

Awards like the Golden Ball Award and top-tier football stars often shared a relationship of mutual achievement. The Golden Ball Award needed these top stars to highlight its authority, while the stars needed the award to elevate their market value and influence. Ultimately, however, there was only one Wang Shuo. But there were many awards.

As Blatter considered this, a flash of Spiritual Light suddenly struck his mind. "Is his sponsor Adidas?"

As a global sports giant, Adidas sponsored Wang Shuo with a massive amount of money every year, and they worked incredibly closely with FIFA. Under these circumstances, wouldn’t it work to have Adidas step in and mediate? The thought brought a delighted smile to Blatter’s face. This idea was brilliant! In the world of football, how could a mere player possibly compete against him?

"Go and communicate with Adidas. Have them step in and talk to the player. Tell them Wang Shuo must attend the FIFA awards ceremony." No one would turn their back on money!

However, Valcke and Nichols shared a helpless look, both groaning inwardly. Nichols shot Valcke a meaningful glance, silently signaling that it was his turn to step up. Valcke sighed internally and had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply.

"Actually, we’ve already contacted Adidas. They aren’t willing to get involved in this matter, and they’ve explicitly told us that they cannot sway Wang Shuo’s opinion."

"What?" Blatter was in disbelief.

"Although Adidas has a contract with Wang Shuo and the two sides cooperate closely, Nike has always wanted to poach him. Furthermore, with Wang Shuo backed by the immense markets of China and Asia, Adidas isn’t willing to risk offending him."

Hearing this, Blatter instantly deflated again. "Are there any other sponsors?"

"Wang Shuo has many sponsors. Just this November, he signed with several more."

"Several?"

"Shell Heineken, Budweiser, Germany’s Continental Tires, China’s largest small home appliance brand, and its largest online shopping platform."

He had signed five in a single month? Blatter was shocked. Even FIFA’s sponsorship drives weren’t this fierce!

"Are his endorsement fees cheap?"

Valcke was truly speechless. "Very expensive. His current global endorsement contracts are conservatively estimated at three to four million euros annually. Rumor has it that domestic brands in China get a slightly lower rate."

Blatter was somewhat stunned. His endorsement fees were that expensive, yet he was still in such high demand?

Watzke and Nichols exchanged a glance. They both felt that something Wang Shuo had said was entirely correct. Blatter had truly been away from football for too long! Or rather, he had been away from the frontlines of football for so long that his information was severely outdated. That was the only reason why he would think Wang Shuo was a soft target who could be easily manipulated! It was simply absurd!

He would be better off trying to manipulate Ronaldo or Messi than Wang Shuo!

Blatter thought Wang Shuo hadn’t played in a World Cup? Valcke desperately wanted to remind the old man that he seemed to have forgotten they had spent ages trying to figure out how to "help" China qualify for the World Cup in the first place.

Not only did China have a population of 1.4 billion, but their economy had also surpassed Japan’s the previous year, becoming the second-largest economy globally. They were also the fastest-growing economy in the world. And Blatter wanted to try and manipulate Wang Shuo? Wasn’t that just asking for a slap in the face?

Blatter finally realized it too—this time, he had truly hit a brick wall.