Chapter 776: Problem Outside of the Pitch

The next day, the news exploded throughout the whole city, as all the platforms shared a similar sentiment about Schalke’s current situation in this league.

Two Wins in a Row, Schalke 04 Avoids the Relegation Zone!

Five Goals in Two Games, The Secret of Daniel Caligliuri’s Second Bloom?!

Torsten Frohling: Defense is the Key!

Well, unlike the Revier Derby a week ago, this time it only spread across North Rhine-Westphalia. After all, it was just a game between two relegation teams, and at the same time, Bayern Munich had also just beaten Borussia Dortmund with the score of 4-1 at the same time. It was no wonder that the national platforms didn’t cover Schalke that much this week.

Still, people noticed Schalke’s rise in this coronavirus era, and they also started paying attention here. The names that emerged here were Daniel Caligliuri, Nassim Boujellab, Morita, and Higo. Those four had been the core of this team, and their role was also visible during the game.

It was no wonder that most attention was on their figure.

Of course, the name that people mentioned the most would be the head coach, Torsten Frohling. After all, the man had managed to carry the team that people predicted to get relegated at the beginning of the season, after losing five games in a row, to be a team that was so hard to beat.

Hell, right now, they even got into 12th place in the current standings, and while it was still in the middle-bottom tier in this league, at least compared to when they had to fight from the bottom of the league, everything was better right now.

With more exposure, of course, pressure also increased. Not only from inside the pitch, but outside of the pitch, people also started to notice the value of some players in this team. So far, after the game was over, Fujita-san had already called him three times, reporting on so many offers from local companies to endorse their products.

"This HORIE Corporation offers a good deal for you to sponsor their tumbler product. They are a brand located in Niigata, and some of their people have already known you since the tournament in Niigata that you attended two years ago. I will forward the contract they offer and some notes to read, so don’t skip through it!"

"An accessories company also tries to get in touch with you. There is one called OZIO with their premium product like leather wristbands, necklaces, and so many more. They want to try their luck with an endorsement from athletes, and since you are young and have just emerged onto the scene, they think that you are a good start for them."

"Some German companies also send their greetings to me. One of them is Club-Mate, the biggest energy drink company in this country. Still, the offer is not that genuine. It is clear that they don’t treat you seriously, so wait until your name gets bigger and slap them on the face!"

Higo read all the files that his agent sent through his email, and it would be a lie if the boy said that he was enjoying this. Even though all of them were money intended to be thrown at him, Higo still found that this side of his professional career to be troublesome.

"I mean, I get it, my fame will bring more exposure to the product, but isn’t it a little bit early?" He grumbled to Kumiko and Sakura later that night, wanting to get their opinion here. "Not saying that I am not confident in my ability, but what would happen if my performance declines or I got injured? Also, would I not be allowed to use the products from the other companies by then? Isn’t that a bit too much of a problem to invite?"

"Well, you don’t need to worry even if your performance starts to decline. The contract doesn’t stipulate that you have to always be in the best form, you know?" Sakura gave her insight while also reading some of the contracts here. "I mean, they are currently gambling on you here. If only your performance gets way better in the future, your name will be bigger, and at that point, getting you to endorse their product with this number will be considered a steal."

"Also, they don’t even state that you have to go to their event or something like that, just having to wear their product daily and make sure that you promote them regularly on your social media. As for not using the other company’s products, that’s a reasonable demand, right?" Kumiko added with a shrug.

Higo spent a moment in silence, pondering with his struggling mind over everything in front of him. While he knew that footballers would get involved in so many off-the-field activities like this, when the reality was in front of him, the boy couldn’t help but have a headache right now.

"In fact, you don’t need to worry about this endorsement deal." Kumiko suddenly spoke once again, giving Higo a bad feeling that she would remind him of something important and equally problematic. "Your contract with the team... Is there any news about renewal from Fujita-san? People start to get restless, you know?"

The boy was stunned for a second before letting out a groan. "Oh, for fuck’s sake! How could I forget about that?!" He covered his face with both hands.

Indeed, this was definitely a more urgent matter for Higo to handle. After all, he was quite close with the Gelsenkirchen people, and they started to ask anxiously about his future in the team.

It couldn’t be helped, because according to Fujita-san, some teams had already started sending their offers, and those weren’t just coming from Germany. No, even Feyenoord from the Netherlands and OGC Nice from France also inquired about Higo’s situation, wanting to see if they could get his services for their teams.

With his fame growing, it was clear that he had started to become a hot commodity in Europe right now.However, if anything, for Higo, who started to fall in love with this city, everything only gave him a bigger headache.

’Oh, God... This is definitely a happy headache, but still a headache, nonetheless, right?’