The reason why Hoffenheim and Lu Wenbin failed to renew the contract was not only because they could not reach an agreement on salary and liquidated damages, but also because Lu Wenbin himself wanted to leave.
Although Hoffenheim treated him well and made him the core, the average strength of his teammates was too low.
Lu Wenbin's performance this season has been abnormal enough, but the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich was a second-round comeback, and the final against Inter Milan was a last-second comeback. Both games were bumpy and he almost lost the championship.
It's too unsafe to stay in such a team.
Not to mention the increase in commercial value, Lu Wenbin could not accept the fact that he could not obtain the system task reward of skill points by accidentally losing the championship.
He must go to a wealthy team where his teammates are on average stronger, to increase his commercial value while ensuring more stable results and championships, and to guarantee his skill points are earned and upgraded.
Lu Wenbin wants to challenge Platini's three consecutive Ballon d'Or titles, or even surpass him.
He has kept his inner promise and left Hoffenheim with a priceless Champions League trophy and the honor of being Germany's first treble-winning team.
Even Bayern Munich does not have the title of Triple Crown.
He felt that he had done his best for the club and the fans, and he would have no psychological burden even if he left.
Of course, fans don't think so.
Since the end of the season, when Hoffenheim and Lu Wenbin began negotiating a contract extension, fans have been going to the club's gate and outside Lu Wenbin's residence with banners asking Lu Wenbin to stay and continue to lead Hoffenheim to greater glory.
However, Lu Wenbin did not give a positive response. When asked by reporters, he said it depends on the results of the negotiations between Mendes and the club.
Even when his boss Hope called personally, Lu Wenbin pushed the matter to Mendes.
In fact, Mendes put more energy into negotiations with other teams.
Given Lu Wenbin's incredible performance last season, there is no need to make an offer at all. If other clubs want to buy Lu Wenbin, they can only activate the 100 million euro penalty clause to be eligible to negotiate a contract with Lu Wenbin.
It is wishful thinking to want to gain the qualification to negotiate a contract with Lu Wenbin with a transfer fee of less than 100 million euros.
After the end of the season, there were indeed clubs that wanted to obtain Hoffenheim's consent to negotiate a contract with Lu Wenbin with an offer of less than 100 million euros, but they were all rejected without hesitation.
Later, clubs that wanted Lu Wenbin directly activated the penalty clause to obtain the qualification to negotiate with Lu Wenbin.
During the World Cup, the five clubs that were relatively close to Mendes in negotiations on personal contracts were Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, Chelsea and Inter Milan.
These clubs are strong and are willing to pay the penalty to take Lu Wenbin away directly. They are also willing to meet Lu Wenbin's annual salary requirement of the highest in the world football in his personal contract.
Other giants were gradually eliminated due to issues such as transfer fees and annual salaries.
After the World Cup in South Africa ended, it was already mid-July.
At this time, Mendes and Lu Wenbin eliminated Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona, leaving only Real Madrid and Inter Milan.
Although Manchester City is willing to offer a terrifying annual salary of up to 18 million euros, which is much higher than the salaries offered by several other clubs, Manchester City is not well-known and is not a wealthy club. It is only because the Abu Dhabi consortium is rich that Lu Wenbin is unwilling to go.
Chelsea has the same problem. It is not a traditional giant and its offer was lower than Manchester City's, but it was also eliminated by Mendes and Lu Wenbin.
Barcelona is because Lu Wenbin doesn't like this team very much. This team got a new nickname in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan last year: La Masia Film and Television Academy.
Unless they are die-hard fans of Barcelona, this is the time when everyone else is most disgusted with Barcelona, and Lu Wenbin is no exception.
Finally, only Real Madrid and Inter Milan are left.
Real Madrid is famous enough. Although it has been stuck in the round of 16 of the Champions League in recent years, it does not prevent it from being the most attractive galactic battleship for players in world football.
As a young man of only 20 years old, Lu Wenbin also yearns for Real Madrid.
Especially in last season's Champions League final, he witnessed the magnificence of the Bernabeu Stadium on the spot, and received applause and support from many Real Madrid fans during the game.
From the end of the Champions League final to now, Real Madrid president Florentino has continued to express his extreme admiration for Lu Wenbin, hoping that Lu Wenbin will go to the Bernabeu to play for the Galacticos and form the most expensive pair of strikers in world football with Ronaldo.
However, the annual salary offered by Real Madrid is not very high, only 500,000 euros higher than Ronaldo's contract renewal, far from comparable to Manchester City. It is just to satisfy Lu Wenbin's title of the world's highest annual salary. Neither Mendes nor Lu Wenbin are very satisfied.
Of course, this is not a problem. The title of Galaxy Battleship is still very attractive even if the annual salary is a little lower.
But what made Lu Wenbin unhappy was that Real Madrid insisted on getting half of Lu Wenbin's image rights income.
When he was in Hoffenheim, the first contract he signed was that all image rights belonged to the club. In 2008, when he renewed his contract for the first time, the image rights income was split 50-50 with the club. In 2009, when he renewed his contract for the third time, Lu Wenbin got 90% and the club only got 10%.
Thanks to his own achievements and the unique advantage of the 1.3 billion Chinese market, Lu Wenbin's current income from advertising endorsements is much higher than his annual salary.
If the income from image rights is split in half with Real Madrid, wouldn't it mean that the annual salary paid by Real Madrid is not wasted and they will even make a huge profit every year
Although the transfer fee of 100 million euros is expensive, Lu Wenbin is confident that the next transfer will help the club earn more transfer fees.
Therefore, Lu Wenbin will not give up his share of the income from portrait rights.
Because sometimes when shooting endorsements, you have to use the club name, jerseys, team logo, etc., which is inappropriate at all. But just like the last time he renewed his contract with Hoffenheim, Lu Wenbin gave up at most 10%, just to show his appreciation.
Florentino firmly disagreed with this.
Real Madrid's commercial success is supported by superstar endorsements. It can even be said that Real Madrid's frequent big-money transfers in the transfer market are also due to Real Madrid's commercial success.
Real Madrid is not like Inter Milan which relies on the chairman's personal pocket to support the team. Real Madrid's superstar policy makes their jersey sales, advertising endorsements, commercial competitions, etc. in short supply, and it has always been one of the most profitable clubs.
If he gives up this share of the image rights, it will not only involve financial interests, but may even lead to rebellion from other Real Madrid players.
For example, Cristiano Ronaldo's current share of image rights is 60%, which is higher than the 50% of other Real Madrid players.
But if Lu Wenbin signs a 90% profit share agreement, Ronaldo will probably rebel, and the other players will not do it either.
It's the same reason why Hoffenheim can't offer Lu Wenbin too high an annual salary, because it would destroy the unity within the team. (Seeking monthly votes)