Dortmund's Craving

The team quickly offered Dejan Lu a contract renewal.

His performance was too outstanding, and the team was afraid the player would be unhappy if they didn't renew his contract.

Although transfers weren't as easy before the Bosman ruling, and contract renewals weren't this quick either, it was ultimately a special case. After all, no player had ever debuted with such ferocity.

The coaching staff even spotted scouts from West Germany near the training grounds.

Based on their deductions, they were from Dortmund or Borussia Mönchengladbach.

After the renewal, Dejan Lu's annual income reached $200,000, averaging $4,000 per week, putting him at the team's average level.

Football income wasn't low, but players' salaries still lagged significantly behind other sports.

In August, Forbes ranked Maradona's income at only around 50th place, with Tyson taking the top spot.

This was why Dejan Lu was so keen on starting a business.

Van Basten was amazing, right?

His career savings amounted to only 30 million Euros, and he even went bankrupt when investing in a bank.

Mount earns 15.15 million Euros at Manchester United.

If he didn't find ways to earn money, he feared he wouldn't fare as well as future generations of footballers after retirement.

While Dejan Lu was busy with matters on and off the field, he met someone.

His editor, Kumatani Gensuke.

Weekly Shonen Sunday was in a chaotic period after Urusei Yatsura. Despite Ranma 1/2 and Legend of the Sword Warrior, sales were still only half of their peak.

Therefore, they placed exceptional importance on Pokémon.

Upon meeting, Kumatani Gensuke immediately bowed deeply, his forehead hitting the cafe table.

The waiter who served their coffee immediately went back to the owner and whispered, "Did this guy do something to offend Dejan?"

"I heard Dejan has connections with the Calabrian mafia," the fat owner said casually.

Dejan Lu's expression turned dark.

Who started that rumor?

These Japanese people always pull this stunt upon meeting, without offering any real benefits.

Kumatani Gensuke began, "Teacher Lu, the company places great importance on your work. We've already started the process of adapting it into an anime. In the future, I will be responsible for liaising with you on your works. If possible, please fax them to us on time. I will also be visiting Italy frequently. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell me."

Dejan Lu was a little surprised when the other person started speaking in Chinese.

However, at this time, the proportion of elites in Japan and South Korea who could speak Chinese was very high, so it wasn't entirely strange, especially among professionals in fields like culture and law.

Works like "Detective Conan" and "Crayon Shin-chan" featured many Chinese elements, so an editor speaking Chinese was indeed very helpful for their career.

Dejan Lu pouted and said, "Can you get Shizuka Kudo to come draw with me?"

Kumatani Gensuke: ...

Although Shizuka Kudo hadn't debuted long ago, she was incredibly popular now, with annual album sales of over 5 billion Yen, which translated to over $40 million USD.

If he had that kind of influence, he wouldn't be an editor.

"Just kidding."

"Teacher is so humorous," Kumatani Gensuke said, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead.

He had a premonition that this teacher might be a bit troublesome.

In the evening, Kumatani Gensuke treated Dejan Lu and Monica to dinner and gave them gifts before leaving.

He needed some time on his business trip to Italy to thoroughly understand Dejan Lu's life and work.

Being both an athlete and a part-time manga artist was inherently unstable, as many events on the field could affect his updates.

"It's a Japanese watch, and it's not cheap!" Monica exclaimed.

"If you like it, keep it, but it will definitely depreciate."

Dejan Lu said, "Japanese goods will decline in the future."

"You're not optimistic about them?"

Monica asked, sounding surprised.

The Japanese were very wealthy now. Just recently, Mitsubishi Estate had bought Rockefeller Center. Whether in Milan or Genoa, Japanese tourists were frequently seen.

"Of course,"

Dejan Lu stated.

In the internet age, there were too many analyses of Japan's economic recession.

Having benefited from the reduced Soviet threat, Japan would inevitably become a target of US sanctions. They had dumped too many industrial goods.

Wealth without military support was merely a castle in the air.

If he understood this aspect better, Dejan Lu would have wanted to profit from the Japanese.

I should check William Hill's odds on the Berlin Wall.

A few days later, in the Cup Winners' Cup, Dejan Lu started and scored a goal and provided an assist, helping the team to a 4-0 away victory against the Norwegian team Brann, also getting off to a winning start in the Cup Winners' Cup.

After this match, the media's opinion of Dejan Lu continued to rise.

More media outlets teased AC Milan's vice-chairman.

With no other options, Galliani was forced to give an interview.

He stated, "A player's performance needs to be observed over a long period. Some players have scored hat-tricks, but they aren't among the great forwards of this country. We must be patient and cautious with young players. I don't think there's anything wrong with how I've handled things. Inter Milan lost, what does that have to do with us?"

Following this, a flu outbreak hit the team.

Players, including Dejan Lu, fell ill and had to rest, but fortunately, the team didn't lose a single match.

This incident also made Mantovani vigilant, and he began seeking improvements to the team's medical facilities.

In the late 1980s, some teams didn't even have team doctors, or their doctors were just figureheads. Player injuries were handled by hospitals or affiliated clinics.

During training, Roberto Mancini couldn't help but joke, "That bald guy is really targeting you."

"Maybe it's because he misjudged me?" Dejan Lu shrugged.

"Or maybe he's jealous of your hair," Vialli chuckled.

Lombardo glared at him and cursed, "Why are you looking at me when I say bald guy? I have hair on the sides, just not in the middle."

"Alright, the fans call your hair a highway," Vialli said.

Lombardo's hairstyle was also quite distinctive.

As the players were fooling around, Boskov came to the sideline with a tactical board and said, "Alright, tomorrow we're playing away in the Ruhr area. I know you're curious about the starting lineup, so I won't keep you in suspense. Dejan, you're starting..."

The field erupted in laughter.

After all, the media had many speculations about Dejan Lu's position, and even the locker room would guess before matches.

This time, the coach simply announced it first.

They didn't see it as a problem; Dejan Lu's performance was commendable, and the team had won every time he played.

The entire Sampdoria team soon boarded their flight to Germany.

As the home team, Dortmund was also in a period of growth. Last year, Horst Köppel had just led the team to win the German Cup and the German Super Cup.

As the head coach, Köppel keenly realized that in a 4-4-2 formation, an inverted winger like Dejan Lu, who liked to cut inside, could greatly complement the team's offense, especially when the team had two strong forwards.

Thanks to the brave Water-Fried Dumplings and Walking Book Machine for their tips.

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