Chapter 11 The Agent's Business

After watching Bruno and his granddaughter leave, Zhou Yi also planned to go home.

But just then, someone suddenly came up beside him.

"Hello..."

At the same time, he handed over a piece of paper.

Zhou Yi reflexively took it, and at the same time he took out a pen. He only realized it was a business card after he took it. Most fans who ask players for autographs give them star cards, posters, and jerseys. There are very few random things because that would be considered disrespectful to the player.

However, Zhou Yi didn't care about this. As an unknown player who hadn't even played in the first team yet, he was very happy to have someone ask him for an autograph instead of asking him for empowerment.

So he flipped the business card over and very skillfully wrote his name on it.

Then he handed it back to the other person.

The person who handed over the business card didn't take it, but was stunned because he didn't expect Zhou Yi to sign his name on the business card he had given him... But he wasn't here for an autograph!

Zhou Yi looked up and found the person opposite him was surprised.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yi asked the young man in a suit and tie who looked like a white-collar worker in front of him.

"Uh, no..." The other party quickly took the business card Zhou Yi handed back to him, but at the same time took out a new business card and handed it to Zhou Yi again.

"Do you still want me to sign?" Zhou Yi felt strange, and what was wrong with this person? Why sign such a small business card? Fortunately, his name only had two characters. If it was a strange name like "New Orleans Grilled Sturgeon Burger", how could he sign it on this business card?

"No, no." The man pointed to the words on the front of the business card and said to Zhou Yi, "Actually, I am an agent..."

Zhou Yi took the business card and looked at it himself, and it was true.

It said "Tino Schulze, Agent of sports_total Company".

"That's right, I heard that you don't have an agent yet, so I want to recommend myself and our company to you." Schulze began to lobby Zhou Yi on the road.

Zhou Yi hadn't really considered the issue of an agent during this period. His mind was full of hard training and getting a chance to play as soon as possible. As for an agent... it seemed very far away to him.

But when Schulze stood in front of him, he realized that as a professional player, he really seemed to be missing an agent.

His first professional contract with Dortmund was signed by himself. There was no negotiation, no suggestions for modifications. He scanned it and signed it. He didn't think anything of it at the time, he was just excited to become a professional player. Now that he thinks about it, it was really unprofessional...

But Zhou Yi felt it wasn't necessary to consider the issue of an agent right away. Anyway, the contract had been signed. The most important thing was to play.

So he waved his hand to Schulze: "Sorry, I do need an agent. But I have to go home for dinner now..."

"How about I treat you to dinner?" Before Zhou Yi could finish speaking, the other party said enthusiastically.

Zhou Yi couldn't accept such an enthusiastic German. He had been in Germany for so long, and he found that unless he had known someone for a while, Germans would not be so enthusiastic to you if you were a stranger. Although they were polite, that politeness was like being separated by a layer of glass.

A German who had only met once, and whose meeting time did not exceed five minutes, and immediately took the initiative to invite you to dinner... Zhou Yi had only met one before, Mark Wagner.

"Uh... no need." Zhou Yi leaned back, fearing that the other party would eat him, and waved his hand. "Someone at home has already prepared the meal..."

After he said this excuse, he felt that the excuse was really clumsy! He was single, how could someone at home have prepared a hot and fragrant meal waiting for him? This wasn't in China!

But when Schulze heard Zhou Yi say this, he didn't know how to persuade him to continue. Should he say "Forget about the people at home, come eat with me"?

That would be too impolite...

Seeing that Schulze didn't say anything, Zhou Yi waved goodbye to him.

But after only two steps, Schulze chased after him again.

"This... can you leave me your phone number? It will be easier for me to contact you..."

"Sorry, I'm not used to giving my phone number to people casually." Zhou Yi refused the other party and waved the business card in his hand. "Anyway, I have your phone number here. If I need to, I will contact you."

After saying that, he turned and ran away.

Schulze watched Zhou Yi's leaving back, and this time he finally didn't chase after him.

※※※

"Hi, Tino, how was the harvest today?" When Schulze was drinking in the bar, a middle-aged man in a suit came up next to him, sat down next to him, patted him on the shoulder and asked, then asked the waiter for a beer.

"Not bad, Okatta." Schulze raised his glass to him, "I successfully sent out a business card!"

Otokar Selkan, sitting next to him, covered his face: "I'm really impressed by you, Dino. You only sent out one business card in a day... Is that considered 'not bad'?"

"But compared to not being able to send out even one business card in a day, being able to send out one business card is indeed 'not bad'." Schulze said very seriously.

Selkan was speechless: "So you called me out to celebrate you successfully sending out a business card?"

Schulze scratched his head and smiled.

"Okay, so which unlucky guy took your business card?" While speaking, the beer that Selkan ordered had been brought up by the waiter. He took a sip and asked.

"Zhou Yi from Dortmund. A Chinese player..."

Before Schulze could finish his introduction, Selkan blurted out: "The Wizard."

"You also know his nickname?" Schulze was very happy.

"Who doesn't know? This young player is most famous for this nickname, or rather his name is probably not as famous as this nickname. He doesn't seem to have played in Dortmund's first team yet, right?"

"Well, not yet." Schulze nodded.

"That's right, if he had a record of playing in the first team, he probably wouldn't want your nobody's business card, ha!" Selkan teased his colleague and friend.

"That's why I have to seize the time!" Schulze said with a clenched fist and full of fighting spirit. "Strive to sign him before he plays and becomes famous!"

"The difficulty is not small. Although he hasn't played yet, this guy was the main player in the youth team with Gotze. He has potential, otherwise Klopp wouldn't have transferred him and Gotze to the first team..." Selkan is indeed a few levels higher than Schulze, this rookie agent. Even if he is not responsible for the Ruhr area, he still knows the player information of the teams here like the back of his hand. When it comes to Zhou Yi, such an unfamiliar player, he can say the information as soon as he opens his mouth.

"And, most importantly, he is a Chinese player. Do you know what that means, Tino?"

"The vast and potentially huge Chinese market." Schulze is not stupid either.

"That's right, unless this kid can't prove himself in the first team, as long as he can prove himself, then other agents will swarm in like sharks smelling blood, and there will definitely be famous agents among them. What will you compete with them with then?"

"That's why I said I want to sign him as soon as possible."

"How are you going to convince him?"

"With my sincerity and enthusiasm!"

"That means you have no way?"

"Alas..." Schulze also frowned and sighed. Indeed, as a rookie agent, he has no successful cases to prove his ability to Zhou Yi.

Seeing his friend so distressed, Selkan advised: "Actually, I have always suggested that you don't set your goals so high from the beginning. You should develop in the second division, relying on the advantages of our company, you may have a chance. I know you want to learn from Mr. Struess's practice of visiting promising young players door-to-door, but you have to think about the gap between you and Mr. Struess. Before that, he was already a successful agent. What about you? You just got your FIFA agent license. Be down-to-earth, it's good for you."

Schulze was silent after listening to Selkan's words.

He became an agent because he hoped that he could become a big shot like Mendes, who can enter and exit the chairman's office of a wealthy club, the private residence of the world's top players, and even influence the European football world.

But now it seems that the ideal is very full, but the reality is very skinny.

"Zhou Yi is also a player in Dortmund's first team, no matter what. These days, young people with a little potential have been divided up almost. Although Zhou Yi hasn't yet, it's coming soon. The reason why no one has made a move on him may be because he hasn't played in the first team yet, and everyone wants to observe. You want to take advantage of this time difference, but the player himself may not be willing to hand over his future to an inexperienced rookie like you." Seeing that Schulze was not talking, Selkan decided to strike while the iron was hot.

After Selkan finished speaking, Schulze picked up his glass and poured the remaining beer in the glass into his throat in one gulp. Some of the beer also overflowed from his mouth and flowed down the corners of his mouth.

After drinking, Schulze slammed the glass hard on the bar, attracting the attention of the people around him.

"Good!" Schulze said.

"Have you decided to develop in the lower leagues?" Selkan asked.

"No!"

Schulze's answer surprised Selkan: "Then what's so good about it!"

"I mean, good, I'm going to do my best to sign Zhou Yi!"

"Did I say all that for nothing? Why don't you understand, Tino?"

"I know, Okatta, I know your good intentions. But... Zhou Yi is the only person who took my business card and kept it without throwing it away. I'm really not willing to give up like this. I want to work harder. If I fail after trying my best, then I have nothing to say. At least I can leave without regrets."

Schulze said to Selkan with a flushed face. He didn't know if he had drunk too much alcohol just now and his face was flushed.

Looking at such a friend, Selkan shook his head: "Then what else can I say? I can only say - good luck, Tino."

"Thank you, Okatta, I really need good luck!"