Chapter 282 Full Range of Suppression

Chen Yingxiong's encirclement and suppression of Cristiano Ronaldo was all-encompassing. If his direct confrontation with Messi was only on the pitch, then his war with Ronaldo had already spread off the pitch, burning to the most important thing: money.

Chen Yingxiong had just squeezed Ronaldo out of his position with Nike, and now he had kicked him off the top spot as the global spokesperson for Pro Evolution Soccer.

No wonder Ronaldo was increasingly displeased with Chen Yingxiong.

Since ancient times, cutting off someone's financial path has been the most hated practice. Because you've smashed their rice bowl, leaving them with nothing to eat, wouldn't they fight you to the death?

Chen Yingxiong had smashed Cristiano Ronaldo's rice bowls twice in a row.

The two of them were now in a completely irreconcilable situation.

Chen Yingxiong went to Japan to renew his contract with Konami. After some negotiations... in fact, Chen Yingxiong's achievements spoke for themselves.

This season was simply too glorious for Chen Yingxiong. His achievements were not only current, but even considering history, no one could compare to him.

So, under such circumstances, did Konami in Japan need to hesitate about who to choose?

They kicked out the Portuguese without hesitation and threw themselves into Chen Yingxiong's arms.

From then on, the cover of the Pro Evolution Soccer game would end the pattern of Chen Yingxiong and Ronaldo confronting each other on the left and right, and enter an era of Chen Yingxiong dominating the cover.

In this new contract signed by both parties, the term was three years, and Konami would pay Chen Yingxiong 1.5 million euros per year in endorsement fees.

In fact, three years ago, when Chen Yingxiong signed with Konami, it had caused a minor storm in China.

Mainly on the Internet, many Chinese fans believed that Chen Yingxiong should not endorse Japanese companies, for well-known reasons... That year, anti-Japanese sentiment was high in China, and car owners who drove Japanese cars on the street were out of luck. To openly endorse a Japanese company was just asking for trouble, wasn't it?

So at that time, the anti-Japanese wave on the Internet was high, and Chen Yingxiong was also affected, damaging his image. Of course, Xie Liang's active presence was also a factor. Those people Chen Yingxiong had offended were all contributing to this matter, performing energetically.

Some people criticized Chen Yingxiong for endorsing Japanese companies and then helping Japanese companies earn money from Chinese compatriots, and then letting the Japanese use the money they earned from us to stir up trouble and always oppose us. Wasn't this a traitor... and so on.

At first, the wave of criticism against Chen Yingxiong was fierce, but later the wind gradually changed. People who supported Chen Yingxiong explained an undeniable, ironclad fact to the opposition.

Chen Yingxiong endorsed Konami and earned Japanese money. He was taking money from the pockets of the Japanese, and no one could deny that, right?

The opposition said, that's right, he earned Japanese money. But the wool comes from the sheep. Wasn't the Japanese money still earned from the Chinese?

The supporters killed the opposition with one sentence: "For the Pro Evolution Soccer game that Hero endorses for Konami, may I ask how many of you play the legitimate version of Pro Evolution Soccer?"

Everyone was speechless...

That's right, most of the Pro Evolution Soccer games we play are pirated versions downloaded from the Internet, and the Pro Evolution Soccer games on the PS4 are also cracked versions... We haven't contributed a penny to Konami!

In that case, Chen Yingxiong's endorsement of Konami was equivalent to a net profit!

Thinking this way, the opposition felt relieved and comfortable.

They stopped arguing about whether Chen Yingxiong's endorsement of a Japanese company was an act of treason.

This result made Xie Liang and others very unhappy, but public opinion could not be violated, and it was difficult for them to stir up any waves on their own.

The matter died down.

Now, three years have passed. In 2015, after Chen Yingxiong renewed his contract with Konami and became the exclusive global spokesperson for Pro Evolution Soccer, the Chinese media were full of pride and joy, and very few people criticized Chen Yingxiong for selling out the country.

Instead, they reveled in how Chen Yingxiong was making money in Japan and how he was welcomed by those crazy Japanese fans all along the way.

Japan is a country that admires the strong. People there are accustomed to kowtowing to the powerful and holding those who are inferior to them in contempt.

If Chen Yingxiong had come to Japan when he had just become famous, he might not have been treated well. But now, Chen Yingxiong came to Japan with the afterglow of breaking a hundred goals in a single season. Everywhere he went, hundreds or thousands of Japanese fans lined the streets to welcome him, and many female fans even held up signs saying, "I am willing to spend the night with you."

Because in the eyes of the Japanese, Chen Yingxiong is the undisputed strongman. Since he is a strongman, he should be respected and worshiped, regardless of whether he is Chinese...

Chen Yingxiong enjoyed the feeling of being a god in Japan, where people nodded and bowed to him, greatly satisfying his vanity.

He would have the opportunity to enjoy this treatment again because at the end of this year, he would come to Japan with Liverpool to participate in the Club World Cup.

At that time, Japan would surely set off another red hero storm!

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After finishing his commercial activities in Japan, he finally returned to China. He met his parents, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, in Shanghai, spent two days of quiet family life, and took the opportunity to inquire about the development of the clothing brand named after him.

Then he went to participate in commercial activities again...

He would attend a Lenovo charity event, and also renew his contract with Lenovo for four years, receiving 1.8 million euros per year from Lenovo, equivalent to 20 million yuan.

The charity event was actually a charity gala. Chen Yingxiong would attend the gala with his girlfriend, and then there would be some auctions at the gala, and the funds raised would be injected into a special charity fund to support children in poor areas of western China to go to school.

Tickets were required to attend the gala, and the tickets were clearly priced at 10,000 yuan per ticket, and this money would also be donated to the charity fund.

At the gala, Chen Yingxiong took out the jersey he wore when he scored a hundred goals in a single season, the jersey he wore in the match against Newcastle United, and signed his name on it. In addition, he also contributed a pair of autographed sneakers and a Liverpool team-signed soccer ball.

Chen Yingxiong had been notified of the charity event long ago, so he could make some preparations. The soccer ball was specially signed by the entire Liverpool team for this purpose.

The most valuable of these three items was not the Liverpool team-signed soccer ball, but the jersey. Although it only had Chen Yingxiong's signature, it was of extraordinary significance—this was the match-worn jersey worn by the first player in the history of century football to break a hundred goals in a single season!

As early as when the news of Chen Yingxiong breaking a hundred goals in a single season spread around the world, many fans and jersey collectors on the Internet were looking for this jersey everywhere. Someone even offered a price of 2,300 euros!

You should know that this jersey only cost 75 euros even in Liverpool's souvenir shop...

In the end, this jersey was auctioned off for 25,000 yuan at this charity gala, making it the most expensive item bought at the entire event.

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Signing with Pepsi, renewing contracts with Lenovo and Konami, in addition to these, Chen Yingxiong also gained several other endorsement contracts. He signed more contracts this summer than in any previous year. Who told him to be the most popular and successful player in today's football world? He won honors on the field until his hands were soft, and naturally he had to count money until his hands were soft off the field.

Dekula fully developed his commercial value, maximizing his value. As long as the companies that came to him could come up with commercial cooperation contracts that satisfied him, and the brands were also influential in their respective fields, he would accept them all.

For example, renewing with Vodafone for four years, 2.4 million euros per year.

Endorsing Wrigley's chewing gum, a two-year contract, 1 million euros per year.

Endorsing Head & Shoulders shampoo, three years, 1.8 million euros per year.

Endorsing Nivea men's skin care products, four years, 1.5 million euros per year.

Endorsing China Life Insurance in China, four years, 1 million euros per year.

Endorsing Louis Vuitton bags, four years, 2 million euros per year.

Endorsing Nikon digital cameras, three years, 1.8 million euros per year.

Endorsing Ray-Ban sunglasses, three years, 1 million euros per year.

Endorsing Microsoft's newly launched mobile phone brand "mphone," four years, 1.5 million euros per year.

Endorsing Philips plasma TVs, a four-year contract, 1.8 million euros per year.

……

In short, Chen Yingxiong's image now permeates every corner of a person's life. A fanatical Hero fan can almost completely buy products endorsed by Chen Yingxiong, which is enough for most of his life's needs.

For example, he can buy a Microsoft phone and then choose Vodafone's communication protocol service. He can wear Ray-Ban sunglasses and chew Wrigley's chewing gum to look cool. He can wash his hair with Head & Shoulders, wash his face with Nivea facial cleanser, and shave with a Gillette razor. He can play Pro Evolution Soccer at home, use a Lenovo computer to surf the Internet, and watch Chen Yingxiong's games on a Philips 50-inch plasma TV. He can wear Nike "Hero 100" series shoes to play football with his friends. He can choose Standard Chartered Bank for investment and financial management, wear Armani formal wear to formal occasions, and wear a Tissot watch on his wrist. He can travel with a Louis Vuitton suitcase, hang a Nikon digital camera around his neck, and drive a Hummer H9 with super off-road performance. Where can't he go in the world?

This is the life of a die-hard Hero fan—of course, first he must have a certain economic foundation. A *diao si* can't afford a Hummer or an Lv bag. But they can use a Lenovo computer to go on Sina Weibo and play Pro Evolution Soccer...

Relying on the promotion and publicity of these brands, Chen Yingxiong's popularity has expanded to the whole world and is not limited to the field of football. Even if you are not a fan and you never care about football, as long as you use these things and watch TV commercials, you will know Chen Yingxiong's name and his image.

Chen Yingxiong is no longer just a football star.