The Godfather of Football

When it comes to Joorabchian, I believe many people's first reaction is West Ham United.

Although his plan to acquire the Hammers was not fully realized, he still let everyone see his good side, and also let many people see his extensive network of contacts in the Premier League.

I still remember that someone once said the key to the football circle, a circle that seems open but is actually extremely closed.

The football economy generates sky-high profits and transactions every year, especially in the Premier League. According to outside speculation, the fees paid to agents by the Premier League each season exceed more than 60 million pounds. This is only the income from the formal channels of agents, which is an income allowed by FIFA, not to mention other gray income.

Therefore, many people say that the Premier League's broadcasting fees have skyrocketed, and the happiest people are not the Premier League football clubs, but the agents.

The reason is simple. The broadcasting fees are high and the team has money. As long as the team has money, there are two things that must be done. The first is to give players a raise, and the second is to pay for buying people. No matter which one, it is inseparable from the agent.

After one agent after another fell, especially after a lawsuit and turmoil, the Premier League's golden agent Stretford collapsed, and now the famous Portuguese agent Mendes has also left the Premier League with Mourinho, and his business has shrunk rapidly, causing some reorganization in the Premier League's agent business.

Pini Zahavi is undoubtedly the most popular agent now, because he is not only the most famous agent in the Premier League, but also the CEO of Chelsea. Eliza Moon's agency is gradually transforming. Although this agency holds the agency rights of most Tottenham Hotspur players and some big-name stars in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Eredivisie, they have gradually transformed their business into commercial operations.

At present, the agency's core business has two aspects, one is the commercial packaging and promotion of players, and the other is the football economic forum and player database, which have set off a crazy wave in the last few days of the summer transfer market for two consecutive years.

In a sense, Eliza Moon has gradually faded out of the agent agency business.

It is in this context that, in a silent environment, Joorabchian is also constantly expanding his business.

He is very young. Although not many people have seen him, everyone who has seen him will be surprised by his youth. If everyone outside associates Eliza Moon's success with Ye Qiu, then Joorabchin's success is due to his mysterious background.

He has almost no grudges with anyone. He has a good relationship with Pini Zahavi and other agents, but his relationship with the club is relatively ordinary. The reason is very simple. He lives by sucking blood from the club, so it is strange that he can have a good relationship.

But there are many times when the club really cannot do without such people.

Just like Gary Cook at this moment, an American, as a former Nike executive, Gary Cook may be very capable in other aspects and have a lot of connections, but in the football circle, he is almost penniless, so after Thaksin acquired Manchester City and poached him to Manchester, the first thing he did was to make friends with Joorabchin.

Manchester City changed its coach this season. It was Mark Hughes recommended by Joorabchian to Gary Cook. However, Mark Hughes' performance was not ideal. It was obvious that no one was satisfied with the fact that Manchester City, which had invested so much, was almost relegated.

But sometimes things have to be looked at the other way around. What should we do if we are not satisfied with the results?

It's very simple, just keep investing!

The Abu Dhabi consortium had never been involved in football before. They had almost no connections in the football circle, which undoubtedly provided opportunities for agents. Moreover, the current Abu Dhabi consortium is a typical way to pave the way with money. If you want to build a star-studded and powerful team in the shortest time, the best and most effective way is to invest heavily and dig up talents with a lot of money!

"Did he really say that?"

At the famous Edward VII Hotel in Manchester, Joorabchian asked with a smile after hearing what Gary Cook said.

Digging up talents with a lot of money means a big investment, and according to the agent's 10% income, this is simply a piece of pie falling from the sky. Making a deal is enough to make people worry-free for a lifetime.

"The boss is very satisfied with you for intercepting Robinho. On the one hand, he hopes to bring in another player who is not inferior to Robinho during this winter break to continue the momentum of the summer, but at the same time, he also hopes to bring in a top star next summer!"

As Gary Cook said this, Joorabchin's mouth slightly raised. He felt like laughing but felt that it was too ostentatious and inappropriate. However, he could not hide the joy and happiness in his heart.

"The boss has said that money is not a problem. The most important thing is to be able to buy people!" Gary Cook laughed, "You should know that people in the Middle East don't care about money at all. For them, it's just a matter of selling a few more barrels of oil. What they want is to create a sensation. But for now, let's put the summer transfer aside and deal with the winter transfer first."

Horabuchin nodded continuously, "Okay, isn't it just to create a sensation? It's simple. As long as you don't care about money, just throw out a sky-high price. It's hard not to create a sensation. And with Manchester City's current situation, it's normal to spend money to poach some famous players, and it's best to have players who have some media attention, the effect will be best!"

Gary Cook also smiled after hearing this, "You are the expert on these!" After a pause, he thought of something else, "But you'd better talk to Mark Hughes about the current situation of the team. It’s really hard to be satisfied. If we spend more money on signings during the winter break, the team’s performance will definitely improve.”

"If we are really careless and Manchester City is downgraded, everyone will be screwed, and then there will be nothing left!"

After hearing this, Horabqin nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, I am sensible, we still follow the old rules, and you are indispensable!"

When working as an agent in European football, transfers are often not just one transfer, but involve many, many insider transactions. Especially in the Premier League, black money cases broke out twice, but in the end they were settled. The reason is simple. Such transactions are almost everywhere and no one can block them.

"How's it going? Do you have a goal?" Gary Cook looked at him and asked with a smile.

Horabqin nodded slightly, "There is a suitable candidate, and no matter how high the price is, it is normal, and it will definitely create a sensation. However, it may not be good to take advantage of him." Do it, so..."

Gary Cook knew that he was talking about the agent's commission, but he immediately thought of Mubarak's words that money is definitely not an issue. He nodded and said: "As long as it can achieve its goal and help the team improve its strength, this will Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it for you!”

"That's good!" Horabchian was very satisfied after hearing this and patted Gary Cook on the shoulder, "I won't miss your share!"

Many professionals are beginning to be surprised to discover one thing, that is, Tottenham Hotspur has unknowingly become the only undefeated team in the four major European leagues this season.

This breaking news was first disclosed by The Times after Tottenham Hotspur defeated Fulham 2:1 in the thirteenth round of the Premier League.

Previously, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur remained unbeaten at the same time. However, with Liverpool's defeat by Tottenham Hotspur, the North London team has become the only unbeaten team in the four major European leagues. .

In the past thirteen rounds of the league, Tottenham Hotspur had one game less, but achieved a record of ten wins and two draws. But what is even more surprising is that this Tottenham Hotspur team has a record of ten wins and two draws. In the past twelve games, a total of 41 goals have been scored, far ahead of the league runner-up Liverpool's 24 goals, and also ahead of Chelsea's 31 goals.

Not to mention in the Premier League, even in European football, Tottenham Hotspur's offensive power is still far ahead. Inter Milan has only scored a total of 25 goals this season, which is already the highest number of goals in Italy. team, and in La Liga, Barcelona has only scored 35, still lagging behind Tottenham Hotspur.

This is simply an astonishing offensive report card. Many people even think that Tottenham Hotspur can become the leader of the Premier League standings with the number of goals conceded, ranking third in the Premier League. Their offensive prowess is outstanding.

Many people have analyzed that a very important factor why Tottenham Hotspur has stronger offensive power this season is the rise of Messi and the joining of David Silva. Many people even think that, If Ribery had not been injured, the trident combination of Ribery, Robin van Persie and Messi would have definitely scored more goals now.

For Tottenham Hotspur's strong offensive power, the outside world generally thinks that it is caused by Ye Qiu's tactics, because Tottenham Hotspur is not only the most offensive team in the Premier League, but also the most offensive team in continental Europe. They are all equally second to none.

The closest to Tottenham Hotspur is Guardiola's Barcelona, ​​but after the introduction of Mascherano this summer, Barcelona's tactics are a bit biased towards controlling the ball in the backcourt, assembling heavy troops and the backcourt to form a A solid ball control system.

After Mascherano played as a defensive midfielder in the first few games of the league, his position was gradually moved to the central defender position by Guardiola, forming a central defender combination with Pique, plus Puyol on the right and Puyol on the left. Abidal on the road, Barcelona's defense line has finally been stabilized.

The midfield of Busquets, Iniesta and Xavi also ensures the team's ball control and smooth midfield operation, while the frontcourt is filled with the more impactful Henry, Eto'o and Bojan, or Pedro's trident combination.

In Ye Qiu's view, compared with the previous life, Barcelona is missing Messi and Alves on the right, and Yaya Toure is missing in the midfield, but it has one more Mascherano, so overall, Barcelona's The tactics are a bit defensive, but they still advocate possession of the ball in the backcourt as before. Especially after Mascherano and Pique formed a double central defender, the team's ball possession rate was quite high.

One thing I have to admit is that Barcelona's ball control is indeed very skillful. Coupled with Guardiola's control, Barcelona's defense has been greatly improved. They have only lost 10 goals in all competitions this season. With nine goals, his defensive strength only lost to Scolari's Chelsea and Mourinho's Inter Milan in the four major European leagues, ranking third.

Ye Qiu has been mentally prepared for the changes he has brought about, because he knows very well that without Messi, Yaya Toure and Alves, Barcelona's style will definitely change, at least without these players. , if other players are replaced and the style remains the same, it would be a big surprise.

But the only thing that remains unchanged is Guardiola's pursuit of high center forwards. They are still chasing Inter Milan's Ibrahimovic and Tottenham Hotspur's Van Persie. These two players are the hottest top center forwards in today's football world, and they are both technically sophisticated center forwards that meet Barcelona's needs.

However, Tottenham Hotspur's answer to Barcelona's pursuit is always just one sentence, NO!

After the wonderful performance in the first thirteen rounds, Tottenham Hotspur's goal momentum seems to have begun to decline. In the fourteenth round of the Premier League, the team won a 1:0 victory over Blackburn. Ribery returned to the starting lineup for the first time after being seriously injured, but like the overall performance of the team, it was not very ideal.

In the middle of the week, Tottenham Hotspur, who had already qualified from the group stage, still did not miss the opportunity to continue to score points. After all, winning a game can also get a lot of bonuses, and it is a home game, and some substitutes can be used for training, so Ye Qiu arranged four substitutes and young players to play, but still defeated Marseille 1:0 at White Hart Lane.

This time it was Gareth Bale who scored the winning goal for the team!

In the 15th round of the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Everton 1:0 at home with Messi's goal.

But Liverpool was tied 0:0 by West Ham United at home. After two consecutive draws, Tottenham Hotspur successfully widened the points gap, but Chelsea reversed Liverpool and became the second in the league standings, four points behind Tottenham Hotspur, but relied on goal difference to suppress Liverpool.

On December 3, in the League Cup quarter-finals, Tottenham Hotspur challenged Watford away. Carroll made one assist and one goal. Tottenham Hotspur defeated Watford 2:1 away and successfully advanced to the semi-finals.

The English genius center forward became famous. With three consecutive League Cup best players, he attracted the attention of countless media and fans. Many English fans criticized Ye Qiu for not wanting to entrust Carroll with important tasks in the league. Many professionals even suggested that Carroll should join another team to find opportunities, or simply rent him out.

After the League Cup, many Premier League teams did come to White Hart Lane. Many of them were very sincere and hoped to introduce or rent Andy Carroll, but Tottenham Hotspur never gave in and kept a consistent tone to the outside world.

Back to the Premier League, in the 16th round, Tottenham Hotspur defeated West Ham United 2:0 away, once again trampling on the future rivals of Tottenham Hotspur who almost wanted to skin and cramp after losing the London Bowl.

But after this round of games, French Football Magazine announced that the winner of the 2008 European Golden Ball Award was Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United, Ribery and Messi were second and third respectively.

Because starting this year, French Football Magazine's European Golden Ball Award will no longer conduct traditional pre-selection interviews and hold a series of activities. Although the purpose of doing so is to better keep it confidential, it has indeed affected the attention of this award. The outside world did not get the news until they announced it to the public.

The selection of two Tottenham players was generally recognized by the outside world. After all, Ribery was the best player in the first half of the year. If he had not been injured in the Champions League final and the European Cup, he would have deserved the European Golden Ball Award. Messi was not as good as Ribery in the first half of the year, but he was definitely the best player in European football in the second half of the year, and his popularity completely overwhelmed Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Tottenham Hotspur's two ace stars surrounded Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, but in the end the Portuguese won the award. London fans felt very sorry for this, but the players themselves were more relieved.

Messi said in an interview with the media that he was not surprised that he did not win the European Golden Ball Award, but he felt that his teammate Frank Ribery should have won the award the most.

"If they want to give the award to the best player on the planet, then I think Frank should have won it. He is very, very good, and we all know that this award has extraordinary meaning for him."

But Messi also knew that Ribery was absent for half a year, so it was not surprising that he did not win the award.

"Sometimes people are like this, always lacking luck, but I think that as a football player, the most important thing is to get the support of teammates. I believe Frank can quickly regain his form and return to his peak."

"Remember, in the Champions League final, our boss once said to Frank that he owed him a Champions League. I think it's not just the boss, all of us hope to help Frank win a Champions League, and we also firmly believe that he will work hard for it!"

When Ribery was asked about not winning the award, he also expressed regret, but he congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo, saying that such a result was reasonable, and for the encouragement of his teammate Messi, Ribery also said that he would definitely go all out and strive to return to the top.

For Cristiano Ronaldo's award, Ye Qiu expressed his congratulations, but when asked how to evaluate Ribery, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Ye Qiu also bluntly stated that he admired the first two players more.

"It's not just because they are my players, but because they represent my football philosophy, which is that the interests of the team are paramount. I think Cristiano Ronaldo is indeed a top superstar, but his egoism is completely inconsistent with my football philosophy, so I don't envy Ferguson at all!"

Ferguson did not fight back against Ye Qiu's remarks, but Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes publicly fought back against Ye Qiu, thinking that Ye Qiu was complaining sourly after his favorite player failed to win an award.

But Ye Qiu was not interested in this kind of bickering!

Because he had a lot of things to do, such as the Champions League against Bayern, and the transfer offer that suddenly appeared in front of him!