"This is a brand-new contract we're offering. It includes many new elements and represents a whole new partnership model. We hope to build a much closer relationship with you and your team."
At Suker's villa, Nike's general manager personally showed up to negotiate an endorsement contract with Suker.
Previously, Suker was signed with Adidas.
And with Adidas holding endorsement deals for both Suker and Messi, they essentially had a monopoly on La Liga's top stars—posing a major obstacle to Nike's growth.
Now, Nike was desperate to sign the currently most influential player in world football, even if it meant poaching him.
A legal advisor on Suker's side was carefully reviewing the contract, going through all the clauses and terms.
Neither Suker nor Zorančić were deeply familiar with the finer details, so they brought in professionals.
While waiting, Nike's GM Leon smiled at Suker and said:
"I watched your performance in El Clásico—you were absolutely phenomenal. Compared to Messi, you are a more valuable investment."
Suker raised an eyebrow—clearly a flattering move.
Leon leaned in slightly and lowered his voice:
"And there are also hidden clauses… If you sign with us, Nike will mobilize all available resources to assist you—especially with personal accolades."
"Our group has partnerships and good relations with many European media outlets. We also hold significant influence within UEFA and FIFA."
"For the World Cup, we plan to form a 'Nike Stars Family'. With your current influence, you'd absolutely be the centerpiece."
Leon passionately laid out Nike's sincerity and groundwork.
To be fair, they'd done their homework and were serious about stealing Suker away.
But Suker remained silent.
Zorančić spoke on his behalf:
"These things are secondary. If you can help us in those areas, we'd be grateful. But if we're going to cooperate, we need to see real sincerity."
Leon's eyes lit up.
"Of course!"
He continued with a confident smile:
"We're not sure how much Adidas offered for renewal, but we're prepared to offer more. We propose a ten-year contract worth €300 million in endorsements—€30 million per year, paid over ten years."
Suker pondered—this was a serious offer.
At the time, David Beckham—the king of endorsements—was making around €36 million annually at his peak.
And here was Suker being offered €30 million just for a single sports brand.
However, Suker still waited for the lawyer to finish reviewing the contract.
Leon was getting nervous.
Nike had recently run an internal analysis report on football players.
Suker, Ronaldo, and Messi all made the list as top-tier endorsement prospects.
Factoring in national team status, club exposure, commercial value, and long-term potential—Suker ranked as the best investment.
Leon was sure other brands were also making moves.
Especially Adidas, which already had a contract and likely a right of first refusal—meaning Nike had to beat any equal offer.
So if they wanted Suker, they had to go above and beyond.
That meant one thing: throwing money.
A ten-year contract, €300 million total.
This was record-breaking—arguably the most lucrative sponsorship deal in football history.
Yet Suker remained unmoved.
Leon began to worry Adidas had offered something even more generous.
Then he played his trump card.
"Mr. Suker!"
Suker turned toward him.
Leon's face was deadly serious.
He tapped the printed contract:
"We've shown our sincerity. On top of everything else…"(He raised three fingers)"Tax-free."
Boom!!
Suker's brain buzzed.
€300 million before tax and €300 million after tax—those are two completely different things.
"Are you sure?" Suker was incredulous.
Leon nodded:
"Yes. This is the company's decision. We truly believe in your future.For public statements, we'll claim it's €300 million pre-tax, but the actual contract will specify the amount after tax."
Slam!The lawyer finally closed the contract file and exhaled:
"I've read through everything. No problems."
Suker turned to him with a faint smile:
"Then we're done here."
A tax-free €300 million deal?There was no way Suker could refuse.
It meant €30 million per year would go straight into his pocket. Nike would handle all tax obligations.
This was something Adidas would never offer.
In fact, Adidas had been bickering over reducing the renewal fee—something that had already annoyed Suker.
Trying to make money off him without paying him fairly?Get real.
As Leon left, he was beaming.
Even though he had offered bottom-line terms, he had secured a verbal agreement and signed a letter of intent.
Once Suker's current contract expired later that year, he would officially become a Nike athlete.
And his income would increase dramatically.
Zorančić walked out with him, and as they watched the car disappear into the distance, he turned to Suker:
"Since you're aiming for influence in Spain, you should have the payments settled here too. You're paying massive taxes—Spain should treat you well."
Indeed, Suker had decided to pay taxes in Spain, signaling goodwill.
"I'm generating this much tax revenue—you better treat me right."
"Peo did well. Watching how they negotiated gave us a good idea of Nike's bottom line. But I didn't expect €300 million after tax!"
Zorančić sighed:
"You're officially the highest-paid footballer in terms of single endorsement deals."
"That's not the point," Suker replied."Help me set up a contract management department to handle all my deals. Also build a tax analysis team to track every payment and compile annual reports."
"Why do you need those?" Zorančić asked.
Suker turned to him:
"You'll see."
He remembered how Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid because of a tax evasion investigation.
Ronaldo felt betrayed when the club didn't support him, and that ended their relationship.
Did Ronaldo intentionally dodge taxes? Suker didn't think so.
With complex contracts and many income streams, Ronaldo likely left things to others.
But unlike him, Suker would have two teams—a contract group and a tax group—that monitored and balanced each other.
If anyone tried to set him up, he'd have yearly reports ready as legal evidence.
Try to blackmail him? He'd sue you for defamation and extortion and throw you in jail.
With the new contract settled, Suker's income surged. In high spirits, he invited his teammates over to his villa for a feast.
And when Suker hosts, the whole locker room shows up.
Nobody wanted to offend Real Madrid's absolute core. Even local stars like Casillas were eager to attend.
On the edge of the private sports field, Suker set up two grills.
He and Ramos each manned one, barbecuing for everyone.
The rest of the team broke off into small groups—chatting, gaming, or waiting to eat.
"Let's take a look here—oh~~ Suker's juicy grilled beef leg is sizzling beautifully. I can't wait!And Ramos? My god, what is this…"
Marcelo was filming the scene with a camcorder.
He'd recently started a personal YouTube channel to share daily life.
Comparing Suker's rich, glossy roast to Ramos' dry, shriveled beef leg—it was no contest.
"I'm eating Suker's!" Marcelo decided instantly.
"Mine's healthier!" Ramos protested.
"There's no such thing as a 'healthy' flavor!" Suker snapped.
Marcelo nodded rapidly in agreement.
"What do you mean?" Ramos pointed at his charred meat."Look! This is what health looks like!"
"Eat it yourself." Suker rolled his eyes.
Soon, the meat was ready.
They sliced it and started seasoning.
Ramos clumsily scattered salt like a street vendor, while Suker played it up, mimicking Salt Bae's signature move—hand raised high, salt flowing down his forearm.
The team burst into laughter.
"Alright, dig in!"
With meat aplenty, everyone chowed down.
After a grueling half-season, they needed to refuel—and the food was delicious.
Suker's grill was swarmed. Ramos'… barely touched.
Suker even tried a bite out of courtesy—but it was so dry it was like chewing wood.
Ramos, however, gnawed at it with heroic effort—devouring half a beef leg by himself.
After the meal, Suker brought out tea, drinks, and coffee.
While others picked their favorites, Suker sipped iced coffee to cleanse the palate.
"This might be our first full team gathering, huh?" Casillas smiled.
"I noticed no one planned any get-togethers, so I figured I'd throw one—celebrating some recent good fortune."
"Endorsements?" Marcelo asked, still munching.
Suker sighed. Were all Brazilian players bottomless pits?
"You don't want to know."
He wasn't going to tell them. The gap between their incomes would be too disheartening.
Even in top clubs, player earnings varied wildly.
Starters vs. subs, defenders vs. forwards—it all made a difference.
"Two more league matches and one UCL game. Then it's winter break," Guti noted."This has been our best season start in years."
The past few seasons had been chaotic—especially with Calderón's mismanagement.
Now, under Florentino's careful rebuilding, things were improving.
"What are your winter break plans?"
"Going on vacation!"
"Visiting my girlfriend!"
"Going home."
Everyone shared their plans—most looking forward to a break.
Suker, though, felt a little down. He'd still be working while everyone else relaxed.
At least the money was good.
"What about you?" Casillas asked Ramos.
"I'm staying to train."
Everyone fell silent.
Ramos was a starter—and he was staying back to work?
"I just switched to center-back. I need more time to adapt, to improve.So I'm staying at the training base."
"You guys go enjoy yourselves."
Suker laughed. He wasn't the only workaholic here.
"Next match is our final UCL game. Let's finish strong, top the group, and have a merry Christmas."
At the end, Casillas raised his cup.
Everyone toasted together, boosting morale.
The final Champions League group match was held at the Bernabéu.
Opponent: FC Zürich, who had yet to win a game—just one draw, already eliminated.
Their coach told them to "enjoy the match."But—yeah, right.
Cheers echoed across the stadium.
71st minute: Real Madrid 4 – 1 FC Zürich
Early in the match, Suker bagged a brace that left Zürich stunned.
Then Higuaín and Benzema combined—Benzema assisting Higuaín for 3–0.
Suker was subbed off in the 55th minute, after which Zürich pulled one back from a corner.
But Xabi Alonso struck from distance—into the top corner.
4–1.
Zürich's players were crushed.
They had hoped to shine in front of big clubs—but Madrid's ruthless counterattacks shattered their confidence.
Still, Madrid didn't press much afterward, and the match ended at 4–1.
Real Madrid: 6 wins out of 6, top of the group.
But fans were still nervous.
After all… there was the curse of the "Round of 16 exits."
Now, winter break loomed—and real tests awaited.
In La Liga, Matchdays 14 and 15 were against Valencia and Sevilla.
Madrid beat Valencia comfortably.
But against Sevilla, the defense collapsed—two early errors led to a 2–1 deficit.
Suker scored once before halftime.
In the second half, Madrid tightened up.
Then in the 78th minute, Suker equalized with a header.
After that, Sevilla went into a full bunker defense, holding for a draw.
Madrid couldn't break through.
Their second draw of the season.
Thus, La Liga's first half ended.
16 games:
Real Madrid: 14 wins, 2 draws, 0 losses – 1st place
Barcelona: 14 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss – 2nd place, 1 point behind
Top Scorers:
Suker – 25 goals
Messi – 18 goals
Higuaín – 14 goals
Villa – 10 goals
Forlán – 10 goals
Suker's first season in La Liga had been a phenomenal success, with monstrous attacking numbers.
He was now regarded as the best value-for-money signing.
16 matches, 25 goals!
Who else could do that?
That €100 million?
Totally worth it.