The model friend Raiola mentioned was, of course, Esther Hitsch.
Mark had no objections to this.
As the saying goes, keep the good things in the family.
Besides, Hisch is a top supermodel in Germany's modeling industry.
Having her endorse his personal brand wouldn't diminish its value at all!
"Then you go negotiate with their agency. Pay whatever the endorsement fee is; I don't like to take advantage of others."
"No problem!"
Afterward, Raiola didn't leave immediately. Instead, he looked around the apartment and then said, "Speaking of which, your fame is growing, and continuing to live in these apartments doesn't quite fit your status."
"Moreover, your address has been exposed. I just saw someone outside acting suspiciously with a camera."
"What's more, if you want to do extra physical training at home, it's best to have a dedicated fitness space."
"So, what do you mean?"
"For your personal safety, I suggest you rent a larger and safer house!"
Hearing this, Mark also turned to look at his apartment and fell into thought.
This apartment was the first place he rented after he came of age.
It was small but well-equipped.
It was just right for one person.
But now that he had hired a professional physical trainer, he indeed needed a fitness space.
After all, he couldn't possibly take the physical trainer he paid hundreds of thousands for to a nearby gym for special training, could he?
That would be too down-to-earth!
If that happened, fans would crowd the entire gym within half an hour!
Besides, he had recently noticed fans and paparazzi staking out near his apartment.
Apparently, the rumors with Hisch had made the paparazzi swarm like hyenas smelling blood.
According to Raiola, a certain famous gossip newspaper had offered as much as 10,000 euros for photos of him entering or leaving the apartment with a woman!
Mark suspected that this "certain famous gossip newspaper" must be The Sun.
Whether for his personal safety or privacy, moving seemed to have become the best option.
"Then help me find a suitable house first. Preferably away from the city center; I prefer it quieter..."
"No problem!"
...The opening match victory against Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich created a very harmonious atmosphere in the team's locker room.
Although Hecking didn't set any seasonal goals for the team before the season started, nor did he explicitly state that they were aiming for the championship.
However, everyone understood that the team's goal this season was the championship!
After all, they finished third last season, so the goal for this season couldn't possibly be lower than third!
And the opening victory against Bayern made them see the possibility of winning the title.
Of course, they also knew very well that the season was long, and the championship could not be decided by just one match.
Moreover, they would also be participating in the Champions League this season.
Therefore, during training, everyone tried their best to perform, hoping the head coach would see their attitude and select them for the starting lineup.
That day, the team was training outdoors.
Club director Allofs suddenly arrived outside the training ground, and after a brief whispered conversation with Hecking, the latter immediately blew his whistle.
"Mark, come here!"
Hearing this, Mark was momentarily stunned.
"You're in trouble! The coach must have caught you slacking off!"
"You're the one slacking off..."
Facing Gustavo's teasing, Mark retorted and then jogged to the sidelines.
"Coach, you called me?"
"Not me, Klaus (Allofs) has something for you."
Hearing this, Mark turned to look at the club director beside him.
The latter showed a brilliant smile and then said, "Mark, congratulations, you have won this year's Fritz Walter Gold Medal!"
As soon as he said this, a question mark popped into Mark's head: "Fritz Walter Gold Medal?"
Subsequently, after Allofs' explanation, Mark understood the origin and significance of this award.
The Fritz Walter Award is an annual youth player award established by the German Football Association in 2002, named after Fritz Walter, the captain of the 1954 World Cup-winning team. It aims to recognize outstanding young players in Germany across three age groups: U19, U18, and U17.
Simply put, this award is equivalent to Germany's annual Best Newcomer Award.
It's just that a Gold, Silver, and Bronze award are selected for each age group, similar to first, second, and third places.
And the players who win the award each year are considered the rising stars of German football!
Since its inception, many German recipients have become pillars of German football today.
Neuer, Kroos, the Boateng brothers, the Bender brothers, Höwedes, Holtby, Götze, Schürrle... It can be said that any player who has won this award is no ordinary talent.
And Mark, with his stunning performances in the Bundesliga and the World Cup this year, won this year's Fritz Walter U18 age group Gold Medal!
It is worth mentioning that Mark edged out Leverkusen's young talent Julian Brandt to win the U18 Gold Medal.
Brandt was a Wolfsburg youth product who was poached by Leverkusen for 500,000 euros in January because he didn't have a contract.
It was also in January that Mark burst onto the scene!
So, in a sense, if it weren't for Mark's appearance, they might have felt very regrettable about Brandt's departure.
But with Mark, they wouldn't miss the departed Brandt at all.
Because they had Mark, who was even better and had more potential than Brandt!
Although this award would not be presented until after the international friendly on September 7th.
However, after an eight-year hiatus, the team's youth academy once again produced a Fritz Walter Gold Medal winner, which also made Wolfsburg very happy.
They planned to film a short video and release it on the team's official website and social media accounts.
So, Mark also came to the sidelines to be filmed by the team photographer and give a simple interview: "Mark, congratulations on winning this year's Fritz Walter U18 age group Gold Medal!"
"Thank you."
"Can you tell us how you feel?"
The entire process involved an acceptance speech, gratitude to the head coach and teammates, and then thanks to the fans. Finally, at the end of the interview, Mark also interacted with the fans.
This short video would be posted online, and ten fans would be selected from the comments section to receive Mark's autographed jersey.
For Mark, the honor brought by this award was not as substantial as the three potential points he actually received as a reward.
Yes.
After completing the seasonal task for the [Fritz Walter Gold Medal], he received a reward of three potential points.
Adding the three potential points from winning the German Supercup, he now had six points he could add
....
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