A Gift Worth Millions from the Generous Manchester City Owner!
In Munich, outside a luxurious house on Sophienstrasse, Guardiola parked the car.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Sophia!"
On the street outside the mansion stood a woman in her mid-twenties, dressed in a black professional outfit.
The woman adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and extended her hand:
"No problem, I just arrived. And this is?"
She noticed the young man beside Guardiola and found him somewhat familiar, feeling puzzled.
"This is my son, Lin. Lin, let me introduce you, this is our real estate agent, Ms. Sophia."
Lin politely shook her hand.
Sophia stared at his face for a moment, then suddenly widened her eyes:
"You're the Lin from the newspapers?"
Seeing her reaction, Lin knew he had been recognized. But this was hard to avoid, given his growing fame in Germany.
Since she didn't recognize him immediately, it was likely she wasn't much of a soccer fan.
"Ms. Sophia, can we start looking at the houses now?"
Lin didn't want to waste time on irrelevant matters and was eager to get things done.
"Of course, this way, please!"
Guardiola had his eyes on two houses. One was in the city center of Munich, and the other was in the southern suburbs of Munich.
The one in the city center was mainly for the convenience of commuting and the children's schooling. The suburban house was for weekends or holidays to relax and enjoy the countryside.
Munich wasn't far from the Alps. According to Guardiola, the suburban house had a view of the Alps. If they had free time, the family could even drive over to ski or ice skate.
The house on Sophienstrasse was a three-story, six-bedroom mansion, covering about 450 square meters. The layout was very reasonable, with excellent lighting, and the rooms were spacious.
Besides having a room for each of the six family members, there were two studies, a storage room, and a recreation room. Additionally, it had front and back yards, a rooftop terrace, a basement, and a garage.
The most appealing feature for Lin and Guardiola was the large backyard.
"This yard is almost the size of half a football field!"
"Yeah, close enough. Put up a goal and replace the grass, and it can be a small football field!"
"Provided you can convince Serra not to turn it into a swimming pool!"
Lin's comment made Guardiola shut his mouth. He wasn't henpecked but wasn't confident he could convince his wife.
"I think the front yard is also nice. Maybe you can help me convince Serra to put the pool in the front yard?"
Lin rolled his eyes. Who puts a swimming pool in the front yard? The front yard is usually for flowers and plants.
Both Lin and Guardiola liked the house on Sophienstrasse, but when they asked about the price, Lin went silent.
The house was priced at 7.5 million euros, which was ridiculously expensive.
"Let's go check out the estate in the suburbs," Guardiola suggested.
He also found it quite expensive. Although he could afford it, it felt like it would deplete his savings.
However, if they really liked it, they would buy it. For a family like theirs, having a house was a must.
Moreover, Germany's economy was good, and housing prices were rising. Buying this house could be considered an investment. When his contract with Bayern ended, he could sell it and maybe make a small profit.
Sophia showed no impatience. Hearing Guardiola's request, she led them to the southern suburbs to visit the estate.
The estate was in a small village in the southern part of Munich. From the outside, it looked very luxurious.
The village was at the foot of the northern slopes of the Alps, surrounded by vast grasslands and low rolling hills.
From a distance, there were many sheep grazing on the hills, making it look like a beautiful landscape painting.
"The scenery here is nice, and the air is fresh."
Lin took a deep breath, feeling relaxed and stress-free, as if he had unloaded all his burdens.
Guardiola indeed had good taste. He liked this place too.
He just wondered about the price. Since it wasn't in the city center, the land shouldn't be as expensive, so it shouldn't cost more than the mansion on Sophienstrasse, right?
In the village, besides the luxurious estate Guardiola was interested in, there were many traditional-style old estates.
The residents here were likely very wealthy.
There weren't many people living here, and the area was quiet, with a tranquil, idyllic feel.
Lin roughly understood why Guardiola liked this place. He enjoyed peace and quiet, and the atmosphere here was perfect for him.
"This estate covers about 135,000 square meters, with about 1,000 square meters of indoor space. If you buy it, you might need to hire professional housekeepers and caretakers."
Lin was shocked by the numbers!
How many square meters?
135,000?
That's the size of 20 football fields, big enough to run a horse!
Now he was worried. This place might cost more than the house on Sophienstrasse.
Guardiola initially didn't think much of Sophia's suggestion. The estate just had more outdoor space; there was no need to hire caretakers.
Their family of six could manage it well enough.
But after spending three and a half hours touring the entire estate, they changed their minds.
They needed to hire caretakers!
Managing such a large estate without help would be exhausting.
"What's the price of this estate?"
After seeing the entire estate, Guardiola and Lin were very satisfied. The hardware conditions, natural scenery, and living environment were much better than the city center.
If the price was right, Guardiola would buy it.
"5.5 million euros. If you buy both properties, we can offer a discount, making it 12.9 million euros for both. What do you think?"
A discount of 100,000 euros wasn't much of a discount at all!
Guardiola seemed tempted, eager to make the purchase.
Lin thought this wasn't right. They hadn't even bargained yet!
"Ms. Sophia, can't we get a bit more discount?"
Sophia maintained her professional smile and gently said:
"This is already the discounted price. Our properties are all high-quality and premium; this price isn't high."
Lin sensed an opportunity and hinted:
"Ms. Sophia, you know what my father does, right?"
A good real estate agent should have basic knowledge about their clients. So, Sophia nodded, indicating she knew who Guardiola was.
"Since you know who he is, you should know he will coach Bayern next season. Bayern is a top club and will likely make big moves in the summer transfer window, possibly bringing in top players from other clubs.
"When these players come to Bayern, won't they need a house to settle in? If someone could introduce your company to them…"
Lin stopped there. Given her intelligence, she should see the benefits of getting along with Guardiola.
Top players aren't short of money; luxury houses and cars are standard for them. Getting such premium clients would be a dream come true for them.
But contacting these people wasn't easy without an introduction.
Understanding this, Sophia quickly changed her tune:
"Mr. Guardiola, out of respect and admiration for you, we're willing to offer an additional discount. How about 12 million euros for both houses?"
Guardiola had already planned to buy them for 13 million euros, so an additional discount of 1 million euros was even better.
Unexpectedly, Lin's few words saved him 1 million euros.
He immediately decided to buy both houses.
They then drove back to Sophia's company to sign the contracts.
While Sophia and Guardiola went to get the contracts, Lin sat in the reception room, bored, playing on his phone.
"Lin?"
A surprised and slightly delighted voice came from nearby.
Lin looked up to see a man in a suit, with typical Middle Eastern features.
The man seemed familiar, but Lin couldn't remember where they'd met.
"Hello, I'm Mansour. We met in Qatar before. Don't you remember?"
Hearing the man introduce himself, Lin immediately knew who he was.
It was the owner of Manchester City!
They had indeed met during a friendly match between Spain and Uruguay. After the game, Mansour, as a sponsor, gave the Spanish players gifts, and Lin received a luxury watch.
Though he rarely wore it because it was too flashy.
"Mr. Mansour, nice to meet you here!"
Mansour was generous, and Manchester City had previously approached Lin. He had a good impression of this wealthy Middle Eastern man.
Who doesn't like a boss who pays well, asks for little, and causes no trouble?
"I'm glad to see you too. Your performance in the Bundesliga is fantastic. I'm a big fan!"
Mansour acted like an ordinary fan, his eyes shining at meeting his idol, not like a billionaire at all.
The contrast surprised Lin, but he quickly reacted:
"Really? It's my honor to have a fan like you!"
"Lin, could you sign something for me? I love your number 10 jersey at Werder Bremen!"
Mansour took a green jersey from his assistant. When Lin saw it, he realized it was his Werder Bremen jersey.
Wow!
Seeing this, Lin was shocked.
He thought Mansour's words were just polite, but it seemed he genuinely liked him.
If not, why would he carry Lin's jersey?
He had to sign it!
Even if Mansour weren't so wealthy, Lin couldn't refuse a fan's request.
He took the jersey and carefully signed his name before returning it to Mansour.
"Thank you, Lin. You gave me a gift, so I should also give you something."
Mansour gestured to his assistant,
who handed over a car key.
"There's a decent car outside. Consider it a return gift. I hope you like it!"
Lin didn't recognize the car logo, but anything from Mansour wouldn't be ordinary.
It must be expensive.
But he didn't have a driver's license or know how to drive!
"Mr. Mansour, you're too generous. I don't have a license and can't drive. Can we skip this gift?"
Not wanting to accept an expensive gift just for a signature, Lin felt uneasy and refused.
Mansour was surprised Lin didn't have a license but then realized why.
Lin wasn't yet 18, and European laws didn't permit him to have a license.
Lin's outstanding performance made people overlook his age, leading to such mistakes.
"Sorry for not checking beforehand. Let's find another gift!"
At that moment, Guardiola and Sophia returned with the contracts.
Seeing Sophia's contract, Mansour guessed Lin and Guardiola were there to buy a house.
So he said:
"Ms. Sophia, please put the house Lin likes on my tab."
Sophia recognized him immediately. He was a Middle Eastern tycoon whose UAE consortium had many business dealings in Germany, including her company.
The recent rise in German house prices was partly due to Middle Eastern investments.
"Of course, Mr. Mansour!"
Without Lin's consent, Sophia agreed.
"I won't disturb you any longer. Enjoy Munich!"
Mansour waved to Lin and Guardiola, then left with his assistant.
Guardiola was stunned: What happened in the five minutes I was gone?
Why would Manchester City's owner give Lin a house worth millions?