Chapter 534: 'Scottish Premiership'

"Wait...who is the group going to sign?" Su Hao raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Chairman Su, it's Lionel Messi!" Liang Haiyuan replied.
"Our Fang Huan has prepared a...
Well, an incredible gift he can't refuse, all to get this superstar."
Messi!
This name is more than just legendary!
He's a living legend, the GOAT worshipped by countless people in football history!
Just recently, at the Qatar World Cup, he finally lifted the World Cup trophy, bringing his magnificent career to a perfect close, crowning him a legend, forging eternity.
Everyone thought that this football king, having achieved his perfect feat, would choose to leave the mainstream European leagues after his ascension to godhood, to enjoy football in a new land, and peacefully spend the twilight of his career.
Initially, rumors pointed to the oil-rich Middle East.
However, this football legend surprisingly rejected the enthusiastic striptease offered by a Saudi tycoon waving his checkbook, reportedly choosing Miami across the ocean for his children's education and a better living environment.
Su Hao had heard rumors about this, but he never imagined that this legendary figure, whom even Middle Eastern tycoons couldn't persuade, would be involved with Chinese football?
"It's said that Chairman Huang personally gave the order. The entire group's strategy department has been mobilized, pouring all resources into securing Messi, determined to present the newly formed league with a groundbreaking gift!"
"..."
Su Hao's lips twitched involuntarily.
Damn it, if he had known there was such a bombshell hidden behind this, he would have skimmed through that investment plan!
At the time, it just looked so dazzling, making him think it was another money-making opportunity, so he approved it without even reading it carefully and threw it back.
After all that fuss, behind that dazzling golden light lay four words more eye-catching than gold: "Signed Messi!"
Seeing his bewildered expression, Liang Haiyuan kindly added:
"Do you remember? After we acquired Tottenham, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) made some sarcastic remarks, saying that Fang Huan was only focused on conquering overseas markets and wasn't paying enough attention to the domestic sports industry.
Plus, the CFA itself was a complete mess, so Chairman Huang, in a fit of anger, simply made the decision—'Since they can't do it well, then we'll do it ourselves!'
He immediately had the strategy department contact Jiangjin Group, and had Chairman Qin intervene, uniting the Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau and 13 local governments to bypass the CFA, establish their own league, and create the current 'Suzhou Super League'!
This isn't small-scale; it's practically creating a completely new sports ecosystem!"
"That's why the city team we signed earlier has shone brightly on this new 'Suzhou Super League' platform, achieving a winning streak and becoming a top-tier team!"
To be honest, Su Hao hadn't really paid much attention to this.
He'd never been particularly interested in sports, essentially a hands-off manager who left everything to the group.
"But weren't the team's coaches, management, and key players all personally selected by you back then?"
That was true.
Whether it's acquiring a company or building a team, anything bearing the "Fang Huan" mark will inevitably have Su Hao personally review the list.
He never looks at resumes or reports; he relies solely on his mysterious intuition to make decisions in the blink of an eye.
"Thanks to you, so far, none of the sports teams under Fang Huan's umbrella have been lackluster!
They're all among the top in their respective leagues, either champions or runners-up!"
But Messi's arrival in the Scottish Premiership is a completely different matter from the previous minor ventures.
He's a walking money-printing machine with a market value easily in the hundreds of millions!
Just look at Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to the Middle East; his three-year contract, encompassing all bonuses and commercial income, is approaching an astronomical figure of billions!
"Messi's transfer fee is indeed a hurdle. But since we've bypassed the Football Association, the so-called rules are essentially worthless.
Salary caps, registration rules, foreign player signings… every regulation has to be rewritten for him.
It's basically like tailoring a new Scottish Premiership law specifically for him.
But the real trouble lies with the sponsors behind the other clubs.
If we dominate, spending money like crazy to buy all the world's superstars, what chance do the other teams have?"
To put it bluntly, if we suddenly acquire a Galácticos-class team and crush the younger teams, the game will lose all suspense.
"Wow… but then again, if Messi really came to the Scottish Premiership, the whole world's attention would be drawn to us!"
Li Huilin, standing next to Su Hao, couldn't help but interject, her eyes filled with longing.
"Not just the world of football, domestic fans are probably going crazy!"
"But isn't this incredibly difficult?
Messi himself prefers Miami, and I've heard that teams there are going on a spending spree to counter the financial power of Middle Eastern tycoons, making a huge fuss."
The crowd's discussions confirmed Su Hao's assessment.
This is a long shot.
"Hopefully, the elites at the group can pull off a miracle," Su Hao said casually.
He treated it as a joke; anyway, failing to sign Messi wouldn't affect Fanghuan Investment's grand ambition of conquering the world.
"By the way, Chairman Su," Liang Haiyuan handed over a new document,
"This is the detailed plan for this African development project, as well as the list of global companies that have submitted cooperation applications."
"Oh? The list is out so quickly?"
Land development, infrastructure expansion, energy layout…
This is an unprecedented world-shaking storm that Fanghuan Investment plans to unleash on the African continent over the next ten years!
Such a massive project couldn't possibly be completed by Fang Huan alone.
It required numerous partners for downstream subcontracting.
This list comprised top global companies eager to profit from this lucrative undertaking, hoping to become Fang Huan's downstream contractors.
"Hmm."
Su Hao took the list and glanced at it briefly.
Even after the group's first round of rigorous screening, the list was still frighteningly long.
He slowly closed his eyes.
In an instant, a faint, electric-like tingling sensation spread from his fingertips, rapidly reaching his cerebral cortex.
When he opened his eyes again, his entire vision had changed.
As expected.
What had been a list of names on paper just moments before now presented a bizarre and surreal scene to him.
A crimson halo, deep blue mist like the sea, and… strands of dazzling, regal golden light.