July 14th, morning.
The German Team returned triumphantly, safely arriving at Berlin's Brandenburg Airport.
Led by National Team captain Lahm, the German players, now wearing their championship POLO shirts, emerged from the cabin one after another.
Greeted by the Mayor of Berlin and the welcoming committee, the champions proceeded to the interview area to speak with reporters.
"Mark, I'm a reporter from Bild Sport."
"This is your first World Cup journey. You won the championship on your first try, and you even scored an amazing goal in the final. What do you have to say?"
"I feel like I'm dreaming. I thank the coach and my teammates for allowing me to showcase myself on such a stage..."
"As the youngest member of this World Cup winning team, what was your deepest feeling within this team?"
"This is a great team; these people are all extremely outstanding. I learned a lot from my seniors."
After the two standard questions, the tricky ones inevitably arrived:
"Mark, I'm a reporter from The Sun."
Hearing the other party introduce himself, Mark already realized the question he might be asked.
Sure enough, the next question was exactly as he expected!
"During the post-match celebration, you were with the famous model Esther Hitsch, and you even posted a photo of yourselves on social media. Can you tell us how you met?"
Mark was stunned for a moment, then smiled:
"Esther is a good friend of mine; she specifically came to support me."
"Are you dating?"
"We are just good friends, we haven't dated yet. Thank you..."
After the brief interview, the German Football Association also arranged a parade.
Starting from Berlin's Brandenburg Airport, the team, now in specially designed championship T-shirts, boarded the black open-top championship bus specially prepared by sponsor Mercedes-Benz.
The roads were not cleared, but were packed with fans who had come to welcome the World Champions.
One could even see fans waving national flags and jerseys from inside the buildings on both sides, and even on the rooftops!
The short distance of just over ten kilometers from the airport to the Brandenburg Gate took them a full two hours.
German Football Association President Niersbach led the welcoming committee to greet the arrival of the World Champions at the celebration venue at the Brandenburg Gate.
From an aerial view, the entire Brandenburg Gate and the entire fan avenue were occupied by dense crowds.
According to estimates, at least 500,000 fans participated in this championship celebration.
Subsequently, the coaching staff and players appeared in batches.
The first batch consisted of the four main coaches led by Löw; the second batch was led by Little Pig, Neuer, Podolski, and others.
Mark, Klose, Kroos, and others appeared in the third batch.
"Let's welcome Miroslav Klose! Mark Lane! Toni Kroos..."
This batch included the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, the World Cup Golden Boot winner, and the World Cup assist king. The cheers from the audience suddenly rose significantly.
Especially when Mark's handsome face appeared on the big screen, many female fans in the audience screamed.
After Kroos led the fans in singing the "Miro Song," Klose gave him a big hug.
Subsequently, the host pointed the microphone at Mark:
"Mark, I think everyone wants to say thank you to you."
"A free-kick goal in the eighty-second minute, what a spectacular goal. Did you know then that this goal would be remembered for the next fifty years?"
"At that moment, I didn't think too much; I just thought that this ball absolutely had to go in, and then we would win the game!"
"The most important thing is that we became World Champions!"
"That was your second free-kick attempt in the match; the first one was just a tiny bit off. What are your thoughts on taking the second one?"
"I am very grateful to Toni (Kroos) for still trusting me after the first shot went high."
After speaking, Mark did not forget to pat his chest with his fist, then pointed to Kroos beside him.
The latter also smiled and pointed at him, seemingly understanding his teasing.
This scene also made many fans in the audience smile knowingly.
It is worth mentioning that when Lahm made his grand entrance with the world cup trophy, Hummels, Müller, and Kramer suddenly fell to the ground around him, leaving only "Team Captain" Lahm in the middle, holding the world cup trophy high!
This fresh way of appearing also received unanimous praise from fans and media.
Finally, to the tune of "Atemlos durch die Nacht" sung by German diva Helene Fischer, the German players danced, bringing a perfect end to the entire championship celebration.
And after the championship celebration concluded, the entire championship celebration event was officially over.
The German players would either return home to get some good rest;
Or go directly on vacation to enjoy a rare holiday!
As for Mark's itinerary, he stayed in Berlin to meet with his agent, Raiola.
Then, he would sign a contract with Adidas, one of the two giants in sports brands!
Compared to Nike, his home country's Adidas offered Mark a more generous quote.
An annual endorsement fee of 2.5 million euros, which was 500,000 more than Nike.
This amount was much higher than the 1.5 million euros per year that Götze initially signed with Nike.
Of course, at that time, Götze was merely a rising star with recognition in the Bundesliga.
But now Mark, having been through the World Cup, is a hero who helped the German Team win the world cup trophy and the World Cup Golden Boot winner, so his value naturally soared.
Moreover, they also tailored a series of promotional plans for Mark, intending to make him the new spokesperson for the Predator series.
From the endorsement fee and the plan, it is clear that Adidas places great importance on Mark, the freshly crowned World Cup champion and Golden Boot winner.
This is also why Mark chose Adidas.
On the evening of the celebration, Mark, accompanied by Raiola, arrived at the Adidas headquarters in Bavaria.
Subsequently, accompanied by Adidas's Vice CEO, he first toured the Adidas headquarters, and then the signing ceremony took place.
In addition to the 2.5 million euros annual endorsement fee, Adidas also gave a 1 million euro signing bonus.
For Adidas, signing Mark, who won the World Cup and the World Cup Golden Boot at the age of eighteen for 2.5 million euros annually, was an incredibly valuable signing!
It should be noted that Mark is the youngest player among all active players to win the World Cup!
Not to mention the youngest World Cup Golden Boot winner!
It is no exaggeration to say that Mark is the best U18 player in football today!
Read more chapters at patreon.com/zeaser
50 power stones for extra chapter