Chapter 86: Image Rights
Magath was on the phone when Dr. Haber knocked.
He waved him in without looking up, finished the call, something about the Champions League accreditation for Wednesday and finally turned to see Dr. Haber standing in front of his desk holding a single printed page with the expression of a physician who has something to report and isn't certain how.
"Sit down," Magath said, not looking up from his desk.
"I'll stand. It's quick," Dr. Haber replied, sliding the printout across the cluttered paperwork. "This is Mateo Silva's muscle fatigue reading from this morning."
Magath looked down at the paper. He didn't move for a long moment, his eyes locked on the single figure at the bottom. Then he leaned back and looked up, his expression blank. "Is this a misprint?"
"I ran it twice," Haber said flatly. "Swapped the cables and used the backup monitor. The calibration is fine."
"Two percent?" Magath tapped his knuckle against the desk.
"Yes. Two percent."
Magath leaned back further, his chair giving a slight groan. "Yesterday, the boy played a full ninety minutes of high-intensity Bundesliga football. Then he sat on a flight back home. And when I got to the complex this morning, he was already out on the pitch. You're telling me he's fresh?"
"I'm just telling you what the machine says."
"Neuer's reading was seventeen percent," Magath noted, his voice dropping into a low, calculating tone. "And Manuel is a goalkeeper."
"I know," Haber said. "Which is why I brought it to you directly."
"What's your clinical take then?" Magath asked.
Dr. Haber rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the floor for a second. "Honestly? I don't have one that makes sense. There's nothing wrong with him. If he were sick or injured, his other markers would show it. But his blood oxygen, hydration, inflammation levels — everything is completely normal. It's just the fatigue reading that's broken."
He paused, looking back up at Magath. "If I had to put it into words... his body recovers at a speed I've simply never seen in my career. But don't ask me why, because from a biological standpoint, a kid who just ran his lungs out yesterday shouldn't be sitting at two percent today."
Magath looked back down at the printout, his thumb tracing the edge of the paper.
"Keep this between us," Magath said quietly.
"Of course."
"Does Silva know?"
"The boy was in and out of the room in twelve minutes," Haber said, shaking his head slightly. "He didn't even ask to see the numbers."
Magath nodded. After Dr. Haber left, he stayed at his desk for a moment with the printout in front of him, thinking about what it meant practically. Recovery time was one of the fundamental constraints on how often a player could be deployed at full intensity — it was why squads rotated, why Champions League weeks were managed carefully, why a three-competition season always produced a toll somewhere. If Mateo's recovery operated at a tenth of the normal rate, then the constraint didn't apply to him the way it applied to everyone else.
Magath stared at the paper for a moment longer. In his mind, he filed this strange data right alongside the boy's freakish passing accuracy and endless stamina — things that were undeniably real, completely inexplicable, and things that made him simultaneously grateful to have the kid on the pitch and deeply anxious about that €500,000 release clause.
He slid the printout into his desk drawer, locked it, and headed out to the squad meeting.
Over in the player dormitories, the landline phone on the wall began to ring. Mateo, who was sorting through his gear, walked over and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Mateo, it's Reinhardt," the voice on the other end said. Reinhardt's tone was formal but carried the brisk energy of the club's management department. "I've been trying your mobile all morning."
"Sorry about that," Mateo said. "I turned it off after the match yesterday just to get some peace and focus on recovery."
"I understand. Well, the sponsors are currently at the facility," Reinhardt said. "They've traveled quite a distance to get here, and it would be a matter of courtesy if you could meet with them briefly."
Mateo blinked. "Sponsors, sir? For the club?"
"Commercial representatives," Reinhardt clarified smoothly. "They want to discuss potential kit and image arrangements. I'd like you to be part of the conversation — it concerns your profile as much as the club's."
Mateo caught the phrasing immediately. Your profile as much as the club's. It was Reinhardt's diplomatic way of pulling the club into commercial opportunities that, by rights, should belong to Mateo alone. Still, he kept his voice professional.
"I have the Twente tactical briefing next. I can come over right after that is finished, around midday. Will that work?"
"That will be fine, Mateo. See you at noon."
"Thank you, sir."
Mateo hung up the receiver, glanced at his still-powered-down mobile on the nightstand, and decided to leave it exactly as it was. He didn't need any more distractions before Wednesday.
Reinhardt's office had been slightly rearranged for the occasion. The heavy chairs from the conference table were pulled into a more conversational circle, a fresh pot of coffee rested on the side table, and the blinds were adjusted to let in the pale October light.
Two men in sharp tailored suits sat on the sofa. Reinhardt remained behind his desk, maintaining the one position in the room that still conveyed absolute club authority.
He stood up smoothly when Mateo walked in.
"Mateo. Thank you for coming up," Reinhardt said, offering a welcoming gesture. "These gentlemen are commercial representatives — Mr. Keller from SportAxis, and Mr. Dean representing Eurofit Apparel. Both are very interested in discussing potential partnership arrangements for the coming season."
The two men stood to introduce themselves with the practiced, careful warmth of executives who knew exactly who they were dealing with. Keller was in his mid-forties, tall, with the efficient, slightly impatient air of a man used to closing deals. Dean was younger, his enthusiasm harder to hide. He made the slight tactical error of saying, "We've been following your progress closely since the Frankfurt match," which told Mateo everything he needed to know about where the leverage lay.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Mateo said politely, taking a seat in one of the open chairs.
Reinhardt took the lead, launching into a standard executive preamble. He spoke about Schalke's commercial philosophy, the importance of aligning a player's personal brand with the club's identity, and the mutual benefits of securing these agreements early. It was a polished speech, but Mateo could hear the underlying tension — Reinhardt was carefully building toward a point, trying to find the right angle to protect the club's financial interests.
Mateo listened patiently, letting the director finish his thoughts entirely before speaking up.
"Thank you for the overview," Mateo said, keeping his tone calm and respectful. "Before we dive too deep into specific brand proposals, I want to make sure I fully understand how my image rights are currently structured with the club."
Reinhardt shifted slightly in his chair, adjusting a file. "Your contract places image rights under the club's general commercial umbrella. That's standard practice for players transitioning into the first team."
"Right. Which generally means the club manages the commercial fees, and the player receives their baseline wage," Mateo stated, keeping it as a factual observation rather than a complaint.
"There is a revenue-sharing mechanism built into the structure," Reinhardt clarified quickly.
"And what is the exact percentage split?"
Reinhardt paused, tapping his pen against his desk. "The club retains sixty percent of commercial income derived from your personal image during the initial term."
Mateo nodded slowly, processing the numbers. He looked directly at Reinhardt, his voice quiet but steady. "If we are going to formalize a long-term commercial strategy, I would want to restructure that to an eighty-twenty split in my favor. Personal image rights, eighty percent to me. The club would retain twenty percent for any internal club-related marketing — like the official kit, match-day programs, and the club's digital channels."
The room fell completely silent.
Keller glanced over at Dean. It was the look of two seasoned professionals realizing the script had just been flipped. They had expected a standard meeting — the club presenting a pre-approved package, them making an offer, and the young player simply nodding along with whatever his directors advised. Instead, the teenager in front of them was driving the bus.
Reinhardt cleared his throat, his expression guarded. "Mateo, eighty percent is... highly unusual for a player at your stage. It's not a standard arrangement."
"I understand that," Mateo replied, maintaining a professional demeanor. "But my current situation isn't entirely standard either. The contract, the buyout clause — it's all a bit unique. If the club wants to look at adjusting the clause and solidifying our partnership, I am absolutely open to that conversation. But for personal image rights, I need the baseline to be eighty percent."
Reinhardt didn't argue right away. He was doing the math in his head. He was thinking about Raúl's recent press conference comments, which had already gone viral across Europe. He was calculating what Mateo's potential boot and jersey deals would bring in if a top-tier agency got involved, and realizing that twenty percent of a massive global pie was worth far more than sixty percent of nothing if the kid walked away.
"I see your point," Reinhardt said carefully, smoothing down his tie. "But an adjustment of that scale isn't something I can authorize on my own. I will need to take this proposal to the board."
"Of course, sir. I completely understand," Mateo said, standing up and buttoning his jacket. "Please, take your time."
Dean, sensing the meeting was drawing to an abrupt close, spoke up quickly. "Mr. Silva — our brand's interest stands regardless of how the internal club structure settles. We'd be more than happy to discuss terms directly with your representatives if that's easier."
"I appreciate that, Mr. Dean," Mateo said, offering a polite nod. "I don't have an agent representing me at the moment. When I select one, I'll make sure they reach out to you first."
He turned back to the desk. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Reinhardt. Gentlemen."
After shaking hands, Mateo walked out of the office and down the quiet corridor, his mind already shifting gears back to the training pitch.
Reinhardt would take the proposal to the board. The directors would sit around a table, crunching the numbers on jersey sales and boot deal projections, weighing the difference between twenty percent of a massive global brand versus sixty percent of absolutely nothing if he walked away. They would either agree or they wouldn't. If they said no, the buyout clause stayed exactly as it was, and Mateo would keep holding all the cards, just like he had since the Frankfurt match.
As he walked down the corridor, he shifted his weight slightly, testing his calf against the hard floor. The dull ache from yesterday was almost entirely gone — just a small, clean response from the muscle without any lingering complaint.
He needed to get changed for training, review the tactical files, and get his mind completely right.
Plz Drop Some Power Stones.
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