China Entertainment 1997.

Chapter 649 Investing in Manchester United and the last English album

Cao Xuan didn't mind being a shareholder of Manchester United.

Even after Manchester United turmoiled and became an Internet celebrity music team, its business development ability still ranks among the top five clubs in Europe.

The follow-up market value is not low. It will be nearly 2022 billion US dollars in 50. It has always been the most valuable clubs, and it is very popular. Great, even Musk ran over to catch the heat.

From this point of view, taking over a part of the shares at this time is definitely a stable business without compensation.

This is from the perspective of business investment. From the perspective of personal fans, Cao Xuan is very interested in becoming one of the owners of Manchester United.

Watching the ball is more immersive!

And there is another point, Manchester United, as a European club, has considerable influence in Asia and the world.

Cao Xuan becoming a shareholder is a good gimmick for Manchester United itself. Conversely, his becoming a shareholder of Manchester United can also bring him a certain amount of attention.

Manchester United intends to use him in the Asian and international markets, and Cao Xuan also hopes to consolidate his influence in Europe and the world through Manchester United. Even for domestic, Cao Xuan's "joining" a giant is also a very exciting thing.

Therefore, from the comprehensive consideration of all parties, the proposal of the Glazer family is more beneficial than harmful to both parties.

However, Cao Xuan has a different opinion, that is, 2% is too little, and those who don’t know think that Boss Cao has no money, so he gets 10% no matter what.

Of course Glazer would not do it, 10% is not a small amount, plus some other shareholders and shares in the stock market, it can already threaten their control.

You know, their initial shareholding in Manchester United was only 3.17%, and when it exceeded 15% in half a year, they had already started the acquisition, and officially started after owning 19% of the shares. .

They don't know the specific net worth of Cao Xuan, but they are also in the capital circle, so they have a general understanding.

They needed a loan back then, and Cao Xuan was able to buy Manchester United on his own.

Glazer brought in Cao Xuan to increase the stock price, spread influence, and develop the international business market, not to lead the wolf into the sheepfold.

So Glazer rejected Cao Xuan's request, but also gave in, and could sell 5% of the shares, but the price was not less than 8500 million pounds.

It's clear what Glazer meant.

The current market value of Manchester United is 18 billion pounds, and 1% is 1800 million. Although the stock and actual value may fluctuate, it will not be too much.

Before, they were willing to sell 2% of the shares to Cao Xuan for 2000 million pounds, which was regarded as a loss-making transaction, but this share was not a threat to them, and it could be converted into Cao Xuan's advertising fee.

Now 5% is a bit sensitive. Although the threat is not too great, it can be regarded as having a certain right to speak on the board of directors of Manchester United, and even the third shareholder of Manchester United.

Such shares have exceeded their advertising needs, so Glazer decided to sell them as normal shares.

8500 million pounds is neither high nor low, it is considered a normal price range.

Cao Xuan was noncommittal about the price, but he was curious why Glazer sold the shares since it exceeded the advertising demand.

Boss Cao also has contacts in the international financial circle, so he sent someone to inquire and he understood what was going on.

The Glazer family bought Manchester United with borrowed money, and they have been paying off their debts in recent years.

They paid back the money themselves, but most of them used Manchester United's money to plug holes, so the Glazer family was called vampires by Manchester United fans.

Because they bought Manchester United empty-handed, and then used Manchester United's money to repay their debts. They didn't spend much to become the owner of Manchester United, and they paid dividends from time to time.

Of course, Manchester United and the British government are not fools. They made some clauses to counter Glazer, so that they can't go too far and give priority to ensuring Manchester United's operations.

In this way, most long-term debts or small debts can be blocked by Manchester United, but there are still some debts that Glazer and the others have to find their own way.

In the past, Glazer was okay, but because of the economic crisis, their assets have shrunk sharply. If they want to get debts, the only way is to liquidate Manchester United's stock.

That's why they thought of a way to draw Cao Xuan into the game, just to create momentum, drive up the stock price, and then sell at a relatively high point.

However, because Cao Xuan wanted more shares, Glazer and the others realized that Boss Cao is also very rich. If an agreement can be reached, most of their debts can be directly resolved.

Although it may not be sold as much after raising the stock price, but then again, it is not easy to find suitable buyers in a short period of time for single-digit share transactions.

And if all of them are placed in the stock market, no one knows what the consequences will be. If the stock price is turbulent, it may cause Manchester United's overall market value to decline, and a small loss will outweigh the benefits.

Even if the stock market is fine, if all the stocks are taken away by an ambitious person, and then come to fight among themselves, it will be very bad for the Glazer family.

They have known Cao Xuan for so many years, and with Cao Xuan's reputation in business, they still trust Boss Cao's character, at least they don't have to worry about being blackmailed.

Therefore, for the Glazer family, trading with Cao Xuan became a relatively good solution.

It not only solves most of the debt funds, but also increases the stock price. At that time, you only need to take out a little stock and put it in the stock market, and you can cash out without affecting the stock price, make up the remaining debt, and perfect at a relatively small price. Get through the crisis.

What's more important is safety. Although Cao Xuan is not necessarily a good person, compared to other buyers, he knows everything.

It can be said that he deserves to be a businessman who can win Manchester United empty-handed.

Even Cao Xuan has to be praised for his shrewdness.

He wasn't angry at being tricked by Glazer. He didn't care about other people's plans as long as it didn't affect his own interests.

However, in business and business, if you are not angry, you will not be angry, but Cao Xuan will not be soft when it is time to fight for his own interests. The price should be lowered, and the benefits and rights he should want must not be missing.

He recruited his financial team, talked with the Glazer family for about a week, and finally reached an agreement.

7200 million pounds to take a 5% stake in Manchester United. At the same time, the board of directors of Manchester United offered a board member to Cao Xuan, and the two parties will launch a series of promotional business cooperation in the future.

In order to ensure safety, Glazer asked Cao Xuan to inform them about the sale of Manchester United shares, so as not to lure wolves into the house.

And Cao Xuan also added that if Glazer sells Manchester United shares, Cao Xuan has the right of first refusal. He is still very optimistic about the value of Manchester United. If the conditions are right, he does not recommend holding some shares for a long time.

After the preliminary agreement was reached, Glazer immediately excitedly made a show to the media.

The combination of international superstars and world giants also caused an uproar at home and abroad.

Frankly speaking, 7200 million pounds is not a small amount. According to the average exchange rate in 2012, it was 1:9.99, equivalent to RMB 7.2 million.

At this price, you can directly buy a Chinese Super League football club in China, and you can also buy a mid- and lower-level team in the five major leagues in Europe, and you can even barely win control of a mid-level club.

With so much money, only 5% of Manchester United's shares are taken, which seems to be a bit of a loss.

But then again, after all, Manchester United is not an ordinary football club, but a world-renowned top giants. As of 2012, it was still the most competitive team in Europe, and even reached the Champions League final last year.

The value of this kind of top giants is indeed not comparable to that of ordinary clubs.

And in principle, Manchester United has shareholder dividends every year, but due to the development of the club and the regulations of the Football Association, the annual dividend ratio is limited, but it is not a minority.

Not to mention the increase in Manchester United's market value, Cao Xuan has a golden finger and knows that he will make money in the future.

Based on his professional judgment, his financial team also believed that this was a good deal, even more than Cao Xuan estimated. Some people proposed to directly win Manchester United and allow Sunshine Ventures to enter the sports field.

If it is playing football, the stake is too small to be the master of the house, but if it is a business investment, investing in Manchester United will make a sure profit without losing money, so you don't have to worry about it.

Cao Xuan was quite satisfied with the result, not only fulfilling his wish of being a boss, but also not needing to be the target of public criticism like Abu.

He understands the benefits of being a shareholder too well, he earns a lot of money, and if something happens to the boss and the person in charge is scolded, he can also use the shareholder's rights and interests to be held accountable.

It's just a pity that the British can't be filled with awe when they hear the word Fanxing...

In response to the outside public opinion, Cao Xuan responded on Weibo and Twitter. On the one hand, he emphasized that it was only a commercial investment, not the purchase of Manchester United as Waijian thought. The power of Yunyun.

Although Cao Xuan's response was more official and restrained, many people were still very excited, especially domestic fans, who were blown away.

[Awesome, I believe Cao Xuan is a hardcore Red Devil]

[Manchester United shareholders, this is better than some Evergrande]

[I like Manchester United: I dream of going to Old Trafford for a pilgrimage]

[Cao Xuan likes Manchester United: Buy it and be the boss]

[To be precise, it is a shareholder and has no decision-making power, but it is also very good, and it seems to have joined the board of directors]

[Crying with envy]

[Why don't you buy Real Madrid? Real Madrid has Ronaldo. Aren't they two good friends? 】

[Science popularization, Real Madrid is a membership system, you can't buy it]

[7.2 million RMB, it’s nice to be rich]

[If I want to be rich, I will buy Arsenal and spend [-] million pounds every year to poach people, especially the captains of other teams]

[It’s not just about money and hobbies. After asking insiders, there should be some commercial cooperation. In other words, other people can’t buy it even if they want it]

[Boss Cao, let’s buy another Chinese Super League, I want to see you and Boss Xu throwing money at each other]

[I like it too, buy more stars to come to China, Shenhua can get Drogba, Cao Xuan can get Torres]

【Cao Xuan is smart, he won't go to the Chinese Super League to wade through the muddy waters, Zhao Binshan is so fucking crying, he likes football, investing in Europe is the right choice】

[Liverpool fan and Cao thief iron fan, very uncomfortable]

[Haha, I am also his fan, but I just fell in love with Manchester City who won the championship]

[Uh, it’s the same daylilies, but I like Chelsea more]

[Show off, I was lucky enough to have played with him before]

[Really or not, does Cao Xuan often play? How do you make an appointment? How is his skill? 】

[Uh, I just played one game, and I don’t know how to make an appointment. The captain seems to know them. Cao Xuan’s skills are not bad. He scored a penalty in that game, but what impressed me was that he was very generous. The team’s cigarettes, water, dinner, etc. are all inclusive, and the grade is not low, costing tens of thousands]

[Understood, good at single-handedly facing the cashier]

[No wonder there was a penalty, no wonder he kicked it, darling, it's all about the world]

【…】

The turmoil in the outside world did not affect Cao Xuan, and the follow-up shareholding contract was finalized. On August 8, Manchester United visited Old Trafford at home in the second round of the new Premier League season.

He was joined by the Glazer family, Ferguson, Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic and management ahead of kick-off.

This appearance not only announced that Cao Xuan has officially become a shareholder of Manchester United, but also that he will serve as the chief promotion ambassador of Manchester United.

Normal shareholding changes, especially for minority shareholders, do not actually need to be done this way, but the key is that Glazer and Manchester United need to build momentum, so they made a special welcome ceremony, which is not for the shareholders, but the chief promotion ambassador.

The fans of Manchester United also gave the "new boss" a face, and sang his popular "wake" in chorus to express their welcome.

Cao Xuan raised his hand and applauded, and then followed the Glazer family to the box at the upper end of the field to watch the game.

In fact, from the perspective of viewing, the tickets in the first few rows are more immersive, and the atmosphere is also good.

But Cao Xuan’s status does not allow it. If he sits in the crowd, he dare not say that he is harassed all the time, but don’t even think about it. Besides, other people’s mobile phones are taking pictures and recording videos. He is also uncomfortable, so he simply watches in the box. ball.

In the box, you can see the panoramic view of the stadium directly through the window, and it is specially equipped with TV broadcast. If you can’t see the scene clearly, you can watch TV.

In addition, there are drinks and wine, food, and sofas for rest in the box, and even a waiter service. Regardless of the atmosphere and viewing angle of the scene, it is absolutely comfortable and luxurious.

The price is also very impressive. The boxes are divided into several levels according to the location and service. The box of Cao Xuan is the best group. It costs about 6.5 pounds per season, or 65 RMB.

Of course, as a shareholder and promotion ambassador of the club, Cao Xuan has the right to use this exclusive box for free.

Cao Xuan is not short of this little money, and he can afford to pay ten times more, but spending money and the club's initiative for free are two different things.

"Glazer is quite a man."

Zhang Chong muttered something in a low voice, Cao Xuan smiled: "Of course Glazer will be a man, but who will score."

As far as he knows, even Manchester United's first-team players have to spend money every year if they want a box, and they seem to have been criticized by the players' families for this.

When it comes to business, the Glazer family can hardly be called generous, even to the point of being stingy.

The reason why he is so generous to Cao Xuan is not because Cao Xuan is a shareholder, but because Cao Xuan is a super rich man who is richer than them. He may ask Boss Cao one day in the future. The shrewd Jews know how much money should be paid. spent.

Indeed, the more he associates with the Glazer family, the more Mr. Cao understands what a standard American Jewish capitalist family is like.

In this game against Fulham, Manchester United won 3:2. The newly joined General Fan scored the first goal. Cao Xuan even asked for a signed jersey after the game.

Declining the kind invitation from the Glazer family, Cao Xuan returned to China after taking the promised promotional pictures and videos for Manchester United.

At this time, the box office of "The Avengers" has basically come to an end.

It has been postponed in the mainland and officially closed. The final box office was 11.8 billion, second only to "Avatar", ranking second in the mainland box office list.

Domestic perceptions of this are rather complicated. On the one hand, this is indeed an authentic Hollywood movie, and there is another big mountain in the box office charts. In addition, this big mountain has Cao Xuan to join, and many people are proud of it.

Everyone is worried, proud, and quite conflicted!

However, there are still some discussions in the industry. It has been two years since "Let the Bullets Fly", and there has never been a Chinese-language movie with more than 10 billion in China.

The closest "Now You See Me" is 8 million+. Strictly speaking, it is considered a Sino-US co-production. It is not a purely Chinese film. Other high-grossing Chinese films are basically at 6-7 million, which is still far from 10 billion. small gap.

From the perspective of the overall situation of the industry, everyone still hopes to release a few more hits to tap the market potential and enhance the confidence of practitioners.

There is no doubt that this important task is entrusted to Cao Xuan. Only he, the box office overlord, can be considered to create another miracle.

However, Boss Cao is more Buddhist, and there are currently two films to be screened.

One "Taken 3" has a limited ceiling, and the other "The Hunt" is a literary film.

Lao Mouzi is now working on a new film "Return", the post-production progress is slow, and the film will be selected for the three major film festivals next year or the year after, so the release time is to be determined.

Right now, Cao Xuan has no new film plans for the time being. In the next two or three years, his work will be more focused on the music industry. The outside world has pinned their expectations on him, so he may be disappointed.

Apart from the success in the mainland, the box office in other places is also quite impressive. In the end, the cumulative global box office reached 18 billion US dollars, ranking third in the history of global film, second only to "Avatar" and "Titanic".

Even Cao Xuan couldn't help but feel that Cameron is a fucking pervert, and he can't get him by cheating on himself.

Or it is possible that this guy is also hanging up...

The influence of Marvel in the United States and the world has exploded, and Cao Xuan and other main creators have also become international superstars.

Although Cao Xuan was already a superstar before that, the popularity of "The Avengers" still brought him to a higher level. In addition to being a singer, his other label became Hawkeye.

Cao Xuan was flooded with movie appointments, program invitations, interviews and endorsements, but 99% of them were declined by Cao Xuan.

After being free, Cao Xuan returned to Qin City to spend the last few days of leisurely vacation. After Zeng Li and Cao Li started school, he also returned to Beijing to start the production of the last English album.

Before Cao Xuan planned to quit the music scene before 2015, and now he has basically started to make arrangements.

After this album is completed, Cao Xuan will prepare the last album, which is expected to be released in 2014. After that, Cao Xuan plans to hold another farewell concert around the world, and officially bid farewell to the music scene.

With two albums and a global concert that may be even bigger than the one in 2007, Cao Xuan's work in the next few years will be quite tense.

Not to say that the movie is completely put down, but it is estimated that there may be only one or two, and with Marvel's film contract, the actual filming is estimated to be about one.

Fortunately, he still has stock in hand, otherwise Cao Xuan would be afraid that he would be exhausted if he didn't produce new works for a long time.

The first song of the new album has already been mentioned before, Broken Eyebrow's "See You Again", a global hit, is also the title song of the new album.

And as for the other 9 songs, they are also all excellent ones. I can pick out any one at random and I will introduce 4 songs first.

The second song "That Girl".

The Chinese translation should be "That Girl", and the more mischievous translation is "That Nier" or "That Girl".

The song released by British male singer Ollie Morse in 2016 once won the top of the British charts, and was once very popular in China, even becoming the most popular English song in a certain period.

This song can be regarded as a pop rock, with a bright melody and a beautiful singing voice. It sounds like a kind of uncontrollable sadness. The lyrics are roughly a love song about how to regret the pain after breaking up.

The third song "Unstoppable".

The Chinese translation is called "Unstoppable". It is a rock song with a very passionate rhythm. It was released in 2016 and served as the NBA theme song for a season.

The lyrics of this song are very passionate and inspirational, and the singing is also very explosive. Cao Xuan wanted to copy it when he was in the Olympic Games before, and then kept it.

It is worth mentioning that the experience of this song is very interesting. Singer Sia Fuller, also known as Sia, wrote this song. At first, she planned to sing it for Adele, but it was not liked, and she gave it to Fruit Sister, was also rejected.

In desperation, I had no choice but to sing by myself, but as soon as I sang, I became popular.

Although the list results are not particularly impressive, it is extremely popular in the field of streaming media, and even has a high popularity worldwide, which can be regarded as a mistake.

It is worth mentioning that this Shiya and the above-mentioned Broken Eyebrow are both very talented singers. Each of them has several masterpieces, but they are more or less homogeneous, so there is no big crowd. Pick the best.

The fourth song "Dusk Till Dawn"

The Chinese translation is called "From Dusk and Dawn". It is a very healing song. The melody is warm and gentle, giving people a sense of peace of mind and calm strength.

Released in 2017, it has entered the top ten of music charts in more than 20 countries, among which six countries have reached the top. The domestic reputation is not strong, but there are many loyal fans.

The fifth song "promise" or "Past Lives".

Compared with the above songs, this song is considered a niche, but it is actually quite popular, and it is a bgm with many edits.

Known as the healing divine comedy, hearing the ear can conceive, the melody is fresh and beautiful, and the singer sings softly, making people feel like they are bathing in the sun in the morning.

Although Cao Xuan was determined to make a big hit in the end, in fact, when he chose songs, although he would consider the popularity factor, he would occasionally be more self-willed.

So there will be a few relatively unpopular songs in the new album, but the quality is extremely high.

For Cao Xuan who is about to bid farewell to the music scene, although he wants to have a brilliant ending, it is also a temptation he cannot refuse to receive some sincere praise and his works to be passed down for a long time.

So in this album, although Cao Xuan inevitably added some hot songs, he would also neutralize and add some songs that he personally likes and are of high quality.

Of course, it's also because he has picked up too many songs that he likes and are popular and high-quality, and there are still so many songs, so he can only settle for the next best thing...

(End of this chapter)