Dick pov
I sat at the table with Mendes sitting in the chair across from me, and my Dad hovering over my shoulder with his jaw wide open as he saw what exactly Roma was offering me. I cleared my throat and asked.
"Mendes, did you perhaps threaten them or something…this is a lot, and I mean a lot of money being offered here."
Mendes only chuckled and said
"Listen, you might not see it yourself, but you are officially one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, rising stars of football. So, Roma will pay the big bucks and give you whatever you need to secure you on their squad. And not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty persuasive when it comes to contracts."
I could only nod and look back down at the contract, reading it again. For someone who grew up broke, this contract was insane.
Transfer fee: 68 Million Euros
PLAYER CONTRACT: RICHARD "DICK" GRAYSON
Club: AS Roma
Contract Length: 3 years (July 2017 – June 2020)
Agent: Jorge Mendes (Gestifute)
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BASE SALARY
* €4.5 million per year net
* Approx. €86,500 per week
* With the possibility to increase by 200,000 euros per full year of contract
SIGNING & LOYALTY BONUSES
* €2 million signing bonus
* €2 million loyalty bonus paid at the start of Year 3
* €1.5 million loyalty bonus if he completes the full contract
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PERFORMANCE BONUSES
* €500,000 for 15 league goals
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* €1,000,000 for 25 goals (all competitions)
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* €250,000 for 10 assists
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* €750,000 for Champions League qualification
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* €1,000,000 if Roma reach UCL semi-finals
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* €2,000,000 if Roma win Serie A
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Maximum annual bonuses: €6 million
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IMAGE RIGHTS
* 65% player / 35% club split
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* Mendes retains control of international sponsorships.
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* Roma retain rights for club-branded campaigns only.
RELEASE CLAUSE
* €100 million release clause
* Activates after 1 full season
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LIFESTYLE & DEVELOPMENT CLAUSES
* Private residence near Trigoria
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* Personal tutor / education program
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* Language & media training
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* Family relocation assistance
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* Guaranteed playing time every season
I put the contract down and leaned back in my chair while my dad was staring into the abyss, thinking.
'Wow, just by signing this, my son will make more than I ever have working construction.'
I mean, the deal was more than generous, and while I do think it helped that I played for the Italian national team, it honestly was insane what I was being offered. This wasn't a deal they would normally give to teenagers; this looked more like a rookie contract. And the family relocation assistance, as well as a new house, was insane; it solved all the problems that I would have with moving to Italy. I looked at Mendes and decided to ask.
"So this house that they are talking about, is it good?"
Mendes just chuckled and said
"Funny you should ask, because they actually brought me there, and to say it is good is an understatement. It is a villa exclusively for you and your dad, and Riley, of course, and it is located only 8 minutes away from the training grounds."
My eyes somehow got even wider. I was honestly scared that my eyelids might have just disappeared. I mean, I expected something nice just based on the previous terms of the contract, but a villa…that was really nice. But a part of me felt like…maybe it was too much too soon. I mean, my dad and I had only known struggle for a long time. When we first got to England, we could barely afford this apartment, and Dad spent every waking moment at the construction site trying his best to build a rapport with his boss and coworkers so he could get better jobs that paid more and so he could work less. And sure, when I started getting paid for football, that helped a lot and gave me a lot more freedom, but still… It's just a lot to take in.
I took a deep shuddering breath, and almost instantly, my dad came and put his hand on my shoulder and said
"Dick, if anyone deserves this, it's you. I've seen the effort you put into improving yourself at this sport, and I know what you are thinking, that this is all too much too soon…but don't forget…you were the one practicing alone outside on a shit pitch no matter the weather… "
He then crouched down, stared me in the eye, and said
"You deserve everything you are getting as a result of your hard work."
I smiled and felt all sorts of emotions and memories bubble up to the surface as I just looked at him. That was just my dad; he was a large and affectionate man. He always tried to tell me he loved me, always told me how proud he was of me, and always found a reason to give me a hug or something like that. But to be fair, it had always been like that…
Flashback
After a particularly brutal gymnastics session, a 10-year-old Dick sat in the back of his dad's beat-up Honda. He was bruised and tired, his arms were sore, and his entire body was just protesting every movement. His mom had been ruthless with him, forcing him to repeat every single exercise ten times until he could do it without failing. She would yell, curse, and sometimes it would end up in something being thrown at him. But thanks to his natural athleticism, he was quick to learn all the different techniques and movements. He was still young, so it hurt a lot to do them that many times. His dad, after seeing his beat-up looking son, told his wife that they were going grocery shopping for dinner; however, instead, he took Dick with him to get some Dairy Queen, Dicks favourite sweet treat.
His mom never let him eat it because it would "make him fat" and be bad for his dietary plan, but his dad always made sure to sneak him some and try to make him live the childhood he was meant to have. Today was another day just like that. He and his dad were eating their blizzards sitting on the trunk of his dad's car and watching some kids kick a ball around on a field in front of them. His dad stopped eating for a second and said
"Son, I just have to say…I'm so proud of you. You are doing so well in gymnastics that the JV coaches are already begging me to get you to sign up for their gymnastics team. You're amazing, son, a phenomenon. And I know your mother is hard on you, unbelievably hard on you, but,,,*sigh* well she wasn't always like this, she doted on you and treated you like a fragile piece of glass when you were a baby…but then she saw how talented you were and well…I guess it all started after your first gymnastics competition when you won 1st place and got the prize money, something in her just changed…Oh well, I guess you don't really understand what I'm talking about, huh, champ."
He then ruffled Dicks hair before taking his empty cup and saying.
"Hey Dick, why don't you go ask those kids if you can play football with them. I loved playing football when I was a kid, would have gone bro too if my knee didn't give up on me *hahaha* go on Dickie you got it"
So Dick, ignoring his tired body, sprinted onto the small football (Soccer since they are in America rn) and started playing football with these kids, and Jack (Dicks dad) saw the smile on Dicks face and thought to himself.
'I haven't seen him smile like that since he first started gymnastics…fuck…My wife and I are going to have to have a very unfortunate conversation tonight…if she doesn't change, I might be forced to take the drastic route.
When Dick got back, like 30 minutes later, he was covered in grass stains and had the biggest smile on his face as he started raving to his dad about how much he loved football. Meanwhile, his dad was driving with a strained smile on his face, nodding along to his naive son's stories about scoring goals and making new friends.
Flash back over
And as these memories came spilling out, all of them just flashing through his mind, each a reminder of just how much his dad had sacrificed for him, just so Dick could follow his dreams of being a pro footballer, the next moment was the easiest decision Dick ever made in his life.
"Where do I sign?"