Wednesday, August 28th, 2022
Puma European Headquarters, Milan
5:03 PM
The Puma building was smaller than Nike or Adidas but carried the same polish, and the reception area displayed photos of Neymar, Griezmann, and other athletes who wore the leaping cat logo.
Two executives met them in the lobby.
"Marco Benetti? Demien Walter?" The older man extended his hand. "I'm Stefan Müller, Head of European Partnerships. This is my colleague, Francesca Rossi."
The handshakes were professional but lacked the warmth Adidas had shown.
They were led to a conference room on the third floor, and the space felt corporate and efficient with minimal decoration beyond the Puma branding on one wall.
Stefan opened a folder and slid a summary across the table without preamble.
