Super Wingstorm

”It’s time once again for the weekly Football Online.”

”Good evening to all our listeners tuning in. I’m Aaron Moye.”

”First up, let’s take a look back at the biggest football news from the past week.”

”The Eredivisie has finally drawn to a close. After a long and fierce title race, Eindhoven ultimately edged out Ajax by a single point to clinch this season’s championship.”

”The first person Eindhoven has to thank for winning the league title this season is their head coach, Hiddink.”

”This legendary coach, who led the South Korea Team to a historic fourth-place finish in last year’s World Cup, brought stability to Eindhoven upon his return to the Eredivisie. He forged the team’s defense into an unbreakable wall, conceding only twenty goals this season.”

”Coming in second on the list of contributors is the team’s top scorer, Kezman. The twenty-four-year-old Serbian striker made thirty-three appearances in the Eredivisie this season, scoring an incredible thirty-five goals. This has made him a household name in European Football, attracting the attention of numerous top clubs.”

”Besides Hiddink and Kezman, many other Eindhoven players also played pivotal roles, such as left winger Robben, midfielder Van Bommel, defender Bouma, and forward Heise Linke, among others. They all made a lasting impression.”

”As the reigning champions, Ajax’s performance this season was also quite outstanding. Early on, they even went on an undefeated streak of fifteen matches, with eleven wins and four draws, putting them at the top of the league table. But after a crushing 2-4 defeat at home to Eindhoven in the sixteenth round, Ajax could never quite catch up to their bitter rivals. In the second-leg match between the two, Ajax suffered another devastating 0-2 loss away from home. To make matters worse, their captain, Qi Wu, was sent off with a red card. They lost the match and their composure.”

”You could say that losing these two head-to-head encounters led to Ajax’s disastrous finish. They ultimately lost the league title by a single point, were knocked out of the Dutch Cup semifinals by Feyenoord, and their UEFA Champions League run ended in the quarterfinals.”

”Ronald Koeman’s troubles are only just beginning. Sources reveal that the Ajax management has essentially agreed to Inter Milan’s offer for Van der Meede. The right winger, who was their standout performer last season, will likely transfer to Serie A this summer for a hefty fee of over ten million euros.”

”In addition to Van der Meede, their defensive cornerstone Qi Wu has also received offers from several top clubs and is very likely to leave this summer. Teams including Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Rome are all very interested in him.”

”Losing both Van der Meede and Qi Wu at the same time would be a massive blow to Ajax’s strength.”

”Not only that, but Ajax has also issued an official statement confirming the departure of the club’s technical director, Leo Beenhakker. The renowned local coach, plagued by salacious rumors, will be forced to decamp to Mexico.”

”According to my sources, Ajax began secretly searching for a new technical director two months ago. The top candidate in the eyes of club chairman Michael van Praag is none other than Louis van Gaal, who left his post at Barcelona six months ago.”

”I’m sure everyone still remembers clearly that it was the powerful partnership between Van Praag and Van Gaal in the early nineties that created Ajax’s last golden era. Van Praag is now eager to repeat that historic achievement, but Van Gaal has yet to make a statement.”

”Now that we’ve covered the Eredivisie, let’s turn our attention to the annual summer amateur tournament.”

”I’m sure all our listeners around Amsterdam are familiar with this event. Every year, numerous amateur teams participate, and many players use this platform to get scouted by Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie clubs and break into the professional leagues.”

”This year’s summer amateur tournament is already four rounds in, and quite a few teams have distinguished themselves. This includes the ’big three’—Ajax, Feyenoord, and Eindhoven—who are known for their excellent youth academies and have produced a number of very skilled players.”

”For example, in previous shows, fans have recommended players from Feyenoord’s youth academy like Drenthe and De Guzman. Eindhoven has the stunningly talented Afeley, and for Ajax, the most eye-catching performers have been Babel and Nordin Amrabat. These are all players who have performed exceptionally well.”

”We’re now opening up the phone lines again. We hope all you fans out there will be eager to call in and tell us about the outstanding young prospects you’ve seen.”

”Alright, let’s go to line one.”

”Okay, welcome to the show, caller on line one.”

”Hello, Aaron.”

”Hello. What have you got for us?”

”I want to recommend a center-back from Alkmaar, Ron Vlaar. I guarantee it, Aaron. I’ve been watching football for over ten years, and I guarantee he’ll become an outstanding center-back. Ajax should sign him as soon as possible.”

”Is that so? Ron Vlaar... from what I know, his performance has indeed been quite good, and it’s true that some teams are keeping an eye on him.”

”Really?”

”Of course. I also know that contact has already been made.”

”Is it Ajax?”

”I can’t reveal that. Ha. Alright, let’s take our next caller.”

”Welcome, caller on line two.”

”Hello, Aaron. I want to talk about an Ajax midfielder, Maduro. I just don’t get why everyone is hyping up Babel and Amrabat, but no one’s noticed our midfielder Maduro. He’s the core of this team! He should be in the first team.”

”Er... I have to point out, caller number two, Maduro is already on the first team.”

”Is he? But he’s definitely not getting any playing time.”

”We have a lot of very talented players, like Sneijder, Van der Vaart, and so on. Trust me, Maduro will get his chance.”

”Okay, next up, line three.”

”Hello, Aaron. I want to once again strongly recommend Afeley. He’s a genius! I’ve been following him for several years. Believe me, he’s a real genius. He’s going to become the best and most outstanding star in the Netherlands.”

”Okay, I trust your judgment, but we’ve already featured Afeley extensively. Can anyone recommend someone new? Preferably from a more obscure team. Anyone?”

”Alright, let’s go to line four.”

”Hello, Aaron. Since you asked for someone from an obscure team, I’ll recommend one that most of your listeners probably have never heard of.”

”Oh, really? I’m intrigued. Go on, what team is he from?”

”Almere.”

”Almere? Oh, God, I know that team. They failed to get promoted to the Eerste Divisie this season, right?”

”Yes, they’re a weak team. They’re a satellite club for Ajax.”

”Haha, Almere is also a satellite city of Amsterdam.”

”Exactly. But listen to me. The number nine player for Almere, the Chinese kid with black hair, he only turns seventeen in October. But do you know what his average number of successful dribbles per game has been over the past four matches?”

”How many?”

”I didn’t count...”

”Oh, come on.”

”Where are you going to get stats for an amateur league? But I guarantee you, it’s definitely in the double digits.”

”Double digits per game?”

”Yeah. And get this, you’ll be interested in this part: his signature dribbling move is the Pendulum Move.”

”Ronaldo’s signature move?”

”Yeah, that’s the one! He’s incredible. So fast. Watching him break past defenders on the right wing, it feels like I’m watching old tapes of Ronaldo, you know? The feeling is just awesome. So damn cool.”

”Uh... you’ve said all this, but you still haven’t told us his name.”

”Yang Yang. Y-A-N-G Y-A-N-G.”

”What position does he play?”

”Right winger.”

”Okay, alright. I’m asking our listeners out there, does anyone else know about Yang Yang, the number nine right winger for Almere? If you do, please call our hotline right away and share what you know.”

”Okay, we have a call coming in right now. Welcome, line five.”

”Aaron, I know this Yang Yang. During the last match against Flaefranz, I was in Almere. He was tightly marked by the opposition. Flaefranz specifically assigned two players to defend against him.”

”Two players marking one guy?”

”Yeah, but he still found an opportunity. He broke through in the second half, dribbled past several players, and then made a cross in front of the goal for a teammate to score. It was the only goal of the match, helping Almere beat Flaefranz one-nil and advance to the fifth round.”

”Alright. If I remember correctly, there aren’t many third-tier teams left in the fifth round, but Almere is one of them. This team sounds very interesting.”

”Anyone else? Welcome, line six.”

”Let me tell you, that breakaway against Flaefranz was nothing. What really impressed me the most was the first match, the local derby against AS80. They fielded their first-team regulars! Everyone said they had the strength of a fourth-tier team, but do you know what happened?”

”I don’t. Spill it.”

”Yang Yang’s performance was outstanding—two assists and a goal, helping Almere narrowly defeat AS80 three-to-two. But that’s not the main point. You know what the main point is?”

”Oh, for God’s sake, you better say it fast, or I’m worried a lot of people are going to want to punch you.”

”The point is, his final, critical, game-winning goal was scored after he dribbled past three of their players in a row. Three players! Aaron, of all the players from the top teams you listed earlier, did any of them pull off a move past three players? Did they? I’m just asking you, did—they—or—not?”

”Uh, now that you mention it, no, I don’t think so.”

”See? Yang Yang. Remember that name. I guarantee you, he’ll be on everyone’s radar very soon.”

”Alright, after hearing you say all that, I’m actually really interested in seeing this Yang Yang play.”

”Definitely. Trust me, Aaron, he won’t disappoint you.”

”Let’s hope not. Almere is heading into the fifth round, where the opponents will get stronger and stronger. I’m even more eager to see if Yang Yang can continue his outstanding performance from the first four rounds.”

”Just you wait.”

”Okay, let’s take the next caller and see if anyone else has information to share about this Yang Yang.”

”Welcome, our caller on line seven...”