Super Wingstorm

Returning to De Toekomst with a four-nil away victory, most of the Second Team players wore joyful smiles. The good mood would last for the next few days, right up until their weekend match against the Vitesse B Team.

It was the first round of the Youth League.

Upon arriving at the training facility, Van Basten dismissed the team.

Yang Yang went to the locker room to pack his things. He handed the torn jersey and his dirty clothes to the equipment manager. By the time he arrived for training at noon the next day, two clean kits would be waiting for him by his locker.

It was still early, so after packing up, Yang Yang walked out of the locker room to a wall behind the building. He continued his training, starting by juggling the ball with both feet. Once he was warmed up, he began practicing against the wall.

Assistant coach Van Schip had told him that Bergkamp used to train the same way when he was in the youth academy.

He lost track of how long he’d been training before he suddenly heard Vermaelen’s voice from behind him.

”See? I told you he’d be here.”

”We just finished a match. Are you seriously not tired?”

Yang Yang stopped and turned to see Vermaelen, Ibrahimovic, and Maxwell standing behind him. He grinned to himself and, without a word, passed the ball over to them.

”Perfect timing! I only played for thirty minutes, so I haven’t had nearly enough,” Yang Yang shouted with a laugh, rushing toward them. They were soon tangled up, fighting for the ball.

”Zlatan, did you get chewed out again today?”

”Bullshit! Am I the kind of person who gets chewed out all the time?”

”It’s not ’like’ you are, you just are. You’ve got a punchable face and you strut around all day like you’re hot stuff.”

”Haha, Yang Yang’s right. Definitely punchable.”

”Piss off. What do you bunch of hicks know? It’s called being cool, get it?”

”Don’t get it,” the three of them replied in unison, shaking their heads.

”Anyway, I’m in a bad mood today, so don’t mess with me.”

”You have a few days like that every month,” Maxwell roared with laughter.

”Who pissed you off this time?” Yang Yang asked.

”Who else would dare to mess with me but you?”

”How did I mess with you?”

”I heard you did pretty well in the match this afternoon, stole the show?”

”What are you getting at?”

”You should treat us! When you play well, you have to treat,” the Swede declared righteously.

”Then did you treat us when you scored?”

”Er... that’s different. Think about it. Your performance this afternoon was only possible because we train with you every day. Shouldn’t you repay us? Treat us to a nice meal?”

”Oh, is that so? Fine.”

”Really?”

”Of course, no problem. It’s just a meal, right?”

”Heh heh, you’re being way too agreeable. Something’s fishy.”

”What could be fishy? I’ll treat you tonight. But... what if Helena comes over and I accidentally let something slip? What would happen then?” Yang Yang put on a troubled expression.

”Yeah, what *would* happen?” Vermaelen and Maxwell were practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

”Er...” The Swedish Striker’s eyes flew open. His expression instantly shifted, and he sidled up to Yang Yang obsequiously. ”Haha, I was just kidding! Don’t take it seriously. I already freeload meals at your place all the time, so of course I should train with you. How could I possibly let you treat me on top of that?”

”*You* train with *me*?” Yang Yang asked, his tone turning sharp.

”Er, no, that’s not right. *I* ask *you* to train with *me*. I’m in your debt, heh heh.” The Swede gave him a look that practically begged for approval.

”Zlatan, you’re the most thick-skinned person in all of De Toekomst.”

”I’m ashamed to be associated with someone like you.”

”Both of you, get lost.”

...

The four young men joked and horsed around all the way to the training pitch. They quickly fell into their usual routine: Maxwell and Yang Yang delivered crosses from the left and right flanks, while Ibrahimovic and Vermaelen battled in the middle to get on the end of them.

Their playful banter made the otherwise monotonous training session fun.

Don’t be fooled by Ibrahimovic’s tall, powerful build and his arrogant, rebellious nature. He had unexpectedly fallen for a girlfriend a full ten years his senior: a former Swedish model named Helena.

Word was that they had met at a party a year ago. Ibrahimovic had taken the initiative, pursuing her with a relentless barrage of attention until he finally won her over. The two had only just recently made their relationship official.

Because Helena had her own job in Sweden, and Ibrahimovic’s professional career was just starting, the two were still in the fragile stage of a long-distance relationship.

For this reason, Yang Yang and the other two often teased the Swedish Striker about Helena.

However, this teasing came at a heavy price.

Yang Yang and Maxwell were safely on the flanks delivering crosses, but the unlucky Vermaelen, who had laughed the loudest just moments ago, now became the target of all of Ibrahimovic’s fury.

And so, the mighty Nordic Giant completely dominated the Belgian center-back, who was a full head shorter. The resulting beatdown was too brutal to watch.

Even Ronald Koeman, who had just emerged from the first-team head coach’s office in the distance, couldn’t help but grimace. He found the Nordic Giant’s display of power to be simply too brutal.

......

......

In the four-nil away victory over Ezmeralda, the person who grabbed the most headlines was still head coach Van Basten.

As a legendary former striker for the Netherlands, Van Basten passed his first official test as a head coach with flying colors, leaving everyone full of anticipation for his future in coaching.

According to media reports, the team encountered staunch resistance in the first half. But in the second half, Van Basten made a series of brilliant substitutions that completely turned the tide, helping the team score three unanswered goals and secure a convincing victory.

Overshadowed by Van Basten’s immense fame, Yang Yang—the substitute whose excellent performance had turned the game around—wasn’t even mentioned by name. His role was glossed over. The reports only stated that Van Basten had courageously brought on a sixteen-year-old youngster to completely shatter the home team’s solid defensive line.

As for the team’s other players, from goalscorers like Fred Benson to the top star Babel, none were mentioned by the press. The reporters clearly felt they wouldn’t capture the fans’ interest, so there was no point in bringing them up.

Even though he wasn’t named directly, just being in the newspapers—especially papers across Europe and even the World—made Yang Yang very happy. Of course, he was also well aware that a first-round Dutch Cup match could only attract so much attention because of Van Basten’s influence.

Since the match wasn’t broadcast live and he wasn’t named in any media reports, Yang Yang’s life returned to its normal, quiet routine after the game. He continued to study in the mornings and train at De Toekomst in the afternoons.

At most, some classmates at school who knew he played for the Ajax Second Team would look at him with envy, and a few girls might occasionally say hello. But none of this affected Yang Yang’s life or training in the slightest.

He had class on Friday, and with Saturday off from school, he spent the entire day at De Toekomst.

Because he had previously played for the Almere Youth Academy, and the two clubs shared player data, Yang Yang hadn’t undergone a detailed medical exam when he joined Ajax. On Saturday morning, however, Van Basten had John van Schip take Yang Yang to see the team doctor. Together, they went to a nearby partner hospital for a comprehensive physical evaluation.

The entire evaluation took up the whole morning. Afterward, he met with the team nutritionist to go over his usual diet and daily routines. In these areas, Yang Yang was exceptionally disciplined.

Only after finishing all of that did he return to the Second Team’s head coach office. When he saw Van Basten, his idol told him that he wanted him to adjust his training and focus on improving his physical condition.

”You should know that as the level of competition rises, the physical demands on a player only get higher. Whether you stay in the Netherlands in the future or go to another league—even La Liga, which values technical skill the most—the physical requirements for players are very high.”

”At the professional level, without adequate physical conditioning, you can’t make use of the best technique or speed.”

Yang Yang took Van Basten’s reminder to heart.

However, Van Basten and the coaching staff didn’t mean for him to bulk up his physical strength in a short period. Rather, he needed to strengthen himself appropriately. After all, he was still in a crucial growth phase, and too much strength training could be detrimental.

At the same time, Yang Yang wasn’t one to follow orders blindly. He explained that he was still focused on improving his fundamentals. He worried that too much strength training might not be beneficial, as both his close control and his Ronaldo-style explosive bursts required him to maintain his body’s agility.

Van Basten, Van Schip, and Witzig had all been professional players, so they could understand Yang Yang’s concerns. They assured Yang Yang that the coaching staff would definitely take this issue into account.

”You have to trust that Ajax has decades of experience in developing players.”

Naturally, Yang Yang trusted the ability and experience of both Van Basten and Ajax in this regard.

At the same time, Van Basten also told Yang Yang that because he had performed so well in the midweek match, the coaching staff had unanimously agreed to let him start in Sunday’s league match, and hoped he would prepare himself.

This news made Yang Yang ecstatic.

Ibrahimovic, however, was not nearly as thrilled. Ronald Koeman had left him out of the squad for the second league match on Saturday night, the reason being that he had played the entire midweek game.

This time, the Ajax first team was facing newly-promoted Rosendal, a team that clearly didn’t warrant a full-strength squad. As such, Ibrahimovic was rested.

As a result, Ajax played terribly in the away match. Their defense was shaky, and their attack was even more lackluster.

With Ibrahimovic out, Van der Vaart failed to perform like the team’s star player he was, and newly signed striker Wesley Sonck was similarly underwhelming.

In the end, an assist from Maxwell to left winger Soetters secured a goal, allowing Ajax to scrape by with a one-nil away victory.

Despite starting the league with two consecutive wins, the doubts surrounding Ajax persisted.