Super Wingstorm

”What brings you here to see me?”

Yang Yang walked over to Van Gaal, panting, and sat right down beside him. He twisted open his bottle cap and GULP, GULP, GULP, chugged water into his nearly parched stomach. The feeling was incredibly satisfying.

After Yang Yang joined the Ajax Youth Academy, Van Gaal seemed to intentionally or unintentionally keep his distance. However, in their few interactions, Yang Yang could always sense Van Gaal’s concern, though it stemmed only from their personal friendship.

He believed that Van Gaal had always been quietly watching over him.

”I’ve run into some trouble,” Van Gaal said lightly.

But Yang Yang could see that his expression held a faint smile, not at all like someone weighed down by problems.

”And?” Yang Yang asked.

”The last time I was in trouble, I met you at that skatepark in Almere. You helped me solve my first problem, but at the same time, you brought me this current one.”

”Huh?” Yang Yang was baffled. ’What’s that supposed to mean?’

”So, don’t you think you should do something about it?”

”Like what?”

Van Gaal raised an eyebrow. ”Like... answering a question for me.”

”Oh, that’s easy,” Yang Yang said with a relieved smile.

Seeing him smile, Van Gaal couldn’t help but chuckle as well.

’Is it really that easy?’

Perhaps. But for Van Gaal at this very moment, it was not easy at all. It was, in fact, incredibly difficult.

”Alright, let’s begin,” Van Gaal said softly.

”For example—and I’m just saying for example—you decide to do something, but everyone around you thinks it’s impossible. They even use it as an opportunity to attack and retaliate against you. What do you think you would do?”

Yang Yang furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. ”Like how Henk Demyer and the others treated me back then?”

”Much more serious than that.”

”Then I’d definitely consider whether it’s worth doing. If it is, I’ll do it. No matter how many people doubt me or attack me, I’ll still do it. It’s like back then, when Henk Demyer and the others mocked me in front of the whole class. I didn’t let it bother me, because I knew exactly what I was doing.”

”But what if you fail? You could lose a lot of what you have now.”

”That’s the price of taking a risk!” Yang Yang laughed. ”But before we even try, how can we know what the result will be? We can’t refuse to take a risk just because we’re afraid of failure. Is there anything in this world that’s a sure thing with zero risk?” Yang Yang retorted.

Seeing Van Gaal fall silent, Yang Yang added, ”Besides, everything I have now, I earned through hard work. It didn’t just fall from the sky. If I lose it, I’ll just work hard to get it all back again. What’s there to be afraid of?”

Van Gaal looked at Yang Yang and had to admit that his words were sincere and true. That was just the kind of person he was.

From Almere to Ajax, he had walked this path the entire way.

In truth, Van Gaal knew very well what choice he had to make. He was just looking for someone who agreed with him, someone to give him a bit of encouragement and courage.

And that person was Yang Yang.

It was a strange feeling. From the moment he met Yang Yang in Almere until now, Yang Yang had always been special.

”I’ve decided to do something,” Van Gaal said suddenly.

”What is it?” Yang Yang asked casually.

He didn’t notice that as Van Gaal spoke, his expression had become incredibly serious and solemn.

”I can’t tell you just yet, but you’ll find out eventually.” Van Gaal didn’t elaborate, simply turning back to look at Yang Yang with a faint smile. ”I’m telling you this because I feel you’ll understand me. We’re friends, right?”

”It’s my honor,” Yang Yang said with a smiling nod.

”That’s how people are. No matter how proud you are normally, when you run into trouble, you always hope for some help, even if it’s just verbal comfort. I hope that whether this works out or not, at least I’ll have you to understand me. Even if I’m forced to leave Ajax one day, at least you’ll be there to see me off.”

As he finished, a trace of loneliness, unnoticed by others, was hidden deep in Van Gaal’s expression.

Opinions on Van Gaal were always polarized; people praised him and criticized him. No one could ever quite figure him out.

But as a friend, Yang Yang felt that while he did have a bit of a temper and a stubborn personality that made him seem difficult to get along with, he was, without a doubt, not a hypocritical person.

”I’ll remember that.”

Van Gaal let out a long sigh, stood up from his seat, and looked back at Yang Yang. ”Don’t train too late, either. Make sure you rest. And when you have time, practice more with your left foot. Your progress is a bit too slow.”

At this last part, Van Gaal himself couldn’t help but laugh.

Yang Yang’s rate of improvement could be described as godlike for anyone else, but for some reason, Van Gaal still felt it wasn’t fast enough. Perhaps it was because he was already seventeen, or perhaps it was because...

”Koman and his coaching staff should be calling you up to the first team in the next few days. Train hard and perform well.”

Yang Yang watched Van Gaal’s retreating figure, his heart filled with both joy and worry.

Joy, because he was about to join the first team. Worry, because of what Van Gaal was planning to do.

As Yang Yang returned to the locker room to pack his things, Van Gaal left De Toekomst. He didn’t drive; instead, he walked slowly all the way to the Amsterdam Arena.

Following a familiar path, he entered the administrative offices and arrived outside the office of club chairman Michael van Praag.

The door was ajar. The person inside was sitting anxiously, growing impatient.

Seeing Van Gaal appear, Van Praag immediately shot up from the sofa, called out ”Louis,” and beckoned him to come and sit down.

Michael van Praag had more or less inherited the position from his father, who had presided over the most glorious legend in Ajax’s history. Both Michels and Cruyff came from that era. But after the elder Van Praag stepped down, Ajax fell into a deep slump, and it was Michael van Praag who finally stepped up.

The younger Van Praag brought Ajax its last period of glory—the legendary era when Van Gaal was coach. But afterward, hit by the Bosman Law, combined with failed investments in youth development and the impact of the club going public, Ajax’s situation worsened year by year. In recent years, they had been losing money annually.

In the first few years of the new century, Michael van Praag’s position as chairman was already in jeopardy. Because of this, he once again invited his old friend Van Gaal out of retirement to serve as the club’s technical director, hoping to turn things around.

But now, it seemed that nothing had changed.

”Louis, you said you had something important to discuss with me. What is it?” Michael van Praag asked with concern.

Van Gaal looked at the club chairman with a grave expression and replied calmly, ”I’ve made my decision.”

”What?” Van Praag’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly pressed, ”Decided what?”

”Don’t worry, I won’t get entangled with Cruyff anymore. That’s meaningless to me now. But I also won’t easily change who I am or compromise in the face of difficulties. I’ve decided to do what I’m supposed to do as the technical director of Ajax.”

”What do you mean?” Van Praag had a very bad feeling and started to panic.

”You know, Michael, some things can’t be avoided. The problem is there. It’s right in front of us. We can’t pretend it didn’t happen or that we don’t see it. What we should be doing is figuring out how to solve these problems, not run from them.”

Van Praag now understood what Van Gaal was planning to do. He shook his head. ”No, Louis, what you’re doing is too radical, you understand? Forget Cruyff; even the other board members won’t agree to it.”

”But you and I both know that while this might cause short-term pain, it will bring long-term development to the team.”

”No, that’s not going to work.” Van Praag waved his hands repeatedly, looking very resistant.

”You can’t grow healthy skin without cutting out the rotten flesh.”

”But this will cause too much of a stir, and it could have a severe impact on the team’s results.”

”It’s already having an impact, Michael. European football today is not what it was ten years ago. Right now, AC Milan can throw our entire club into a panic and make our star players disloyal with just one baseless transfer rumor. Can’t you see the position we’re in?”

Van Gaal’s words left Van Praag speechless.

Ajax indeed had an extremely glorious past, but as Van Gaal said, that was all in the past.

European football today was a far cry from what it was ten years ago. Back then, there was no Bosman Law. Back then, Ajax could dominate European football with a group of home-grown players. But now?

Even Van der Vaart, a pure product of the Ajax system, was secretly engineering a transfer. What hope was there for anyone else?

Van Gaal gave a cold smile and shook his head. ”Michael, you, like many others, like many fans, are still immersed in the glory of the past. You’re unwilling to open your eyes and take a good look at this new world. You’re afraid. You’re running away.”

Van Praag couldn’t take it anymore and sank weakly back into the sofa.

”This is a cruel world where only the fittest survive. What we need to do now is cast off the shackles and burdens of the past, carry out bold reforms, and move forward unburdened. That’s the only way we’ll have a chance to preserve the team’s position in European football. Otherwise, we’ll be eliminated sooner or later.”

Van Gaal’s words were as sharp as nails, and Van Praag’s face turned pale as he listened.

”They... they’ll never agree.”

”I don’t need their agreement,” Van Gaal said firmly.

”What are you planning to do?”

”You don’t need to worry about that. I just need you to trust me. I’ll do my best to maneuver and ensure the team can defeat Bruges in the next match and advance. If the team advances, you can’t stop me.”

”And... what if we fail to advance?”

”I’ll resign and take full responsibility. From that day on, everything about Ajax will have nothing to do with me.”

Van Praag’s hand trembled. He never imagined Van Gaal would gamble so much. It was completely beyond his expectations.

But he had a premonition that regardless of whether Van Gaal’s plan succeeded, things would not end well for him at the club.

This, perhaps, was the fate of a reformer.