Super Wingstorm

After returning home from dinner, Yang Yang went straight into the Super Training.

He began to gradually reduce the time he spent on basic training, instead increasing his training time for three Star Skills: Ronaldo’s Burst, Beckham’s Crossing, and Bergkamp’s First Touch. He focused especially on his first touch, which was currently his greatest weakness and the area that most urgently needed improvement.

According to Old Ice’s assessment, he was still in the Stable phase. A major reason for this was his effort to correct some of his long-standing improper techniques and his awareness for his first touch, a process that would take time.

Of course, Yang Yang could choose not to correct them, but these improper techniques and bad habits would stick with him for his entire career.

In the short term, correcting these long-ingrained bad habits would not only take time but also require genuine, painstaking effort, and his progress would be incredibly slow. In the long run, however, it would benefit him immensely.

This was a principle Yang Yang had always held dear. He firmly believed that only by enduring the bitterest of hardships could one rise above the rest.

There were no shortcuts in the world of football. Or rather, the only shortcut was to train.

In the Super Training, Yang Yang’s physical stamina was limitless, but his mental energy was not.

”Something has been troubling you lately,” Old Ice’s voice said calmly.

Yang Yang didn’t answer, keeping his head down and continuing to train hard.

”It’s not just because of the loss in the European Super Cup, nor is it just because Ajax has been weakened significantly...”

At these words, Yang Yang finally stopped, planting his foot on the ball. He remained silent for a long time.

”That night, Best Goalkeeper went to Robbent, Best Defender to Cavaleiro, Best Midfielder to Deco, and Best Forward to Ibrahimovic,” Yang Yang said with a bitter smile. ”It was like I wasn’t even in the picture.”

The night he was referring to was the UEFA Champions League group stage draw and awards ceremony held in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

The two ceremonies were held on the same night, with Champions League winner Ajax and runner-up Porto each taking home two of the top awards, which was largely in line with public expectations.

But despite being the hero who scored the decisive goal in the Champions League final, Yang Yang came away empty-handed. It made him see his own standing clearly.

The Champions League-winning goal, Toulon Cup champion, Asian Cup Best Player—these titles sounded impressive on paper, but in reality, they held little actual weight. They weren’t even enough to get him shortlisted for the main awards.

Robbent and Cavaleiro were no surprise. Deco beating out Van der Vaart was a testament to his extraordinary skill. As for Ibrahimovic, Yang Yang had to admit, ’At this stage, I’m still not on his level.’

The world of football is a pragmatic one; titles are useless without performance.

Take Alberto, the brilliant young Brazilian from Porto last season. In the new season, he was completely sidelined. Who could he complain to?

Cases like his were a dime a dozen in European football.

Every year, countless dazzling new talents emerged, but just as many became cautionary tales of fallen prodigies.

Attending the UEFA awards ceremony had made Yang Yang see all of this with perfect clarity.

Deco, Cavaleiro, Van der Vaart, and Ibrahimovic—they were all rising stars poised to break into the top tier of European football. As long as they proved their worth at Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Juventus, they would cement their places among the elite.

If, unfortunately, they failed to secure their footing and were weeded out, they would just have to fight for another opportunity.

As for Yang Yang, he didn’t have that kind of ability yet.

This was why he was staying at Ajax; he had no plans to leave until he possessed that level of ability.

At the very least, he was guaranteed to play in the Champions League here.

...

Old Ice understood Yang Yang and could comprehend his thoughts and feelings, but he had no intention of consoling him.

The reason was simple: some things a person has to figure out on their own. No one else can help.

From Almere to Ajax, from amateur leagues to the Eredivisie and the Champions League, Yang Yang’s ambition had grown with his constant progress. He was no longer satisfied with simply being a professional player for Ajax.

What he wanted now was to be a core player for Ajax. He longed to prove his ability in the UEFA Champions League.

To put it bluntly, he wanted to prove he was every bit as good as Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart.

And with that desire came responsibility.

With great ability comes great responsibility.

If he wanted to be a core player for Ajax, he first had to prove he had the ability and the mettle for it.

Being the star player wasn’t something you could achieve just by wanting it. The head coach had to acknowledge you. The other players on the pitch had to acknowledge you. Without sufficient skill and performance, who would acknowledge you?

If you couldn’t shoulder the responsibility or handle the pressure, who would acknowledge you?

Just as he had in the Toulon Cup, Yang Yang shouldered that responsibility. It was foreseeable that for the upcoming AFC U-19 Championship, the China Youth Team would be built around him, with Coach Tie Sheng designing tactics to suit him.

In the future, the National Team would be the same.

As for whether the same would happen at Ajax, that would depend entirely on Yang Yang’s own performance.

”Take it slow. First, solidify your fundamentals and master the three Star Skills. Then you can think about all that.”

At this point, this was the only advice Old Ice could offer.

Yang Yang took a deep breath, nodded firmly, and got back to training.

...

...

Over the next few days, Yang Yang continued his daily training at the school Su Wenhong attended. Many of the students grew used to his presence, simply offering a friendly greeting when they saw him.

On the internet, however, students from the school would often post on forums, gushing about how Yang Yang was training at their school and so on. They occasionally posted photos, which would attract a flurry of excited comments from other netizens.

Whenever Yang Yang saw these kinds of posts, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

But the more people praised him, the more Yang Yang pushed himself, because he knew very well that he still wasn’t good enough.

Su Wenhong really did have a good eye for real estate. Yang Yang checked out the apartment; its location within the community was excellent and secluded enough, perfectly matching his requirements. The price was also reasonable, basically what it would have cost two years prior, with the only condition being payment in full.

When the owner heard that Yang Yang was the one who wanted to buy his apartment, he immediately slashed a considerable amount off the price on the spot, without even waiting for Su Wenhong to start haggling.

A little over a million was nothing for the current Yang Yang.

So, during his time in Beijing, he took the opportunity to quickly handle the paperwork for the ownership transfer.

As for renovations, there was no rush, so he put that aside for the time being.

After buying the apartment, Yang Yang continued to train every day.

Except now, every day around noon and in the evening, Su Ye would appear behind the bleachers, sitting on a long bench by the road. She would hold a bottle of water and silently watch him train.

When he walked over, drenched in sweat, she would hand him the bottle of water with a cheerful smile.

For the first day or two, Yang Yang felt a bit awkward and guilty about it, but he gradually grew accustomed to her presence.

Just before the National Youth Team’s training camp for the AFC U-19 Championship, the National Team played another World Cup qualifying match.

In their away match against Malaysia, the National Team’s offense was lackluster and failed to live up to the fans’ expectations. They squeaked out a narrow 1-0 victory, and while they secured the three points, it was a dangerously close match.

Their performance in this first match after the Asian Cup was completely inconsistent with their new status as champions, sparking heated debate among fans back home. Many asserted with certainty that the stark difference in the team’s performance was due to the absence of a single player: Yang Yang.

The next away match against Kuwait would be the crucial battle to advance from the group stage. Although a draw would be enough to qualify, many fans believed the National Team should call up Yang Yang to ensure the team had enough attacking power.

During a media interview in Malaysia, Arie Haan also stated that Yang Yang could indeed boost the National Team’s offense, and that he and the coaching staff would seriously consider calling him up for the next match.

An inside source revealed that the National Team was working hard to figure out a plan, but a final decision wouldn’t be made until October.

...

...

When Yang Yang arrived at the Guangzhou airport, he was surprised to find a crowd of reporters and fans waiting for him.

The moment they saw Yang Yang, they all rushed forward excitedly. The scene was even grander than the reception for one of the nation’s top superstars.

”Yang Yang! Yang Yang!!”

The fans’ enthusiastic cheers quickly caught the attention of other travelers in the airport, and soon an even larger crowd gathered.

Yang Yang had always been very polite and accommodating with his fans, granting every request he could.

After doing his best to satisfy the fans’ requests, Yang Yang also made time for an interview with the reporters.

”Thank you all so much for your love and support. The team wins because of every single person on it. I believe that as long as we work together and fight side by side, we can achieve a great result in the AFC U-19 Championship.”

”There are reports that the National Youth Team’s goal for the tournament in Malaysia is to reach the semifinals. What are your thoughts on that?” a reporter asked.

”That’s a reasonable goal. I think we have the ability to make it to the semifinals,” Yang Yang replied. ”Of course, anything can happen in football, so we need to stay grounded and take it one match at a time.”

”After the Asian Cup, there’s been a renewed trend of players going to play abroad. It’s said that several national team players have already confirmed their moves. What do you think about that?” another reporter asked.

”I think it’s a good thing,” Yang Yang nodded. ”The European leagues are very challenging and incredibly helpful for a player’s development. I personally hope to see more Chinese players go abroad. Of course, the most important thing is that they get playing time.”

”What about the players on the National Youth Team? Some are worried that playing abroad might negatively affect their development.”

”Like I just said, the most important thing is getting playing time. As long as they can play in meaningful, competitive matches, I think we should encourage everyone to go for it.”

This was something Yang Yang knew from personal experience.

He, at least, believed that players like Zheng Zhi and Zhao Junzhe had enough ability to establish themselves abroad. As for players like Chen Tao, Feng Xiaoting, and Zhou Haibin, they should also go to Europe to gain experience, as long as they could find the right team and get playing time.

”Regarding the recent talk about the National Team possibly calling you up for the Kuwait match, what are your personal thoughts?” a reporter asked.

Yang Yang smiled faintly. ”I respect the outcome of the discussions between Ajax and the National Team. It is my honor to play for my country. If the National Team needs me, I will answer the call anytime, anywhere.”

Yang Yang’s statement immediately drew a round of enthusiastic applause from the crowd.