Super Wingstorm

The National Team’s first training session in Chongqing was intensely demanding, which caused many of the national players, who had just returned from their league matches, to suffer greatly.

But everyone knew this was necessary to get them in shape for the upcoming Asian Cup.

Many had been worried about Yang Yang, but he didn’t collapse from exhaustion during the National Team’s high-intensity training. This was because the training intensity wasn’t even that high compared to his time with the Ajax first team; he had long since adapted to it.

Seeing how easily and capably Yang Yang handled the training, many of the national players couldn’t help but see him in a new light.

After all, how could a player who represented Ajax in the Champions League final and scored the game-winning goal be all hype and no substance?

The National Team won their first friendly match, thrashing Lebanon 6-0. However, Yang Yang didn’t get a chance to make an impact. He was only substituted on after the seventy-fifth minute, by which time the score was already 5-0.

Arie Haan’s reasoning for sending Yang Yang in was simple: he wanted him to get familiar with his teammates, find his rhythm for the game, and also use him to test out the 4-3-3 formation he had in mind.

The day after playing Lebanon, the National Team flew back to Beijing and went directly to the Xianghe Base for a training camp.

At noon on July 9th, the team flew to Hohhot to prepare for the next day’s friendly against the United Arab Emirates.

Once again, Yang Yang was not in the starting lineup.

The National Team started with a 4-4-2 formation again, fielding almost all of its main players. However, the first half was a disaster, ending in a 0-0 draw. During halftime, the Chinese Team made three substitutions at once, which destabilized the squad. A defensive miscommunication led to an error, and the opposing team seized the opportunity to score.

The National Team then began to fight back but still couldn’t score. Instead, in the sixtieth minute, their opponents capitalized on another chance, extending their lead to 2-0.

Just as the United Arab Emirates’ morale was soaring, the National Team finally clawed one back.

Only three minutes after the United Arab Emirates’ second goal, Zheng Zhi capitalized on a free kick in the opponent’s half, scoring directly to change the score to 1-2.

In the seventieth minute, Arie Haan made another round of substitutions, bringing on Yang Yang, Sun Jihai, and Zhou Ting. The team’s formation switched again to a 4-3-3, with Yang Yang and Zheng Bin on the wings and Li Yi as the lone striker.

The three midfielders were Zhao Junzhe, Zhou Haibin, and Sun Jihai.

The right-back behind Yang Yang was Wei Xin, a solid defender who offered little on the attack.

Arie Haan’s instruction to Yang Yang was simple: attack the opponent’s left flank with everything he had.

Yang Yang, who had been bottling up his energy and whose hunger for the game had grown intense, did not disappoint the coach’s high expectations. As soon as he stepped onto the pitch, he executed a razor-sharp kick-and-run on the right flank, blowing past the United Arab Emirates’ left-back and earning a roaring cheer from the crowd.

Subsequently, Yang Yang became increasingly active on the right flank. Whenever a pass from the midfield reached his feet, he created a threat. He repeatedly used his blistering pace and superb dribbling to wreak havoc on the United Arab Emirates’ defensive line. In the eighty-third minute, he sent a cross into the box from the right, and Li Yi pounced on it in front of the goal to level the score.

Yang Yang’s outstanding performance quickly drew the attention of the United Arab Emirates’ defense. Even so, in the eighty-eighth minute, he used another opportunity to break through on the right wing and charged toward the byline. Although he lacked support from his teammates, he still managed to win a corner kick.

During the ensuing corner kick, Sun Jihai was pulled down inside the penalty area. The referee didn’t hesitate to award a penalty. Zheng Zhi stepped up and converted it, putting the score at 3-2.

Despite coming from two goals down to stage a tenacious comeback, the National Team’s performance in their second friendly match was far from satisfactory.

The team’s defense, in particular, was very concerning.

In contrast, the performance of the young substitute Yang Yang earned unanimous praise from the domestic media and fans.

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The day after the National Team returned to Beijing from Hohhot, the Xianghe Base held a rare open day, welcoming numerous reporters and fans, as well as the National Team’s sponsor, Adidas.

Before every season and every major tournament, sponsors design a brand-new kit for their teams, and the National Team’s sponsor, Adidas, was no exception.

The Asian Cup jersey they designed for the National Team this time was just a minor update. Compared to the previous one, only the curved design on the chest had been slightly altered. It looked like two connected scimitars, and since it was the same white color as the jersey itself, it was very difficult to spot without looking closely.

What was truly interesting, however, was that just a few days prior in Portugal, Greece had worn the exact same jersey design during their miraculous underdog run in the European Cup. Rehagel’s team fought their way to the final, where center-forward Charisteas scored the winning goal, completing their dark horse journey to victory.

It was worth noting that after his outstanding performance in the European Cup, Charisteas quickly caught the eye of Ajax. After the final, it was announced that Ajax had officially signed the European Cup hero from Werder Bremen.

This was a blockbuster signing meant to fill the void left by Ibrahimovic’s departure.

For Adidas to choose the same jersey design as Greece for the Chinese Team at this particular moment was undoubtedly a good omen, representing the hope that the Chinese Team, like Greece, could successfully win the Asian Cup.

If that were to happen, Adidas would strike it big.

In addition to having the National Team players model the new jersey, the president of Adidas China was also on a special mission from Adidas headquarters: to present Yang Yang with a pair of football boots custom-made just for him.

”We are incredibly honored that for the past year, Yang Yang has worn our Adidas boots while competing on the pitch for the Chinese National Team and for Ajax.”

”And now, to better highlight Yang Yang’s unique skills and fully leverage his advantages in speed and individual breakthroughs, we have specially designed a pair of ’China Red’ F50 boots just for him.”

Following the formal announcement from the president of Adidas China, all eyes inevitably turned to Yang Yang.

Yang Yang was already on stage, wearing the boots that had been perfectly tailored to his foot measurements. He performed a few fancy juggling tricks on the spot to demonstrate what the boots could do.

But the many reporters and national players in attendance were stunned. Even officials from the Football Association and the National Team were surprised, as they had known nothing about this beforehand.

It even seemed that Adidas’s main purpose for the visit wasn’t to deliver the new National Team jerseys, but to unveil these boots for Yang Yang. He was the first Chinese Football player to receive a boot sponsorship from Adidas, and it was for the F50, the brand-new model just released before the summer’s European Cup.

These were the same boots supplied exclusively to top stars during the European Cup, which made it clear just how highly Adidas regarded Yang Yang.

Yang Yang, however, wasn’t surprised in the least, as Raiola had already told him this was going to happen.

The sponsorship negotiations between Ajax and Adidas were going smoothly. However, thanks to Raiola’s maneuvering, Yang Yang’s personal endorsement deal was being negotiated separately. For the time being, Adidas had a leg up on Nike, but the two parties had not yet agreed on the final price.

Adidas hoped to sign Yang Yang for a price of thirty thousand euros a year. Considering his age, the contract also included escalator clauses that could raise the amount to a maximum of fifty thousand euros.

A boot sponsorship of fifty thousand euros was definitely considered a blockbuster deal in the world of Chinese Football.

More importantly, Yang Yang was only seventeen years old, and his future was incredibly bright.

But Raiola hadn’t given the final go-ahead yet, and negotiations were still ongoing.

In the subsequent media interview, Yang Yang stated that he wasn’t involved in the contract negotiations. He explained that since returning to China, he had been focused on training hard and improving himself, while everything else was being handled by his agent and the club.

”I’m very happy to receive these boots from Adidas. At the very least, it represents an official stamp of approval from them.”

When asked about being a substitute for both friendly matches since joining the squad, Yang Yang said it was perfectly normal.

”The coach spoke to me about it. I’m a newcomer, after all, and he feels I should focus on getting familiar with the team first. I completely agree with his assessment. Even as a substitute, I’m confident that I can make a contribution to the National Team.”

As for the Asian Cup, Yang Yang stated with full confidence that he was ready.

”I’m starved for competition, and I’ve told the coach as much. It’s been a while since I’ve played in an official match, so the thought of the Asian Cup gets my blood pumping. I can’t wait for it to start.”

”I can’t make any promises before the games are played. All I can say is that I will give it my all and do my absolute best. I’ll do everything in my power to help the team keep the Asian Cup here in China!”

In response to Yang Yang’s statement, National Team head coach Arie Haan said he was well aware of his feelings.

”He’s in excellent form, and he’s eager to play—I understand that perfectly. But I have to consider the bigger picture. He’s only seventeen, and his physical development isn’t quite at an adult’s level yet. So, we need to be careful with our decision.”

”But I do believe he is ready.”

As the only one of the twenty-five national players with an Adidas sponsorship, Yang Yang was the subject of considerable envy from his teammates. Even some of the veteran players, who had been famous for years, were visibly green with envy as they eyed the ’China Red’ boots from Adidas, though they never said anything aloud.

Unfortunately for them, the boots had been custom-made by Adidas after receiving Yang Yang’s exact foot measurements from Ajax. No one else could possibly wear them, so all they could do was watch with envy.

The Football Association, however, felt helpless about Adidas’s sponsorship of Yang Yang. Because he wasn’t a player registered with the association, they theoretically had no jurisdiction over him.

Of course, they could simply choose not to call him up. But with his popularity among Chinese fans soaring and his performances in the European Arena growing ever more impressive, the Football Association couldn’t possibly afford not to select him—unless they wanted to face a public outcry.

As for meddling in Yang Yang’s business dealings, that was completely out of the question.

Yang Yang, on the other hand, had the simplest view of all. Sponsorships, a spot in the starting eleven—none of it was important to him.

The most important thing was to improve himself as quickly as possible and to seize every opportunity that arose.

From the Almere Youth Team to the Ajax Second Team and then to the first team, he had always been this way, because he had always believed in a certain saying.

Opportunity always favors the prepared.