Super Wingstorm

Morning, on a corner of Oude Kerk street.

The breakfast shop owner saw Yang Yang from a distance, jogging over quickly in his short-sleeved training kit while juggling a ball.

He immediately got Yang Yang’s breakfast ready and set it on the counter.

“The usual, boss,” Yang Yang said with a smile, walking up to the counter.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” the owner said with a smile, handing over the breakfast.

Yang Yang took it and chuckled. “Can’t complain.”

“I took your advice. I’ve clipped all the papers from the last two days. Just waiting for them to go up in value,” the owner said with a mock-greedy look.

Yang Yang burst out laughing. “You got it. I won’t let you down!”

“Keep up the great work! Bring home a European trophy midweek, and then on the weekend, lock down the Eredivisie championship and the Golden Boot Award!”

The weekend was a home game against Groningen. By tradition, the Dutch Football Association would bring the Eredivisie championship trophy to the Amsterdam Arena. Unless Ajax lost and Eindhoven managed to turn the tables at the last second, the trophy would be staying at the Amsterdam Arena.

“In that case, I’ll have to come and taste what you can really do,” Yang Yang said, waving with a smile.

Watching Yang Yang leave, the breakfast shop owner kept smiling, his eyes crinkled. It had been a long time since he’d seen such an energetic Ajax player; he’d even forgotten who the last one was.

‘What an amazing kid!’

Who could have imagined? Just when it seemed like his chances were dead, the tables turned in the blink of an eye.

Previously, all the major newspapers in the Netherlands had reported that Kuyt had basically secured the Eredivisie Golden Boot Award ahead of time. But after the thirty-third round of matches, the tide suddenly turned.

Yang Yang had twenty-eight goals, Kuyt had twenty-nine. Anything could happen in the final round.

Many analysts believed Kuyt was too relaxed during the thirty-third round. He clearly thought he had already secured the Golden Boot Award, which made him a bit complacent.

So, what about the final round?

Now that he’s lost his momentum, can he get it back?

However, it would also be quite difficult for Yang Yang to turn it around, as he had to travel more than two thousand kilometers midweek to Lisbon, Portugal, for the UEFA Cup final. The round trip was nearly five thousand kilometers, which would be incredibly draining.

If not managed properly, could he run into trouble?

There were just too many uncertainties!

But that was precisely what made this Eredivisie season so spectacular.

At this point in the season, the media and fans’ biggest focus was actually no longer on the title race between Ajax and Eindhoven, but on the battle for the Golden Boot Award between Yang Yang and Kuyt.

If Yang Yang could just catch up in the final round, he would be considered the winner.

But many people also held another hope for Yang Yang: Ronaldo’s record of thirty league goals.

If Yang Yang could score two goals, he would break Ronaldo’s legendary record that had stood for a decade.

Breaking both of Ronaldo’s major records in a single season—what an incredible feat that would be?

……

……

Yang Yang paid no mind to what the breakfast shop owner was thinking.

Carrying his breakfast and the three major Dutch newspapers he’d just bought, Yang Yang juggled a ball merrily as he headed home.

Yesterday, after scoring, the first thing he did when he got home that evening was to call Su Ye and share the good news.

Su Xiaomei was also very happy for him. She made him a pot of nourishing chicken soup and encouraged him to keep working hard.

Yang Yang knew she was busy with her college entrance exams, so he also urged her to get some sleep and rest.

In Super Training, Old Ice also gave Yang Yang rare praise and encouragement for his performance.

That was a rare occurrence.

One round, heaven; the next, hell.

In the previous round, he felt as if the whole world was against him, but now, he felt that the world was a beautiful place.

‘I’m surrounded by so many people who care for and support me. I have to keep working hard and not let them down.’

……

……

After finishing breakfast, Yang Yang returned to De Toekomst, just like any other day.

This time, the way everyone looked at him had changed again.

People were greeting him before he even had a chance, congratulating him on his two goals from the previous night.

Everyone made sure to add, “Keep it up, you can’t lose to Kuyt!”

Yang Yang just chuckled and promised he would do his best.

Winston Bogard was satisfied with Yang Yang’s physical condition, but still had him go for a medical check-up every morning before heading to the gym for training. This was also a requirement from Kluivert.

This new Ajax fitness coach was very data-driven. It was said that he had created a database for each player to track the changes in their physical condition throughout the season.

The morning training session was mainly focused on recovery. After it ended, everyone stayed at De Toekomst for lunch.

Yang Yang called Chen Tao, who was on trial at Anderlecht, to tell him that he would be leaving for Lisbon at noon today.

The UEFA Cup final was the day after tomorrow, on the evening of the eighteenth. The journey from the Netherlands to Lisbon was over two thousand kilometers, so Ajax had to go in advance to ensure the players had enough time to rest and adjust.

Yang Yang told Chen Tao that he had left a key to his house for him so he could make himself at home. He also told him that after he returned tomorrow, he could travel with the official Ajax delegation to Lisbon, as he had already arranged everything.

Over the past few days, Chen Tao had trialed with three teams in the Netherlands, and the feedback had been quite good.

These trials allowed Chen Tao to witness the level of Dutch football firsthand. At the same time, they gave Dutch teams a clear look at the abilities of Chinese players. Guido Alberts told Yang Yang that many clubs were quite surprised, admitting they never expected a young Chinese player to be so skilled.

Yang Yang’s meteoric rise had undoubtedly blazed a trail for Chinese players in European Football, particularly in the Netherlands. He sincerely hoped that more and more Chinese players could come to Europe to hone their skills.

On the phone, Chen Tao thanked Yang Yang profusely for his arrangements.

Since arriving in Europe, he had relied on Yang Yang for everything: food, lodging, and even arranging his trials through his connections. Yang Yang had even given him his phone and set up the number for him. Every time Chen Tao thought about it, he felt deeply indebted to Yang Yang.

Not long ago, during an interview with a reporter from National Television, he couldn’t help but cry when he spoke of how Yang Yang had taken care of him.

He also knew that Yang Yang was under a lot of pressure and had a heavy match schedule recently, so he had gradually started to handle some things himself to avoid distracting Yang Yang.

“Good luck! I’ll be back tomorrow, and the day after, I’ll be in Lisbon to cheer you on. Bring home the UEFA Cup!” Chen Tao encouraged.

“Alright, you just focus on doing well in Belgium. Anderlecht is a Belgian giant; they play in the Champions League every year. If you can get their approval, you’ll have established a foothold in European football.”

“Then the first person I’ll have to thank is you. Without you, there would be no me!” Chen Tao said, his voice choking up slightly.

“Don’t talk nonsense. You keep working hard too!”

After hanging up the phone, Yang Yang had mixed feelings.

‘It’s not easy for Chinese players to make it abroad.’

‘Language, culture, food, lifestyle… almost everything is different.’

‘Forget about players; even Chinese tourists rarely traveled to Europe. For a player to try and make it in Europe all alone… that really takes courage.’

‘Chen Tao is the perfect example.’

‘But I still hope he’ll succeed.’

It was just as Lu Xun wrote: “The world had no roads to begin with, but as more people walk, a road is formed.”

Many predecessors had walked this path of playing abroad, but it was always a difficult and bumpy one.

Only when generations of players follow one another down this path can it slowly be smoothed out, eventually becoming a wide, open road.

……

……

With so many players, coaches, staff, and supplies, Ajax chartered a private flight directly to Lisbon.

To save time, Ronald Koeman held a tactical meeting with everyone on the plane, focusing on their opponent in the UEFA Cup final, Moscow Central Army.

The Russian Premier League’s format is different from the European one; it runs from March to November. May is right in the middle of their season, and Russia provides a lot of domestic support for teams participating in European competitions.

“This time, to allow Moscow Central Army to prepare better, the league even made an exception and adjusted their schedule. Since mid-April, Moscow Central Army hasn’t played any domestic league games, focusing solely on the UEFA Cup.”

Luther Carroll was explaining the opponent’s situation.

“So, for this final, Moscow Central Army has had a full two weeks more preparation time than us. They arrived in Portugal early for a training camp to prepare. This is something we have to pay close attention to.”

For Russia, winning the UEFA Cup would be a massive deal.

In comparison, Ajax’s physical condition was less than ideal. They had been playing consecutive matches and would have to divide their attention with domestic competitions afterward, so their stamina would definitely be at a disadvantage.

So, the specific game plan would depend on the coaching staff’s arrangements.

“Moscow Central Army’s most threatening player is the Brazilian midfielder Daniel Carvalho, twenty-two years old. He’s had a very good season. He’s a very capable player, and our midfield must shut him down,” Ronald Koeman instructed with a solemn expression.

“Our scouts have reliable intelligence that Moscow Central Army has been heavily drilling man-to-man marking in the midfield. This is their game plan. Defense will definitely be their focus. We will have the advantage in possession, but how to convert that possession into goals will be the test for our offense.”

At this, all eyes in the cabin turned to Yang Yang.

Having just scored a brace in the Eredivisie, everyone was looking forward to Yang Yang’s performance in this final.

Yang Yang glanced at his teammates as the tactical meeting wound down. A playful urge struck him. He stretched his arms wide, let out a huge yawn, and declared, “Don’t worry, guys. I’m going to catch up on some sleep right now. I guarantee I’ll be full of energy and in explosive form by the time we land.”

The cabin immediately erupted in laughter.

This was a long-standing habit of his; whether on a plane or a team bus, he’d get drowsy as soon as he settled in.

“Then get to it, I approve,” Ronald Koeman said with a hearty laugh and a wave of his hand. “But if you don’t score in the final, we won’t let you hear the end of it!”

He was also partly trying to relieve the players’ pressure and liven up the atmosphere.

The group erupted into another round of laughter.