Super Wingstorm

Superstar!

Golden Substitute!

Best Twelfth Man!

After the sixteenth round of the Eredivisie, Yang Yang, who had scored the first professional goal of his career, garnered widespread attention and coverage from major media outlets throughout the Netherlands. The Dutch Telegraaf, in particular, praised Yang Yang at great length.

Ronald Koeman’s designated role for Yang Yang also drew considerable attention from journalists and fans.

At seventeen years and fifty-six days old, Yang Yang had proven his future potential to everyone in just four short matches.

In the past four matches, Yang Yang’s brilliant performances as a substitute had directly or indirectly earned Ajax four league points—exactly the number of points by which Ajax currently led Eindhoven.

In the UEFA Champions League and the Dutch Cup, Yang Yang was also a key factor in the team’s breakthroughs and advancements.

Such outstanding performances made Yang Yang an instant sensation throughout Dutch football in less than half a month, even attracting some attention from the European media.

Everyone knew that the Ajax Youth Academy had once again produced a seventeen-year-old rising star.

The Dutch Telegraaf conducted a special interview with Ajax Second Team head coach Van Basten. The legendary superstar spoke very highly of his former protégé, noting that while Yang Yang hadn’t been with the first team for long, his progress was remarkably clear.

"I’m very happy to see his excellent performance with the first team. He’s improved so much, progressing at an astonishing rate with every game. But what impresses me most is his confidence. Without a doubt, he is becoming an increasingly important player."

As for how far Yang Yang could develop in the future, Van Basten said he wasn’t sure, but he believed Yang Yang possessed a very rare quality: his attitude.

"He is the hardest-working and most diligent player I have ever seen. He practices almost nonstop. And he’s very smart; his movement on the pitch is full of intelligence. He can always find and run into gaps in the opponent’s defense to receive the ball, which is a nightmare for any defender."

But while praising Yang Yang’s strengths, Van Basten also stated that too much praise right now was not a good thing.

"In fact, he still has many shortcomings and weaknesses. He needs to keep working hard and continue to grow. I believe he has enough wisdom to clearly assess his current situation, and I trust he will continue to strive and improve."

Van Basten never mentioned the specific shortcomings and weaknesses to outsiders. However, whether it was Van Basten, Ronald Koeman, or John van Schip, who was responsible for Yang Yang’s one-on-one special training, they all knew very well that Yang Yang’s flaws were quite apparent.

One was that his fundamentals weren’t good enough, and another was that he wasn’t well-rounded. His greatest strengths were still dribbling past opponents on the wing and crossing.

This was also the reason why Ronald Koeman always had him come on as a substitute.

After the opponent had been worn down for sixty or seventy minutes, their stamina would often be at a low point. Bringing on Yang Yang, with his excellent impact and superb off-the-ball movement, was the perfect way to maximize his effectiveness.

Moreover, Sneijder’s passes from behind, the chemistry between Ibrahimovic and Yang Yang, and the support from Talabesi at the back were all foundational to Yang Yang’s outstanding performances after coming on.

Being a key factor for the team in four consecutive matches was certainly due to Yang Yang’s excellent performance. But if he became self-satisfied or, even worse, arrogant because of it, that would be blindly conceited.

Even Ajax’s technical director, Van Gaal, stated in a media interview that he hoped everyone would try not to overstate Yang Yang’s role on the team.

"Like everyone else, he is just one part of the team. On the pitch, he has simply made his due contribution. No one should exaggerate his credit, but of course, we won’t underestimate his impact and effort either."

Regarding the multiple Premier League teams wanting to sign Twente’s young forward Collins John, and the rumors that many teams were also watching Yang Yang, who had just broken the Eredivisie record for the youngest goalscorer, Van Gaal stated that no offers for Yang Yang would be accepted.

"In European football, no team knows how to develop a player better than we do. Yang Yang is only seventeen; he’s still very young. It’s far too early to discuss him transferring away from Ajax, and that possibility doesn’t even exist."

But Van Gaal’s words clearly couldn’t quell the media speculation.

...

...

"Listen to me. For now, staying at Ajax is your best option."

At Shen’s Chinese Restaurant in Almere, Shen Ming personally cooked a meal to treat Wei Zhen and his group, who were about to return to China.

Ajax had finished the first half of the league season and the team had begun its Christmas break. The players were dismissed and went their separate ways for the holiday. Yang Yang returned to Almere to stay with his uncle, Shen Ming.

Hearing Wei Zhen’s words, Yang Yang shook his head with a wry smile. "I’m so tired of hearing that."

In the past two days, John Reep, Dick Van Puer, and the scout Fred Arroyo had all come to visit Yang Yang one after another. They all urged him not to be tempted by other teams and to focus on staying at Ajax to improve his skills.

Yang Yang felt helpless about the situation. It was a classic case of a rumor becoming fact through repetition, and he felt completely blameless.

"I’ll say it again: I have never, ever planned on leaving Ajax. No one has ever contacted me about it. Wei Zheng knows; I’ve never had that thought in my mind."

Yang Yang said it so earnestly that it was clear he wasn’t lying, which put Wei Zhen at ease.

"I was just worried you’d be hot-headed because you’re young and act impulsively."

"Don’t worry, bro. Yang Yang has a solid plan for his career," Wei Zheng said with a smile.

Yang Yang didn’t deny it. He knew very well that with his current abilities, let alone going to one of the Four Major Leagues, it would be difficult for him to even secure a firm starting spot at Ajax in the Eredivisie.

Playing as a substitute and playing as a starter involved two completely different kinds of pressure.

Take Yang Yang’s current situation for example. When he came on as a substitute, it was precisely when the opponent’s stamina was severely depleted, which allowed him to make the most of his strengths. But what if he were in the starting lineup? Would he still have that advantage?

Ronald Koeman had discussed this with Yang Yang before. He felt that what Yang Yang needed most right now was match experience to continue steadily improving his skills. He also needed to properly strengthen his physique, for which the Ajax coaching staff had already provided him with a tailored training program.

Yang Yang also strongly agreed with Koeman’s assessment of him. He was well aware of his own strengths and weaknesses.

What he needed to do next was further improve his abilities to reach the level of an Ajax starter as quickly as possible. At the same time, he had to continuously work on his weaknesses, such as improving his fundamentals, as well as his dribbling and crossing skills.

’Switch teams?’

’Besides the Four Major Leagues, what team could compare to Ajax?’

’And in my current state, if I went to one of the Four Major Leagues, would I even get any playing time?’

’Should I go to one of the Four Major Leagues just for the money, only to warm the bench?’

’Rather than do that, it’s better to just focus on leveling up at Ajax.’

After hearing about Yang Yang’s plans from his younger brother Wei Zheng, Wei Zhen was finally, completely at ease.

Thanks to his connection with Wei Zheng, he had spent a lot of time with Yang Yang during his stay in the Netherlands, and they had become good friends. He was full of anticipation, seeing how Yang Yang had carved out a place for himself at Ajax at such a young age.

Chinese Football had gone so many years; it was about time it produced a star.

"We’ve pretty much finished shooting our footage. The original plan was to finish in five days, but we’re severely over schedule. But it’s okay, the boss gave the go-ahead," Wei Zhen said with a satisfied smile.

During the shoot in the Netherlands, through his connection with Yang Yang, he received permission from Ajax to film inside the Amsterdam Arena, the Ajax locker room, and De Toekomst. They also filmed at Yang Yang’s home, and Almere itself was a major focus of the shoot, especially the skate park.

After the report in the Dutch Telegraaf, the story of Yang Yang’s grueling practice against the graffiti wall at the Almere Skate Park, leading to his rapid improvement, became the stuff of legend. It was said that now, every day, many young players from the Almere Club would go to the skate park’s graffiti wall to practice. This even led many Almere citizens to propose that the graffiti wall should be protected.

The reasoning was also quite interesting: if Yang Yang became a star in the future, that graffiti wall could become a major tourist attraction for Almere.

"After we return to China, we’ll start editing. I’ll let you know about the specific broadcast date," Wei Zhen said with a smile.

Yang Yang wasn’t particularly concerned about it.

"But there is something I think you should pay attention to." Wei Zhen’s expression turned serious.

"What is it?"

"You should register your trademark as soon as possible."

"Trademark?" Yang Yang was stunned for a moment, but then it quickly dawned on him.

"Yes, it’s very important. Especially after our program airs on TV, the fans’ reaction will definitely be intense. If someone cybersquats on your trademark, it won’t be easy to buy it back."

Yang Yang nodded. He knew about this issue.

Never mind other places; just look at his hometown of Quanzhou. The sports industry was highly developed in the city, but many companies liked to take shortcuts. For example, Yang Yang knew of a certain shoe company that had registered the name of a famous NBA star as its own.

It wasn’t just foreign stars; even some famous local shoe companies had experienced having their trademarks squatted, forcing them to spend a fortune to buy them back. The causes of these problems were complex, and it was hard to say who was right or wrong. One could only say that even now, many companies didn’t pay much attention to brand trademarks.

But Wei Zhen’s words did remind Yang Yang of something. The reason was simple: his contract with Ajax included a clause for image rights, a product unique to professional football.

Real Madrid spent a fortune signing superstars like Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo, and Beckham. It seemed like a lot of money, but because they controlled the players’ image rights, with a little maneuvering, Real Madrid actually turned a profit instead of a loss. This showed the importance of image rights.

If his own name or brand was squatted by someone else, it would be an incredibly frustrating situation.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Yang decided to find a chance to call his father back home. Coincidentally, after Christmas, his cousin Shen Yuzhu and Wei Zheng were both returning to China. He could have them help his father get these things taken care of quickly, to avoid any future trouble.