After Real Madrid defeated Juventus 3–1 at home and advanced to the Champions League Final with a 6–3 aggregate score, media outlets around the world heaped praise on Yang Yang. Scoring five goals across the two legs of the Champions League semifinal was an astonishing achievement.
Many even believed that when Real Madrid was not in top form, Yang Yang had single-handedly dragged the team into the Champions League Final, taking them one step closer to the grand objective of defending their treble.
Real Madrid had practically gotten one hand on the Champions League Trophy!
Amid all the coverage, France Football Magazine released a new issue featuring Yang Yang on the cover. Its headline read, "The Evolution of the King of Football!" A series of articles offered a comprehensive analysis of Yang Yang's progress over the years.
France Football had witnessed Yang Yang's entire growth process. The first article looked back at his performances during his time at Ajax, concluding that Yang Yang had then resembled a traditional Dutch winger: fast, explosive, and outstanding at dribbling and beating defenders.
"To this day, countless fans still remember Yang Yang's debut."
"On the night of December 9, 2003, in Brugge, Belgium, Ajax had to defeat Brugge to advance. Yet in that crucial match, Ajax struggled away from home and failed to overcome their opponents."
"With the entire team almost plunged into despair, seventeen-year-old Yang Yang made his first appearance for Ajax's First Team."
"At the time, nobody had any impression of this young player. Even the media had very little information about him. Everyone reacted to the substitution in only one way: Ajax had completely given up hope."
"Many years later, when the media interviewed Ronald Koeman, Ajax's legendary Head Coach at the time, he openly admitted that he truly had not