Yang Yang received a call from Manuel Redondo on the eve of the twenty-sixth round of the Eredivisie, when the team was set to face Alkmaar away. The Real Madrid general manager and Butragueño were visiting Amsterdam together.
Not long afterward, Yang Yang drove to the hotel where they were staying. It was in Southeast New Town.
Standing in the hotel room, they could see the distant Cruyff Stadium through the window.
Before Yang Yang knocked, the two men had been gazing out at the magnificent Cruyff Stadium, their hearts filled with shock.
"He coached Ajax for a year and earned them this football stadium!" Manuel Redondo praised.
Butragueño was equally impressed. No one had expected this before.
Even those who had placed great faith in Yang Yang had only expected him to succeed at Ajax after two or three years, once this group of players had matured. No one had imagined that Yang Yang would accomplish it in less than a year.
Reaching the Champions League quarterfinals, the players' market values soaring, and Ajax's finances turning from losses to profits—each of these achievements had revealed Yang Yang's astonishing ability and made it impossible not to be convinced.
At the same time, they had made Manuel Redondo and Butragueño even more determined in their thinking.
They had to bring Yang Yang back to Madrid!
"Ha, you really know how to pick your timing. You could've come a day earlier or a day later, but you just had to come tonight, when I'm busy. Clearly, you didn't want me to treat you."
When Yang Yang knocked and entered, he saw Manuel Redondo and Butragueño and immediately teased them with a grin.
After playing for Real Madrid for many years, Yang Yang was familiar with Manuel Redondo. Butragueño was the