World-Class Master

Semester assessments are a traditional feature of Ajax's youth development system. Two evaluation tests are held every year, designed to gauge a player's competitive form and improvement. Each semester, the five worst-performing players in each age group are cut, and new players are brought in when the semester restructures.

The strict assessment standards, brutal elimination rate, and the stimulus brought by turnover all create fierce competition across every Ajax age group. Every player must work hard to improve and meet the team's requirements.

Even after layers of screening and elimination, by the highest age group, only one in six will sign a professional contract with the club, enter Ajax's second team, and receive a two-year probation period. If they can't meet the First Team's standards within those two years, they're forced to leave the club.

It's under this near-cruel competitive mechanism that Ajax boasts an extremely high success rate. Ninety-five percent of players who pass the youth team assessments eventually become professional players—though not necessarily at Ajax.

Almere learned from and adopted Ajax's entire youth training system, including semester assessments. But limited by the completeness of their youth teams and the difficulty of replenishing players, they only hold one evaluation test per year and cut just three players.

Even so, it already puts immense pressure on everyone in the team.

Previously, Yang Yang was seen by everyone as a sure bet for elimination. But over the past month or so, with his outstanding performances—especially in the last four games, each better than the last—he's become an indispensable key member of the youth team. Passing the assessment is no surprise.

Rumors even circulated within the team that First Team Head Coach John Rep planned to pull Yang Yang, Henk Dimer, and a few other standout trainees into the First Team for training and matches in the new semester.

Yang Yang had secured his spot, but it intensified internal competition. The elimination slots increased from the original two to three, and any player at risk began to feel the heat.

Since daily training also counts toward assessment scores, everyone gave their all on the training ground, sometimes even with overly aggressive moves. Even in practice, the atmosphere was thick with cutthroat competition.

John Rep and Dick Van Pool watched silently from the sidelines, neither intervening.

In their view, the team's training atmosphere had been too relaxed before. This kind of real, no-holds-barred intensity was what real training should be.

"Based on his recent performances, Yang Yang shouldn't have much trouble passing the assessment," Dick Van Pool said with satisfaction.

Over the past four games, Baken Academy had gone three wins and one loss, falling only to their city rivals Omnibus. Yang Yang had performed brilliantly in the last three, with assists in every match, making him a key contributor to the three-game winning streak—much to the Head Coach's delight.

"His academic scores are the best on the team, and even at Baken Academy, he's a top student. Speed, agility, explosiveness, and endurance are all fine. His one-on-one offense and defense are among the best on the team, and his mental toughness won't be an issue either."

Dick Van Pool hadn't realized it until he laid it all out, but he suddenly saw that Yang Yang had many commendable strengths.

"The biggest problem right now is his basic technique—shooting, passing, and crossing."

The assessment is divided into three parts: daily training and match records are evaluated by the coaching staff, and the final test also has the coaches score each player on relevant items. The items and scoring standards are borrowed from Ajax, totaling twenty small categories.

After scoring each item, the coaching staff summarizes and evaluates, arriving at an assessment score. Combined with daily training and match records, they produce a final total.

The top three in total score receive rewards and represent Almere at Ajax's Talent Day selection, while the bottom three are forced to leave the Almere youth team.

After hearing Van Pool's report, John Rep nodded slightly, which matched his own recent evaluations.

As a well-known European right winger, he was increasingly interested in Yang Yang, who played the same position. Mainly because his progress over the past month had been too fast and too astonishing.

Even now, his fundamentals still weren't great—barely scraping by at the youth team's passing grade. But his Pendulum Dribble was becoming more and more polished. In the past few inter-school matches, no one had been able to stop him.

That surprised John Rep, but it also made him clearly see Yang Yang's potential.

After all, he was only sixteen. With his current momentum and his relentless work ethic, he might just surprise everyone.

"There are still a few days until the assessment. Make sure you prepare well," John Rep cautioned seriously.

"This time, besides the Almere city government and some social partners who usually work with the club, I've also specially invited a world-renowned legend to attend. He's usually hard to get, but this time he agreed. Given his influence in the Netherlands and at Ajax, we'll definitely need to showcase our youth development results properly."

Dick Van Pool nodded solemnly, but curiosity gnawed at him.

Given John Rep's standing at Ajax and in the Netherlands, if even he found it hard to invite this person, who on earth could it be?

But since the Head Coach wasn't planning to reveal it early, he didn't ask.

"After training, tell them that the three best-performing players won't just get the chance to go to Ajax for Talent Day—the club will also officially sign a professional contract with them, and they'll join the First Team for the new season."

Almere was currently at a critical juncture in their push for promotion to the Dutch Second Division. If they succeeded, joining the First Team meant a chance to play in the Dutch Second Division—a huge temptation for any player.

Even if the club unfortunately failed in their promotion bid, playing in the third division next season would still be a major step forward for them.

Sure enough, when Dick Van Pool relayed the Head Coach's promise after training, the team's morale soared.

Especially for standouts like Henk Dimer, who were already the best performers on the team. With such attractive rewards dangled in front of them, how could they not give it their all?

Yang Yang was also drawn in. He desperately wanted to secure one of those spots.

Not just for the professional contract and First Team qualification, but also to meet his idol, Van Basten.

Ever since he'd witnessed the magnificent Amsterdam Arena with his own eyes, he'd dreamed of meeting Van Basten and competing with Ajax's peers—even the geniuses in the First Team.

He wanted to know just how big the gap was between himself and the world's best peers of the same age.

Seeing the gap clearly would only drive him harder.

In the following days, Baken Academy had no matches. Yang Yang threw himself into training day and night. Besides going to school, he didn't even need to help at the restaurant. His uncle, Shen Ming, knowing his semester assessment was imminent, strictly ordered him to focus on training.

During the day at the Skate Park, at night in the Super Training Ground, Yang Yang endlessly repeated the basic moves that others had mastered before the age of ten, never daring to slack off.

Time flew, and soon it was the morning of the assessment test.

It was a rare sunny day, clear skies without a cloud, blue as if freshly dyed.

On Old Bing's advice, after a night of hard practice that left him still energetic, Yang Yang cut back heavily on his morning training at the Skate Park to preserve his form. Timing himself carefully, he jogged to the training ground while juggling a ball.

The locker room atmosphere was noticeably heavier than usual. Everyone was silently organizing their jerseys and boots, not a word spoken. Even when Yang Yang entered, they only glanced up at him. Many eyes were complex, though Henk Dimer and a few others nodded at him in a friendly way.

Clearly, they all had their sights set on the top three and didn't see Yang Yang as a threat.

A month ago, Yang Yang had been everyone's consensus pick for last place. No matter how much he'd transformed, he couldn't possibly skyrocket into the top three in just over a month.

Fundamentals are all about gradual progress, and Yang Yang's rate of improvement was already remarkably fast, but catching up in just over a month to players like Henk Dimer, who had trained hard for nearly a decade, was simply impossible.

Yang Yang was well aware of this, yet he was still willing to give it his all.

Seeing some of his teammates who might be cut, Yang Yang could sense the reluctance, envy, and even resentment in their eyes. He couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, but he understood clearly that survival of the fittest was the foundation of a team's competitiveness.

Even if Head Coach John Rep softened and kept them on, they would only fall further behind the team's pace in the future.

The same went for him.

After changing into his jersey and putting on his boots, Yang Yang walked out of the locker room and saw Dick Van Pool encouraging each player as they came out, one by one. When it was Yang Yang's turn, besides the encouragement, he added a few extra words.

"Mr. Reip told me to tell you to work hard and show your best side. He believes you can make it."

"Mm, thank Mr. Reip."

"He also said that if you pass the assessment and keep up your current momentum of improvement, the team will offer you a professional contract for the new season, and he'll find an opportunity to call you up to the First Team. Don't let him down."

"I understand." Yang Yang nodded.

He could feel that John Rep and Dick Van Pool had faith in him, but they still thought it would be tough for him to stand out in the assessment—otherwise, they wouldn't have given him such a promise in advance.

But the more that was the case, the more he wanted to fight for it.

At the very least, he wanted to prove that the hellish training he'd endured over the past month, all the blood, sweat, and effort he'd poured in, hadn't been wasted.

Next week, I want to push hard. Please vote for me, thank you! Three chapters tomorrow, with the first one updating at half past midnight tonight.

Tonight, I'm rooting for Croatia... hoping to see a miracle!