Report Card

When Yang Yang arrived at the training ground, everyone had already gathered outside the locker room in the training building, anxiously waiting for the results. Many of them were so nervous that their faces had even gone pale.

Yang Yang could only shake his head. He felt that quite a few of his teammates were too tense. Caring too much only made them lose their judgment.

It was not that he was unconcerned. He had been somewhat apprehensive before the exam too, but since he had already given it his all, he no longer worried after it was over. Worrying would serve no purpose. Whether he made the top three or not, he could accept it.

That was also why he had gone straight to the Skate Park to train after the assessment ended.

"How do you feel?" Henk Dimer had not squeezed into the crowd. Instead, he retreated to Yang Yang's side.

"I did my best," Yang Yang replied indifferently.

He could tell that Henk Dimer was certain to take first place. That was perfectly normal. With his ability, coming first was only fitting. Even though Yang Yang did not particularly like him, he had to admit that.

"Relax. You don't need to worry about being eliminated at all. The coaching staff's intention in taking you off early was obvious. You no longer need to be assessed. You should spend your time thinking about this summer's amateur competition."

At this point, Henk Dimer raised his head forty-five degrees and gazed at the sky with great confidence. "I plan to really temper myself in the amateur competition and strive to remain at De Toekomst during the Talent Day selection in August."

This was not only Henk Dimer's own wish, but also the expectation everyone had for him, including John Rep.

If someone from the Youth Training Camp was selected by Ajax, it would be a tremendous boost for Almere. It could help Almere attract more outstanding young players, thereby raising the overall standard of the club's youth training.

Players were the living advertisements of a youth academy.

Perhaps because his attitude had changed somewhat recently, Yang Yang did not dislike what Henk Dimer had said. Instead, he somewhat agreed with him.

Professional players naturally had to be ambitious. Without ambition, how could they improve?

Besides, this was also a sign of Henk Dimer's confidence.

If he asked himself honestly, Yang Yang had not said it aloud, but was he not thinking the same thing deep down?

While the two were chatting, they saw Head Coach John Rep come down from the coaching office upstairs with his assistant, Dick Van Pool. All the players immediately surged forward like a swarm of bees. Even Henk Dimer could not help chasing after them, while Yang Yang remained at the back as usual.

Both coaches wore smiles as they pacified the excited players who were desperate to know their fate.

John Rep spoke first. His words were nothing more than encouragement: They must not lose their confidence and fighting spirit over one assessment. They should remain neither arrogant in victory nor discouraged in defeat. Even if their results were unsatisfactory and they were forced to leave the team, they must not give up their efforts.

"Even if you leave the team for the time being, the coaching staff and scouts will continue following and observing you. As long as you are willing to work hard, the day will come when you return to Almere."

That was what he said, but everyone knew that once they were eliminated and suffered such a blow, it would probably be difficult to regain their momentum.

Next, Dick Van Pool introduced the overall situation of this assessment. He specifically mentioned that, following Louis van Gaal's suggestion, the coaching staff had added an entirely new assessment item based on the players' growth and improvement over the recent period.

The final assessment had twenty subtests, so adding one more was not a big deal. Ajax's assessment items also changed every year, so everyone found it perfectly normal and did not take it to heart.

After observing everyone's reactions, Van Pool smiled and announced that, in the interest of fairness and impartiality, the coaching staff would post all the assessment scores at the locker room entrance later for everyone to check. For now, however, he would only announce the top three.

Just like the competition in a league, the teams fighting promotion or relegation were often the ones that attracted the most attention. However, out of respect for the players, the coaching staff did not plan to announce the names of the three eliminated players in public. Instead, they would speak with them individually after the results were announced.

It was the same as when John Rep had privately advised Yang Yang to leave on several occasions.

"After the final assessment, the coaching staff carefully and conscientiously graded everyone. We also took into account their usual training and match performances, their conduct in society, their academic results, and several other aspects. After a comprehensive evaluation, we have selected the top three of this assessment."

After pausing, Dick Van Pool swept his gaze over all the players in front of him without giving any hints. No one could guess who would take a top-three spot. Only Henk Dimer and the others remained full of confidence, clearly certain of their chances.

"The third-place finisher in the comprehensive evaluation is..."

As Dick Van Pool spoke, everyone present held their breath. Even Yang Yang, standing on the edge of the crowd, could not help feeling anxious. He thought third place was the position he was most likely to get.

But would it be him?

"...Nick!"

The moment Van Pool finished speaking, the starting right-back, Nick, leaped up from within the crowd and cheered.

Third place meant that he had also secured a ticket to Ajax for the Talent Day selection.

Everyone around him congratulated him. Quite a few even joked that they would reserve Ajax stars' autographs in advance. Nick accepted every request without hesitation and readily agreed.

When Yang Yang heard that Nick had taken third place, he could not help feeling disappointed.

He knew exactly how he had performed. Third place was the position he had been most likely to get, mainly because his fundamentals were too poor and dragged down his score too severely. He had not expected Nick to take third, and the result left him deeply disappointed.

Henk Dimer was certain to claim one spot, and the two forwards were also highly competitive. Yang Yang felt that he had little hope left.

But he soon let out a deep breath and adjusted his mindset.

A little over a month ago, he had still been worrying desperately about remaining at Almere. Now, staying with the team was no longer a concern. Making the top three would certainly be a bonus, but even if he failed, that would also be understandable.

The most important thing was to solidify his fundamentals as quickly as possible and improve his ability.

The players erupted into an uproar. Van Pool immediately raised his hand, signaling everyone to calm down. He still had the remaining two spots to announce.

Many people were just as curious. Their eyes kept moving between Henk Dimer and several players who had always performed well for the team, clearly wondering which of them would take the two spots.

"The second-place finisher in the comprehensive evaluation is... Henk!"

As soon as Van Pool finished speaking, another uproar broke out around them.

Hearing his name, Henk Dimer was clearly somewhat disappointed, but he quickly pulled himself together and accepted his teammates' congratulations.

He had originally been certain that first place was his, but he had unexpectedly ended up with second. It was indeed beyond his expectations. Still, no matter what, he had secured a ticket to Ajax.

"Henk, the main reason you came second in the comprehensive evaluation was that we added an assessment of your improvement over the recent period. Your result in that category was not ideal. So, in the period ahead, you need to keep working hard and focus on improving yourself. We hope to see a breakthrough from you in August."

After Dick Van Pool explained it, Henk Dimer found the result much easier to accept.

He had always been the team's number-one player and midfield core, so there was no need to say much about his ability. However, he really had not improved much over the past month or two. His performance in the crucial match against Omnibus in particular had been utterly disastrous. If Yang Yang had not saved him, he would have been the team's chief culprit in the defeat.

Often, a player's performance in crucial matches affected not only how outsiders viewed him, but also his own morale.

After the match against Omnibus, Henk Dimer had taken a heavy blow, and his performances had shown little improvement since.

If the improvement category had not been added, he would certainly have taken first place. But he had lost points in that area and could only be forced to settle for second.

"I understand, Mr. Van Pool." Henk Dimer rarely showed such humility as he nodded and accepted the lesson. "Several of my teammates and I have already decided to take part in a junior-high-school amateur competition this summer. We hope to temper ourselves further through the matches."

"Mm, that traditional competition is highly valuable for development. Perform well. We'll be keeping a close eye on you," Head Coach John Rep said with a smile from the side.

Almere's youth team had taken part in this competition before, but their results had not been ideal. They had always languished near the bottom. This year, with Youth Training Players such as Henk Dimer and Nick, along with Yang Yang's rise, they should be able to put up a good showing.

Many people on the team were only hearing about this news now. However, quite a few players knew their own abilities and understood that Henk Dimer had not invited them because he clearly did not think much of their skill. Though disappointed, they did not dare volunteer themselves.

They played on the same team every day, and everyone knew exactly how good the others were.

After hearing John Rep's words, Henk Dimer was somewhat disappointed about taking only second place, but he was also filled with anticipation for this summer's amateur competition. He yearned to make a strong showing, especially against opponents with outstanding ability.

Ideally, they would face Ajax's youth team and cut them down, gaining the initiative ahead of the Talent Day selection in August.

"All right, next we'll announce the first-place finisher in this comprehensive evaluation."

With a single sentence from Van Pool, everyone's attention returned to him once again.

First place was not merely an honor. It would also be the final ticket to Ajax. Who would become the lucky one?

Yang Yang had little confidence left. Even Henk Dimer had only taken second place, so how could he claim that he could take first? Besides, many of the teammates ahead of him were more capable than he was.

Though he felt somewhat upset, he kept consoling himself. Getting this far was already pretty good. I'll keep working hard. If I can't do it this year, there's always next year. Just as the Super Training Ground said, as long as I'm willing to work hard and make the effort, I'll have a chance sooner or later.

Whether it was Van Basten, Ronaldo, or those Ajax stars, sooner or later he would get the chance to meet them and compete with them on the same pitch.

At that thought, he felt much better. He took a step back and was about to turn and leave.

At that moment, Dick Van Pool finally announced who had taken first place.

"The first-place finisher in this year's comprehensive evaluation is..."