Van Basten

It was match day again.

Entering the sixth round of the knockout stage, Almere had displayed astonishing strength and drawn countless local residents to watch.

Their opponent for this match was Ajax, and all of southern Amsterdam was paying close attention. Many fan organizations had booked places with Almere in advance. Considering the large number of spectators expected, the club had temporarily decided to hold it at Home.

The match was still held in the evening. By the time night fell, the area around the stadium was already packed with people.

Since it was an amateur match, all fans could enter free of charge.

When Yang Yang entered the stadium, he found that not only were the rudimentary single-tier stands around the pitch filled to capacity, but even the walkways surrounding them were crammed solid. There were clearly far more than just Almere and Ajax supporters in attendance.

"Good lord, when has our stadium ever been this full?"

"Of course it is. In the past, they only sold seats in the stands, not standing tickets. Naturally, it never got this crowded."

"Are you just trying to argue? Our First Team matches can't even fill the stands."

"There must be three or four thousand people here, right?"

"Definitely. Even the parking lot outside is full."

All the Almere players were startled by the enthusiasm of the crowd. When had they ever experienced a scene like this?

Yang Yang was equally shaken, though not quite like his teammates. He felt more wistful, with a faint excitement rising in his heart. A stadium holding three or four thousand people could already generate such tremendous noise—what would it be like at a Home ground like Ajax's or Eindhoven's, which could hold tens of thousands?

Wouldn't he be swallowed whole?

All of a sudden, Yang Yang felt a powerful yearning. He hoped that, like his idols Ronaldo and Van Basten, he could race across the pitch in a great stadium before tens of thousands of fans—not only letting those in attendance see him, but allowing even more people to see and hear him through television broadcasts and radio.

Just thinking about it set his whole body ablaze.

"Couldn't tell before, but this kid was born to play matches."

In front of the home team bench, Dick Van Pool watched the players warming up on the pitch and pointed at Yang Yang with a smile.

The other players had all been more or less intimidated by the atmosphere created by the crowd and had become somewhat restrained, but Yang Yang seemed even more excited instead. He was meticulous in his warm-up, even adding several rounds of sprint shuttle runs on his own, looking fiercely motivated.

John Rep had noticed Yang Yang's actions as well. He nodded in praise. "Some people are born to live for competition."

Having a strong heart that could withstand pressure was a basic requirement for becoming a professional player.

John Rep had previously only thought Yang Yang was stubborn. He had repeatedly turned down John Rep's goodwill, and even under his teammates' humiliation, he had refused to give up. But John Rep had never expected his ability to handle pressure to be so outstanding as well.

"This kid... we can't keep him." John Rep spoke with no small amount of regret.

With Yang Yang around, Almere would have a better chance of pushing for the Dutch Second Division, but now...

Just then, at the entrance passage to the stadium's Presidential Tribune, club chairman René ter Borgh entered with a group of guests.

Rather than going directly up the steps to the stands, the group came to the area behind the home team bench.

"Hi, John."

Hearing the call from behind him, John Rep turned around. His expression changed immediately, and he went over with a surprised smile.

"Hey, Tony."

Separated by an iron fence, John Rep firmly shook hands with Ajax Chief Scout Tony Bruns Slots on the other side.

"Oh, hello, Patrick."

"Hello, John."

"Ha, very pleased to meet you, Ruud."

"Likewise. I've heard a great deal about you."

"Oh, my old friend Fred."

"Haha, John."

After John Rep had greeted and shaken hands with Ajax's Chief Scout, two Youth Training Assistants, and scout one by one, he finally saw the tall figure stepping out from behind them—and froze.

"Oh, my God, Marco, why are you here?"

It was Marco van Basten!

"Ha, I heard there was a match to watch. Of course I couldn't miss it."

The two men shook hands vigorously through the iron fence.

Only then did John Rep recall a previous report: Van Basten had obtained his coaching license and would begin coaching Ajax's Second Team that summer, officially entering the professional coaching world.

A great player becoming a coach had always been a Dutch football tradition.

With Ruud Gullit coaching the Dutch National Youth Team this season, Van Basten coaching Ajax's Second Team, and Rijkaard, who had previously coached the Dutch National Team and was now Barcelona's Head Coach, the Dutch Trio that had once made waves across European Football had all entered the professional coaching world.

"My God, I really didn't expect you to come." John Rep was thoroughly surprised.

He and Van Basten had never been teammates, but they had been opponents.

Though he had come through Ajax's youth academy, he had played for several clubs across continental Europe. When he returned to the Netherlands, he first joined Zwolle, then their bitter rivals Feyenoord, and had faced Ajax while representing both teams.

In his second season at Feyenoord, he and Gullit had led Feyenoord to two league victories over an Ajax side coached by Cruyff and featuring Rijkaard, Van Basten, and Ronald Koeman.

Van Basten, tall and powerfully built in his sharp suit, was undoubtedly the center of attention in the crowd. Sharp-eyed fans recognized him immediately, and the scene instantly erupted as countless supporters cried out in unison.

It was Van Basten!

Who could have imagined seeing Van Basten at an amateur match?

The noise from the fans by the sidelines immediately drew the players' attention. Yang Yang looked over and spotted Van Basten at once, eagerly talking with Head Coach John Rep. He was completely stunned.

This was the idol he had worshipped for ten years!

He had dreamed countless times of meeting Van Basten, yet he had never expected it to actually happen.

His heart began pounding faster and faster, as though it were about to leap from his chest. Suddenly, a voice in his mind kept telling him that there was something he had to do—if he did not, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Yang Yang waved to his teammates who were warming up, then dashed toward the sidelines. He rushed over to John Rep's side, stared disbelievingly at the idol before him, and tremblingly extended his right hand.

"Y-you... hello, Marco, I... I..."

His flushed, awkward expression made everyone around him laugh, but they understood.

This was Van Basten. How many players had grown up idolizing him?

Forget anyone else—even the rebellious Ibrahimovic from the First Team had not reacted much better than Yang Yang the first time he met Van Basten. In fact, he had been less courageous than Yang Yang and had not even dared to go up and greet him.

Van Basten stood perfectly straight, a gentle smile always on his face. He extended his right hand and firmly clasped Yang Yang's.

"I know you, Yang Yang. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Holding Van Basten's broad, warm hand, Yang Yang felt as if he were about to suffocate. Then, hearing Van Basten's words, he actually felt the urge to cry. He had always taken Van Basten as his idol and goal. He had dreamed of playing on the same field as him, yet he had never imagined that Van Basten had heard of him too.

The feeling was so wonderful that he nearly burst into tears.

"Take a picture," Fred Arroyo suggested from the side.

"Okay!" Yang Yang was overjoyed. He immediately climbed over the iron railing and went to stand beside Van Basten.

His idol was only slightly taller than Yang Yang, but to him, Van Basten seemed incomparably towering, like a majestic mountain standing before him, forcing him to look up.

Behind them, John Rep and Dick Van Pool exchanged glances and shook their heads with bitter smiles. Ajax was using an emotional appeal to compete with Eindhoven for Yang Yang.

But on second thought, it was only natural. What player Yang Yang's age did not have an idol?

Van Basten, Zidane, Ronaldo, Maradona...

The fact that Ajax had thought to bring Van Basten here in person showed just how much effort they had put in.

So neither John Rep nor Dick Van Pool exposed it. They simply let things take their course.

"Play well. I hope to see an outstanding performance from you."

Before Yang Yang returned to the pitch, Van Basten smiled and encouraged him.

Yang Yang looked deeply at Van Basten and nodded heavily.

Van Basten's arrival did not cause any commotion among the Ajax players. Instead, quite a few found it amusing.

Was such a huge reaction really necessary?

Then again, it made sense. Other people might only get to see Van Basten once in a great while, but Ajax's Youth Training Players were different. They saw him almost every day, so naturally they did not find it remarkable.

An Ajax center-back pointed at Yang Yang, who was returning to the pitch to warm up, and reminded the dark-skinned player of African descent beside him, whose long braids resembled Ruud Gullit's. "That's Almere's number nine, Yang Yang."

"He doesn't look like much. He's pretty skinny," the braided player said dismissively.

"In Volendam's last match against Almere, he scored a Brace and led Almere to a comeback over Volendam. I'd guess he'll still be Almere's attacking focal point in this match, so be careful on your side," the center-back warned seriously.

"Hmph, of course. He's a Right Winger and I'm a left-back, so naturally I have to watch him. But you're behind me too, aren't you? Right, Thomas?" The braided player chuckled carelessly.

The center-back named Thomas shrugged helplessly. He had already done his duty by giving the warning.

"Anyway, be careful. Don't let him get into the box too easily."

"Don't worry. I'll force him out wide." The braided player's gaze toward Yang Yang was full of provocation.

They all knew that Yang Yang had been the key to Almere reaching the sixth round this season. Not only had he delivered dazzling performances, but he had also attracted the interest of many clubs. For this match, Ajax had even brought out the entire core leadership of their youth academy.

No matter what, nobody wanted to mess up in front of the youth academy bigwigs.

With a standout performance, they could earn a ticket to the First Team at any moment. Who would not give it everything they had?

With Ajax's strength, if they still could not beat their opponents under the watchful eyes of so many youth academy executives, what right would they have to talk about joining the First Team?

"I'll step over you on my way into the First Team," the seventeen-year-old youth by the sidelines said arrogantly as he looked at Yang Yang.