New Era

"Hey, buddy!"

When Yang Yang hurried into the restaurant at the Mirasierra Hotel, Ibrahimovic and the others, who had been waiting there for him, all stood up and came over to greet him.

"Hey, brother. Long time no see!"

"I missed you like crazy, man!"

"Kid, you've bulked up!"

"Haha, I'm so happy the five of us can fight side by side again!"

Yang Yang, Sneijder, Ibrahimovic, Vermaelen, and Maxwell—the five close friends who had once been teammates at Ajax—threw their arms around one another when they met again.

Over the past few years, they had all scattered in different directions because of football. They had rarely had the chance to get together, much less play for the same team again as they were now. It made them feel as if they had returned to Amsterdam many years ago.

Kaka, Robben, and Mascherano stood to one side, along with Yang Yang's agent, Raiola, and the agents of the other players. They had all witnessed the deep friendship between Yang Yang and the others, and they could not help feeling moved.

Professional football was infamous for its coldness and brutality. Only at a club like Ajax could players of Yang Yang's age form friendships through growing up together from humble beginnings.

Several years had passed in the blink of an eye. Yang Yang was now the number-one player in world football, while Ibrahimovic had been tempered in Serie A and become a world-class striker. Sneijder remained controversial, but he was still one of Europe's top midfielders, and Vermaelen and Maxwell had both proven their ability in turn.

The five men were no longer the fresh-faced youngsters they had been at Ajax, but because of the bond and friendship they had formed back then, they all cherished one another deeply.

That