Chapter Summaries

After scoring a brace against Groningen, Yang Yang tied Van Basten’s Ajax single-season league record of thirty-seven goals, with five matches left to try to surpass it. He told Van der Sma he wanted to break the record but would focus on each match as he also pursued the Champions League and Dutch Cup.

• Yang Yang finished his morning run with his Ajax teammates and met reporter Van der Sma, who followed him to the breakfast shop.
• Ajax drew 2–2 away at Groningen after Yang Yang scored twice, while the team’s young defense drew criticism.
• Yang Yang’s brace brought his league tally to thirty-seven, tying Van Basten’s Ajax single-season record.
• Van der Sma asked whether Yang Yang planned to surpass the record, and Yang Yang remembered Van Basten’s encouragement to keep pushing and avoid regrets.
• The breakfast shop owner offered Yang Yang free meals and showed him a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and match tickets he hoped would become valuable.
• Yang Yang said he wanted to break the record but would take things step by step, focusing on each match and the remaining cup competitions.

Yang Yang scored a stoppage-time winner to send Ajax into the Dutch Cup final, then broke Van Basten’s Ajax single-season scoring record against Breda. With Ajax preparing to face AC Milan in the Champions League quarterfinals, Yang Yang ran into Kaka at San Siro.

• Ronald Koeman brought Yang Yang on in the 76th minute against Roda JC, and Yang scored a left-footed chip in stoppage time to win the Dutch Cup semifinal.
• Yang Yang assisted Charisteas’s early goal against Breda, then scored his 38th league goal to surpass Van Basten’s Ajax record before being substituted.
• Ajax beat Breda 3–0, while Yang Yang told reporters he cared more about the Dutch Cup final and the Champions League quarterfinal against AC Milan than records.
• Ancelotti praised Yang Yang and discussed AC Milan’s plans to restrict his space, while Koeman said Ajax hoped to surprise their stronger opponents.
• Ajax flew to Milan, trained at San Siro, and Yang Yang unexpectedly encountered Kaka in the players’ tunnel.

Yang Yang prepared for Ajax’s Champions League match against AC Milan, trading confident challenges with Kaka and studying Milan’s uncertain defense. After encouraging Su Ye about her first film audition, Yang Yang set aside his doubts and vowed to settle the score with Milan for their defeat two years earlier.

• Yang Yang and Kaka exchanged taunts at San Siro, with Kaka predicting heartbreak for Ajax and Yang Yang insisting his team could win.
• Yang Yang reassured his nervous Ajax teammates that Milan had weaknesses, then reviewed Luther Carroll’s notes on the club’s inconsistent defense.
• Su Ye told Yang Yang that her mentor had recommended her for an audition for one of two major period films, and Yang Yang encouraged her to try.
• After Su Ye signed off, Yang Yang drew inspiration from their conversation and declared that Ajax’s goal was to crush Milan.
• Yang Yang recalled his promise to avenge Ajax’s 1–0 loss to AC Milan two years earlier and resolved that it was time to settle the score.

Before Ajax’s Champions League quarterfinal against AC Milan, Ronald Koeman explained how the Italian side’s possession tactics and aging squad could leave them vulnerable, especially under pressure. He urged Ajax to attack early, and the team ended the meeting united in their belief that they could win away.

• Ronald Koeman showed Ajax footage of AC Milan’s defeats and identified fast attacks, complacency, and fatigue as ways to trouble them.
• Koeman explained that AC Milan’s possession game depended on demanding movement, which their older players struggled to sustain against stronger Champions League opponents.
• Yang Yang connected Koeman’s analysis to Arsenal’s running-intensive style and recognized how each team’s tactics suited its standout players.
• Koeman proposed that Ajax target the spaces around Pirlo after kickoff and score early to force AC Milan to attack.
• Koeman warned that the match would be extremely difficult but encouraged the players to work together and seek an away victory.
• Ajax’s players stood and shouted their approval.

Ajax’s planned early assault against AC Milan failed, leaving them pinned back as the hosts created chance after chance at San Siro. With the score still 0–0, Yang Yang recognized the danger and searched for a way to receive the ball and exploit AC Milan’s left flank.

• At San Siro, Yang Yang encouraged Ajax’s players and exchanged greetings with Shevchenko and Kaka before the match.
• Ajax and AC Milan received each other’s expected starting lineups, and both coaches anticipated Ajax would attack early.
• After Ajax kicked off with a high press, AC Milan countered and created dangerous chances through Seedorf, Shevchenko, and Kaka.
• Ronald Koeman saw Ajax’s plan failing and switched the team to defending and counterattacking earlier than intended.
• Ajax struggled to get the ball forward as AC Milan controlled the match, while Yang Yang stayed up front as Ajax’s main counterattacking threat.
• Yang Yang spotted openings on AC Milan’s left flank but wondered how he could get the ball amid Ajax’s pressure.

Ajax captain Yang Yang exploited Serginho’s weakness to steal the ball and score a spectacular counterattacking goal, giving Ajax a 1–0 lead over AC Milan. He urged his teammates to stay focused and protect the lead, while the furious Milan players prepared to respond.

• Yang Yang told his teammates to steer AC Milan’s passing toward Serginho and press him when he received the ball.
• Ajax forced AC Milan’s attack through Serginho, and Yang Yang anticipated the Brazilian’s attempt to control and dribble past him.
• Yang Yang won possession, sped past Kaladze with a Self-Pass, and feinted before pushing the ball past Dida into the goal.
• Yang Yang celebrated with Ajax’s supporters and reminded his teammates to defend carefully until halftime.
• AC Milan’s players grew enraged after Yang Yang’s goal.

AC Milan overturned Yang Yang’s early lead and went into halftime ahead 3–1, leaving Ajax dispirited. Yang Yang and Ronald Koeman rallied the team to defend more compactly and exploit the left flank, and Ajax held firm early in the second half as Koeman considered further adjustments.

• Yang Yang scored for Ajax, but AC Milan equalized four minutes later when Gilardino headed in Shevchenko’s pass.
• Kaka and Shevchenko scored twice more from attacks down the left, giving AC Milan a 3–1 halftime lead.
• In the locker room, Yang Yang urged Ajax to keep their spirits up and defended Heitinga from blame after his poor first-half showing.
• Ronald Koeman reminded Ajax that AC Milan’s second-half performances were weaker and instructed the team to defend compactly while having Pienaar pressure Gattuso.
• Ajax dropped deeper after halftime, and Stekelenburg saved Kaka’s long-range effort before Koeman recognized that further adjustments were needed.

Ajax changed its tactics after Ronald Koeman brought on Vlaar, and Yaya Touré’s goal briefly tightened the match before Shevchenko restored AC Milan’s two-goal lead. With time running out and Ajax preparing a corner, Yang Yang told Sneijder he had an idea.

• Ronald Koeman sent on Vlaar for Pienaar and instructed Yang Yang and Sneijder to use a three-center-back setup while freeing the wing-backs to attack.
• Yang Yang and Maicon combined down the right, and Yaya Touré scored after Dida saved Charisteas’s header.
• Ancelotti brought on Costacurta and Rui Costa, and Rui Costa assisted Shevchenko’s second goal to make it 4–2.
• Ajax replaced Heitinga with Galasek and returned to a 4-4-2 formation as AC Milan focused on protecting its lead.
• At a late corner, Yang Yang grabbed Sneijder and said he had an idea.

Yang Yang scored a spectacular late goal from a quick corner to make Ajax’s away match against AC Milan end 3–4. His goal gave Ajax hope of reaching the Champions League quarterfinals in the return leg at the Amsterdam Arena.

• Yang Yang devised a quick-corner routine with Sneijder and Yaya Touré as Ajax crowded the penalty area.
• Yang Yang took the corner to Yaya Touré, who shielded the ball and nudged it into his path as he ran back onside.
• Yang Yang surged into the box and blasted the ball into the top corner past Dida in the eighty-ninth minute.
• Ajax’s players celebrated the goal, which gave Yang Yang his second of the match and brought him level with Shevchenko on ten Champions League goals.
• Kaka and Maldini admired Yang Yang’s performance, while Gilardino noted that Ajax’s three away goals made the return leg more difficult for AC Milan.
• Ajax’s players returned to the field hopeful that they could advance by winning at the Amsterdam Arena.

After Ajax lost 3–4 away to AC Milan in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg, Yang Yang accepted that he would leave the Netherlands that summer but resolved to keep fighting for Ajax’s remaining trophies. Ancelotti recognized Yang Yang as a top European star, while Koeman looked ahead to the second leg at Amsterdam Arena.

• Yang Yang reflected on Ajax’s limits against AC Milan and became certain he would leave the Netherlands that summer, while still aiming to win the Dutch First Division and Dutch Cup and reach the Champions League semifinals.
• Yang Yang led the Ajax players in thanking their traveling supporters and urged his teammates to keep their heads up for the second leg.
• Ancelotti realized Yang Yang was already a top-level European star and warned that the away match at Ajax would be difficult.
• At the press conference, Ancelotti criticized AC Milan’s second-half performance and praised Yang Yang’s goals, while Koeman defended Ajax’s young squad and promised a stronger showing at Amsterdam Arena.

After Ajax lost 4–3 to AC Milan in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg, Yang Yang urged Ronald Koeman and Rudd to prepare an aggressive opening attack down the right flank for the return match. The chapter ended with Yang training against a simulated AC Milan defense as the media praised his wonder goal and anticipation grew for the second leg.

• On the flight home, Yang Yang proposed practicing right-flank attacks and scoring early against AC Milan in the second leg.
• Yang Yang analyzed AC Milan's likely lineup and promised he would score if Ajax created a chance for him to face goal.
• Ronald Koeman agreed to study an attacking approach, and Yang Yang discussed the plan with him and Rudd during the flight.
• At the Super Training Ground, Yang Yang asked Old Bing to simulate AC Milan's defense so he could train against it for the coming week.
• The media praised Yang Yang's late wonder goal, and the other Champions League quarterfinal first legs ended with Arsenal beating Juventus 2–0, Benfica drawing 0–0 with Barcelona, and Lyon beating Villarreal 2–1.

Ajax defeated Roda JC 4–1, while AC Milan’s league title hopes suffered a major setback before their Champions League match. Yang Yang discussed the match and his relationship with Su Ye, who rejected an expensive car gift and reaffirmed her determination to keep up with him.

• Yang Yang scored his thirty-ninth league goal as Ajax beat Roda JC 4–1 away, and he said he valued Champions League advancement more than breaking scoring records.
• AC Milan lost 0–1 to Lecce, leaving them nine points behind Juventus, and Galliani announced that the team would focus on the Champions League.
• Su Ye sent Yang Yang a report about Galliani’s confident remarks, and Yang Yang told her not to mistake confidence and morale-boosting for arrogance.
• Yang Yang offered to give Su Ye a sponsor-provided Porsche, but she refused because an expensive gift would make her uneasy.
• Su Ye told Yang Yang she was proud of him and would work hard to become someone he could be proud of, and Yang Yang said he would wait for her.

Ajax prepared for an aggressive start against AC Milan in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg, while Yang Yang trained his shooting and discussed his development with Marco van Basten. Van Basten urged him to become a more complete player and asked where his biggest problem lay.

• Rudd Carroll told Maicon to make more decisive overlapping runs so Ajax could attack quickly and score first against AC Milan.
• Ajax continued rehearsing an aggressive attacking plan, adjusting their coordination and seeking more pressure from the left flank.
• Yang Yang practiced shooting through a narrow gap between two poles after training, building accuracy from tight angles.
• Marco van Basten visited Yang Yang before the match and said his extra shooting practice would not fix his current problem.
• Van Basten explained that he had succeeded by becoming a complete forward and urged Yang Yang to develop into an all-around player.
• Van Basten asked Yang Yang where his biggest problem was.

Van Basten told Yang Yang to be more selfish and aggressive as a goalscorer, prompting Yang Yang to bet that he would score within ten minutes against AC Milan. As the teams prepared for the match, his confidence rallied his Ajax teammates, and the chapter ended with them ready to take the field.

• Van Basten explained that Yang Yang needed to shoot more boldly, both to score and to make opponents respect his range.
• Yang Yang recalled how his teammates had trusted him in past high-pressure moments, then challenged Van Basten to bet on whether he could score within ten minutes.
• Yang Yang and Van Basten agreed that the loser would treat the whole team to a meal.
• The bet spread through De Toekomst, and Yang Yang's confidence inspired his Ajax teammates to support his plan to score early.
• Ajax learned that AC Milan had made only one change to its previous lineup, with Inzaghi replacing Gilardino, while Ajax kept its usual formation.
• As Ajax prepared to take the field, Yang Yang joked with his teammates about choosing where they would eat.

Ajax began the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against AC Milan with Yang Yang setting an aggressive tone through an early long-range shot that narrowly missed. The match remained scoreless as Ajax built another attack, with Yang Yang moving back to receive the ball.

• Yang Yang won the coin toss and chose kickoff, then rallied Ajax's players to avenge their earlier home defeat to AC Milan and reach the semifinals.
• After Charisteas kicked off, Yang Yang received Maicon's pass, cut inside, and fired a powerful shot from long range that skimmed past the left post.
• Yang Yang's shot energized the Amsterdam Arena and Ajax's players, while Van Basten observed that it had unsettled Ancelotti and prompted AC Milan to tighten its marking.
• Ajax won possession near halfway and built another attack, with Yang Yang drawing Serginho and Seedorf before Sneijder played a through ball toward Charisteas.
• Charisteas was blocked by Kaladze and passed back to Maicon, who cut inside as Yang Yang ran back and raised his hand for the ball.

Yang Yang scored from an almost zero-degree angle before the third minute, giving Ajax a 1–0 lead over AC Milan and leveling the aggregate score at 4–4. With Ajax holding three away goals, the goal overturned Milan’s advantage, and Yang Yang left his teammates promising to try for another.

• Yang Yang combined with Sneijder and Maicon to break through AC Milan’s defense and sprint into the penalty area.
• Yang Yang chose to shoot from a narrow angle instead of crossing, beating Dida with a bouncing shot that grazed the goalkeeper’s foot and went into the net.
• Ajax’s players celebrated as Yang Yang’s goal leveled the aggregate score at 4–4 and put Ajax ahead on away goals.
• Yang Yang told his teammates he would try to score another goal during the remaining seven minutes.

Yang Yang gave Ajax an early lead against AC Milan, and Ajax defended the advantage as Milan struggled to find their rhythm. In the second half, Milan’s desperate push left them vulnerable to a counterattack, and the chapter ended as Terje Hauge stopped play after Yang Yang controlled Maxwell’s long pass outside the penalty area.

• Yang Yang scored from a tight angle in the opening minutes, putting Ajax ahead and prompting Ancelotti to urge AC Milan to attack.
• Ajax pressed Milan high, while Charisteas nearly scored after Kaladze lost possession, but Dida saved and Nesta cleared the rebound.
• Ajax settled into a defensive counterattacking approach as AC Milan created few chances before halftime.
• AC Milan increased the pressure after the break, and Koeman brought on Galasek while Ancelotti replaced Serginho with Cafu and Gattuso with Rui Costa.
• Maxwell launched a counterattack with a long diagonal pass to Yang Yang, who controlled it outside the penalty area before Terje Hauge blew his whistle.

Yang Yang’s free kick set up Thomas Vermaelen’s header as Ajax beat AC Milan 2–1 on the night and advanced to the Champions League semifinals on away goals. Ajax’s exhausted players survived AC Milan’s late pressure, and Yang Yang ended the chapter acknowledging the challenge Barcelona would pose.

• Yang Yang took a free kick after Sneijder’s feint, and Vermaelen headed it past AC Milan’s defense to give Ajax a 2–0 lead.
• Ronald Koeman brought on Felipe Luis, while Carlo Ancelotti replaced Inzaghi with Gilardino to strengthen AC Milan’s attack.
• Gilardino headed Kaka’s cross across goal, and Shevchenko scored from close range to pull one goal back for AC Milan.
• Koeman replaced Sneijder with Vlaar, and Ajax held on through stoppage time to draw 5–5 on aggregate and advance on away goals.
• Yang Yang congratulated Kaka after the match, and Kaka warned him that Barcelona would be a formidable semifinal opponent.

After Ajax eliminated AC Milan from the Champions League, the media praised Yang Yang’s decisive goals and debated his future, while Milan’s coach and general manager defended the team’s choices. Yang Yang focused on Ajax’s remaining competitions and vowed to fight for the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup titles.

• Ancelotti defended his decision to field Serginho and blamed Yang Yang’s outstanding form for AC Milan’s elimination, while critics faulted Milan’s lineup and aging squad.
• Galliani said AC Milan would make limited adjustments rather than overhaul the team and ruled out pursuing Yang Yang because of his high transfer fee and the club’s established attack.
• The Dutch Telegraph, Agence France-Presse, German Image Report, and The Sun praised Yang Yang’s goals and assist as Ajax advanced to the Champions League semifinals.
• Lineker urged Yang Yang to leave the Eredivisie, Ronaldo recommended La Liga, and Van Basten praised his potential and encouraged him to keep improving.
• In an interview with Van der Sma, Yang Yang said Ajax respected Barcelona but would fight them without fear, prioritized team victories over his scoring record, and insisted the club must win the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup.

Yang Yang scored the winning goal against Alkmaar to secure Ajax’s third consecutive Eredivisie title, then discussed the season with Gao Lin and Van Gaal. With two league matches remaining, Van Gaal urged him to chase the Eredivisie single-season scoring record and cautioned him about Ajax’s Champions League semifinal against Barcelona.

• Yang Yang came on in the seventieth minute and scored three minutes later with a curling shot to give Ajax a 1–0 lead over Alkmaar.
• Van Gaal watched Yang Yang’s goal with admiration, reflecting on his years of hard work and feeling proud of his former player and friend.
• Koeman celebrated the goal but worried that Yang Yang would leave Ajax for a bigger league.
• Ajax defeated Alkmaar 1–0 and clinched the Eredivisie title ahead of schedule; Yang Yang encouraged Gao Lin to play with more confidence.
• Yang Yang spoke with Van Gaal, who urged him to pursue the league record of forty-three goals and warned that Barcelona would be a difficult Champions League opponent.