Super Wingstorm

After the match ended, the players walked back to the locker room in twos and threes.

However, at a corner in the players’ tunnel, Yang Yang ran into the pot-bellied agent, Mino Raiola.

"Hey, Yang, your performance tonight was absolutely fantastic, just brilliant!"

As soon as Raiola saw Yang Yang, he burst out laughing, spread his arms wide, and pulled Yang Yang into a powerful hug.

"Let me tell you, with a game like you played tonight, I guarantee you’ll be on the front pages of all the major media outlets in Europe tomorrow. You’ll get massive attention from fans all over the World, and your market value will go up by at least five million euros."

Yang Yang was quite surprised to see Raiola. Hearing him mention his market value, he couldn’t help but remind him, "I don’t plan on leaving Ajax for now."

"I know, I know. But market value, of course, the higher the better. Don’t worry, I will absolutely not do anything you don’t want to do. My job is to serve you, to take care of all your worries so you can just focus on playing football."

Hearing Raiola’s promise, Yang Yang finally relaxed and thanked him.

Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic, who had walked over with Yang Yang and had been standing to the side, kept looking at Raiola. But when he saw the Italian agent’s attention focused solely on Yang Yang, he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

"Hey, Mino, aren’t you going to say something to me?" the Swedish Striker spoke up.

"Say what?" Raiola played dumb.

"I scored a brace. A brace! In the first leg of the Champions League round of sixteen, against Arsenal, I scored a brace!" Ibrahimovic kept flashing a ’two’ sign in front of Raiola. From his expectant expression, it was as if he were saying, ’I scored a brace, how amazing is that? Hurry up and praise me!’

But unexpectedly, Raiola just pursed his lips. "Both of your goals were orchestrated by Yang Yang. One was a direct assist, the other an indirect one. You just got lucky and picked up the scraps in front of the goal. You think that’s something worth praising?"

The Swedish Striker looked as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head. He was on the verge of losing it. "But I assisted him too!"

"Please. That’s because Yang’s shot was good. He managed to score such a difficult goal."

"But I was the man of the match."

"Exactly. That’s why I feel bad for Yang. He was clearly the best player on the pitch. I don’t know what those judges were thinking."

With an aggrieved look, Ibrahimovic pointed at Raiola, then glanced at Yang Yang, who was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. He finally couldn’t take it anymore and walked away from the two men who had broken his heart.

Watching the Swedish Striker’s retreating back, Yang Yang shook his head with a wry smile. "Did you really have to crush him like that?"

"You know his personality. You can’t praise him. The moment you do, it goes straight to his head. This was just one good game. The next one is what’s crucial, and the games after that. He needs to work on maintaining this form," Raiola said seriously.

Yang Yang nodded. Raiola’s analysis was spot on.

Ibrahimovic’s desire to transfer was an open secret, and Ajax’s willingness to let him go was also very clear. The Swedish Striker now needed to perform at his absolute best. This would get more top clubs to offer a higher price for him and, at the same time, secure him a better position at his future team.

It wasn’t just him; it was the same for Talabesi and Van der Vaart. Rumor had it that their contracts contained clauses stating that Ajax would support their move to one of the Four Major Leagues this summer, but only on the condition that a club was willing to pay their transfer fee.

"By the way, I have to go now. Van Gaal will definitely come looking for you later. If he asks about the contract, just tell him you don’t know anything."

Yang Yang frowned. "Why?"

"Negotiating tactics." A cunning smile appeared on Raiola’s chubby, round face. "In short, it’s just like I told you before: you just focus on the games, and leave everything else to me. I guarantee I’ll get Ajax to sign you to a contract you wouldn’t have even dared to dream of, and I’ll make them invest everything into developing you as a key player."

Yang Yang thought for a moment. ’I don’t really understand contract negotiations with the club, but Raiola probably wouldn’t say this without a reason. It won’t affect me anyway.’ So he nodded in agreement.

......

......

Sure enough, Raiola’s prediction was spot on.

After the team returned to De Toekomst from the Amsterdam Arena, Technical Director Van Gaal followed them.

Although he had praised everyone’s performance on behalf of the club before dismissing the team and encouraged them to keep up the good work, his real target was Yang Yang.

And when the two of them found a quiet spot to talk privately, the first thing he asked about was Raiola.

"I heard from the staff that he came to watch your game tonight?" Van Gaal asked with concern.

"Yeah," Yang Yang nodded. "I saw him in the players’ tunnel after the game, but he said he had urgent business and left right away."

Van Gaal’s brow furrowed. Right now, he felt an urge to skin Raiola alive.

’That damn Vampire came all the way to Amsterdam but didn’t even show his face. He’s deliberately avoiding me. It’s obvious he’s just trying to drive up the price.’

"Did he mention anything to you about a contract renewal?" Van Gaal asked again.

"No," Yang Yang shook his head. "He just told me to focus on the games."

This surprised Van Gaal. He hadn’t expected Raiola to say that to Yang Yang. It seemed Yang Yang was probably not in the loop regarding the renewal negotiations.

The European Professional League had been developing for decades, and every role within the industry had become highly professionalized. Even agents operated within very clear professional boundaries. They survived by attaching themselves to players. The only difference for top-tier agents was the caliber of the players they represented.

Raiola’s standing in the agent industry was somewhere in the upper-middle tier, or at best, the upper tier. This was because he didn’t have many star players to his name so far. Nedved was his biggest star at the moment, but at Ajax, he represented four players: Ibrahimovic, Maxwell, Yang Yang, and Vermaelen.

In a way, Raiola held considerable influence at Ajax.

Players, fans, and the club—all three want the same thing on the football pitch, but internally, they are rife with conflicts of interest.

What fans want most is to see players willingly submit to the whims of the club they support. If a player performs well, he should stay unconditionally, without making a fuss about raises, renewals, or transfers. If he plays poorly, he should get lost immediately.

The clubs weren’t saints either. They had their own operational pressures and were always trying to find ways to squeeze the players, never giving a raise unless they absolutely had to, just like any other company boss.

Comparatively, the players were in a weaker position. On one hand, their education levels were generally not high; they only knew how to play football. On the other hand, they needed to focus on training and playing, leaving them no spare time to handle off-field matters. This was why they needed a sharp agent.

From their few interactions, and from Van Gaal’s own long-term observation, Raiola seemed to be a rather conscientious agent who knew how to look out for his clients’ interests. Therefore, as Yang Yang’s friend, he felt at ease with Raiola handling things.

But as Ajax’s technical director, he found him to be a massive headache.

"What’s wrong?" Yang Yang asked with concern when he heard Van Gaal sigh.

Van Gaal thought for a moment, then shook his head. "It’s nothing. He’s right. You just focus on the games. We’ll handle the rest."

In the end, he decided not to drag Yang Yang into the disputes over negotiations and transfers. For one, it wasn’t quite proper, and for another, it could easily distract Yang Yang—even though he knew Yang Yang would surely step in if he just asked.

"Anyway, you played a great game tonight. That left-footed cross to Ibrahimovic at the end was especially surprising," Van Gaal said, changing the subject with a chuckle.

Speaking of the game, Yang Yang smiled as well. "It’s all thanks to you telling me to practice my left foot more. I never forgot, and I’ve been training it hard."

Van Gaal nodded. He was one thousand percent confident in Yang Yang’s diligence and hard work.

A person who could discipline himself to do that kind of tedious, basic training for long periods must have an incredibly strong mind, astonishing self-control, and very clear and specific goals.

A player like that was bound to succeed.

"Don’t be blinded by your current success. You have to realize that you’re still a one-sided player, a very one-sided one at that. There are two reasons for your excellent performance right now. One is that your opponents aren’t familiar with you yet, and the second is that the team is utilizing your specific characteristics well, playing to your strengths."

"I know," Yang Yang nodded.

He was becoming more and more convinced of Van Gaal’s sharp judgment.

"From now on, you should continue your current developmental momentum and focus on two things."

"Go on." Yang Yang was thrilled to be getting advice from Van Gaal.

"First, you must continue to hone and improve your current strengths. This is the foundation for your place in the first team and the cornerstone of your career in the professional leagues for years to come. Not only can you not afford to lose it, but you must continue to refine it."

Yang Yang nodded. Both he and Old Ice from Super Training thought the same way.

"While you’re doing that, you need to work on your weaknesses as quickly as possible. Your ball control when receiving a pass is critical. As the level of competition gets higher, this weakness will become more and more exposed. Opponents will mark you tightly; they will study you in depth and find ways to neutralize you."

"Another thing is changing your rhythm. I feel that whether you’re dribbling at high speed or at other times, your rhythm lacks variation. This is not a good sign for an attacking player. You should try to work on that."

Yang Yang, full of admiration for Van Gaal’s insight, nodded emphatically.

"You must remember this: for a seventeen-year-old youngster, being a one-trick pony is a good thing. But if you want to go further, to prove yourself on a bigger stage, then you have to become more well-rounded and make yourself harder for opponents to contain."

"As you get older, as your fame grows, and as your status on the team rises, you’ll find that everyone around you will demand more and more from you. Their expectations will grow. When you’re twenty, no one will judge you by the standards of a seventeen-year-old. You can only keep moving forward."

Yang Yang understood. It was just as the Chinese proverb says: learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to fall back.

The technical director didn’t say much more. After a few earnest words of advice, he gave Yang Yang an encouraging pat on the shoulder and walked away.

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