Super Wingstorm

Yang Yang looked with great interest at the Braid Commander with long, flowing hair in front of him.

In his memory, the first player to sport this hairstyle was likely Ruud Gullit of The Dutch Trio. Later, Ajax’s star midfielder, Edgar Davids, also adopted the style, sparking a trend.

The dark-skinned player of African descent looked to be about his age, yet he had long braids that hung all the way down his back. Yang Yang found this both very curious and quite interesting.

"What are you smiling at?" the long-braided player asked, somewhat annoyed.

This guy staring and grinning at him for no reason was starting to creep him out.

"Nothing, it’s just... strange," Yang Yang quickly explained.

"What’s strange about it?" the long-braided player pressed, his tone becoming unfriendly.

’Is this guy discriminating against me because of my African heritage?’ he wondered.

’If so, this isn’t over!’

Yang Yang truly had no such intentions. He smiled and replied, "Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to ask you a question?"

"What question?"

"Can I really ask?"

"Of course, get on with it."

Yang Yang chuckled as he looked at the full head of braids. "Is it easy to wash your hair with it like that?"

’Easy to wash my hair...?’

After hearing the question, the Ajax left-back stared blankly at Yang Yang, at a loss for words. Then, he burst into a fit of roaring laughter.

’This kid is something else. We’re in the middle of a soccer match, hello? Why does he care about how I wash my hair?’

’Whether it’s easy for me or not is none of your business!’

But at the same time, he had to admit the question was hilarious.

The center-back behind him, Thomas, overheard their conversation on the wing. Seeing his teammate doubled over with laughter, he coughed loudly a couple of times as a reminder. "Urby, we’re in a match."

Urby quickly turned, gave Thomas a wave to show he got the message, then turned back to Yang Yang with a sly grin. "You really want to know?" he asked, testing him.

"Of course, if you don’t mind," Yang Yang said earnestly.

Urby’s eyes darted around playfully. With a cheeky grin, he said, "In that case, I’m definitely not telling you."

Yang Yang didn’t care. He just shrugged, looking unconcerned. ’He hadn’t really planned on asking anyway.’

But to Urby, the Chinese kid must be dying of curiosity. ’I just won’t tell him. Let him stew over it. Maybe it’ll mess with his focus on the game.’

Just then, Thomas’s voice came from behind again. "Urby, ball’s coming!"

Sure enough, an Almere midfielder quickly launched a high, diagonal pass, switching the play to the right wing.

Since the kickoff, Almere had been on the back foot. Ajax used their superior overall strength to keep Almere pinned down. Their forward line, led by Babel and Amrabat, was causing immense problems for Almere’s defense in particular.

Babel was playing at center-forward for this match, with Amrabat on the right wing. Both were looking very lively.

Clearly, they were both hoping to impress Luther Carroll and earn a spot on the first team for the upcoming season.

After finally getting a chance to counter-attack, Almere quickly switched the ball to the right flank.

Since the match had just begun, Yang Yang didn’t need to track back deep into his own half. He held his position high up on the right wing. Seeing his teammate from midfield launch the ball, he sprinted toward the right touchline, anticipated its landing spot, and controlled it with his chest, knocking it forward.

By the time he reached the ball, the Ajax left-back, Urby, had already closed in on him.

The two were quickly locked in a one-on-one duel on the wing.

Yang Yang reached the ball and immediately accelerated, looking to burst down the byline. But Urby matched him instantly. He wasn’t slow in the slightest and stayed glued to Yang Yang’s inside shoulder.

Yang Yang suddenly stopped short and chopped the ball back, preparing to cut inside. But to his surprise, his opponent turned just as quickly. He positioned himself side-on to Yang Yang, continuously backpedaling and jockeying for position.

’He’s fast, incredibly agile, and has great defensive awareness. A tough opponent, for sure.’

Yang Yang instantly sized up the Ajax left-back’s skill. He couldn’t afford to be careless for a second.

With one advancing and the other retreating, they soon neared the edge of the penalty area by the right corner.

Yang Yang caught a glimpse of his team’s forwards and midfielders making runs to support him. With his mind made up, he suddenly burst forward. Combining a hand gesture with a turn of his head, he faked a move to cut inside.

Urby had been mentally bracing for the Pendulum Move, but the sudden feint still gave him a jolt. He instinctively moved to block the cut inside. But he never expected that in a flash, Yang Yang would suddenly chop the ball back the other way, knocking it toward the outside and the byline. Yang Yang himself shot past Urby’s left side, racing for the end line.

In the blink of an eye, Yang Yang had forced his way past Urby’s defense and was charging toward the byline.

Urby’s reactions were incredibly fast and his body incredibly agile. The moment he realized he’d been tricked, he spun around to give chase.

But he was a step too slow. Yang Yang caught up to the ball on the right side of the penalty area and immediately whipped in a cross.

Two Almere players had made runs into the box—one to the near post and one to the center. However, the quality of the cross was poor. The center-back at the near post, Thomas, headed it clear of the penalty area.

Still, it was the first time either team had managed to get the ball into the opponent’s penalty box since the match began.

The fans around the pitch erupted in a round of enthusiastic applause.

...

...

"He had the right idea for that pass, the vision was good. It’s just that the execution was weak, and his technique was a bit off."

The people sitting in the director’s box were all experts from the Ajax Youth Academy. Every one of them had years of experience in football and could instantly analyze the nuances of that cross.

"His fundamentals are too weak. That’s a well-known issue," said Fred Arroyo. "But his awareness to spot the two teammates running into the middle was good."

Power and technique are things that can be coached, and Yang Yang is only sixteen. But the vision and ideas for a pass are much harder to teach.

Van Basten nodded repeatedly, clearly agreeing with his colleague’s assessment. "That move to beat his man was interesting. It looked a bit like Ronaldo’s Pendulum Move, but it wasn’t quite the same. Urby was still a bit too rash, which is an old habit of his."

Patrick Radru, sitting beside them, chuckled. "He’s not happy about being played at left-back, you know. Haven’t you seen those long braids? He thinks he can be the successor to Davis."

The group couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

Edgar Davids was currently one of the top defensive midfielders in Europe, but he had actually made his name on the left wing as an out-and-out flank attacker. He was also of African descent, and Urby Emmanuelson never hid his admiration for the veteran player.

"What’s that center-back’s name?" Van Basten asked, pointing to the player on the field who had just made the headed clearance.

"Thomas Vermaelen," Tony Bruins Slotts replied. "We signed him back in 2001, but he has yet to make an appearance for the first team."

Van Basten nodded at Slotts.

Although Van Basten’s current position within the team was technically a step below Slotts’s, in reality, Slotts would never dare to pull rank on him. In fact, he often had to listen to Van Basten’s opinions.

As the men continued their discussion, Almere launched another counter-attack on the field.

...

...

After winning the ball in central midfield, they quickly moved it out to the right wing.

This time, Yang Yang had tracked back to midfield. He met the incoming ball with his head, flicking it forward into his own path and immediately sprinting after it.

Ajax’s defensive midfielder, Maduro, scrambled back to defend, but a burst of acceleration from Yang Yang along the right touchline left Maduro in his dust. He carried the ball into the final third, driving straight toward the Ajax box.

Urby Emmanuelson, facing the rapidly approaching Yang Yang, hesitated for a split second before decisively stepping up to challenge him.

The moment he committed to the challenge, Yang Yang suddenly accelerated. It was another Pendulum Move, feinting as if to go past him on the outside again. But this time, with a sudden body swerve, he chopped the ball and cut inside.

He was cutting inside with the ball, driving toward the penalty area.

Emmanuelson was completely sold on the feint. The instant they engaged, Yang Yang was already past him.

But just as a gasp rippled through the crowd and Yang Yang was about to reach the ball, a figure flashed before his eyes. An athletic shadow burst out from the Ajax penalty area and launched into a direct slide tackle.

Yang Yang was sent tumbling to the ground. He was down, and the ball was gone.

Another gasp went through the crowd. Everyone worried for Yang Yang, who had rolled twice on the turf, wondering if he was injured.

Yang Yang lay spread-eagled on the grass, panting heavily.

That series of accelerations and changes in direction had left him breathless. ’I need a moment to rest.’

After booming the ball clear, the Ajax center-back who had made the successful tackle quickly came back to Yang Yang’s side. He extended his left hand to Yang Yang, who was still on the ground. It was only then that Yang Yang realized the player was left-footed. ’No wonder,’ he thought.

’A right-footed player could never have made a slide tackle like that.’

Grasping the other player’s hand, Yang Yang used the leverage to pull himself up. He grinned at his opponent and let out a small chuckle.

"That slide tackle of yours gave me a scare."

"You too," the other player replied calmly.

He meant that he was also surprised by how easily Yang Yang had beaten the left-back.

In his opinion, the left-back should have at least been able to slow his opponent down. He hadn’t expected him to be beaten so cleanly, which had forced him to risk the slide tackle.

"I’m Yang Yang."

"Thomas Vermaelen," the Ajax center-back replied.

A voice suddenly cut in from the side. "I’m Urby Emmanuelson, and you’ve really pissed me off now."

Yang Yang turned to see the left-back glaring at him. He raised his right hand in a mock apology, but a smile played on his lips.

’Being hated by the opposition’s defenders is a badge of honor for any attacker.’ He didn’t mind one bit.

The ball was already back in his team’s half, and Ajax was on the attack. Yang Yang didn’t dare linger, immediately sprinting back to help out. But as he glanced back at Thomas Vermaelen, a flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes.

’It’s clear Vermaelen is a tougher opponent than Emmanuelson.’

’But the tougher the opponent, the more thrilling the challenge. It just gets me more fired up.’

’The Ajax Youth Academy is really packed with talent.’