Super Wingstorm

"That’s Bentner, the guy who said he was going to take your spot the moment he joined the team," Maxwell said with a laugh from behind Yang Yang.

"And he lives on our street, too."

Yang Yang had already guessed as much. He watched the approaching player with a faint smile.

You had to admit, though he was only sixteen, he had a very imposing frame, not losing out to Charisteas in the slightest. The difference was that Bentner was leaner and not as burly as the Greek striker; he really did look a bit like Ibrahimovic.

Of course, he was only sixteen and hadn’t started serious physical training yet.

Bentner was clearly enjoying the raucous cheers from his surrounding teammates. He walked straight up to Yang Yang and looked at him provocatively. "I’m here to challenge you."

It was a simple sentence, but his tone really did sound just like that guy, Ibrahimovic.

Having grown accustomed to the Swedish Striker’s arrogance, Yang Yang wasn’t put off by Bentner’s personality. On the contrary, he found it a little interesting.

’A sixteen-year-old kid who just joined Ajax dares to declare a challenge against me... that’s some mysterious confidence he’s got.’

"Alright, let’s give it a try," Yang Yang readily accepted the challenge.

Bentner immediately rubbed his hands together, eager to start.

"But just competing like this is no fun. How about we add some stakes?" Yang Yang asked with a smile.

It wasn’t time for official training yet, and everyone was gathered around watching the show. A little private bet wouldn’t be a problem.

"Hey, that’s a great idea, a great idea!" Heitinga shouted, eager to stir up trouble.

The players all around them started hooting and hollering, loving the drama.

The captain, Galasek, who was mature and steady, knew what was happening. He immediately walked over and offered a smiling reminder, "Yang, it’s just a game. Don’t take it too seriously."

"I know." Yang Yang nodded with a smile. "How about this: whoever loses has to be the other’s training partner for three months. What do you say?"

When Galasek heard this, he thought it was acceptable. Losing and becoming a training partner was no big deal.

Everyone present knew that Yang Yang had a habit of doing extra training. And as for being a "training partner," it just meant passing the ball to him or fetching it, things like that. The punishment wasn’t severe; it was mainly to make the Danish player bow his head and admit defeat.

’That makes sense. The new kid’s confidence borders on arrogance, which isn’t a good thing.’

’If we just let him carry on like this, will he even respect anyone else on the team in the future?’

Even Ibrahimovic, whose skills were outstanding, had an arrogant personality that many couldn’t stand, which led to him not being very popular within the team. So, it wasn’t a bad thing for Yang Yang to take Bentner down a peg.

"Alright, three months it is," Bentner readily agreed.

Some of the onlookers immediately showed expressions as if they couldn’t bear to watch, their faces full of pity for the Danish player.

"You’re right-footed?" Yang Yang asked.

"Yes."

"Then you pick. Left foot or right foot, either is fine."

Hearing this, Bentner started to sense something was off. He hadn’t noticed this detail earlier.

’Did Yang use his left foot just now? Or his right?’

"I’m right-footed, same as you. You can decide which foot we compete with. Or, we can compete with both, but let’s be clear: we’ll judge them separately. Three months per foot," Yang Yang said, calculating carefully.

Bentner now realized the atmosphere was a bit strange. Everyone was looking at him with a hint of playful mockery in their eyes. ’Have I been tricked?’

But how could he admit it?

"Fine, we’ll compete with our right feet." This was what Bentner was most confident in.

Another wave of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Yang Yang didn’t waste any more time. "You first, or me?"

Seeing Bentner hesitate, Yang Yang didn’t make it difficult for him and said with a smile, "How about I go first, then."

As he spoke, Yang Yang had already flicked up the football beside him and juggled it a few times, as if reacquainting himself with its feel.

Immediately after, he suddenly took off, dribbling with his right foot and rushing into the game area. With the ball, he moved like a butterfly flitting through flowers, weaving through the markers with a special kind of rhythm—making sudden stops and changes in direction, slowing down to turn, or pulling the ball around a cone...

Watching from the side, Bentner was a bit stunned. ’This is completely different from before.’

"You idiot, he was using his left foot before," Maxwell couldn’t help but remind him from the side.

Only then did it dawn on Bentner. His eyes widened, revealing a look of disbelief.

’A right-footed player who trained his left foot to such a level... you really have to admire that.’

But by now, Yang Yang had already dribbled out of the game area.

He was heard letting out a heavy breath, shaking his head and clucking his tongue. "Still a bit rusty. Otherwise, I definitely would have beaten Pinaar."

Pinaar almost punched him, but inwardly, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

He had played this game with Yang Yang many times and knew that since Yang Yang had just returned, he was indeed a bit rusty. Even so, his score was still very close to his own. If Yang Yang had more time to get back into the swing of things, he would definitely be better.

"Haven’t seen you for two months, and you’ve improved again, you kid," Sneijder praised with a smile.

Yang Yang smiled politely and turned to look at Niklas Bendtner, his eyes seeming to say, ’Your turn.’

The Danish striker knew his own limits perfectly well. He had dared to issue a challenge because he thought Yang Yang’s skill was limited to what he’d shown with his left foot. He never expected that Yang Yang had been hiding his right foot.

’Oh, wait, maybe "hiding" isn’t the right word, because he didn’t hide it at all.’

Fortunately, though this Danish kid was a bit arrogant, he was a good sport who knew how to accept a loss.

"I lost. I’ll be your training partner," Bentner said, admitting defeat.

Yang Yang nodded. "Then stay late every afternoon and come early in the morning."

After saying that, Yang Yang didn’t say any more and turned to chat with Sneijder and Pinaar.

The crowd didn’t bother Bentner any further and began to disperse, leaving only the Danish player with his head hanging down, looking very dejected.

"Alright, don’t feel so wronged," Lindegren said, walking over with a laugh.

"You totally set me up." Bentner knew full well that his so-called friend had tricked him.

"Hey, you were the one who stepped up, alright? You wanted to take down Yang Yang the moment you joined the team. Did you really think he got to where he is today by luck? Besides, you’ve actually hit the jackpot, you know that?"

"I was totally humiliated, and you’re telling me I hit the jackpot?"

"See for yourself."

Following Lindegren’s gesture, Bentner now noticed that Yang Yang was chatting enthusiastically with Sneijder, Pinaar, Heitinga, and De Jong. He had also heard that Yang Yang was tight with Vermaelen and Maxwell...

Wait, these guys were all key, starting players on the team.

"Last season at De Toekomst, the ones who did extra training with Yang Yang were Vermaelen, Maxwell, and Ibrahimovic. Sneijder, De Jong, and Heitinga also joined in frequently. You think just anyone can be his training partner?"

Bentner understood immediately. Being Yang Yang’s extra training partner was the perfect excuse to break into their circle, wasn’t it?

As long as he could get into that circle and be accepted by them, he would have established himself and found his footing at Ajax.

After understanding this, Bentner suddenly realized how foolish his offhand, arrogant declaration had been.

"He’s helping you," Lindegren reminded him.

"Helping me?" Bentner was a little confused.

"You were hand-picked by Van Gaal to join, and he’s Van Gaal’s best friend. He’s finding an excuse to help you integrate into the team, and at the same time, defuse the impact of your earlier arrogant words. Get it?"

After all, Lindegren was a few years older than Bentner and had been at Ajax for a long time, so he had a clearer perspective on many things.

With this reminder, it finally dawned on Bentner, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit more grateful toward Yang Yang.

Bentner had read detailed media reports about the friendship between Yang Yang and Van Gaal before. He just hadn’t expected Yang Yang to be so generous, not only holding no grudge for his arrogant words but actually wanting to help him. This made Bentner feel somewhat ashamed.

...

...

Ronald Koeman was very pleased that Yang Yang had given up his vacation to return to the team early.

Before the morning training session on the day of Yang Yang’s return, he made a point of publicly praising Yang Yang’s professionalism.

Yang Yang didn’t think much of it, as he was more concerned about whether his position in the new season was secure.

After the first training session, Yang Yang had a long chat with head coach Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll. The main topics were the team’s tactics for the new season and the expectations for Yang Yang.

Ronald Koeman clearly told Yang Yang that his responsibilities would definitely be increased in the new season.

"You have to be careful. After your outstanding performance last season, other teams will start paying more and more attention to defending against you. You need to have countermeasures. Also, you’ll be playing for the National Team soon, which means traveling thousands of kilometers. Your form will definitely be affected, so you need to be mindful of that."

Yang Yang understood.

’Worst case, I’ll just sleep on the plane.’

As for other teams taking him more seriously, Yang Yang knew he had to be prepared for that.

But Van Basten once said that a player who runs actively is impossible to defend against, no matter what.

Besides, the defensive intensity in the Eredivisie was indeed relatively average.

On a tactical level, with a tall center-forward like Charisteas holding the middle this new season, Ronald Koeman was starting to have higher expectations for the wings. It wasn’t just about breaking through on the flanks; he also hoped Yang Yang could be more proactive in making diagonal runs into the box.

Arie Haan had already asked this of Yang Yang during the Asian Cup, at a time when the National Team’s scoring ability was weak.

Yang Yang wasn’t against it, because he had discovered that scoring goals was actually a very satisfying experience.

There was another matter. With Van Basten leaving to coach the Dutch National Team, John van Schip had also gone with him. Therefore, the task of Yang Yang’s one-on-one special training was handed over to Luther Carroll to personally oversee.

This also showed how much the club valued Yang Yang.

That afternoon, accompanied by Ronald Koeman, Yang Yang appeared in the press conference hall of the Amsterdam Arena. In front of numerous media reporters, he officially signed a contract extension with Ajax.

After the renewal, Yang Yang’s weekly salary would increase to 10 thousand euros after tax, elevating him to the upper-middle income bracket at Ajax.

And for the new season, he would also officially bid farewell to his number ninety-nine jersey, taking over the number eleven, which traditionally represents a winger.

The original owner of the number eleven jersey was Victor Skora, but he had already left the team.

As for the number nine jersey that Yang Yang preferred, it was given to the Greek striker Charisteas after Ibrahimovic’s departure.

The No. 7 Jersey, representing the right winger, was still worn by Soetters. Yang Yang didn’t want to take his jersey, so he chose number eleven.

’I guess it’s a kind of callback to number ninety-nine, in a way.’