Chapter 166 - 159: It’s Really Him

On the night of the match, Ajax held another pre-game meeting, where Ronald Koeman announced his starting lineup.

The goalkeeper was Robbent; the back line was Maxwell, Escude, Heitinga, and Talabesi; in the midfield, De Jong would play deep with Van der Vaart and Sneijder in the center; and the front line consisted of Wesley Sonck, Ibrahimovic, and Victor Skora.

Yang Yang was a substitute once again. When exactly he would play would depend on the flow of the game, but it would likely be in the second half.

Since the league title race had been decided early on and their opponent in the Dutch Cup final, Utrecht, posed no real threat to Ajax, the team had over ten days to prepare. The players already knew everything there was to know about Porto. As the match drew closer, everyone paradoxically felt calmer.

After the pre-game meeting and before they had to turn in all their electronic devices, the players were given some time to call their families.

Yang Yang called his parents, who were staying in Gelsenkirchen. They had arrived in Amsterdam the day before and had flown to Gelsenkirchen today from Amsterdam with his uncle Shen Ming’s family, as part of the friends-and-family group organized by Ajax.

But since Yang Yang had already traveled to Germany with the team the previous afternoon, he hadn’t been able to see them.

When Yang Yang called, it was very lively on his parents’ end. They hadn’t seen his uncle’s family in a long time and had endless things to talk about, with Yang Yang’s situation being the main topic of concern.

Wei Zheng and his cousin Shen Yuzhu were planning to return to China to pursue their careers. After that, only his uncle and aunt would be left in the Netherlands. They owned a house back home and planned to work in the Netherlands for a few more years before returning to China to retire.

Hearing that Yang Yang was on the phone, everyone got excited and started chattering all at once, asking him questions. Wei Zhen was most concerned about Yang Yang’s match tomorrow. He was a little disappointed to learn that Yang Yang was still a substitute, but he also knew that at only seventeen, it wasn’t quite appropriate for him to start in a major event like the Champions League final.

"Don’t worry, we’ll definitely win," Yang Yang said, full of confidence.

Everyone offered words of encouragement. Among them was an unfamiliar girl whose voice was incredibly pleasant and sweet, almost intoxicatingly so. She spoke with a standard Beijing accent, so he guessed she must be a friend Wei Zhen had brought from China.

For participating in the Champions League final, Ajax gave each first-team player twenty-five tickets. But Yang Yang didn’t have many friends, and people like John Reep would get complimentary tickets from the club anyway. Not many of his friends back home were willing to make the long journey just to watch one final, so besides the tickets for his parents and his uncle’s family, Yang Yang gave all the rest to Wei Zhen.

And Wei Zhen handled everything for Yang Yang perfectly. From helping his parents with their travel documents to buying plane tickets and booking hotels, he took care of it all, freeing Yang Yang from any worries.

After hanging up, the thought that he hadn’t seen his parents in two years filled Yang Yang with warmth.

This would be the first time he played in front of his parents since coming to Europe. He couldn’t lose, no matter what.

...

...

On the day of the match, after breakfast, Ajax held another tactical meeting. This time, the main focus was on free-kick offense and defense. Ronald Koeman’s preparations were so detailed they covered the specific tasks for every single player.

After the meeting, everyone did a light recovery training session in the park next to the hotel.

Lunch, rest, afternoon tea, departure.

Traveling south from the Beg Hotel, the closer they got to AufSchalke, the more fans they saw on the road—from both Ajax and Porto. But since Gelsenkirchen is closer to the Netherlands, there were noticeably more Ajax supporters.

On the way, the team bus was completely silent. Players were either listening to music, resting with their eyes closed, or staring out the window, lost in thought. Not a single person spoke.

Tonight’s battle would be the most important match of their careers to date. No one dared to be complacent.

When the team arrived at AufSchalke, the Ajax fans on site swarmed forward to greet them. They chanted slogans, encouraging the team, hoping everyone would push on and win another Champions League title for Ajax.

The players didn’t linger outside, heading straight into the players’ tunnel after getting off the bus.

After getting their gear organized in the locker room, they were soon led onto the pitch by the coaching staff and UEFA officials for their final pre-game warm-up. By then, the stadium stands were already more than half-full with passionate fans.

As Yang Yang walked out of the tunnel, he heard many Ajax fans in the stadium chanting his name in unison. He reflexively raised a hand to thank them, which immediately drew another round of cheers and applause.

While walking toward the pitch, Yang Yang kept scanning the stands. Based on the ticket information, he had a rough idea of the section where his parents and his uncle’s family were sitting, but there were too many fans. The heads in the stands looked like a sea of ants; he couldn’t make anyone out.

But he knew that at this very moment, his parents and his uncle’s family were definitely sitting somewhere in those stands, watching him.

The feeling was incredibly strong, filling him with unprecedented courage and encouragement. It strengthened his resolve to give his all and win this match, no matter what, so he could make them proud.

...

...

"Look, Yang Yang’s coming out!"

"It’s him, it’s really him."

The moment she saw Yang Yang walk out of the players’ tunnel, his mother, Shen Lifang, couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

’It’s been two years. Two whole years since I last saw him.’

For the past two years, she had thought about him almost every day and night, worrying about how he was doing in the Netherlands, how his soccer was going, and whether he was being bullied. She worried constantly.

But now that she saw him in person, he seemed a little unfamiliar, not quite the same as the son in her memory.

"He’s gotten taller, and a little fatter," his father, Yang Yongqiang, said through gritted teeth, his eyes red.

"Uncle Yang, that’s not fat, it’s muscle," Wei Zheng reminded him with a smile. "He’s a professional player now; his three meals a day are strictly regulated. Plus, he’s always been on the thin side, so Ajax has had him focus on strength and conditioning. He’s much stronger than before, but relatively speaking, he’s still slim. He needs to keep building up."

"Oh, right, right. It’s muscle, not fat," Yang Yongqiang said, nodding happily.

"Hey, Yang Yang, we’re over here! Can you see us? Aunt and Uncle are here! Can you see us?"

Seeing Yang Yang walk out of the tunnel and turn to look toward their section of the stands, Shen Yuzhu immediately stood up and shouted.

But there were too many people and the noise was too loud; her shouts couldn’t possibly reach Yang Yang. It was also impossible for Yang Yang to spot them among so many fans. Soon, at the call of a teammate, he jogged onto the pitch.

...

...

AufSchalke had a capacity of over fifty thousand, similar to the Amsterdam Arena.

But for some reason, Yang Yang felt completely different here. It was as if warming up in this stadium, he couldn’t relax. His body felt sluggish, and he found it hard to get excited.

He knew exactly what it was: the pressure of the Champions League final.

Ever since he joined the first team, he had felt pressure in almost every match.

His first match against Bruges, he came on as a substitute at a critical moment. Then against Eindhoven, he was also a substitute. Later, against Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Monaco, he carried pressure onto the pitch every single time.

But the pressure tonight far exceeded that of any previous match.

Yang Yang was keenly aware of this, and he also knew he could overcome it.

After the warm-up, they returned to the locker room. No one spoke a word. The room was dead silent.

Even Ibrahimovic, usually the most unflappable player, was sitting ramrod straight in front of his locker with a solemn expression, his deep breaths looking like an attempt to calm his emotions.

Ronald Koeman came in, but like all the players, he didn’t speak.

At this point, there was very little he could do. He couldn’t go out on the pitch in their place. He couldn’t stop his players from being nervous, nor could he magically remove their pressure and let them play freely.

To put it bluntly, nervousness and pressure were simply part of football. The more important the match, the greater the tension and pressure.

Professional players couldn’t avoid it; they could only overcome it.

That morning, he had spoken in-depth with every player on the team, especially Victor Skora, who was back in the starting lineup for this match. Ronald Koeman had been frank with this favorite player who had followed him for years, hoping he would perform well in the final. Regardless of whether he left or stayed with the team afterward, a good performance would benefit him.

As for Yang Yang, everyone at Ajax knew he was the future of the team, but it was unlikely he could shoulder the main responsibility within the next two years. That was why he was still a substitute for this match.

Technical Director Van Gaal had also said that being a substitute was the best way to maximize Yang Yang’s threat.

The real test in this match, however, was the back line. Heitinga was prone to being reckless, while Escude was more stable. But Ajax’s traditional 4-3-3 formation could easily lead the team to push up too aggressively, exposing space behind them. This meant the two center-backs needed to hold firm.

With Galasek absent, De Jong was the team’s midfield shield. Ronald Koeman was most worried about his tackling. As a defensive midfielder, overly aggressive moves could easily earn him a card. Once booked, he would inevitably be hesitant, which would not be good for the match.

In contrast, Ronald Koeman was least worried about the offense; that was Ajax’s strength.

When it was almost time, and the players’ nerves had mostly settled, Ronald Koeman let out a long breath and stood up.

"Alright, everyone."

Everyone stood up with him.

"I won’t say any more than necessary. Everything that needed to be said, everything that needed to be prepared, we’ve already done it."

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Tonight’s match might be the most important one of your careers so far. But what I want to tell you is this: from the moment you stepped into this stadium, you have already become legends of this club."

Hearing this, all the players couldn’t help but lift their heads and puff out their chests.

"So, don’t feel any pressure. Tonight, just go out there and enjoy the game. Give it everything we’ve got, and leave with no regrets. That’s all that matters."

After speaking, Ronald Koeman hugged each of the warriors who were about to take the field.