Chapter 172 - 165: Yang Yang’s Charm

"Oh my God, this is unbelievable!"

"With the match nearing the end of regulation time, in the eighty-ninth minute, Ajax has finally broken through Porto’s goal."

"A goal from Ajax’s number ninety-nine, Yang Yang, has opened the Gate of Victory for Ajax."

"One-nil! It’s as if Ajax can already see their fifth Champions League trophy."

"Seventeen-year-old Chinese prodigy Yang Yang! Let’s all remember this name. He’s the youngest player ever to appear in a Champions League final, and he is also set to break the record set by the legendary Cruyff in ’95, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Champions League final."

"This is a golden goal, one worth a thousand pieces of gold! It will bring Ajax their fifth Saint Berlade Cup."

"It’s just so incredibly unexpected."

"Looking at the slow-motion replay, it’s easy to see Yang Yang’s incredible fighting spirit. He saw the defense was having trouble moving the ball out from the back, so he immediately dropped back to receive it. After a one-two with Sneijder, the crucial moment was his next touch. His control of the ball sent Porto’s Nuno Valente to the ground."

"Before this, we all said that Yang Yang’s first touch was his biggest weakness. But I’m sure that after tonight’s match, we will all change our minds. He’s only seventeen and is constantly improving. With a touch as elegant as the legendary Bergkamp’s, he has shown us all his endless potential."

"He then entered the penalty area and unselfishly passed the ball to Ibrahimovic. But the Swedish Striker’s shot was miraculously saved by Baia. However, in a strange twist of fate, the ball rebounded right to Yang Yang’s feet. At that moment, Valente, who should have been marking Yang Yang, was still on the ground outside the box, completely out of position."

"His final shot was very composed, showing his solid fundamentals. It also made history, because this shot has brought Ajax their fifth Champions League title and will make Yang Yang famous overnight!"

...

...

All thirty thousand Ajax fans in the stadium were chanting Yang Yang’s name in unison.

After the initial excitement, Yang Yang quickly calmed himself down. He broke free from the tangle of his teammates, got up from the ground, and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He looked toward the stands again. Although he still couldn’t find his parents and family, he was sure they had seen him.

Yang Yang raised his right hand, brought his joined fingers to his lips for a kiss, and then held it high above his head, murmuring, "I love you all."

This immediately sent the Ajax fans in the stands, who had misinterpreted the gesture, into a frenzy. They all started screaming Yang Yang’s name even louder, much to the envy of Ibrahimovic and Maxwell, who were surrounding him.

"You should be thanking me for that goal, you know? I’m the number one contributor. I deliberately shot at the bottom right corner because I guessed that after Baia saved it, he’d parry it right to you. See, I called it, didn’t I?"

"Zlatan, can you have some shame?" Maxwell really couldn’t take it anymore.

"Seriously, I can’t believe you’d say something like that. I really misjudged you," Vermaelen said, looking as if he regretted his choice of friends.

"But I’m telling the truth," Ibrahimovic said, looking aggrieved.

But at this point, nobody was going to bicker about such things.

Ronald Koeman hugged Yang Yang tightly, repeatedly saying, "Thank you."

The Ajax head coach knew very well that with this Champions League title tonight, his own status and standing would be completely different.

The same was true for the other players on the team. They all knew that this championship would likely change their careers and bring them greater and more lucrative rewards.

...

...

The Porto players were all dejected, especially Valente.

Although none of his teammates blamed him, he was clearly responsible for the conceded goal. If he hadn’t slipped, he would have been in the penalty area. He should have been there to stop Yang Yang at the moment of the shot, even if it meant committing a foul and giving away a penalty. But he wasn’t.

An entire season, more than thirty players, dozens of coaches and staff members—everyone’s hard work had turned to nothing in the instant he slipped. This filled him with immense regret. ’Why did I reach out to pull him?’

’I clearly had better options. Why did I stick my hand out?’

On the sidelines, head coach Mourinho’s face was dark, his expression terrifying. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment, but it certainly wasn’t anything good.

Conceding a goal in the final moments of the game—could anything be harder to accept?

The most awkward situation was for McCarthy, who was on the sidelines preparing to come on as a substitute. After the goal, he had no idea if he was still supposed to enter the match.

And yet, the vast AufSchalke stadium was filled with the roar of celebrating Ajax fans, a sound that was exceptionally grating to the ears of the Portuguese team.

...

...

At the referee’s urging, the Ajax players gradually returned to the pitch.

The fourth official on the sideline held up the board for five minutes of stoppage time, accounting for Yang Yang’s injury and the recent celebration.

Porto also made a quick substitution. McCarthy, who was originally supposed to replace Delray, came on for Nuno Valente instead.

But soon after, Ajax made their third substitution, with Vermaelen replacing Ibrahimovic.

The intent behind both teams’ substitutions was crystal clear: Porto wanted to attack, while Ajax wanted to defend their one-nil lead with everything they had.

The match then fell into a rhythm of frantic attacks from Porto, but Ajax’s defense was incredibly tenacious. Even Wesley Sonck and Yang Yang actively tracked back to defend the flanks. With the addition of Escude, Vermaelen, and Heitinga as three center-backs, Porto found it very difficult to find a way to break through Ajax’s goal.

On the contrary, on one counter-attack, Yang Yang nearly created another goal. However, Wesley Sonck’s final shot was poorly struck and went slightly wide. The Belgian’s stamina was depleted, and his technical movements had begun to lose their form.

Time ticked away, second by second. Unable to break through despite their sustained attacks, Porto gradually grew disheartened.

When the match clock ticked into the ninety-fifth minute, the referee, Nelsen, finally blew the final whistle.

In that instant, the entire stadium erupted in celebration.

The moment the whistle blew, Yang Yang suddenly felt his legs become incredibly heavy. He couldn’t stop himself from collapsing to his knees on the grass. His expression, however, was one of ecstatic excitement as he once again pumped his fist and cried out.

’The Champions League final! Champions League winners!’

’Not only did I play in this match, I even won the title and scored a goal!’

’All of this feels like a dream.’

A little over a year ago, he was just a youth player at Almere struggling to get any game time. But now, he had actually become a Champions League winner. All of it, everything, felt simply unbelievable.

If Yang Yang felt this way, how could the other Ajax players not feel the same?

Even Ronald Koeman couldn’t believe it. Half a year ago, his team was in a state of collapse, with their hopes of even advancing from the Champions League group stage all but gone. But six months later, they stood at the pinnacle of European Football.

’Sometimes, when you think about it, it’s just too incredible to believe.’

Yang Yang was a Blessed General. Every time he came on as a substitute, he brought a change to Ajax. It had been true before, and it was even more so tonight.

Once or twice could be a coincidence, but for it to happen every time... Ronald Koeman could now judge with certainty that Yang Yang must possess some hidden quality that he and others had overlooked. He was like a mysterious figure full of incredible surprises, always creating them.

Take that first touch from earlier, for example.

Ever since he decided to put in extra practice on his first touch, he would stay behind after every training session to work on it. Maxwell, Heitinga, Vermaelen, Sneijder, De Jong, and others would often stay with him. He always practiced with exceptional diligence and effort.

But even so, that first touch just now was still absolutely stunning.

At the time, everyone thought it would be good enough if he just managed to control the ball. But unexpectedly, he not only controlled it, he brought it down in the most advantageous position for himself. This put his defender, Valente, in a very reactive position. He wanted to foul but accidentally lost his balance and slipped, which directly led to him not being in the penalty area later to mark Yang Yang tightly.

Sometimes, that’s just how things are—one event linked to the next. But looking back at the chain of events, it still felt unbelievable.

The Ajax fans in the stands were singing "We Are the Champions." On the pitch, most of the players were slumped on the grass, needing a moment to recover their strength.

Ronald Koeman tried to compose himself, then turned and walked toward the Porto bench.

He and Mourinho were old friends. They had served as assistants to Van Gaal together during Van Gaal’s first stint as coach of Barcelona, but they hadn’t kept in touch since.

Who would have thought that they would finally meet again in the Champions League final?

"Congratulations, Ronald." Mourinho graciously extended his hand first.

"Thanks."

"I calculated everything, but I miscalculated on one person."

"Yang Yang?" Ronald Koeman asked.

A corner of Mourinho’s mouth lifted. He didn’t confirm it, but he didn’t deny it either.

"In any case, no matter what, congratulations."

"Thank you."

Watching the Portuguese coach walk away, Ronald Koeman looked back at the pitch. Yang Yang was sitting slumped on the grass, surrounded by Ibrahimovic, Vermaelen, Sneijder, Van der Vaart, and others. This gave Ronald Koeman a sudden feeling that Yang Yang seemed to be silently influencing the people on his team.

He was never high-profile, but his effort, his hard work, and that fighting spirit he showed on the pitch—contesting every ball and never admitting defeat—were deeply infectious, affecting every single Ajax player and making them willing to befriend a rookie who had just burst onto the scene.

’Perhaps this is Yang Yang’s charisma.’

...

...

In the director’s box, Van Gaal was also watching the scene on the pitch.

The famed Dutch coach’s face was filled with happiness and excitement, but also tinged with a hint of sorrow for a coming departure.

Just then, he suddenly received a text message on his phone from Mino Raiola.

"Louis, now we can have a proper talk about a contract extension."