Chapter 227 220: A Mess

The flight from Kuala Lumpur slowly touched down at Capital Airport.

When the captain and head coach appeared with the National Youth Team players, the fans and reporters who had been waiting at the airport all swarmed forward. The atmosphere was electric, with many fans even bringing flowers and gifts.

After a twenty-year drought, they had won the AFC U-19 Championship again, and the domestic fans were lavishing the National Youth Team players with praise and applause.

Yang Yang, who had been named the tournament's Best Player and won the Golden Boot Award, became the center of attention for all the fans and reporters. This time, however, while Yang Yang was accommodating and polite to the fans, his attitude toward the media was completely different, leaving many reporters at the scene feeling snubbed.

It wasn't just Yang Yang. The other National Youth Team players were also very cold toward the reporters, refusing to answer any questions. This left the media members on site feeling aggrieved, some even angry.

The captain and head coach, of course, knew the reason for the players' attitudes. They took the initiative to defuse the awkward situation, explaining that the team had issued a gag order and was not allowing players to accept private media interviews. This was, in a way, a form of protection for the players.

If they angered the media, who knew how many outlets would collectively fabricate stories tomorrow about the National Youth Team players acting like divas after their victory?

Even after winning a championship, they could still be accused of being divas. And the moment you had a poor performance, whether for your club or the National Team, the media would use that as ammunition to blast you.

Once that label was stuck on you, it wasn't so easy to get it off.

Yang Yang had already asked Wei Zhen to book his flight back to Amsterdam for the next day, and he still had to go back and pack tonight. The other National Youth Team players were also in a hurry to return to their clubs, so most of them parted ways at the airport.

After leaving the airport, Yang Yang made a call, and the brothers Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng immediately drove over to pick him up.

As soon as he got in the car, Wei Zhen mentioned that the National Team had already left for Kuwait earlier that day.

"They left this morning on a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight. Since there are no direct flights from here to Kuwait, they have to go to Amsterdam first and then on to Kuwait."

Yang Yang frowned slightly, but there was nothing to be done about such logistical constraints.

"By the way, has the National Team booked your ticket?" Wei Zhen asked with concern.

Yang Yang shook his head. "Last night, both Arie Haan and Captain Zhu called. They told me to get ready in Beijing."

"The Football Association has been in chaos recently. League teams are on strike, and multiple clubs are staging a collective revolt. It's left them overwhelmed, and they can't spare any attention for anything else. Forget about you; they can't even handle the National Team's affairs properly," Wei Zhen said, looking dejected.

"What a fucking mess!"

Hearing Wei Zhen curse, Yang Yang couldn't help but smile wryly. It seemed like there wasn't a single football association in the world that wasn't a mess.

The only difference was that other countries had professional leagues to manage their operations. But here, the Football Association handled everything. It was a bit like when Manchester United and other English First Division teams staged their revolt, kicked out their football association, and started the Premier League themselves.

However, Yang Yang had no interest in these matters and didn't plan to get involved.

At that moment, Wei Zheng, who was driving, chimed in, "I actually heard some inside news."

"What is it?"

"A well-known domestic media company contacted me a while ago. From what they were implying, it seems some people inside the Football Association are quite unhappy with you."

"Unhappy?" Wei Zhen found it hard to believe. "Why would they be unhappy? He won the Asian Cup and the AFC U-19 Championship. What's there to be unhappy about?"

"Bro, you don't get it. When it comes down to it, it's all about money."

Yang Yang and Wei Zhen exchanged a look, both seeming to understand.

"After the Asian Cup, you signed that huge contract with Nike in Europe for three million euros a year. That's almost thirty million RMB. Your popularity here has skyrocketed. After my recent contacts, I've found that even some famous domestic brands and large corporations are willing to shell out over ten million a year in endorsement fees. And that's after we were very strict with our screening. If we lowered our standards, the endorsement fees you could get would be even higher, maybe even two or three times as much."

At this point, Wei Zheng gave a cold snort. "Think about it. What a huge piece of fat meat that is. But the Football Association can only look at it; they can't get a bite. Because you aren't registered with them, they have no control over you. All they can do is stew in their own anxiety."

"You're saying the Football Association wants to use this opportunity to put pressure on Yang Yang?"

"There are plenty of people in the Football Association who genuinely care about the sport, but there are definitely some who think this way."

Hearing this, Wei Zhen immediately turned to look at Yang Yang.

Yang Yang still looked very calm. He said coolly, "I don't trust what the domestic media says these days, and you should stay out of it too. As for what the people at the Football Association are thinking, I don't care. But they shouldn't expect me to yield. In short, if I get the call-up, I'll play. If I don't, there's nothing I can do."

"Right. That statement you made back in Guangzhou was very beneficial for you. You kicked the ball into the Football Association's court. Whether they want to call you up is their problem now," Wei Zheng said with a nod. That was the best way to handle it.

"I reckon the Football Association won't dare to mess around this time. After all, it's such an important match. It just goes to show how terrible their administrative efficiency is," Wei Zhen analyzed.

"How's the team doing?"

"I followed the team's training camp before. One of the core players secretly told me that after winning the Asian Cup, an overly optimistic mood spread through the team. It showed in the match against Malaysia, and Arie Haan was very unhappy about it. On top of that, Hao Dong's form really is poor, and the offensive line is very weak."

Yang Yang nodded. "All immature teams are unstable like that."

"It's more than that. The current situation with the domestic league has left the National Team in a state of anxiety. Some professional disagreements between Arie Haan and the Chinese coaching staff have been hyped up and exaggerated by the media. There's also friction between the head coach and several players. During the Asian Cup, there was even news about Sun Jihai's father blasting Arie Haan, calling him incompetent, which only added to the instability within the squad."

"Zheng Zhi is suspended for this round, which Arie Haan is taking very seriously. He even flew to Belgium specifically to visit the injured Li Weifeng and personally persuade him to return. But just in the last few days, the domestic media suddenly broke a scandal about Arie Haan being involved in money laundering..."

At this, Wei Zhen could only shake his head and sigh helplessly.

Yang Yang's brows furrowed as he listened. This was a complete and utter shitshow.

"I know a bit about Arie Haan. I can't say whether he laundered money or not, but he definitely has coaching ability. He has a very clear and advanced tactical vision. According to his reform plan, he's starting with the defensive line, then the midfield, and finally the forwards. His whole timeline is scheduled to complete the team's overhaul and renewal before the World Cup."

Arie Haan had mentioned this to Yang Yang in a previous conversation. At the time, they were discussing which position Yang Yang should play, and Yang Yang's stance was that he would follow the coaching staff's arrangements.

Wei Zhen nodded. "Looking at the National Team's current situation, the age structure of the squad is very reasonable. The defense and midfield have also been tested by the Asian Cup. The problem lies with the forwards. And Arie Haan definitely realizes the importance of this match, which is why he went to great lengths to bring back Li Weifeng and even made a special trip to the Football Association to demand your call-up."

"But the Asian Cup victory has blinded many people. It's not only made many players on the team arrogant and conceited, but it has also made a lot of the domestic media, and even some people within the Football Association, become unrealistic. How similar is this to when we qualified for the World Cup back then?"

Yang Yang could only offer a wry smile. He could only manage himself; he couldn't manage anyone else.

Perfection doesn't exist in this world. All tactics, all players, and all head coaches are a combination of strengths and weaknesses. They all have moments of brilliance and moments of error.

Whether you're choosing a coach or a player, when you choose someone for their strengths, you also have to accept their weaknesses.

'Is it realistic to say, 'I only want your strengths; you need to get rid of your weaknesses for me'?'

It was like Yang Yang himself. He still fantasized about having Vieri's physique, Bergkamp's ball control, Maradona's dribbling, and Van Basten's finishing. But how could that be possible?

When you have Vieri's powerful physique, it's a given that you can't have Maradona's low center of gravity and nimble dribbling.

"I don't want to deal with any of this. My stance is very clear: as long as they call me up, I'll play. For me, this isn't about playing for the Football Association or for any one person. This is about representing the nation's honor," Yang Yang stated.

After the match, he would return to Europe. The affairs of the domestic football scene had nothing to do with him.

...

...

When Yang Yang arrived back at Wei Zhen's house, Su Wenhong's family of three was already waiting for him.

Since it was the weekend, they didn't have to go to work or school, but they hadn't gone out either.

Although they had only been apart for a little over half a month, there was still an inevitable round of pleasantries and concern. Su Xiaomei even took out several autograph books for Yang Yang to sign, saying her classmates had begged her and she just couldn't refuse.

"These days, all the papers, big and small, are running stories about you. They really have started treating me like your little sister," Su Xiaomei said, pouting unhappily.

Yang Yang laughed. "But you are! What's this about real or fake?"

As he spoke, he swiftly signed each book, one after another, so that his "little sister" wouldn't lose face in front of her classmates.

"By the way, Yang Yang, are you going to Kuwait this time?" Su Wenhong asked with concern.

Yang Yang shook his head. "I'm going, but the ticket hasn't been booked yet."

"What on earth is the Football Association doing? It's a long journey, and there isn't much time. How have they not booked the ticket yet?" Su Wenhong shook his head and sighed. "A lot of fans and friends have been asking. Everyone will feel relieved if you go. If you don't, no one will feel confident."

"Am I really that magical?" Yang Yang said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"Don't dismiss it. Confidence is a strange thing like that," Su Wenhong said with a laugh.

Wei Zhen and the others couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, but on second thought, it was true.

Ever since Yang Yang first participated in the Toulon Cup, any National Team he played for tended to perform exceptionally well.

During the Asian Cup, his performance on the field spoke for itself. Arie Haan even stated in a media interview that Yang Yang was the communication bridge between him and the players. The reason was simple: Yang Yang understood his ideas best.

One could say that, match by match, Yang Yang had gradually built up the domestic fans' confidence in him. Everyone was starting to believe that the National Team with Yang Yang and the National Team without him were two completely different squads.

Just as everyone was chatting idly, Yang Yang's phone suddenly rang.

Speak of the devil.

The caller was none other than Captain Zhu from the National Team.