Chapter 239 232: Played Until Broken

"Yang, you really can't swim?"

On the first-team training ground at De Toekomst, Niklas Bendtner asked smugly.

"I checked the map. Isn't your hometown by the sea? How can you not know how to swim?"

"Or are you just pretending you can't swim?"

Ever since being tricked by Yang Yang back in August, he felt a mix of admiration and resentment toward him. He compared himself to Yang Yang in everything, so having finally found something he was better at, he naturally had to show it off.

Yang Yang could understand the Danish kid's desire to win at everything, but seeing his arrogant expression, he couldn't resist the urge to mess with him. After finishing his last set of stair sprints, he pointed a finger at Niklas Bendtner.

"It doesn't matter if I can swim, as long as I can play football. I'm challenging you right now. One-on-one, for another three months."

As Yang Yang walked past Bendtner, he shot him a menacing look and threatened, "I'm gonna destroy you!"

The surrounding teammates all started jeering and cheering.

This bunch loved watching a good spectacle and weren't afraid of stoking the flames. Their favorite thing was to see a one-on-one duel.

'Another bet? For three months?'

The Danish kid regretted it and wanted to back out.

But once the bow is drawn, the arrow must fly. Yang Yang was already on the training pitch, waiting for him with open arms.

"Anything on this training ground, you pick. I'll compete in whatever you want."

The teammates cheered even louder.

Many secretly prayed for Bendtner. 'Poor kid. Of all the people to provoke, he had to pick him.'

...

...

Although it was his first day training with Winston Bogard, Yang Yang quickly sensed Bogard's expertise.

In the gym, he primarily scheduled four exercises: the three major lifts and the power clean.

Since Yang Yang was a beginner and quite young, Bogard didn't set the bar too high. The main focus was on conditioning, emphasizing gradual progress, and he taught everything hands-on.

Starting with each micro-movement, he broke down the techniques, focusing on the finest details. He continuously instilled various theories combined with practice, ensuring Yang Yang's form was perfect and that he understood the purpose and necessity of each movement.

Through a series of profound yet simple instructions, Yang Yang learned quickly, but he was a beginner after all.

Bogard wasn't rushing for results either, telling Yang Yang to take his time. The most important thing was to master the proper form.

The weightlifting training only lasted for half an hour. After a few minutes of rest, they quickly moved on to cycling and stretching.

Stretching was also one of the team's regular pre-training warm-ups, usually led by the captain on the pitch before the session began.

Afterward, Yang Yang did up-and-down stair sprints in the training building's stairwell.

This was the extra training task Winston Bogard had assigned to Yang Yang before the morning training session.

It was after this sprint training that Yang Yang issued his challenge to Bendtner.

Needless to say, the Danish kid suffered another crushing defeat and lost for another three months.

With Jan Kruitenberg joining the staff, Ajax's pre-training warm-up routine was adjusted slightly, with a rondo drill being added.

Yang Yang was no stranger to this drill; he had been tortured by it for a year when he was at Almere.

But this time, he volunteered to be the one in the middle trying to win the ball back, which was also part of Bogard's training plan.

Not only that, but to get a better effect, he didn't use his [God's Vision] during the rondo drill. He relied purely on his own ability to run and press, which made it a more valuable exercise.

More than a year had passed, and he was once again the defender in a rondo. But his mentality, his experience, and what he gained from it were completely different from a year ago. Yang Yang's current understanding of professional football was incomparable to the greenhorn he was back then, so his performance was naturally on a whole other level.

After the rondo, the morning training session officially began.

Since it was the morning of the second day after a match, Ronald Koeman primarily arranged for recovery training, so the intensity wasn't high.

In the training plan laid out by Bogard, the schedule looked very packed, but in reality, there was enough rest time scheduled between each item. As long as Yang Yang strictly followed the plan, it wouldn't interfere with the morning training session.

After the one-and-a-half-hour training session, Yang Yang and many of his teammates chose to stay for lunch at the players' cafeteria in De Toekomst. Yang Yang, however, strictly followed the diet plan Bogard gave him, which focused on a balanced nutritional mix. But the taste was rather plain, which was something Yang Yang, who was used to delicious food, had to get used to.

During the lunch break, most of his other teammates were relaxing. Some played video games, some watched TV or movies, some played pool or table tennis, and others were on the phone hitting on girls.

Yang Yang, on the other hand, went to sleep, entering the Super Training space to continue his training and chat with Old Ice about the morning's session.

Regarding Winston Bogard, Old Ice felt that the fitness coach was highly skilled and very dedicated. Yang Yang could train with him without worry, and after a while, his physique would surely see some improvement.

But just like Bogard, Old Ice also reminded Yang Yang that he was still in his growth phase, so moderation was key when it came to strength training.

"Don't apply the same approach you use for football practice to your strength training," Old Ice warned.

"I know," Yang Yang said with a nod and a smile. "Winston said it could affect my body shape."

For example, the bench press trains upper body muscle strength, but at Yang Yang's current age, overtraining could lead to a very unattractive physique, which was definitely not something he wanted.

What seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy doesn't want to be handsome?

"As for swimming, though, you should practice it diligently. It's great for toning your body."

Old Ice's casual remark left Yang Yang speechless.

'He clearly knows I can't swim, yet he says that on purpose. Is he trying to piss me off?'

"Old Ice, I've noticed you've been picking up some bad habits lately."

"Have I?" Old Ice asked faintly.

Yang Yang scoffed and said no more.

...

...

After his nap, Yang Yang composed himself, got up, and went to the swimming pool at De Toekomst.

It was located on the first floor of the first-team training building, a fifty by one-hundred-meter pool.

Winston Bogard was already waiting there for him.

The 1.9-meter-tall beast of a man, wearing only a pair of swimming trunks, revealed a body of lean, powerful muscle that almost made Yang Yang feel dizzy.

'Look at that eight-pack, look at those deltoids, and those... whatchamacallit muscles...'

Then he looked at the 1.3-meter-deep pool, and a headache instantly came over him.

Like all landlubbers, he was afraid of water.

"I plan to teach you how to swim in two weeks. So, from now on, aside from away games, you need to report to the pool every day at noon," Winston Bogard instructed.

With that, he handed Yang Yang a pair of swimming trunks, a swim cap, and a pair of goggles, telling him to hurry up, get changed, and prepare to start.

What did it feel like to get in the water for the first time?

For Yang Yang, it was an experience of no commemorative value whatsoever.

Because the first time he got in, he accidentally slipped and choked on a few mouthfuls of water. It was only with Bogard's help that he managed to find his footing in the pool.

Meanwhile, his teammates like Maxwell and Vermaelen, who were secretly hiding and peeking from outside the pool area, were already bent over laughing.

Who would have thought that the ever-imposing Yang Yang on the football pitch could look so pathetic in a swimming pool?

"Those bastards must have a death wish," Yang Yang said fiercely.

He decided he would make those guys pay that afternoon. None of them would get off easy.

Winston Bogard found it rather amusing. He hadn't realized Yang Yang had such a good relationship with his teammates.

If they were just regular teammates, they would keep a respectful distance. It was only close buddies who would tease and joke around like this, even egging each other on.

Only in his early thirties, Winston Bogard had been through it all himself, so he naturally understood.

"Alright, focus. Don't be afraid of the water. Let go of your fear, and you'll get used to it quickly."

Yang Yang also composed himself and focused on learning.

...

...

When Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll walked onto the training ground, they clearly sensed a strange atmosphere within the team.

How to describe it?

Players like Maxwell, Vermaelen, De Jong, and Heitinga all had visibly bitter expressions on their faces. The coaches found it very strange, but they didn't have time to ask in detail. It was only after the training session ended that they called Galasek over.

"They got completely played," Galasek said with a chuckle.

"What happened?" Ronald Koeman asked, puzzled.

"During the rondo drill before training, Yang Yang specifically targeted them. He made them go in the middle constantly, getting run ragged. And he even nutmegged every single one of them. Without exception, all of them got megged."

"Huh? Something like that happened?"

Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll both found it rather amusing.

"Yang Yang also challenged them to another showdown after training. That's why the four of them bolted the second the session ended, didn't even pack their things." By the end of his explanation, Galasek couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Koman and Carroll could almost picture the four of them fleeing in disarray, and they couldn't help but chuckle.

"Do you know what it was about?" Carroll asked with concern.

"I don't know, I just heard that when Yang Yang was practicing swimming with Bogard, they laughed their heads off at him, so this was his revenge."

"Swimming?"

"Yeah, Yang Yang's a landlubber. He can't swim. He even choked on water the first time he got in."

Koman and Carroll found it a bit hard to believe; they had no idea about this.

And they could perfectly imagine how those little rascals had teased Yang Yang.

After Galasek left, Ronald Koeman finally chuckled. "I was wondering... that kid learns everything so fast, but I never expected him to be a landlubber who can't swim."

For many at Ajax, who were used to seeing Yang Yang's meteoric progress, it was rare to see such a clumsy side to him. They couldn't help but find it funny, but it also made him feel more approachable.

Having a flaw actually made Yang Yang more down-to-earth and relatable.

"Just you wait. That kid will learn to swim in no time. And I bet before long, he'll be better than anyone else on the team," Luther Carroll said, full of confidence in Yang Yang.

Ronald Koeman nodded firmly. He was convinced of it too.

"But Luther, don't you think that since Yang Yang returned, and after the win against Roda JC, the team's atmosphere has become much more relaxed?"

Luther Carroll thought about it for a moment and realized it was true.

And a relaxed atmosphere was not only beneficial for the team's preparations but also for the upcoming Champions League group stage matches.