Chapter 343 - 336: A Brand New Era

Thanks to a hat-trick from Yang Yang, the Chinese Team narrowly defeated Argentina 3–2 in the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands to claim the title!

This was the first FIFA U-20 World Cup title in the history of Chinese Football, and also the first in the history of Asian football!

After the match ended, the result quickly spread across the globe.

The media and fans everywhere were stunned by the dark horse Chinese Team. No one had expected them to go all the way and pull off a miraculous championship victory!

Before the Chinese Team had even announced their final roster, major European bookmakers had given them the worst odds of winning the title out of all twenty-four teams—even lower than Panama.

After Yang Yang was named to the squad, their odds steadily improved, but they were still ranked outside the top fifteen.

After three consecutive wins in the group stage, the Chinese Team was certainly playing well. Still, no one believed this historically weak Asian team could go all the way, not when they were set to face Germany, Spain, Brazil, and Argentina.

Luck can help a team, but while one or two victories might be a fluke, can three or four still be called luck?

From the Danish fairy tale of ’92, to the Greek myth of ’04, and now to the Chinese miracle at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands—all are legendary classics of underdogs going all the way.

The official FIFA website immediately posted a commentary on the match and interviewed the head coaches of both teams post-game.

Klauen said, "This victory belongs to our entire team. Yang Yang played at an exceptionally high level. He was the biggest reason we won the title and the heart and soul of our team, but this championship doesn’t belong to any one person. It belongs to all of us."

The Argentina National Youth Team’s head coach, Pancho Ferraro, stated in a media interview, "Losing this way is certainly tough to swallow, but the Chinese Team was truly the more tenacious side."

"Yang Yang will undoubtedly be a phenomenal player. He scored three incredible goals, and each one shifted the momentum of the game. We did everything in our power to stop him, but unfortunately, Yang Yang was simply unstoppable tonight."

FIFA concluded its commentary by stating, "This victory belongs to the Chinese people, to Chinese Football."

"Yang Yang is the biggest winner of this FIFA U-20 World Cup. With ten brilliant goals, he won the Golden Boot Award. With his outstanding individual performance, he won over the vast majority of judges to claim the Golden Ball Award. He has now become only the third player in the history of the FIFA U-20 World Cup to sweep all three major awards."

"Without a doubt, he is the undisputed, most dazzling new star of this tournament!"

Agence France-Presse also published a commentary piece right away, stating that the Chinese youth team had the last laugh.

"This is the first time in the history of Chinese football, and indeed Asian football, that a team has won the FIFA U-20 World Cup."

"Yang Yang is undoubtedly the biggest winner. The talented young Ajax prodigy scored a brilliant hat-trick to help the Chinese Team win the championship, while also personally claiming the two major individual awards for top scorer and best player."

The United States’ Associated Press also quickly published a commentary, stating, "Led by Yang Yang’s hat-trick, China has won the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time in its history. This is also the first world championship title in the history of Chinese Football!"

"Yang Yang, the eighteen-year-old phenom from Ajax, swept the Best Player and Top Scorer awards with his ten goals. With a spectacular individual performance, he won over every fan in the stadium and left the world eagerly anticipating his future. He is poised to become the most promising superstar since Ronaldo."

When the news reached South America, Argentina’s Olé newspaper reported, "In terms of on-field performance, Argentina was the more dominant side. But regrettably, the Chinese Team claimed the final victory. That’s football."

"Ajax’s Yang Yang scored a hat-trick during the match. His ten goals led the Chinese Team to the first world championship in Asian football history, allowing him to sweep the Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards. This has also propelled the Ajax star’s influence to a whole new level."

Another authoritative Argentine media outlet, the Horn, stated, "Ajax’s rising superstar Yang Yang, who just recently broke Ronaldo’s legendary record in the Eredivisie, was the hero of the match. He delivered a flawless performance in the final, completely crushing their opponents with a hat-trick. Compared to him, Messi was utterly eclipsed."

But even after the loss, the Argentine media still seemed to harbor some resentment.

In its final analysis, the Horn warned that Yang Yang must continue to work hard to avoid becoming another cautionary tale of unfulfilled potential.

"Yang Yang sweeping the three major awards at the FIFA U-20 World Cup is certainly cause for celebration. However, it must also be noted that before him, only two other players have ever received this honor: the Brazilian player Giovanni Silva in ’83, and the Argentine player Saviola in ’01."

"But we must be cautious, as the professional careers of both of Yang Yang’s predecessors fell far short of expectations."

"Giovanni Silva was spectacular at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, but he didn’t move to Europe until six years later, playing for Bologna and then Karlsruhe. In both cases, his performances were underwhelming. After returning to Brazil, his career quickly declined, and he ended up languishing in the lower leagues."

"As for Saviola in ’01, his story is even more recent. After the FIFA U-20 World Cup, he transferred to Barcelona for a hefty fee. And while he had some impressive moments, his situation deteriorated day by day. Last season, he was unceremoniously offloaded by Barcelona and loaned out to Monaco, where his performance was also unconvincing. This season, Barcelona has loaned him out again, this time to Sevilla."

"Looking at the career trajectories of his two predecessors, Yang Yang must learn from their lessons to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

...

In contrast to the Argentine media’s "warnings," European media outlets generally showered Yang Yang with extremely high praise.

From his debut two years ago until now, Yang Yang had already collected a staggering number of accolades.

Golden substitute in the UEFA Champions League, scorer of the winning goal in the Champions League final, UEFA Cup’s Best Player, European Golden Boy Award, the Eredivisie’s youngest-ever Golden Boot winner...

So many legendary accomplishments had left the European media with towering expectations for Yang Yang.

After the final, a reporter from the Dutch Telegraaf ran into Pete De Vries, the former super scout for Eindhoven. He was now working for Chelsea and had made a special trip to Utrecht to watch the match.

"In fact, I’ve been following Yang Yang for two years now. Back when I was still at Eindhoven, I pushed hard for the club to sign him. We had even initiated contact with him, but unfortunately, his idol Van Basten was at Ajax, so Yang Yang ultimately chose them."

"Over these past two years, I’ve been closely watching Yang Yang’s development and progress. I think he’s growing incredibly fast, taking a huge leap forward every year. I believe he already has what it takes to play in one of the Four Major Leagues."

"Before I came to the Netherlands, Chelsea’s head coach, Mourinho, told me he wanted to get Yang Yang. I told him there was no need for any more scouting. ’Just sign him,’ I said. ’He’s going to be a phenomenal player because he’s completely different from everyone else.’"

"After watching this FIFA U-20 World Cup, I stand by my assessment. I believe Yang Yang will become an incredible player."

Besides Chelsea’s Pete De Vries, the FIFA U-20 World Cup final attracted scouts from all of Europe’s other major clubs. All eyes were on the top prospect, Yang Yang, whom they considered the standout star of the tournament.

Shortly after, the Spanish paper Diario AS dropped a bombshell, reporting that Real Madrid president Florentino had received a report from his scouting department and was now determined to sign the Ajax supernova Yang Yang this summer.

"Real Madrid has already begun raising funds and is willing to offer over forty million euros for Yang Yang. This would far surpass the 25 million euros for the talented Brazilian newcomer Robinho, and would also exceed the transfer fees of Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart, becoming the highest transfer fee Ajax has ever received."

Meanwhile, the British tabloid The Sun, known for its knack for uncovering transfer scoops, was the first to report that Chelsea had officially submitted an inquiry to Ajax regarding Yang Yang’s asking price. Abramovich was reportedly hoping to bring Yang Yang to Stamford Bridge this summer.

"According to reliable sources, Abramovich has stated that he will do everything in his power to sign Yang Yang, providing a major boost for Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League campaign in the upcoming season."

"Chelsea’s head coach, Mourinho, also expressed his wholehearted support for Yang Yang’s potential transfer, while Dutch star and teammate-to-be Robben stated that Yang Yang’s arrival would make Chelsea even more formidable. He added that he was greatly looking forward to playing alongside Yang Yang at Stamford Bridge."

But The Sun also noted, "Aside from Chelsea, Liverpool is also very interested in Yang Yang. Having just won the Champions League, manager Benitez’s influence at the club has clearly grown, and he has explicitly stated his desire to sign Yang Yang to further bolster the team’s frontline attack."

"However, compared to the deep-pocketed Chelsea, Liverpool clearly lacks sufficient funds. The board has indicated that to buy Yang Yang, they must first sell off several fringe players. But the current transfer market leaves Liverpool with very little time to make such moves."

"According to reliable sources from our reporters, Manchester United’s Ferguson is also keenly interested in Yang Yang. He hopes to bring Yang Yang to Old Trafford to form a new-generation attacking trio with Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney. He believes those three could lead Manchester United back to the pinnacle of European football."

...

While the media in Europe and across the world were busy reporting on and hyping up Yang Yang’s potential transfer, the entire nation of China was in a state of joyous celebration.

Since the final was held at noon local time, the National Youth Team returned to China immediately afterward for a massive victory celebration. The spectacle of tens of thousands of fans gathering at Capital Airport to welcome the team’s triumphant return also captured the nation’s attention.

To everyone’s disappointment, however, the team’s star player, Yang Yang, was not among the returning squad. Neither were Gao Lin, who was about to head to Alkmaar for a trial, nor Feng Xiaoting, who had officially signed with Feyenoord.

And while the country was wildly celebrating the National Youth Team’s championship, a growing chorus of media, fans, and professionals began calling for the players to be sent abroad as soon as possible to develop their skills in a high-level football environment.

Riding the wave of excitement from the FIFA U-20 World Cup, many European clubs expressed interest in the Chinese players. This was especially true in the tournament’s host nation, the Netherlands, where several Eredivisie clubs even sent representatives to China to begin negotiations.

Everyone began to believe that this was more than just a FIFA U-20 World Cup title; it was the dawn of a new Chapter for Chinese Football, heralding the arrival of a brand new era.