In April 2003, Almere, Fleforland, Netherlands.

On a green football training ground in Chengbei Sports Park, a group of sixteen-year-old Dutch teenagers were gathering in a circle and playing a football game called robbing the circle. Although they were training, the teenagers had an extremely relaxed expression on their faces. There was no tension at all that training should be, and it was more like playing or even joking.

There is another name in the game of robbing the circle, walking the monkey.

The group of Dutch teenagers were walking the Chinese teenagers in the circle who were responsible for grabbing the ball.

The black hair and yellow skin made him look eye-catching in the Dutch team, and he was running and grabbing the ball without any effort on the court, like a headless fly rushing around him from time to time, causing bursts of laughter around him, further stimulating the fun of the Dutch teenagers.

The fans watching the sidelines were also very excited, as if they were not watching football training, but a wonderful performance by the Royal Circus in Amsterdam.

The ball was skillfully passed on the foot of the Dutch teenagers who were surrounding the circle. Although the Chinese teenagers were running constantly and chasing the ball, they never got it. They caught up several times and made an unexpected sound around them, but in the end they all passed by the ball.

At the beginning, every time he failed to grab the ball, laughter, even sarcasm and ridicule came from around him, but gradually, the sound became smaller and smaller, and in the end it became even silent.

Any cruel game may be able to stimulate the audience's adrenal glands with freshness at the beginning, but when it is repeated again and again, gradually, the audience will become numb and will feel tragic.

A kind of tragic tragedy in which the weak are allowed to be slaughtered by the strong.

"Poor child, why do you still have to persist?" Someone shook his head and sighed with sympathy.

"No wonder, he always does this."

"It's almost a year, why haven't he given up yet?"

"I'll give up if I want to change it."

"The speed is quite fast and the physical fitness is good, but the basic skills are poor."

"I have watched football for so many years, and this Chinese boy really has no future. Not to mention the professional league, I am afraid that even my amateurs cannot meet the requirements. I should give up quickly and find another way out as soon as possible."

"Who said no? Mr. Rep has persuaded him many times, but he just refused to do so."

"What a stubborn boy."

"What a pity. If he had come a few years earlier, with his speed and physical fitness, and his determination, he would have really hope to play in the professional league, but now..."

"Well, what's the solution?"

…………

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Head coach John Repp finally blew the whistle to the end of the training.

Everyone at the scene, including him, breathed heavily.

It's finally over!

In their opinion, the short ten minutes of game-winning game time was so long.

After the whistle sounded, the Chinese boy who still couldn't grab the ball was so tired that he fell to his knees on the training ground with exhaustion, gasping for breath.

Teammates walked around him, occasionally one or two sympathetic hands that patted his head and shoulders.

But the comfort from his teammates did not make him feel good, but instead felt humiliated. He clenched his fists and pounded hard on the grass, constantly blaming himself in his heart.

His name is Yang Yang, sixteen years old, from a small county town in Quanzhou, Fujian, China. His parents run a small shoe factory. The family is in good condition. Seeing that he likes football, he has allowed him to study with a retired professional player in the city since he was a child. He is also successful and has always stood out among his peers.

My uncle Shen Ming runs a Chinese restaurant in Almere, Netherlands. When he returned to China to visit relatives, he happened to watch a school team match between Yang Yang and said casually, suggesting that he go to the Netherlands to further his studies, which made Yang Yang feel excited.

At first, my parents disagreed. After all, the gap between Chinese players and European players is so huge that Yang Yang has not even experienced formal professional training. How could he succeed?

But Yang Yang insisted repeatedly, coupled with the promotion of his uncle Shen Ming, his parents could only reluctantly agree, just treating it as a training abroad.

With one year limit, if Yang Yang can gain a foothold in the Netherlands, they will allow Yang Yang to continue playing football, otherwise they will have to return to China, study hard, and completely give up their dream of becoming a professional player.

Landing in the Netherlands with ambitious ambitions, but what awaits Yang Yang was hit by a series of heavy damage.

He first suffered a setback in trial training in several Amsterdam teams and was not accepted by the other party. He had no choice but to convince the third-level amateur team Almele through his uncle's relationship, allowing Yang Yang to train with the team's youth team for a year. However, he was still far inferior to his peers in the Netherlands.

During the year he trained with Almere, although he tried his best to improve himself and try to integrate into Almere's training, his poor basic skills were still exposed in daily training, especially in this seemingly simple but demanding game of catching the ball. He had frequent passes and catches and made mistakes, and he could only enter the circle again and again to grab the ball.

Similar to this scene today, it is repeated almost every day.

If Yang Yang was not sober enough before, then his personal experience over the past year has allowed him to fully experience the huge gap between himself and Dutch players of the same age.

He was unwilling to give up, but he had no choice.

He has missed the best age to consolidate his basic skills.

As the year approached, Yang Yang's situation in the team was getting worse and worse. Even though he had put all his strength into it, he could not improve. This made him feel very annoyed and blamed, and he could only hammer the grass to vent his inner depression.

…………

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"Yang."

After the players all left, John Rep came to Yang Yang and looked at the sweaty and panting boy with a feeling of helplessness.

He naturally knew everything that happened on the training ground.

If John Rep had a little disgusted with this relationship a year ago, then through his performance over the past year, Yang Yang used his diligence and determination to completely change the Dutch celebrity, but this did not hinder John Rep's judgment of Yang Yang's future.

The Dutch middle-aged man who had just turned 51 years old felt unbearable and regretful about Yang Yang's experience, but in the end he still made up his heart. He did not call for a stop in advance, but continued to watch coldly.

If it were a few years ago, with Yang Yang's persistence, he believed that there would be a chance, but now... he could only politely persuade him to leave.

He believed that this was responsible for Yang Yang's future.

"Mr. Rep." Yang Yang got up from the ground and shouted respectfully.

In the past year, he has learned a lot from this Dutch celebrity and never dared to neglect the slightest.

"You know, there is still one month left, and this training session is about to end, and we will hold an internal assessment at that time." John Rep said lightly.

Yang Yang nodded. This was the youth training model that Almere borrowed from the Dutch giant Ajax.

The annual assessment will eliminate some unqualified students and add some fresh blood to stimulate internal competition. Students with excellent performance will be recommended by the club and go to Amsterdam to participate in the Ajax Talent Day selection in July and have the opportunity to be selected into the Ajax youth training camp.

As a satellite club of the Netherlands' giants, Almere has three recommendation places every year, and only the best students are eligible to get this recommendation letter.

If Yang Yang, who was a newcomer, was confidently looking forward to Ajax, now he only has one thought, which is to stay in Almere.

But this is getting harder and harder.

"You know, Yang." John Rep looked at Yang Yang involuntarily, his eyes full of helplessness. "We are the first team in Almerec City that has the hope of entering the professional league in the past 30 years. The municipal government and all sectors of society are very concerned about the development of our team. This year's assessment site will definitely attract a lot of guests and fans, so..."

Some words that John Rep couldn't bear to say in person, but he understood the meaning.

Although he had only been in the Netherlands for a year, John Rep believed that Yang Yang's Dutch skills were enough to let him understand what he meant inside and outside.

"Your cultural courses are very good, and the school teachers have also evaluated you very well. We all believe that you should focus on this direction and work harder. If you want, I can convince Mr. Chairman that even if you leave the team, you can still stay in the middle school you cooperate with. You will definitely have the opportunity to enter the University of Amsterdam in the future."

The University of Amsterdam is the best university in the Netherlands and one of the most prestigious universities in Europe.

In John Rep's view, the possibility of Yang Yang becoming a professional player is even less likely than being admitted to Amsterdam University, although the latter's competition is also very fierce.

Yang Yang understood what John Rep meant. Such dissuasion had been repeated many times in the past period of time, and the head coach's remarks became more and more blunt. He knew that the promise John Rep gave him today was already excellent.

The middle school he is studying now is a local private school in Almere. If it weren't for Almere's youth training players, he would never have been able to enter. The team has never given similar compensation to other eliminated players before, which is an exception for him.

But Yang Yang still couldn't accept it.

"Thank you, Mr. Rep." Yang Yang just thought for a moment and raised his head, looked straight at the head coach, shook his head with a firm look on his face, "I understand your kindness, but I really don't want to give up like this. As long as it is not until the last moment, I will not admit defeat."

"You're…"

"I have decided, Mr. Rep." Yang Yang stopped the conversation without any discussion.

John Rep was mentally prepared for this result. He did not disobey Yang Yang's stubbornness and persistence at all. Instead, he admired it very much, but the more he appreciated it, the more he felt regretful.

If Yang Yang had appeared in front of him a few years ago, I believe the result would be completely different from now.

At least, his basic skills will be more solid than he is now. With his speed and physical fitness, he will definitely gain a foothold in Almere, and even have the hope of doing better.

It's a pity that he has missed his best age.

As soon as he thought of this, John Depp looked at Yang Yang's back as he turned around and left, and sighed deeply.

…………

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Almere is an Amsterdam satellite city. Most of the people living here work in Amsterdam. They go out early and come back late, and dinner becomes the best time for restaurant business.

Yang Yang did not do the same today as usual. After training, he went to the restaurant to help, called his uncle and locked himself in the room after he got home.

He felt that he needed to be quiet.

Lying on his back on a single bed, the low ceiling was covered with large posters of his two favorite idols.

Brazilian superstar Ronaldo, currently playing for Real Madrid, and retired Dutch celebrity Van Basten.

He lie on the bed like he is now countless times, watching his idol fall asleep, and even dreams that he is competing with them.

But he has never been as confused as he is now.

He knew himself and knew the difference between his Dutch peers, but he was unwilling to let go of his own failure and gave up his football dream in shame.

He remembered his parents in China, and they would definitely be disappointed when they heard the news.

Although his parents always advised him to give up playing football and return to China to study hard, he hoped that he would give up on his own initiative.
To be continued...