Chapter 209 202: The Wave of Studying Abroad

Champions!

The morning after the Chinese Team defeated Japan, major media outlets at home and abroad were all reporting the news of China's victory.

This was the first international tournament championship in the history of Chinese Football!

Yang Yang, on the back of his outstanding performance in the final and the momentum from being named the Asian Cup's best player, attracted immense attention both in China and internationally. Everyone was shocked and amazed by the seventeen-year-old rising star.

If everyone had previously thought his game-winning goal in the Champions League final was just a fluke, then the subsequent Toulon Cup victory and now the Asian Cup championship proved otherwise. Through a series of outstanding performances, Yang Yang had demonstrated his true strength to the world.

More importantly, he was only seventeen and still had enormous potential to be tapped.

Compared to tournaments like the European Cup and the African Cup, the level of competition at the Asian Cup was indeed the lowest. Among all the players participating, only one had a foothold in one of the Four Major European Leagues: Japanese midfielder Nakamura Shunsuke, who played for Regina in Serie A. However, even he was just a substitute player for Regina.

While also a substitute, Yang Yang played for Ajax, a renowned European giant that had just won the Champions League. Furthermore, Yang Yang had performed exceptionally well every time he came off the bench, even scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final.

As the two biggest names at the Asian Cup, both Yang Yang and Nakamura Shunsuke displayed a level of skill significantly higher than the other players. In the end, the two became the strongest contenders for the tournament's Ballon d'Or.

In the end, thanks to his outstanding performance in the final, Yang Yang edged out Nakamura Shunsuke to win the Asian Cup's Best Player award.

In the grand scheme of World Football, the Asian Cup's influence was indeed insignificant. However, for a seventeen-year-old to overcome numerous opponents and claim the title of the tournament's best player was absolutely extraordinary.

This caused Yang Yang's popularity to skyrocket after the Asian Cup. He generated a huge buzz and garnered attention not just in China, but all over the world. Fans everywhere began to take notice of this young, talented prodigy from Ajax.

The domestic media and fans were scrambling to report on him, practically digging to the ends of the earth for any juicy news about Yang Yang.

Following his stellar performance in the Asian Cup, Yang Yang's popularity in China exploded, making him an overnight sensation.

But while China was busy celebrating the Asian Cup victory, Yang Yang quietly boarded a flight back to Amsterdam the very next day. The new Eredivisie season was about to begin.

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To avoid unnecessary trouble, Yang Yang generously chose first-class tickets for himself, Wei Zheng, and his cousin Shen Yuzhu. This pained his ever-frugal cousin, Shen Yuzhu, to no end.

"Sis, you'll have to get used to it. I'm a rich man now," Yang Yang said with a chuckle, feigning extravagance.

Wei Zheng couldn't help but laugh, while Shen Yuzhu shot him an exasperated glare.

"You need to have a plan for yourself. A career in professional football is short-lived, so don't be a spendthrift. You should make more investments."

Yang Yang just smiled without saying a word. He wasn't arrogant enough to act recklessly.

"Seriously, Nike really went all out this time," Wei Zheng said with a broad smile.

On the very night of the Asian Cup final, Raiola had called Yang Yang.

After a period of negotiation, the most Adidas was willing to offer was a sponsorship fee of 1.5 million euros. But Nike had raised the bid to 3 million euros in one go, completely blowing Adidas's offer out of the water.

Moreover, sponsorship contracts for football players are usually post-tax.

In other words, starting from the new season, Yang Yang could no longer wear Adidas boots in matches; he would have to switch to Nike.

Three million euros a year, which converted to 30 million yuan RMB, was a huge sum of money.

Yang Yang was truly grateful to his motherland. Without the Chinese market, it would have been impossible for Nike to offer such a high price.

And Raiola, ever the shrewd calculator, was only willing to sign for three years, with a renegotiation to follow.

Clearly, the fat Italian was very optimistic about Yang Yang's future.

Besides the personal sponsorship, Yang Yang was set to sign a contract extension with Ajax as soon as he landed.

Speaking of the extension, Raiola was kicking himself, exclaiming that he had been too hasty and hadn't delayed a little longer. Otherwise, Yang Yang's salary could have been at least fifty percent higher—a weekly wage of 15 thousand euros.

The main reason was that he genuinely hadn't expected Yang Yang to perform so well at the Asian Cup. It was a rare oversight on his part.

Yang Yang, however, was philosophical about it. 'How can one person have all the good luck in the world?'

Besides, Ajax was already going all out by offering a post-tax weekly salary of 10 thousand euros, plus a signing bonus of thirty thousand euros.

"Now, after winning the Asian Cup, you're a massive star in China. All the major brands and companies are flocking to you. You really are a rich man now," Wei Zheng said with a laugh full of envy.

Right now, Yang Yang was definitely not short on money. If he was willing to accept, endorsement deals would come knocking on his door, and the fees would be negotiable. Based on the current market, an eight-figure endorsement fee was not out of the question.

"Second Brother, what do you think?" Yang Yang asked, concerned.

Wei Zheng had been helping Yang Yang handle his affairs in China, and recently he'd been completely swamped by representatives from domestic brands and companies. But what he was most thankful for was that Yang Yang hadn't been tempted by petty profits earlier on; to this day, he hadn't signed a single endorsement deal.

In the short span of less than a month, before and after the Asian Cup, Yang Yang's market value had changed dramatically.

"I think Yao Giant should be our role model. We need to carefully protect this golden brand of yours. Don't just blindly accept any endorsement for money. As long as we manage things properly and you continue to work hard and play well in Europe, your brand value will only increase," Wei Zheng said, showing his clear-headed understanding of the situation.

"Wei Zheng is right. Don't just accept any ad. If a scandal breaks out later, it would be a huge problem if it affected you," Shen Yuzhu agreed.

Yang Yang nodded. He felt the same way.

"I'll leave all the domestic affairs to you, Second Brother. Let's run things by the book. I'm only seventeen, and I have a long road ahead of me. We won't take any shady shortcuts. We'll pay every cent of tax we owe, and we'll fulfill all our social responsibilities."

Wei Zheng understood Yang Yang's meaning. "Don't worry, I'll set up a company specifically to handle these matters."

Like father, like son. Although Yang Yongqiang was a businessman, he was fundamentally a steady and down-to-earth person. Yang Yang was also not the type to take shortcuts, which was evident from his patience and his continued insistence on basic training even now.

Would someone who liked taking shortcuts be able to endure such an ordeal?

"Then you'll just have to wear multiple hats. With great ability comes great responsibility. When you and my sister get married, I'll definitely give you a huge gift," Yang Yang said with a hearty laugh.

Shen Yuzhu was his only older sister figure. Growing up, and especially during his time in the Netherlands, she had taken great care of him. In a little while, Shen Yuzhu and Wei Zheng would be getting engaged, and then they would all be family.

When it came to his family, Yang Yang was always very generous.

Even before he was famous, he had given his cousin that Fiat worth 20 thousand euros. He certainly wouldn't be stingy now.

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The long flight from Beijing to Amsterdam was tedious. At first, Yang Yang pulled Wei Zheng into a long conversation about many things.

For example, after Yang Yang became famous, it was a huge boost for the development of Yongqiang Shoes. At the very least, they could save a massive amount in promotional fees, which made both Yang Yongqiang and Wei Zheng more confident about the company's future.

As for having Yang Yang endorse the brand, they hadn't considered it for now. On one hand, they couldn't afford the huge endorsement fees. On the other, it wouldn't be good for the company's development. After all, many things needed to be done slowly, step by step. Rushing for instant success was not a good thing.

Then, they started talking about the National Team.

With the Chinese Team's victory at the Asian Cup, several national players had performed exceptionally well. Coupled with the booming domestic football market, many of them began to attract the interest of European Teams.

The first and foremost was Yang Yang's roommate, Zheng Zhi. The versatile player was currently the most promising candidate on the National Team to play abroad. Setting aside other leagues that Zheng Zhi himself wasn't keen on, in the Bundesliga alone, Yang Yang knew of interest from Hamburg, Hertha Berlin, and even Bayern Munich.

As a giant club, Bayern Munich's interest in Zheng Zhi was likely motivated by the need to develop the Chinese market. However, Hamburg was long past its glory days, and Hertha Berlin was a mid-table Bundesliga team. Zheng Zhi was fully capable of getting playing time at clubs like these.

Zhao Junzhe was another national player with a good chance of playing abroad. It was said that his most likely destinations were the Premier League or the Scottish Super League. The interested Premier League clubs were Charlton and Fulham, while Celtic was the interested party from the Scottish Super League. All of these had made actual contact.

Shao Jiayi was one of the National Team's standout performers at this Asian Cup. The team he previously played for, Munich 1860, had been relegated, and he was now being courted by several Bundesliga teams, such as Hamburg.

In addition, there were also players from the National Youth Team who had performed well at the Toulon Cup and had high hopes of playing abroad.

After spending some time with them, Yang Yang genuinely felt that the skill of many domestic players was not an issue. The key lay in their mentality and tactical understanding. For top domestic players like Zheng Zhi and Zhao Junzhe, playing abroad would be no problem at all.

Of course, they might fall a bit short for upper-to-mid-table teams in the Four Major Leagues, but they were more than capable of getting playing time at lower-to-mid-table clubs.

As for the National Youth Team players, including Chen Tao, Feng Xiaoting, and Zhou Haibin, Yang Yang believed they should all go abroad as soon as possible to test themselves, honing their skills through competition and matches.

If they could distinguish themselves at this year's AFC U-19 Championship and qualify for next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands, it would undoubtedly be an excellent platform for them.

If all of them managed to go, it would inevitably trigger a wave of players moving abroad, which would be a good thing for the long-term development of Chinese Football.

Later, when the conversation died down, Wei Zheng and Shen Yuzhu both fell asleep. Yang Yang also entered the Super Training to practice.

He was now truly beginning to appreciate the benefits of the Super Training more and more.

It was simple. For example, while others would be struggling terribly with jet lag, he didn't have to. The time difference had no effect on him whatsoever.

And the ultra-high-quality sleep allowed Yang Yang's recovery speed to be much faster than others.

Take now, for instance. He had just played in the Asian Cup final last night, but after one night's sleep, Yang Yang felt he had already recovered very well. Once he got back to Amsterdam, he would only need a slight adjustment before being ready to play a match the day after tomorrow with no issues.

This was an unexpected benefit that Yang Yang had never anticipated.