Chapter 8

Holland, Amsterdam.

After getting off the plane, Qin Xiong and Freddy arrived at the Ajax Stadium located in the suburbs. They had neither the time nor the mood to tour the city; they just wanted to see Ajax's home ground with their own eyes as soon as possible!

When the magnificent modern stadium came into view, Qin Xiong raised his head and stared intently. There were also many tourists visiting, but perhaps because Ajax had played away in the first two rounds of the new Eredivisie season, the atmosphere around was not particularly enthusiastic. Especially the day before yesterday, Ajax had only just defeated the weak team of Roda JC away, securing their second consecutive win in the new season.

Qin Xiong's eyes seemed to want to take in every detail of the stadium, examining it carefully and meticulously, not wanting to miss any detail, standing there for a long time.

Freddy glanced at his watch and reminded Qin Xiong that it was time to leave. Qin Xiong's expression turned serious, and without turning back, he walked with Freddy towards the city center.

He silently resolved in his heart: The next time I come, I will wear Ajax's jersey! I will become the star here!

......

The most glorious memory of Ajax in recent times was in 1995, when the team led by Van Gaal reached the pinnacle of Europe and created the myth of having nine players in the starting lineup who were products of Ajax's youth academy. This record may be hard to break!

At the time, the mainstream European opinion was that Ajax would establish a dynasty and rule European football for an era!

Because, apart from a few players like Rijkaard, most of the key players of the 1995 generation were very young, such as Overmars, Van der Sar, and Kluivert.

However, the Bosman ruling changed the landscape of European football, giving players more power in negotiations with clubs. Ultimately, the 1995 generation of Ajax disintegrated over the following years, with stars moving to new homes for various reasons, such as better treatment or league competitiveness.

But Ajax did not fall into decline; they maintained a very high level of youth training.

In less than ten years, specifically in the 2002-2003 season, the Ajax youth team, led by head coach Ronald Koeman, sparked a youth revolution in European football!

Just four months ago, in the battle at San Siro, if it weren't for the last-minute goal by the Dane Thomas, Ajax would have advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, a team brimming with talent and youthful vigor!

The Bosman ruling changed the structure of European football, making player transfers more frequent, especially for players who suddenly gained fame in second-tier leagues, who would quickly be "locked" by top-tier clubs.

The new generation of Ajax failed to establish a dynasty. At the end of last season, they suffered a double blow: failing to defend their league title, and in the summer, losing two key players, Chivu and Van der Vaart, to Italian clubs. Perhaps for Ajax, a club with Jewish roots, this was not a blow. In the process of keeping up with the times, Ajax began to waver from its past traditions: the goal of youth training!

In the past, Ajax always insisted that the goal of youth training was not to sell players for a good price, but to strengthen the team and win championships!

But in the post-Bosman era, with the huge profits from selling players year after year, on one hand, the club was unable to retain talented players, and on the other hand, the board was tempted by the attractive offers from wealthy investors, and the club reluctantly bowed to reality.

The departure of Chivu and Van der Vaart brought Ajax 30 million euros in revenue. At the same time, the club, to preserve its traditional dignity, invited the legendary coach Van Gaal back as technical director. However, this decision sparked internal conflicts from the very beginning.

During Van Gaal's tenure as head coach at Ajax, he was the "king" from top to bottom in the club, from the first team to the youth academy, from tactics to player training, everything was under his control, and no one had more power than him. Now, with Koeman as head coach and Van Gaal back as strategic designer, the situation was awkward, like two tigers on one mountain.

The departure of two key players from the first team forced Ajax to make significant changes to their tactical system for the new season.

The current captain, Van der Vaart, now hailed as Europe's top talent, previously played as a forward. In the new season, Koeman moved him back, which triggered a tactical change for Ajax. From the first three matches of the new season, the results were not ideal.

Ajax played three away matches in the new season.

The first was a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Austria's Grazer AK, where Ajax could only manage a 1-1 draw away.

In the first two away matches of the new league season, against Vitesse and Roda JC, both mid-to-lower table teams, Ajax could only win by a single goal, struggling compared to their smooth and fluid play in the previous season.

......

Freddy and Qin Xiong arrived at the place they had arranged before coming. It was close to the Ajax Stadium and had cheaper rent. They did not stay in a hotel or motel, as accommodation in Amsterdam was too expensive.

The landlord was a local old man living alone, who seemed to be quite content, without the loneliness of old age. He was chatting and drinking with two other old men in front of the apartment. After checking Freddy and Qin Xiong's IDs, he gave them the room keys and told them to put the rent and deposit on the table in the living room on the first floor. The rules for renting were posted next to the fridge, and they had to read them before moving in. If they didn't want to rent, they could just leave.

Freddy and Qin Xiong entered the three-story apartment. This small building was an independent apartment, with guest rooms on the second and third floors.

Next to the fridge on the first floor, Freddy and Qin Xiong carefully read the rules posted by the landlord.

The rules mainly prohibited things like prostitution, loud noise, and specified hygiene requirements, as well as clear usage rights for items in the apartment, such as not using the landlord's washing machine or cooking in the apartment. The landlord was considerate enough to provide a guide on another sheet of paper: where to eat cheaply and where to find a laundromat...

After reading the rules, Qin Xiong frowned and said, "It seems quite inconvenient."

Freddy took out a calculator from his suitcase, did some calculations, and then sighed, "But it's still cheap here. If we go elsewhere, it's either far from the stadium and inconvenient for transportation, or the rent is even higher. Let's stay here for now. Maybe you'll sign with Ajax, and the club will provide better accommodation."

Qin Xiong had no room to argue. He had no money on this trip, and he didn't want to ask how much Freddy had brought, as he didn't want to rely on others.

Carrying their luggage up to the third floor, Freddy and Qin Xiong divided the rooms. The rooms were quite clean, but the furnishings were quite meager: a bed, a desk and chair, and a wardrobe, and that was it...

Fortunately, Qin Xiong didn't have high requirements. He put his luggage down and asked Freddy for some money, then went downstairs. On the way, he remembered a small store nearby.

He went to the store and bought the cheapest alarm clock.

For him, it was also a race against time. He needed to adjust his body to its best state in the shortest time possible!

Because he only had two days until his trial with Ajax!

Holding the alarm clock, Qin Xiong went to the shared bathroom on the third floor to wash up, then returned to his room and took off his sportswear. He had eaten before coming here, so he lay down on the bed, picked up the alarm clock, and set the time. It was not yet 8 PM, but he planned to sleep, at least until 6 AM the next morning, for ten hours of sleep to adjust to the time difference.

He tested the alarm, and everything worked fine. He set the alarm for 6 AM the next day and placed it next to his pillow. The landlord was really stingy, not even providing a bedside table!

After doing all this, Qin Xiong closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and used steady, rhythmic breathing to "self-hypnotize" himself to sleep. In the Jiangcheng Youth Football Home, coaches and doctors taught methods to help fall asleep, and over time, he had developed good habits.

The room's soundproofing was quite good, isolating the outside noise, leaving a peaceful silence.

Tick, tick, tick......

Qin Xiong had 52 hours left before his trial with Ajax......

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