Chapter 1 What's So Special About Scoring in the Dutch Premier League?

"What's so special about scoring in the Dutch Premier League? Excitement, thrill, or calmness?" Li Yan casually threw out the first question.

"Excitement, a little thrilled," Zhang Jun answered, as the question was about him.

"Yeah, so thrilled he got up early in the morning and went to the bathroom to admire himself in the mirror, haha!" Yang Pan laughed from the side.

"Hey! This is an interview, don't ruin my glorious image in front of the domestic fans!" Zhang Jun glared at him.

Yang Pan laughed even harder.

Li Yan and Wang Hua also laughed. They were indeed two carefree teenagers, thinking only about playing football, so simple.

Once everyone finished laughing, Li Yan continued, "I saw your game against Eindhoven in person. To be honest, I didn't expect to see Chinese players in the Netherlands... You're still very young, how did you get to this point?"

...

Li Yan leaned back, captivated by their story. "So, you came from amateur student leagues to become professional players? Tsk tsk! I didn't expect student football, after so much development, to finally bear fruit!" Li Yan exclaimed. When he was in college, there wasn't a national college football league. Elementary, middle, and high school games were also independent, lacking an effective and unified competition organizer. Many talented student players were submerged in a sea of books and exam pressures.

"You've been playing together since elementary school, no wonder your teamwork is so extraordinary! That goal against Eindhoven was really beautiful! A perfect display of teamwork!" Li Yan praised them, making them feel embarrassed.

"It was just one goal, hehe, nothing much!"

"You can't say that! Think about it, how many fans are there in China, and how many players? How many of them play abroad? And how many succeed abroad? This is a matter of national honor!" Li Yan explained to them.

Yang Pan remained silent. What Li Yan said made sense. As Chinese players, their every move abroad was related to foreigners' views on Chinese football. The more successful they were, the more attention Chinese football would receive.

However, Zhang Jun hesitated slightly and expressed a different opinion: "But... as a forward, isn't scoring goals on the field what we're supposed to do?"

Li Yan was stunned by the question and couldn't find an answer for a moment.

He waved his hand, didn't answer Zhang Jun's question, and cleverly changed the subject: "So, are you used to this place? Coming from China to the distant Netherlands, you're still kids, not even finished with college, yet now you're fighting in professional games. Are you used to this change in life?"

His words darkened Zhang Jun and Yang Pan's expressions, obviously evoking their homesickness. After all, they were still kids. No matter how glorious they were on the field, missing home was unavoidable.

Zhang Jun remained silent, while Yang Pan looked at the grass and then up at the club's office building in the distance: "There's not much to get used to, training, games, the days go by quickly, and every day... is pretty fulfilling."

Li Yan knew that letting the atmosphere remain somber wouldn't be good for the interview, so he decided to ask a question that would lighten the mood: "How are you getting along with your teammates here? Have you made any friends?"

Sure enough, Zhang Jun's eyes lit up, and he turned to look at his teammates who were resting. "Yeah! There's Keizer, Luirink, Buys, and Heuvel from the Ajax youth team, and the funny Ouichou... Captain Holwijn also takes good care of us, so we were able to integrate into the team so quickly!" Zhang Jun became energetic when he talked about these things.

"What kind of person is Keizer?"

"He's a great defensive midfielder. His idol and goal is Juventus's defensive midfielder Davids, and their styles are quite similar. He gave us a lot of support in training and games. I remember that he made a long pass from the backfield to Yang Pan earlier."

"Well, what's your impression of Volendam club?"

"It's great, everyone gets along well, and the team atmosphere is good right now," Zhang Jun answered.

"I think this is a very energetic club. Although it's small and not famous, everyone is young and always improving. In this kind of place, learning from each other and helping each other, you can learn a lot," Yang Pan replied.

"What about your impression of this place?"

"It's a very comfortable place, with blue skies and green water. Maybe because it's small, everyone is friendly and enthusiastic, and the customs are simple," Zhang Jun answered.

"Compared to Amsterdam..."

"Ha! Amsterdam!" Yang Pan laughed, remembering Keizer's vivid account of the "colorful nightlife of the Dutch sex capital," which made him wonder if the kid had experienced it himself. "For some people, it's paradise, but for others, it's hell." He shook his head.

"But Ajax is there..."

"Ajax? I don't think that proves anything. If we play normally, we're fully capable of defeating them!" Yang Pan's words revealed his confidence.

But Li Yan gasped inwardly: What big words! Most football fans in the world have never heard of Volendam, but not many don't know Ajax. They're clearly teams of different levels! You were able to tie with Eindhoven because you appeared as surprise players, and the opponents didn't understand your technical characteristics, plus a certain degree of underestimation, allowed you to succeed. In the future, when your opponents have thoroughly studied you, meeting a team like Ajax, it would be a stroke of luck just to avoid losing.

All of the above were thoughts in his heart. Li Yan smiled and said, "It's good for young people to have confidence! It's getting late, so please tell me about your ideals."

Zhang Jun thought of Kaka, "Work hard to gain a firm foothold in the Dutch league, and then go to a top European league."

"I want the same as him," Yang Pan pointed to Zhang Jun beside him.

"How was it?" On the way back to the hotel, Wang Hua asked Li Yan while driving.

"Not bad, I basically understand everything, they spoke in great detail." Li Yan responded while using Wang Hua's phone to make a call back to China. "Hello, please transfer me to the editor-in-chief's office. Hello? Editor-in-chief? This is Xiao Li, I'm in the Netherlands right now. Yes, that matter is almost done. Now all that's missing are their domestic files. Yes, yes, I'll find Yan Wei to take care of it. He's been with me for so long, this shouldn't be difficult for him. Okay, I'll call him right away, and once everything is ready, I'll try to send the manuscript back next Monday."

Li Yan hung up the phone and then dialed his partner in China, Yan Wei: "Yan Wei? This is Li Yan... You're the one who's dead! Stop saying unlucky things! I'm in the Netherlands right now... Going back to China? I'm afraid I can't go back in the short term... What? I don't care how you do it! You've been with me for so long, don't you have any staying power? I tell you you're stupid, and you start sniffling! You should be promoted too, don't always be my partner, do your own thing... Bah! Raven's mouth! What will and testament? Okay, it's an international call, I won't joke with you. I need you to help me with something. I want you to go to Luoyang, Henan, to collect information on two people. I'll email you the specifics. Remember, it must be detailed, find everything you can, then organize it and send it to my email by Sunday. Yes, yes, that's it, nothing else. Please take care of things, I'll bring you some autographed photos of football stars when I return!"

Wang Hua smiled and said to Li Yan, "Your partner is very interesting!"

"Hey! Too talkative! But I'm very confident in leaving this kind of thing to him."

"What are your plans next?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to stay in Volendam, keeping an eye on every piece of news and every game. The company has already applied for an interview permit for me in the Netherlands, but it's going to trouble you." Li Yan closed his notebook and leaned his head back on the seat.

"Hehe! What are you being polite for? We've been friends since we were kids, this little help is nothing?" Wang Hua said with a smile while driving, "Speaking of which, I see you're taking this so seriously, are you really that confident in those two kids?"

"Life is a gamble, sometimes taking risks can lead to unexpected gains! I'm not going to think so much now, I'll just do it first. In a few years, a decade or more, when I look back, everything will be clear."

"Hehe! When did you become a philosopher?"

"Did I?" Li Yan sat up straight and said seriously, "To be honest, I'm a reporter with a little fame in China, I understand a lot of things, but it's hard to say. If these two kids were developing in China, I wouldn't put so much effort into it, they'd just be mixing in the Jia A league at best. But now they're in the Netherlands, the Netherlands known for developing youth players, and I happened to run into them, do you think I can easily give up?"

"Ha! Sharp-nosed old hound! But you're really lucky, I just wanted to take you to see an ordinary Dutch league game, but I didn't expect to see an extraordinary game..."

"No!" Li Yan interrupted Wang Hua, "It should be said that they're the lucky ones, to have started their professional football careers in the Netherlands, instead of in China..."

The Dutch Cup is another important competition separate from the Dutch League. What makes it attractive is that the team that wins the Dutch Cup will qualify for the UEFA Cup the following season. For those mid-tier teams whose strength is not as good as the traditional top three, this is another way to enter the European arena and increase revenue.

Volendam's opponent this week is still a First Division team, the Go Ahead Eagles, currently ranked second in the First Division. In the first round of the cup, Volendam was having a bad year, even being forced into a difficult situation by a First Division opponent in the cup, and finally winning by a penalty shootout. The fans were very dissatisfied with this game, they believed that the team was already a Premier League team, but they couldn't even handle a First Division team, which was really embarrassing. So this game, Volendam not only had to win, but also had to win beautifully and without any suspense. To be honest, after staying in the First Division for a year, Adriaanse still knew a lot about Go Ahead Eagles, a team with the strength to enter the Premier League, but whose performance was very unstable. Sometimes they would play smoothly, with a surging offense, but when things weren't going well, they would collapse quickly. Facing such a team, he would first stabilize his position with defense to consume the opponent's energy, and then launch a large-scale counterattack. The difference in strength would eventually be reflected.

"Qiu, what do you think about the arrangement for Zhang Jun and Yang Pan?" Adriaanse asked Qiu Suhui opposite him.

Qiu Suhui took a sip of coffee: "I think that although the two of them had very outstanding performances in the last game, their physical fitness has not fully met the requirements of professional games, and it seems to be a bit difficult to cope with the entire game. I suggest letting the two of them play in the second half."

"Well, but if I replace two players at once, if there is an unexpected situation later, I will only have one substitution quota left, which is very unfavorable."

"This..." Qiu Suhui didn't consider the factor that there are only three substitution quotas, "Then what do you think, teacher?"

"You're right, although Les laid the foundation for Zhang Jun and Yang Pan when they were in the youth team, training and competition are different, and just because there are no problems with physical fitness in training doesn't mean there won't be problems in the game. But I still plan to put Yang Pan in the starting lineup. From training, his physical reserves seem to be better. As for Zhang Jun, I'll let him play in the second half," Adriaanse wrote Yang Pan's name on the starting list, and put Zhang Jun's name on the bench.

When Zhang Jun learned from Coach Qiu Suhui that he was a substitute for this cup game, his heart skipped a beat. Yang Pan could get into the starting lineup, why couldn't he? It must be his poor performance on Monday that made the coach angry, his professional career was over, a permanent substitute, it seemed that he was destined to sit on the bench for the rest of his life...

"Zhang Jun."

Hearing Coach Qiu calling him, Zhang Jun raised his head.

"Don't overthink things, the reason we didn't arrange for you to start is because, based on recent physical reserves, your physical fitness is not as good as Yang Pan's, so we will arrange for you to play in the second half." Qiu Suhui seemed to see through Zhang Jun's thoughts. "Your body needs to adapt to the rhythm of the game step by step, so we will gradually increase your playing time, don't worry." He patted Zhang Jun's head and smiled.

As soon as Qiu Suhui left, Yang Pan kicked Zhang Jun's butt: "Damn! You must be feeling unbalanced again, right?"

Zhang Jun smiled wryly at Yang Pan: "Playing in the second half, will it be in time?"

Yang Pan naturally knew what he meant by "in time," he patted Zhang Jun on the shoulder: "If you come on the field, just wait for the shot, I'll pass the ball to you!"

Tomorrow was the game day, Zhang Jun saw Li Yan and his partner outside the training ground again, he walked over: "Um, reporter Li, when will your interview be published?"

Li Yan looked at Zhang Jun somewhat strangely.

"I, I mean, when can people in China see this report?"

"Heh! It should be on Monday. What's wrong? Do you want to see it too?" Li Yan said with a smile.

"No, no, I just want someone to see it... Will you report on tomorrow's game too?"

Li Yan nodded: "Yes, that's for sure."

"Oh, that's good, that's good." Zhang Jun muttered to himself as he walked back to the training ground. The break time was over, and he had to continue training.

Li Yan looked at Zhang Jun's back, not understanding what he meant by what he had just asked, he turned to Wang Hua beside him and asked: "Do you understand? What he just said..."

Wang Hua also shook his head.

The Veronica Stadium, which can only accommodate 6,000 people, is Volendam's home stadium. It's truly a small place, but it's the largest building in the Volendam area.

October 17, Saturday, the second round of the Dutch Cup, Premier League team Volendam hosts First Division team Go Ahead Eagles. After this game, Volendam will also challenge league opponent De Graafschap away, two games in three days is a test of the players' physical fitness, and the oath made by Adriaanse is just two games away.

Veronica's facilities are old and the locker room is so small with poor sound insulation. The noise from inside the stadium can be heard clearly.

Adriaanse raised his voice slightly to speak: "...Everyone understands their tasks, right? We are at home, and I believe everyone also knows what the fans expect of us. This game must be won, and it must be won beautifully! We have another league game next, so don't waste too much energy here with your opponents. Start by defending steadily, and then seize the opportunity to counterattack!"

Wang Bo didn't have to follow Zhang Jun and Yang Pan anymore, this was Qiu Suhui's suggestion, don't find a translator for Zhang Jun and Yang Pan. What they needed now was not a crutch, but to walk independently. And if the two of them had something they didn't understand, there was now a "translator" in the team who was a thousand times better than Wang Bo. Qiu Suhui's expression of football terminology and tactical ideas was very accurate, and there would be no misunderstandings. Qiu Suhui whispered Adriaanse's words to the two of them, and at the end, he said to Yang Pan: "Yang Pan, don't be too selfless, you are a forward now, you need to shoot more, you need to know that a forward who doesn't shoot is no different from an ornament. Whether in games or training, shoot more."

Yang Pan nodded.

"Also, Zhang Jun, watch carefully on the bench, this is also a kind of training, observe the situation on the field, and then make your own thoughts, think about what you should do in that situation, and then compare it with the choices made by your teammates on the field to see, is yours better, or is his better? When you come on the field, put what you have thought about into practice. If your ideal is to be a great forward, seize every opportunity you can!"

When the stadium announcer shouted "Number 25, Yang Pan!" the cheers from the whole stadium were the loudest, because it was this suddenly emerging Chinese teenager who assisted Zhang Jun in the last league game to tie the score. Through television broadcasts, he and Zhang Jun had become heroes in the hearts of the fans.

Zhang Jun sat on the bench watching Yang Pan raise his hands very professionally to greet the fans. Although he knew that the coach's arrangement was correct, there was still a little jealousy in his heart. He should have been the one receiving such cheers from the entire stadium.

In this game, Adriaanse arranged for Ouichou and Yang Pan to partner up. This combination had only been practiced for two days in training. Adriaanse didn't expect this combination to score goals for him. He just hoped to defend steadily in the first half and wear down the opponent's energy. Then he would send Zhang Jun on in the second half to decide the outcome.

After the game started, both sides exchanged attacks and defenses, and the fans sang and shouted passionately in the stands. Everything was normal.

When the game reached the twentieth minute, the away team, Go Ahead Eagles, failed to attack, and was intercepted by Keizer in the middle, launching a counterattack. He passed the ball to Buys, who passed it directly to Yang Pan.

Yang Pan quickly inserted himself, and the Volendam fans who had seen Yang Pan's speed on TV began to shout loudly.

The opponent's defender had received special instructions from the coach before the game to be careful of number 25's speed and crosses, because this was the key to them tying with Eindhoven. Therefore, the defender tried very hard to keep up with Yang Pan's speed, and always stayed inside to prevent Yang Pan from crossing.

But they had all ignored Yang Pan's other weapon, a heavy weapon.

"Forwards should be a little selfish."

"If you think you can shoot, then shoot!"

Yang Pan roared and suddenly raised his right foot while running at high speed, about 31 meters away from the goal, he took a powerful shot!

The football flew towards Go Ahead Eagles' goal with amazing momentum. The goalkeeper tried hard to save the ball, but he was clearly half a beat too slow. The football had already gone into the far corner of the goal before he could dive!

Goal!

Long shot! Super long shot!

"Goooooooooooooooooooal!!" The stadium announcer roared with a long voice, and the stands became a sea of ​​joy.

After scoring, Yang Pan ran to the coaching bench and hugged Adriaanse. He used this goal to thank Adriaanse for his appreciation and his teaching.

Zhang Jun also stood up and patted Yang Pan: "Good job, you scored too!" He wasn't as excited as the other teammates, because he had seen too many of Yang Pan's goals like this. And although his teammates had also seen Yang Pan's foot skills in training, they were still very excited to see Yang Pan score in the game.

Jumping down from the coach, Yang Pan waved his fist at the home fans in the stands, this action made the applause in the stands even louder.

Li Yan said to Wang Hua next to him: "What a powerful shot! The visiting team has already failed, being scored by such a shot is really demoralizing."

Wang Hua thought for a while: "Korean football has always had a strong long-range shooting ability, and now we have someone like this in China!"

Yang Pan's goal ignited the first explosion at the Veronica Stadium. Later, Yang Pan always believed that this goal against a First Division team was the most important goal in his life. "Because of this goal, I believe that I have not taken the wrong path, and there is nothing that can stop me anymore, and if there is, it will be shattered by me one by one!" He wrote in his memoir.

And because of this, later when he repeatedly performed such signature goals, he also got a lifelong nickname:

"Cannon" Yang Pan.