The Godfather of Football

Chapter 49: Champion's Destiny

In the dim living room, a TV video with rough quality was being played.

In the picture, young Louis Van Gaal is smoking heavily. Although the rough picture quality makes it difficult to see his specific expression, you can still guess the anxiety in his heart at this moment, because the stalemate on the scene makes him He felt miserable and needed nicotine to relieve his emotions.

On the court, Ajax, wearing red and black jerseys, was fighting with AC Milan, wearing white jerseys.

For nearly an hour and a half, no one was able to break through the opponent's goal. They missed the goal countless times. This has greatly consumed the enthusiasm of the players of both teams and even the fans in the stands.

This kind of competition is more like a kind of torture!

But as the winner who already knew the result, Van Praag in the living room was waiting patiently, because he knew that soon an Ajax player would bravely step forward to break the deadlock and Completely sending AC Milan to the guillotine.

His name was Patrick Kluivert, and he was 18 years old that year.

"Kluivert, who came on as a substitute, was dribbling the ball. He was taking a lot of steps, and the defensive players around him were squeezing him physically, which made him a little bit off balance!"

"Oh, crap, Kluivert lost his balance, did he fall to the ground?"

But just when everyone thought Kluivert was going to fall to the ground, they didn't expect that the tall Dutch forward would use his left foot in an awkward way, almost half-kneeling. The ball hit AC Milan's goal.

At that moment, all the Ajax fans in the audience were stunned, followed by cheers that were almost like a roaring tsunami.

The young Kluivert rushed to the sidelines and accepted the cheers and cheers from his teammates, Ajax staff on the sidelines, and countless fans. This goal made him forever recorded in Ajax. Sri Lanka's history.

The picture is fixed on Van Gaal!

The cigarette held between his index and middle fingers was burned out, but Van Gaal obviously forgot about this and let the long ash disappear along with his action of standing up due to excitement and excitement. The action of raising his arms and shouting also made Van Praag hold down the pause button, and the scene was frozen.

Van Gaal on TV is very young, but he is already 44 years old.

Human psychology is very strange. The more depressed you are, the more you like to remember the glory of the past that no longer exists, and the easier it is to dream of rediscovering the past with unrealistic illusions. of brilliance.

Van Praag has watched this video countless times in the past two or three years. Every time he watches it, he can find something different in it.

He also understood that it might not be the video that brought him different stimulation, but his mood.

And what he watched was not the video, but the decision he made in 1991.

The living room suddenly became brighter, and Mrs. Van Praag appeared in the living room in her pajamas. She was a very traditional Dutch woman.

"Why don't you turn on the lights? Watching TV in the dark is bad for your eyes!"

Van Praag raised his head and looked at his wife. She was old, but he dared to say that there was no other person in the world who could understand him like her. So he patted the sofa seat next to him and asked his wife to sit down. .

"Didn't I get a Dutch cup?" My wife saw the TV picture, and she was too familiar with it.

Van Praag sighed, "Yes, I won the Dutch Cup, but it reminded me of a lot of things."

"Tell me something!" His wife knew that what he needed at this time was to talk.

"The person who won the Dutch Cup is the head coach of the second team, a young man who is only 25 years old."

The wife tilted her head slightly, "The one you mentioned before is called...Ye...Qiu?"

Her Chinese pronunciation was very awkward, and Van Praag couldn't help but feel happy. She smiled and nodded, "It's him."

"So what?" the wife asked again.

Van Praag sighed again, "Earlier, he submitted his resignation to me, and now he is free."

"Why? Is the club not good enough for him?" the wife asked in confusion.

Van Praag shook his head, then repeated Ye Qiu's explanation, and then looked at his wife quietly, as if waiting for something, or perhaps, what he needed was support.

"If it were me, I would consider leaving too!" The wife nodded.

"Really?" Van Praage smiled bitterly.

"What did Bobby say?"

Van Praag thought of the secret talks they had in the Arena Stadium office during the day when the second team was marching around the city. Bobby Harms did not give him any advice like in the past because he felt , I can’t understand Ye Qiu either.

"Bobby said that he has never seen someone like Ye Qiu who has improved so quickly in his life. He feels that with Ye Qiu's current strength, he is fully qualified to coach alone, and there are currently many Dutch Eredivisie teams hoping to Invite him to coach, I heard that Utrecht and Nijmegen have had some contact with him. "

After hearing this, the wife felt relieved. She looked at her husband and felt that it was time to say something.

"I remember, the last time I saw Bobby was during the team's centenary celebration. We lost that game. Bobby said something to me at that time, which impressed me deeply. He said, Ajax What is needed is a new president!”

A trace of anger flashed in Van Praag's eyes. Could it be that even the person he trusted the most no longer supported him?

"I think Bobby's words are not asking you to step down, but they are telling me that what Ajax needs is not a president who always lives in the past and dare not bravely accept reality."

After hearing this, Van Praag's anger disappeared, replaced by a look of frustration.

"Michael, I think Ye Qiu is right. It will be very painful to scrape off the rotten flesh, but after the pain is over, new flesh will grow out quickly, and you will be healed quickly. But if you keep it because you are afraid of the pain, the rotten flesh will slowly... If it spreads, it will slowly devour the body. If you wait until the day comes, it will be too late.”

This was what Van Praage heard Ye Qiu say, and later relayed it to his wife. Now, his wife uses these words to persuade him.

Sometimes, the reason why a person hesitates is not because he cannot tell right from wrong, but because he is not firm enough. Therefore, if someone comes to help him at this time, the matter may be in a completely different situation.

After hearing this, Van Praag patted his wife's hand and nodded, "I know what to do!"

…………

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Early the next morning, as soon as Bobby Harms arrived at Detok Most, a staff member immediately told him that the chairman had just arrived.

This made Bobby Harms stunned, and then he went directly to the administrative office of Arenal Stadium.

"Bobby!" Van Prager was sitting behind the desk. As soon as he saw Bobby Harms walking in, he immediately called him over.

Bobby Harms could detect some strange changes in Van Praag's brows.

"I heard that several players from the second team are preparing to transfer, right?" Van Praag asked with concern.

Westerhoff has resigned. Judging from his coaching performance at Ajax, I am afraid there will be no chance to coach alone again, and Harris Huizinger he brought has also been sent to the club. In the transfer market, there are currently many teams interested in repurchasing him, including Heerenveen, but the price must be discounted.

The departure of Waters and Westhoff has left a power vacuum in Detok Moster. In addition, the first-team coach is currently undecided. Leo Benhak continues to play soy sauce, so many things have to be done. Delay tactics, or leave it to Bobby Harms to take care of it.

"Yes, Kurul has decided to submit a written application. He seems very dissatisfied with being replaced by Ye Qiu in the final, and Van Drew also vaguely revealed that he will not be reused in Ajax."

"There is no sense of teamwork!" Van Praag shook his head.

After a pause, Van Praag looked at Bobby Harms, "Bobby, I have something to discuss with you!"

"Say it!" Bobby Harms' attitude was very sincere.

"If, I mean if, I let you choose, Co. Adrianse or Ye Qiu?"

After hearing this, Bobby Harms raised his head and looked at Van Praag.

"Don't worry, I don't mean anything else. I just want to hear your answer." Van Praag smiled.

Bobby Harms smiled, "It depends on what your goal is. In my opinion, what Co Adrianse is best at is cultivating young players. When he was in Detok Most , Van Gaal is in the first team, and the two have a tacit understanding, which has created the renaissance of Ajax. I believe the reason why you have always wanted to invite him is for this reason, right?”

Van Praag did not deny that his preference for Adrianse was indeed somewhat influenced by the Van Gaal era.

It can be said that the reason why there are so many talents in the Van Gaal era is inseparable from Adrianse's excellence in Detok Most, but everyone remembers Van Gaal and no one pays attention to Adrianse.

"Since Adrianse coached alone these years, I think he lacks the leadership qualities to lead the team to the championship, and the ability to bring changes to the team at critical moments, so if you look at his Willem II, The progress is very fast, but so what? Have you won the championship?”

"From the perspective of the ability of a head coach, Ye Qiu has no advantages in any aspect. He lacks resume, experience, and even the ability to guide players to improve. But Ye Qiu is a person who can lead the ball. The leader of the team that won the championship, look at the boys in the second team. Without Ye Qiu, they are just a mess, but with Ye Qiu, PSV and Feyenoord can be killed. This is the difference!"

Bobby Harms' words did not clearly say who should be chosen, but analyzed the abilities and characteristics of the two.

Adriance's coaching ability and qualifications naturally don't need to be said, but he lacks championship prospects. It's not that there are no such head coaches. On the contrary, there are many, just like Ranieri, who is known as the tinker. , this is such a sad fate.

But Ye Qiu, at first glance, everything seems to be bad, nothing is as good as Adriance, but don’t forget that coaching ability and coaching experience can be continuously improved with accumulation, but if you want to start from an accurate The transformation of a champion coach into a champion coach is a huge threshold. How many people can cross it?

Van Praag was silently thinking about it in his mind, while Bobby Harms sat silently opposite him, and the two of them were speechless.

"Yesterday, players from the second team such as Van der Vaart and Sneijder came to the office to meet with me, and they talked about Ye Qiu. They all expressed their hope that the club can retain Ye Qiu."

Without waiting for Bobby Harms to answer, Van Praag continued: "In the past few days, some people on the board of directors have begun secret negotiations. They all feel that the current situation of the club makes the fans very dissatisfied, so if If the team’s performance doesn’t improve, they may even impeach me!”

Given Van Praag's status in Dutch football, the board may not necessarily impeach him, but it may take the initiative to persuade him to quit, and then let him serve as an honorary chairman of Ajax or other fictitious positions, and re-select someone with ability and courage. To be the president of Ajax.

"So..." Van Praag smiled, "If nothing unexpected happens, the head coach of the new season will probably be the last head coach I select. Everyone will be prosperous, and everyone will suffer losses!"

The words were serious, but they were said in a somewhat relaxed and freehand tone.

The more this happened, the more Bobby Harms felt that the ambitious Van Praag was finally back. After so many things, he finally decided to take this step and take a bold gamble. It’s time!

"Come on, come with me to meet Ye Qiu!"

Bobby Harms laughed after hearing this, "Then I'll give Van Dude a call!"

"What are you calling him for?" Van Praage was stunned.

Bobby Harms laughed, "We made an appointment to have dinner at Ye Qiu's place!"

…………

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Sometimes, this man is a foodie.

Ye Qiu only occasionally praised them in front of them, saying that his Huang Chu's cooking was delicious. Unexpectedly, this group of guys didn't get the chance on weekdays. Now that they were on holiday, they all started to try their best to get some food. .

They said they were going to eat Chinese food, but this guy Rick Link brought a bottle of red wine. What the hell, do you want to drink red wine with Chinese food?

Roland, this kid is even more awesome. He simply brought nothing with his hands and said he did so with a mouth. How shameless!

There are only two or three people in Ye Qiu's home on weekdays. Roland occasionally comes over to have a meal. In the past few days, Eliza Moon has also moved in, but it is still a bit deserted. Until today, a guest came. It became lively.

Two women were busy in the kitchen, while three men were chatting in the living room.

"Hey, why haven't Bobby and Van Dude arrived yet?" Ye Qiu gently bumped Roland with his elbow.

"How do I know?" Roland, a foodie, was drooling as he smelled the aroma wafting from the kitchen.

Rick Link's face was salivating, "I ate Huang Chu's cooking last time, and when I went home to eat my wife's cooking, it didn't taste anymore. You kid is really lucky." After saying that, this sly look The guy raised his eyebrows, "How is it? Have you got her?"

"Let me choke you, who do you think I am?" Ye Qiu said with an expression like "Get away from me."

"Aren't I thinking about you?" Ricklink said more unfairly than him. "The girls are so nice, but you are alone in Amsterdam. If you leave, I tell you, there will be a lot of them by then. What should you do if no one is around when someone comes to your door? "

"I believe her!" Ye Qiu replied.

"Do you believe it's useless? You have to be obsessed with chasing girls, do you understand?" Not to mention, Rick Link seems to be a bit like a doctor of love. Unexpectedly, this guy is usually cool, but now But he pretended to be a lover.

"Hey, didn't your wife say she was introduced by someone else? Have you ever been in love?" Roland was unconvinced.

"I've never been in love, have you?"

Seeing the two old men in front of him exposing each other's secrets, Ye Qiu finally understood. These two guys were probably just idiots in love. No wonder their wives didn't look very good. How could they know how to chase girls?

Just when Ricklink and Roland were arguing, the doorbell rang.

Ye Qiu ran over to open the door, only to see Fan Praag standing outside the door. Next to him were Bobby Harms and Fan Dude, who were carrying large and small bags. Looking at them like that, he thought they were going to kill the whole family. The supermarkets have all been moved here.

"What? Not welcome?" Van Praag asked with a smile.

"Oh, no, no, no, welcome, of course welcome!" Ye Qiu immediately let them in.

Huang Chu and Eliza both came out of the kitchen. The former was the chef, while the latter was just a soy sauce maker. When they saw so many things, they were shocked. How could they eat so much for just a few people?

"I thought, I never had a chance to get together with you. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone is here today, I invited you to have a dinner, so I called Van der Vaart and Sneijder over. They should be here soon." Van Praag said with a laugh.

Of course Ye Qiu was happy, but the house he rented was not big, and there were suddenly so many people there. What should he do?

"Why don't we go to the yard and have a barbecue!" Huang Chu had an idea and suggested.

Anyway, Van Praag and the others bought a lot of meat, just in time for barbecue.

"Okay, let's have barbecue!"

None of the people in the group had any objections, and everyone immediately started to roll up their sleeves to help.

When they arrived in Amsterdam, Ye Qiu was alone at first, and later he and Huang Chu shared a room, which was basically just two people. How could there be so many people like today, especially after Van der Vaart and the others arrived one after another, there were even more people. There are so many that the yard is full and spread directly to the shade of the trees on the road.

Even later, the police, security guards of the community, and neighbors all knew Ajax's group, and another group of people joined in, until it turned into a food carnival.

Among so many foods, Huang Chu's cooking is the most popular.

Several Chinese dishes, plus several authentic Shanghai snacks she carefully prepared, made this group of foreigners who had never tasted real Chinese food eat so much that they couldn't swallow their tongues and praised it endlessly.

Among so many excited people, Eliza secretly raised her eyebrows at Ye Qiu, who knew it well.

There is a saying that no one comes to the temple for no reason. Van Praag personally came to the door, it must not be just a simple dinner.

It is posted on time, I don't know how the effect is, dear friends, is it on time?

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