Chapter 141: The Secret Behind Tang Ye's Number, An Away Match Against Espanyol!

Because they were selected for the Golden Boy Award candidate list, the popularity of Rashford, Asensio, and Tang Ye surged exponentially.

However, this heat was quickly overshadowed by the Ballon d'Or, as the 30-man list for the Ballon d'Or was released just one day after the 40-man list for the Golden Boy Award.

When the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo ignites, all so-called teenage geniuses will pale in comparison!

Of course, those who should pay attention to the Golden Boy Award will certainly maintain their focus.

For instance, Fernando Roig, the chairman of the Yellow Submarine club!

When the Golden Boy Award list was released, Roig was discussing matters related to renaming the El Madrigal Stadium with the Villarreal municipal government.

Jones, the deputy mayor sitting opposite him, reminded him.

"Fernando, the Golden Boy Award list is out!"

Roig waved his hand: "Jones, you also know that many Golden Boy Award geniuses ultimately fail to make it; football is about the entire career, having talent when young doesn't mean anything. When I was young, I nearly played in La Liga, yet I retired before turning thirty."

"The Ballon d'Or has substance; as for the Golden Boy Award, forget it."

Jones displayed his phone before Roig: "Are you sure you don't want to take a look..."

"To be honest, there's nothing worth seeing."

"Your players are on this list."

"Come, let me see."

Roig took the phone.

Golden Boy.

37th: Tang Ye (Villarreal, Utrecht).

"Holy shit!"

Roig suddenly stood up: "That's the Chinese kid; I know him!"

As club chairman, any transfer transaction exceeding one million euros required his signature for confirmation.

Roig naturally remembered Tang Ye; this was the Eredivisie prodigy that Escrivá had insisted on acquiring!

"Oh, those Italian journalists have finally been fair this time."

Roig sat back in his chair: "As you know, journalists always carry biases when voting for players, but this time they did really well. It seems the Golden Boy Award selection hasn't been controlled by capital like the Ballon d'Or yet."

Jones laughed heartily.

Roig immediately said: "If my memory serves, Villarreal has never had a player make the Golden Boy Award list? This is a great opportunity; we can promote him."

Villarreal itself is a small city famous for ceramics and football, and football plays a role in boosting the city's economy.

This is also why the municipal government strongly supports the Yellow Submarine, the city's only La Liga team.

They can enhance the influence of the city of Villarreal!

"Indeed, we can do that, but there is one matter I need to remind you of."

Roig turned his gaze over, and Jones slowly said: "He is your loaned player."

Damn it?

Roig returned the phone to Jones.

He needed to find someone to talk to!

He needed to have a serious talk with Escrivá!

"So why is he a loaned player? Ferran, tell me, why is he a loaned player!"

Roig paced back and forth in his office on the second floor of the training base.

Escrivá stood in place, not daring to make a sound for a long while.

Originally, the online violence from fans had already put him under immense pressure, and now the club chairman had arrived as well.

Escrivá felt so pressed he could barely breathe.

Thinking of Ten Hag, if it were Ten Hag... he would surely have a solution, right?

"Initially, we directly pushed for Tom's transfer; Utrecht's asking price was 12 million euros, a price we were completely willing to accept at the time."

Escrivá recounted the situation during that transfer window to Roig.

"Then why did it end up being a loan?"

Roig's voice was loud because he was indeed very angry now.

Good news: The team has produced a genius.

Bad news: It's someone else's genius!

Villarreal is currently training troops for Utrecht!

Once the eleven-month loan period ends, Tang Ye will return to Utrecht with everything he learned at Villarreal!

"It was originally 12 million euros, but that was the price stated in April; when we went to them with 12 million euros in June, Utrecht suddenly reneged!"

Escrivá rubbed his head: "Mr. Chairman, 20 million euros would be a bit of a stretch for us, so we switched plans to a 3 million euro loan lasting eleven months, ending exactly next June."

Oh?

Upon hearing "20 million euros," Roig, who was always sensitive to numbers, suddenly recalled.

Due to the exorbitant transfer fee of 20 million euros, a certain high-level executive of the club had intervened to stop this transfer.

As chairman, Roig would not punish that executive who blocked the transfer.

Because that person was fucking him himself!

"Alright, whatever!"

Roig threw his hands up: "After the Golden Boy Award winner is announced, I will send someone to the Netherlands; you need to find a way to add a buyout clause to Tom's contract."

Roig did not concern himself with tactical issues; he believed Tang Ye was worth cultivating, so they had to find a way to bring him over from Utrecht.

Such an outstanding player absolutely cannot remain in the Eredivisie!

"Mr. Chairman, why wait until after the Golden Boy award winner is announced before negotiating with Utrecht?"

Escrivá understood the logic, but Roig's choice of timing was indeed a bit strange.

"Tom's popularity is too high right now; those Dutchmen will definitely ask for an exorbitant price."

Roig explained: "Wait until the Golden Boy winner is announced. By then, Tom's status will change from 'nominee' to 'non-winner,' and the Dutch won't demand such a high price."

Oh!

Escrivá raised an eyebrow.

Although his eye for transfers was a bit off, one had to admit that Mr. Fernando was truly clever!

"OK, then it's settled."

Roig walked out of the office.

With the renaming of the El Madrigal Stadium imminent, he now needed to deal frequently with city government officials.

Just as Escrivá was preparing to see Roig off, the fellow suddenly stopped in his tracks: "By the way, Ferran, doesn't La Liga stipulate that first-team players can only wear jersey numbers 1 through 25? Why is Tom wearing number 99?"

"He wore number 99 when he was at Utrecht,"

Escrivá said.

Of course, that was only one of the reasons.

"He isn't 19 yet, so when we registered him with the Royal Spanish Football Federation, we used the identity of a youth team player, registering him for both the Primera Federación and La Liga. This way, he can wear a jersey number above 25 to participate in La Liga matches, allowing us to have one extra slot for a first-team player. As you know, we already have quite a large squad, and we bought five more players during the summer transfer window."

Escrivá chuckled.

"Other La Liga teams have at most 25 first-team players, but we have 26; Tom doesn't take up a slot."

Damn!

Roig couldn't help but applaud.

Three million euros a year!

A two-footed midfield genius!

Most importantly, he comes with the attribute of increasing the squad capacity by one!

Hell, how could there be such a perfect loan deal!

Snap!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv3: Simulation】

Proficiency: 92.5/100

After sending out a cross, Tang Ye lost his balance and fell to the ground upon completing the pass; getting up, he patted the grass clippings off his clothes.

Prompted by the system voice, Tang Ye realized his 45-degree cross skill was about to level up.

Once the level-up succeeded, this would be Tang Ye's second Lv4 skill.

Thinking of the absurdly high success rate of the Lv4 Curved Through Ball, Tang Ye felt a slight excitement.

"Damn!"

Aleix in the penalty area held his head and smiled bitterly.

What a pity; if he had positioned himself slightly further forward when Tang Ye made the pass, he might have secured the ball before Asenjo.

Fortunately, this was an intra-squad training match, not an official game!

It was about time; just as Asenjo prepared to kick off, Martí blew the whistle, and the first-team players rushed over from all directions to assemble.

Come to think of it, Yellow Submarine's training content today was a bit strange: Tang Ye, Aleix, and Bruno were playing a scrimmage, while Rodri had been called away by Escrivá to another training pitch.

Now that Martí had already ordered the players to assemble, Rodri and Escrivá were still chatting on the adjacent training pitch.

Escrivá kept talking, and Rodri kept nodding.

Pity Tang Ye couldn't read lips, so there was no way for him to know what Escrivá was saying.

"Hey, Ferran!"

Martí called out, and Escrivá, snapping to attention, hurried over with Rodri.

"We're playing Espanyol tomorrow afternoon; we'll depart by train at 9 AM. Here, I need to announce tomorrow's starting lineup first."

Martí handed the notebook to Escrivá, who read out the names on the list one by one.

"Hey, Sergio!"

Driven by curiosity, Tang Ye sneaked over to Rodri's side: "What did Mr. Ferran say to you? You two have been training on Pitch 3 for nearly an hour, right?"

Rodri lowered his head and said softly: "Tactical matters. Ferran asked me to adopt a different style of play."

So that's how it was...

Well, nothing interesting.

Tang Ye looked up at Escrivá; the Spanish head coach happened to be reading his name at that moment.

The next one was Rodri.

"Oh!"

Tang Ye patted Rodri's shoulder: "Sergio, you're in the starting lineup again!"

Rodri took a deep breath.

Tang Ye did not know how many tactical sacrifices Rodri had to make for this starting position.

Of course, Rodri was completely willing to do so.

As long as he could completely cover the positions Tang Ye lost during the match, just as Escrivá had said, he would secure a stable starting opportunity.

To become a stable starting midfielder for a mid-to-upper tier La Liga team at the age of 20!

Rodri's heart went thump-thump.

This was his chance!

……

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: At 12:30 AM Beijing Time on the early morning of October 3rd, in Round 7 of La Liga, Espanyol faces Villarreal, broadcast on CCTV5.

Currently, neither side has announced their starting lineups, but everyone knows that Tang Ye is highly likely to start.

I'll have to stay up late tomorrow night!

"China Media Group! This is..."

"The referee is already checking his watch!"

"Alright, the match has begun! Now, let me introduce the starting lineups for both teams, starting with the home team, Espanyol!"

Espanyol (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Diego López

Defenders: Diego Reyes, Javi López, David López

Midfielders: Marc Roca, Víctor Sánchez, Fuego, Caicedo

Forwards: Morelo, Pérez, Reyes

Head Coach: Flores

The classic segment for Spanish teams has arrived.

In today's match, the home team's starting lineup features three Lópezes and two Reyes!

Because there were too many people with the same name on the opposing side, Escrivá chose to call out jersey numbers directly when emphasizing tactics before the match.

Because if he called out names, the players would struggle to know which "López" he was actually referring to.

Yellow Submarine currently has possession; Escrivá stands on the sideline, watching the players on the field with intense focus, with the majority of his attention naturally fixed on Tang Ye.

Under the 4-2-3-1 formation, Tang Ye's positioning will be relatively advanced.

Barring any surprises, this guy always wants to run forward into the striker's position!

Of course, Escrivá's learning ability is very strong; after learning his lesson from the previous time, he is absolutely not going to open his mouth to speak this time!

In the 14th minute, Sansone dropped back in the attacking third to receive support; Tang Ye played a low, long pass directly to Sansone's feet, then immediately began running forward.

Here it comes!

Rodrigo, positioned further back, saw Tang Ye making a forward run and quickly rushed up to occupy the position Tang Ye had just vacated.

"Here, here!"

Tang Ye raised his hand at the edge of the penalty arc, his posture indicating he was already prepared to shoot.

Sansone is assessing the situation!

Adjusting slightly!

A feint shakes off Sánchez!

After one adjusting step, he crosses directly!

Wow!

Sánchez's pass was incredibly fast!

However, Tang Ye's concentration was extremely sharp; stopping this ball posed absolutely no problem for him!

But very quickly, Tang Ye encountered trouble; as he kept the ball at his feet and just began to adjust, two Lópezes inside the penalty area charged straight at him, while goalkeeper López also made his preparations.

Damn it!

Tang Ye thought rapidly on the spot.

Can't get greedy with this ball!

Glancing back, he saw Rodrigo right behind him, so Tang Ye immediately played a safe pass.

Passed to Rodrigo!

"Send it straight inside!"

Tang Ye shouted a reminder.

Two center-backs from the opposition had both come out to press him, leaving the penalty area relatively empty now.

This was a goal-scoring opportunity!

Rodrigo heard Tang Ye's words; since the ball Tang Ye kicked wasn't traveling fast, Rodrigo didn't even bother using his foot to stop it.

He lofted a high ball into the penalty area!

Crack!

Charging in!

Tang Ye summoned his courage, posing as a striker as he rushed into the penalty area.

This position is excellent!

Jump up!

Header!

Okay, as expected, no contact made!

Tang Ye, whose header had failed, landed back on his feet.

The home fans in the stands breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately grew tense again.

Although Tang Ye's header missed, his run from the edge of the arc into the penalty area had drawn the attention of Espanyol's defenders.

It's true that Tang Ye's header didn't connect, but Ale's position is now completely open!

Crack!

Ale extended his right foot, calmly volleying the ball into the net.

"GGG——OOOO——LLLLLL!!!"

"Goal!"

"Ale's goal! Tang Ye's feint was truly beautiful; Lopez completely failed to notice Ale running past on his right!"

"1:0, Villarreal takes the lead away from home!"

Awesome!

Tang Ye had already prepared to raise his hand and apologize, never expecting Ale to be so reliable and smash the ball straight into the net.

Although Tang Ye didn't touch the ball, he was still part of this attack, one way or another.

After scoring, Ale dragged Tang Ye along as they charged toward the corner flag on the right wing, roaring while celebrating.

【Tang~~~ Ye jumps up, trying to head the ball, but misses!】

【The post above reeks of football elements.】

【What football elements? Isn't that thing framing our Piggy Hero actually football fertilizer?】

【Brother Meng's offensive awareness is truly excellent, but that header was indeed a bit abstract; could he go learn from Cristiano Ronaldo?】

【What does an attacking midfielder need a header for?】

【My King Tang Ball is a striker-midfielder swingman!】

【Striker-midfielder swingman? Just pretending to be a forward!】

【Awesome! Brothers, I feel this match is secured now; the great King Tang Ball is about to lift the Yellow Submarine to new heights!】

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

The away fans in the stands erupted in cheers, but their voices were immediately drowned out by the home supporters.

Tang Ye popped in a fresh piece of chewing gum, slowly searching for opportunities in the attacking third.

It had to be said, the 4-2-3-1 formation was truly too comfortable for Tang Ye.

His good friend Rodrigo helped Tang Ye advance the ball from the defensive third to the attacking third.

Unfortunately, due to his advanced positioning, Tang Ye had far fewer chances to showcase his tackling skills.

The 29th minute!

"Here, here, come quick, come quick!"

Tang Ye shouted twice on the right wing, then focused intently on marking Moreno in front of him.

This Moreno loved to show off; given a passing opportunity, he wouldn't pass, insisting instead on a one-on-one duel with Tang Ye on the wing.

As it happened, Tang Ye also loved to show off, so the two of them were bound to clash on the wing.

Moreno!

Step-overs!

Then a step forward!

Tang Ye retreated bit by bit!

Tang Ye was searching for an opportunity.

An opportunity sufficient to dispossess Moreno!

Okay, the chance has arrived!

He extended his leg directly!

"Wow!"

The fans let out a scream.

Just moments ago, Moreno had completed a one-on-one dribble past Tang Ye on the wing!

"Sigh..."

Escrivá covered his face with his right hand.

This defensive skill was truly terrible...

Having broken through Tang Ye's defense, Moreno dribbled forward along the wing.

Snap!

A through pass sent the ball forward to Caicedo!

Espanyol's attack had been launched!

Damn!

Tang Ye felt uneasy and immediately rushed back to defend alongside Bacambu.

They currently held a one-goal lead.

Under no circumstances could they give the opposition a chance to score at this moment!

"Caicedo! His speed is incredible!"

"He's carrying the ball forward first; there are still two defenders ahead!"

"Musacchio and Ruiz should be ready to continue; Dos Santos, disrupt him from behind!"

Dos Santos was in a perfect position; he prepared to reach out and pull Caicedo down directly, using a yellow card as insurance.

However, after a moment's thought, Dos Santos ultimately chose to trust his teammates.

He did not opt for a tactical foul, merely pressing Caicedo from the side to block his right foot!

Snap!

The pass went out, and Moreno on the left regained possession.

A lateral transfer; Espanyol abandoned the chance to charge directly into the penalty area.

The Yellow Submarine rushed back to defend!

Moreno was being extremely sluggish on the wing; by now, Tang Ye had already tracked back.

Perez and Caicedo, pick one!

The choice for man-marking requires considering the players' positions; based on the current positioning of the three men, the player Tang Ye most needs to defend is Caicedo.

However, Tang Ye chose Perez, because Perez was slightly thinner and appeared easier to handle.

Go in for physical contact!

At this moment, Moreno's cross finally arrived.

Outside the penalty area, Perez suddenly accelerated!

He wanted to reach the ball first!

"Stop him!"

Tang Ye dared not be negligent; he tightly blocked Perez with his body.

He currently held the positional advantage!

Pass the ball over!

Here it comes!

Tang Ye poked the ball to Musacchio, who then kicked it upfield.

Oof!

That was close!

Just as Tang Ye began to relax slightly, Captain Bruno's voice rang out.

"Counterattack, it's a counterattack!"

……

(End of Chapter)