Chapter 155: The Undisputed Best, The Golden Boy Award Ceremony!

Soft music gradually emanated from the theater as the guests attending this Golden Boy Award ceremony arrived one after another.

When the award ceremony began, the music in the theater ceased abruptly, and the lights in the venue suddenly dimmed.

With a "snap," the stage suddenly lit up.

"Oof!"

Tang Ye and Dembélé exchanged a glance; fortunately, they were seated in the front row close to the lights, otherwise they probably wouldn't have been able to see each other's faces at all.

"It feels a bit terrifying!"

Dembélé whispered.

Haha!

"Ladies and gentlemen, and talented young players from various countries, welcome everyone to the Monte Carlo Theater for this Golden Boy Award ceremony..."

The host was a middle-aged man dressed in a suit and behaving with polite refinement; through the conversation between Mendes and Raiola behind him, Tang Ye learned that this middle-aged man on stage was the deputy editor-in-chief of Tuttosport.

However, his identity was not important to Tang Ye.

The host briefly introduced the Golden Boy Award, a prize established by the newspaper in 2003, hailed as the "Ballon d'Or for players under 21."

Simply put, the purpose of this award was to select the most outstanding player among those under 21 years of age for that year.

Well...

Tang Ye smiled bitterly.

It was precisely because of this age restriction that the System had previously thought he was stealing the trophy.

Logically speaking, Tang Ye should have received a reward from the System for such an important award as the Golden Boy!

Instead, he had been fined for "stealing the trophy"!

Damn it!

Clap clap clap!

Applause erupted in the venue as Tang Ye and Dembélé looked left and right.

These two guys had just zoned out and didn't know why everyone was suddenly applauding.

Anyway, following along and clapping was definitely not wrong.

With another "snap," the theater suddenly brightened.

Dembélé sat dazed in his chair, while Tang Ye lifted his head to count exactly how many chandeliers were on the ceiling, since he truly didn't know what he should be doing at that moment.

Just then, the screen on stage suddenly lit up.

【TUTTOSPORT & FIFA (Tuttosport in conjunction with FIFA)】

【Golden Boy for 2016 (2016 Golden Boy Award)】

The host gave a brief introduction before proceeding to the main topic.

#40: Leon Bailey (Genk)

Bailey's photo appeared on the screen, along with his match statistics from the Belgian league.

As a forward, Leon Bailey had made 21 appearances in the Belgian Pro League this year, scoring 4 goals and providing 2 assists; for a young player, these were already very impressive statistics.

#39: Riechedly Bazoer (Ajax)

"I know him!"

Tang Ye whispered, "I played against him last season, and I've played against him this season too, in the Europa League."

"Is he very formidable?"

Dembélé carefully observed Bazoer's photo on the screen.

Ranked only 39th, he's a bit weak...

But thinking about it another way, Bazoer was the 39th best-performing player in the U21 age group this year!

"I don't remember clearly, but his passing seems very accurate."

Tang Ye said seriously, "He collided with me once during a previous match; I don't like him very much."

"Then you must collide back; you still have another match against Ajax coming up."

Upon hearing that there was some conflict between Bazoer and Tang Ye, Dembélé immediately felt that the guy in the photo was no good person!

"Shh, keep it down!"

Pol reminded them from behind; Dembélé and Tang Ye were speaking louder and louder, and they might soon disturb the other guests in the venue.

"Oh, sorry, sorry."

Starting from #40, the Golden Boy rankings were gradually announced, and soon Tang Ye spotted something interesting.

#18: Tony Sanabria (Real Betis)

#17: Moussa Dembélé (Celtic)

He turned and raised an eyebrow at Dembélé, who shrugged.

He had long known that someone shared his name on the Golden Boy candidate list; to be honest, the matter was quite awkward.

#8: Marco Asensio (Real Madrid)

"Clap clap clap clap clap!!"

Starting from the top 10, whenever a new player appeared on the screen, applause would ring out through the hall.

This was the guests' respect for these talented youths!

To achieve a top-ten ranking in the Golden Boy selection meant that, barring any surprises, these players would become starting members for upper-tier teams in the top five leagues in the future!

#5: Ousmane Dembélé (Borussia Dortmund)

Here it comes!

Dembélé!

Seeing his good friend appear on the screen, Tang Ye felt very curious and focused his attention on the content displayed on the silver screen.

The 2016 season.

Ligue 1 Rennes: 14 appearances, 7 goals, 3 assists.

Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund: 10 appearances, 3 goals, 1 assist.

Besides goals and assists, Dembele also boasts excellent dribbling statistics.

Tang Ye only realized upon seeing the content displayed on the screen that this good friend of his was actually the third-ranked player on the Ligue 1 dribbling chart last season!

What Tang Ye admired most were forwards who could complete dribbles and shots purely through personal ability, and Dembele, sitting to his left, was clearly such a player.

An absolute prodigy!

The video continued playing!

#4: Rashford (Manchester United)

#3: Coman (Bayern Munich)

#2: Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich)

"Who is Sanches?"

Tang Ye lowered his head, covered his mouth, and asked Dembele in a low voice.

Having learned his lesson from just now, Tang Ye spoke only in a very small voice this time.

"The one from Bayern, the one from the European Cup; he won the European Cup, so his points are extremely high!"

Dembele explained.

So it was the European Cup.

Tang Ye nodded; during the European Cup, Utrecht was already on break, so he had only watched a few matches.

Renato Sanches won the European Cup championship with Portugal, so it was no surprise he ranked second.

The applause lasted for about 7 or 8 seconds before the venue lights illuminated the host standing in the center once more: "Next is the player ranked first for this Golden Boy Award, the winner of the 14th European Golden Boy Award!"

Click!

Click click!

Actually, the Golden Boy Award is not quite the same as the Ballon d'Or; in truth, not many people care about your ranking.

For the Golden Boy Award, the distinction in the eyes of fans comes down to only two things.

First, the candidates; second, the winner!

Ranks two through forty are merely the buildup; now the main event has finally arrived!

The 2016 European Golden Boy Award winner, the year's best U21 player!

Slow music rose in the venue; a golden sphere lit up on the screen, venue lights shone on the center of the stage, and the Golden Boy Award trophy stood there.

The atmosphere in the venue was solemn, making Tang Ye involuntarily nervous.

The video on the screen continued playing.

【GoldenBoyfor2016】

【absolutlybest (undisputed best)】

"Undisputed best..."

Tang Ye adjusted his breathing.

The introduction was cool; he just didn't know who the final winner would be...

Tang Y. (Utrecht, Villarreal)

"..."

Oh, right, it's me!

Tang Ye blinked; the atmosphere in the venue had made him a bit nervous just now, and he almost forgot he was the number one!

"Clap Clap Clap!"

The applause in the venue thundered; even many guests stood up to applaud Tang Ye, while Dembele took a large stride to stand before Tang Ye: "Clap clap clap clap! Wow!"

Tang Ye was somewhat at a loss; Pol, sitting behind, quickly patted him: "Stand up quickly! Stand up!"

Oh, right, I need to stand up!

Tang Ye quickly stood up from his chair, and Dembele moved aside to make room.

"Let us welcome this year's Golden Boy Award winner, Tang, from Eredivisie Utrecht and La Liga Villarreal!"

"Clap clap clap clap!"

"Wow!"

Thump thump, thump thump!

Tang Ye clearly felt his heartbeat gradually accelerate, but at this moment he absolutely had to remain calm.

Under the gaze of the guests and reporters in the venue, Tang Ye slowly walked toward the stage, and the spotlights in the venue moved along with him.

Tang Ye was originally very steady, but unexpectedly, there was a step less than 30cm high in front of him.

Damn!

Tang Ye stumbled a step, and the chewing gum in his suit pocket accidentally fell out.

"..."

Host:...

Reporters in the venue:...

Ahem!

Adjusting himself, picking up the chewing gum from the ground and shoving it back into his pocket, Tang Ye quickly ran onto the stage.

Damn, that was too embarrassing!

The host made a please gesture toward Tang Ye; the two of them together approached the trophy, and the host, looking at the large screen behind him, slowly read out all of Tang Ye's statistics from his matches in 2016.

"Eredivisie Utrecht: 22 appearances, 12 goals, 21 assists. One Eredivisie title, one KNVB Cup title, three Eredivisie Player of the Month awards, one Eredivisie MVP award, one Eredivisie top assist provider award. And... one U21 Dutch Championship title."

When mentioning the U21 Dutch Championship title, the host looked up at Tang Ye.

"La Liga Villarreal: 15 appearances, 9 goals, 13 assists, one candidate for La Liga Player of the Month in October..."

Clap clap clap clap clap!

Applause from the venue continued unabated; Tang Ye did not know what to do now.

His mouth felt uncomfortable without something in it; instinctively, he reached into his pocket to grab some chewing gum, but Tang Ye quickly suppressed this impulse.

Under these circumstances, it was better not to chew gum for now!

Raúl González, a Real Madrid legend who had been preparing backstage, stepped into the camera frame; he held the Golden Boy trophy with both hands and slowly walked over to stand before Tang Ye.

Raúl had only just announced his retirement last November; this was his first appearance at a football event since retiring.

"Tang, you truly deserve this."

Raúl handed the trophy to Tang Ye, who reached out to take it: "Th-thank you..."

After receiving the trophy, Tang Ye again did not know what to do; at this moment, Raúl whispered from the side: "Lift the trophy up, hold it in front of you."

Okay, okay; Tang Ye did as Raúl said, and instantly dozens of cameras in the audience below flashed their lights.

Click click!

Click click click!

Tang Ye, holding the Golden Boy trophy, stood together with Raúl; on the screen behind them, two photos were displayed: in the left photo, Tang Ye, wearing the Utrecht jersey, lifted the Eredivisie championship shield high alongside captain Ramla.

In the right photo, Tang Ye, wearing the Villarreal jersey, spread his arms wide toward the home stand, reveling in the joy of scoring a goal.

The applause from the venue lasted for about half a minute; initially restrained, Tang Ye gradually calmed down and began to enjoy this honor that belonged to him.

In the mixed interview zone, French and Italian reporters surrounded Pol.

This sharp-eyed Dutchman had signed an agent contract with Tang Ye before he became famous!

And because of signing with Tang Ye, Nils Pol was very likely to become one of the top three football agents of the year.

Second only to Mendes and Raiola!

"Nils, can you tell us how you completed the signing with Tom back then?"

Facing the cameras, Pol revealed a faint smile: "At that time, Tom was still playing for Utrecht; although he was only 16 then and hadn't made many appearances, I saw his creativity—he always played in ways others couldn't imagine—so I sought him out."

In reality, Pol had obtained Tang Ye's contact information through his own connections in Utrecht, but this was something he would not mention when facing reporters.

"So you became his agent; did you ever think this would earn you a huge sum of money?"

A reporter thrust a microphone in front of Pol; the Dutchman shook his head: "Actually, my initial thought was simply that I could make some money."

The wage gap between top-tier players and ordinary players is enormous.

The gap between top-tier agents and ordinary agents is exactly the same.

Mendes would not deign to accept commissions of a few hundred euros per week, but for Pol, that money needed to be earned; this was precisely why he contacted Tang Ye.

"What was Tom's market value at that time?"

"Oh, I don't think that's any secret; even back during his time at Utrecht, many reporters discussed Tom's market value."

"How much was it?"

The Dutch reporters knew Tang Ye's market value during his Utrecht days, but the French reporters did not!

"Zero."

With a smile on his face, Pol said: "When I contacted Tom, his market value was still zero; actually, I was quite puzzled at first because even at 16 he should have had some market value data; later I checked the records and discovered this guy had played less than five minutes in an entire season while in the Eerste Divisie... but this also meant his potential had not yet been unearthed; in the end, I chose to gamble, which is something all sports agents love to do."

"Played less than five minutes in an entire season!?"

The reporters below looked at each other in astonishment.

European Golden Boy!

Tang Ye, the European Golden Boy award winner who surpassed Sanches, Coman, Dembélé, Rashford, and a host of other super-prospects, had only played less than five minutes in an entire season in the Dutch league?

And in the damn Eerste Divisie at that?

Click click!

Continuous camera shutter sounds rang out as the reporters below murmured among themselves.

Far away in the Netherlands, Melent, the head coach of Utrecht's reserve team who was squatting at home watching the live broadcast, felt his heart turn ice cold.

Don't do this, damn it...

Tuttosport announced the final scores for the 2016 Golden Boy award:

1. Tang Ye, 94.621 points.

2. Sanches, 78.131 points.

3. Coman, 76.874 points.

4. Rashford, 75.552 points.

5. Dembélé, 75.122 points.

La Gazzetta dello Sport front-page headline: "It is reported that in August, Tom's Golden Boy score was 68.13, ranking 14th; 'outstanding performances in La Liga and the Europa League helped him overtake Sanches'."

Manchester Evening News reporter interviewing Ten Hag: "It is regrettable that Melent (Utrecht reserve team head coach) failed to discover Tom's talent; however, I have a habit of visiting the reserve and youth team training sessions during my free time. As you know, developing young players is a crucial part of a football club's work."

【Tang Tang Qiuwang overturns the odds to win the Golden Boy! So inspiring, brothers】

【I understand the overturn, but jumping 20 points at once—isn't that a bit too harsh???】

【My Tang Tang Qiuwang was already strong; isn't it normal to have 20 points more than the European Championship winner?】

【Haha, during the live broadcast Tang Ye and Dembélé were sitting together; for some reason, they just gave me the urge to start a game right there on the spot】

【I feel Tang Ye and Dembélé must know each other】

"The European Golden Boy is truly amazing, damn it; I just wonder if Tang Tang Qiuwang will be able to fulfill his potential in the future."

At 17 years old, Tang Ye won the Golden Boy Award, making him the youngest recipient in football history with this achievement, breaking the record set by Messi in 2005 (18 years and 5 months).

As expected, it has to be my Tang Tang Qiuwang; not only does he surpass Messi and Ronaldo on the assist chart, but he even broke the record Messi set when winning the Golden Boy Award!

Truly making history!

The fans were happy for Tang Ye, but at the same time, they expressed their worry about him.

Could GGBond, who became famous at such a young age, fully realize his potential in the future and reach the height that fans expected of him?

The Golden Boy Award ceremony caused a huge stir across major domestic and international media; Tang Ye even topped the Weibo trending search list, maintaining the position for nearly 13 hours.

Although the incident generated a massive response, Tang Ye, as the protagonist, did not pay too much attention to it.

These past few days, he had been busy playing video games with Dembélé!

Just as Tang Ye remembered, Dembélé's skills were not very good in any game.

But that didn't matter; Tang Ye was always extremely patient with his good friends, and he would guide Dembélé through the games slowly.

The three days passed quickly; after bidding farewell to Dembélé at the airport, Tang Ye and Pol boarded the plane back to Spain.

Pol was going to Spain to discuss an endorsement deal with a certain company, while Tang Ye was ending his holiday to return to the club for football.

Looking at Tang Ye sitting beside him in a daze, Pol couldn't help but ask, "Tom, were you very happy coming to Monaco?"

Hearing Pol's question, Tang Ye recalled the fun games he had played with Dembélé over the past few days, and his expression was suddenly replaced by a smile: "Haha, exactly!"

"That's right then; winning the Golden Boy Award is something to be happy about."

Pol patted Tang Ye's arm; he took a photo of Tang Ye hugging the Golden Boy trophy on the plane and posted it on Instagram.

"Ding Ding Ding!"

Comments kept popping up continuously, scaring Tang Ye into quickly turning off notifications in his account backend.

"Your Instagram followers are about to break 10 million."

Pol also followed Tang Ye's account; he had been closely monitoring the status of Tang Ye's account.

"When that happens, if I post my League of Legends ID in the comments section, will a lot of people come to play games with me?"

"Oh, you'd better not do that."

Pol stopped Tang Ye from this absurd idea.

Well, alright then...

Tang Ye nodded, put a fresh piece of gum in his mouth, put on his headphones, and after spacing out for a while, turned his attention to his system.

Tang Ye (38 years old)

【Ball Control: 79; Passing: 86】

【Shooting: 75; Heading: 47; Set Pieces: 74】

【Speed: 70; Stamina: 71; Physical Strength: 71】

【Defense: 69; Vision: 94】

Overall Rating: 79

Profile: At age 38, he once stole the Golden Boy trophy.

Compared to when he first arrived at Yellow Submarine, all of Tang Ye's stats had improved significantly.

Listening to the song playing in his headphones, Tang Ye slowly began to think.

When would his overall rating finally break through 80?

(End of Chapter)