Chapter 894: United, We Shall Triumph

French media FootMercato: PPBond, owned by Tang Ye, has acquired Dunkirk, a French third-division club, for 45 million euros.

Official: United Youth Development Group and China Super League’s Shandong Taishan Club have signed an agency agreement; UAG will handle all agency work for Shandong Luneng Youth Academy players, including youth Tidui .

After news broke of UAG’s partnership with Gen.G, many fans assumed Tang Ye was abandoning football to pivot into esports—but after a series of twists, it became clear his core goal remained football.

As the first Chinese Super League club to partner with UAG, Shandong Taishan’s management undoubtedly bore immense pressure. They knew they had to choose between Tang Ye and the Football Association; since they believed Tang Ye would succeed, they chose to get on board early—as a gesture of goodwill.

Over the past few years, Tang Ye’s attention has been fixed on Guangzhou FC, leaving his old employer, Shandong Taishan, deeply embarrassed.

The gold-plated football 2.0 bomb cart—Shandong Taishan is the first to hop on!

…

The Sun: PPBond plans to relist on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in June this year; UAG aims to complete its listing preparations before 2025.

Domestic source: Tang Ye plans to send Luneng Youth Academy U13 to U15 players to France in batches to train at Dunkirk’s youth academy base.

“Dunkirk was acquired by PPBond, UAG’s parent company, on May 10. Luneng Youth Academy’s transportation is sponsored by Portuguese Airlines, PPBond’s partner—so this player transfer is considered a ‘highly cost-efficient’ plan.”

“Despite this, due to the sheer number of eligible players at Luneng Youth Academy, the total budget for this initiative will be no less than 30 million RMB—Shandong Taishan Club does not need to contribute any funds.”

【Tang Ye? Tang Ye! Tang Ye is so generous!】

【This is truly comfortable—I finally understand why Taishan is defying the FA. This gold-plated football ride is genuinely smooth.】

【Tang the Ball King, can you take a look at Guangzhou FC? We’re going bankrupt, sob sob—can you buy us?】

【Guangzhou fans, just wash your face and sleep. Tang the Ball King won’t spend billions—he might consider tens of millions, but billions? Too damn much.】

【Honestly, UAG is insane—playing both football and esports. If they pull off international youth training, they’ll become a true unicorn.】

Fans were excited, but they still needed to calm down and think.

Tang Ye has abandoned the previous national team overseas subsidy program, signaling a formal split with the Football Association over irreconcilable differences.

Abandoning financial support for national team players and focusing squarely on youth development means China’s football revival will no longer be a matter of four years—or waiting for one World Cup.

Fans must have patience; only patience can wait for miracles.

…

Guangzhou Youth: Guangdong provincial government hopes to persuade local banks to provide PPBond with a loan exceeding 5 billion RMB, aiming for PPBond to acquire Evergrande Youth Academy. If funds are sufficient, Guangdong government is willing to support PPBond in purchasing Guangzhou FC and completing the asset split between Guangzhou FC and Evergrande.

Over the past few years, Chinese football’s growth has been astonishingly rapid. Though it boasts an eight-time champion team, Guangdong never truly benefited from the gold-plated football era.

Now, with the World Cup third-place finish and gold-plated football 2.0 about to begin, Guangdong provincial government watches Super League viewership surge while Guangzhou FC suffers relegation—filling them with a powerful sense of loss.

A few years ago, Guangzhou FC’s collapse would’ve been acceptable.

But not now!

Guangzhou FC must survive!

And if a white knight is needed, PPBond is clearly the most suitable—after all, this company is infamous for its willingness to spend.

But the key issue: Guangzhou FC has been relegated and no longer belongs to the Super League, which inevitably weakens PPBond’s interest in the club.

Source: PPBond wants to buy Evergrande Youth Academy at 80% of its value. If they also acquire Guangzhou FC, they must receive a discount exceeding 40%—meaning they must purchase 100% of Guangzhou FC’s equity at 60% of its liabilities.

Either way, PPBond must buy Evergrande Youth Academy—it’s the first and most critical step in launching their youth football program.

Moreover, acquiring Evergrande Youth Academy offers another advantage: it becomes a collateral asset for loans.

If PPBond spends 3 billion RMB to buy the massive Evergrande Youth Academy, they can use it as their training base while simultaneously mortgaging it to banks to secure another loan exceeding 3 billion RMB—stepping on their own foot to rise.

Land, as a tangible asset, remains extremely valuable in China!

Whether to save Guangzhou FC depends on circumstances—PPBond’s money doesn’t fall from the sky.

…

May 20: Manchester United defeated Inter Milan to become the first team to reach the final.

Tomorrow’s match between Real Madrid and Manchester City draws attention from many new Manchester United fans, as the winner will face United in the final.

Why do only new Manchester United fans care about this match?

Because veteran United fans are so experienced, they’ve grown impossibly confident in their team.

“What’s this Champions League semifinal? To me, it’s just Manchester United’s toy selection match!”

Li Laoba rants on Bilibili: “Let’s be blunt—whether it’s Real Madrid or Manchester City, whoever reaches the final gets crushed by Manchester United. What’s the point? The semifinals are just Manchester United’s toy selection. No team can beat United anymore.”

“Do you know how to beat Manchester United now?”

Li Laoba points at the camera: “You’d have to put Mbappé on the wing for City—that might give you a chance. Or, as Real Madrid suggests, just buy Tang Ye outright—that would solve everything.”

“Big Brother Li, do you think Tang Ye will leave Manchester United for Saudi Arabia…?”

“Hmm. That’s a good question.”

Seeing the comments, Li Laoba’s expression turned serious.

“I started watching Tang Ye’s games around 2015. Hey, don’t think I’m bragging—I already knew Tang Ye well back then, even before he played in the top five leagues. I remember he was lazy as a kid, so I think the odds of him retiring early in Saudi Arabia are pretty high—he just won’t want to play anymore.”

“Not playing in the Premier League anymore?”

Feng Xuejuan looked at Li Laoba beside her.

“That’s just being clueless.”

Li Laoba pointed at Feng Xuejuan, then turned to the camera: “Tang Ye doesn’t want more club trophies anymore. Haven’t you seen the news? Chinese football is a mess. Tang Ye wants to lift Chinese football.”

“But doesn’t he have to keep playing for Chinese football to rise?” Feng Xuejuan pressed.