[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-95":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2300065,4499,"Chapter 95: Frankfurt, Mount Shandongtai, Lyon, Benfica","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-95",95,"\u003Cp>Winning 100 comeback points in a single match was something Tang Ye had never experienced before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you think about it, didn’t they earn a reward after winning the Dutch Cup final?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Utrecht!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Utrecht!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly half an hour had passed since the match ended, yet the Utrecht fans were still cheering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye leaned back in his chair in the press room, cradling the newly won MVP trophy, while a group of football journalists sat below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang, congratulations on winning the Dutch Cup—you’re the youngest player ever to claim it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female journalist smiled as she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, everyone already knew that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Tang Ye’s age, doing anything in the Eredivisie or the Dutch Cup broke records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything, he was the U18 player in Dutch Cup history to chew the most gum on the pitch!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve found success in Utrecht—will you stay with them next season?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment she finished mentioning the records, the journalist changed tone, and the press room fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a good question. This season, Tang Ye had displayed creativity and offensive impact far beyond the level of the Eredivisie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the Big Five leagues, the Eredivisie doesn’t retain talents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… I actually don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rested the trophy on his stomach: “It’s only April—there’s still time before the summer transfer window opens. If a transfer is coming, there’s no need to rush yet, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female journalist glanced at her notes: “But according to our sources, Sevilla and Frankfurt have contacted you—is that true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“… ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These football reporters really were sharp when it came to transfer rumors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s true, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you considered it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye placed the trophy on the table, sat up straight, and rested his hands on the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m considering it, but there’s no rush—I haven’t made a decision yet. I might leave, or I might stay. If you force me to answer now, I honestly don’t know the situation yet. Transfers are complicated—I need to wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If no suitable offer comes, will you stay in Utrecht?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This journalist was clearly a Utrecht fan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht fans didn’t want Tang Ye to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I could stay in Utrecht, or…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go back and prepare for the college entrance exam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht RTV reporter Fan De: Utrecht officially enters Ten Haag’s era—will the Big Three become the Big Four?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dongqiu Di: Young overseas player Tang Ye helped his team win the Dutch Cup—he is currently the only Chinese player ever to win the Dutch Cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dongqiu Di reprinted: “The Big Three are great, but their era will end,” Ten Haag’s post-match interview delivers another astonishing statement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Utrecht Evening News front page headline: Before the Dutch Cup final, Frankfurt and Utrecht had reached an agreement on Tang’s transfer, but after winning the final, Utrecht’s management declined Frankfurt’s previous offer, regarding Tang as “non-transferable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HuPu Community: Again at 91 minutes! Tang Ye assisted Ale in a 91st-minute winner against Feyenoord to clinch the title—this season, “Mr. 91” Tang Ye has now delivered his fourth 91st-minute winner or equalizer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Damn, Ten Haag is truly insane—but his team’s quality is undeniable. Just checked: Utrecht last won the Dutch Cup… last time.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Insane. Carried them all the way to the final, and still MVP. You’re telling me he’s only 17?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ten Haag: Not tired at all, not tired at all.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Frankfurt made an offer—will Tang head to the Big Five?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【He’s definitely going. His movement and positioning still lag, but Mong’s passing is a downgrade in the Eredivisie.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Utrecht changed their mind? Fuck, are they trying to block our Mong from the Big Five? Can we tolerate this?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【By convention, any player who shows talent in the Eredivisie never stays there next season.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I think Bundesliga or La Liga would be fine—why hasn’t Sevilla moved? Just raise the price already!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chinese fans on Dongqiu Di showed extremely high interest in Tang Ye’s Dutch Cup win—previously, a tournament like the Dutch Cup wouldn’t even register with Chinese supporters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now things are different: the Foshan War God has been dominating in the Dutch Cup, making the final’s buzz nearly rival that of a Champions League knockout match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chinese fans’ eyes lit up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Dutch Cup’s hype quickly faded—fans only cared about Ten Haag and Tang Ye, not Utrecht’s honors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Attention shifted to transfers; if not for The Utrecht Evening News breaking the story, no one had realized the summer window was about to open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fans had only one question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would Tang Ye join the Big Five next season?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No Chinese player has ever played in the Big Five leagues!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Netherlands, after winning the Dutch Cup, Ten Haag generously gave the players a three-day break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Tang Ye, a three-day break was rare—but he didn’t play a single game during those days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shandong Taishan Club obtained Tang Ye’s phone number through his youth coach at the Luwei Football School.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taishan explicitly told Tang Ye they were willing to pay over 9 million euros to bring him back from Utrecht—leaving Tang Ye stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected the first-team of Taishan to call him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, ever since he was sold from the Luwei Youth Academy for 50,000 euros, Taishan had been keeping tabs on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Playing in Europe, then returning home—this was a common pattern favored by many CSL clubs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Tang Ye’s development was too fast, so Taishan acted early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you agreed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Wenzhou Restaurant, Bo Er sat across from Tang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t agree…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye chewed his wonton: “I might have agreed at the end of last season, but things are different now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye had grown up playing in China—he knew the quality of every Chinese football league well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, if he returned home, he could just lie around, show up for training the day before a match, and start the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much did they offer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye placed his right hand on his head: “I can’t remember—maybe 200,000 or 300,000.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Bo Er’s confused expression, Tang Ye added: “In RMB.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s still more than you’re earning now, but I still wouldn’t recommend going back—go to the Big Five if you can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, what about Sevilla and Frankfurt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bo Er had previously called Tang Ye to say Utrecht had broken their agreement with Frankfurt; Tang Ye had met Bo Er partly to discuss Taishan’s offer, and partly to learn about the Big Five leagues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Tang Ye bring it up, Bo Er sighed: “Frankfurt raised their bid to 6 million euros, but Utrecht backed out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much do they want now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six million was already a lot—this was euros, not RMB!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, he was the tournament’s MVP—his transfer fee rising by a few million euros wasn’t impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re not selling—just like the news says.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not selling?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye put the wonton he’d just lifted to his mouth back into the bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang, don’t panic, don’t panic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bo Er quickly said: “‘Not selling’ is just talk. Utrecht won’t really refuse to sell—they’re not as rich as you think. They’re just trying to drive the price up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s no need to rush yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bo Er explained slowly: “Besides Sevilla and Frankfurt, Lyon are interested too—so is Benfica. You know Benfica, right? I’m close with their coach. If no one raises their bid, I’ll speak up for you at Benfica.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But that’s not the Big Five.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye slumped his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bo Er smiled bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy was obsessed with the Big Five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, do you need extra income? Endorsements—should I find you some?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bo Er suddenly brought up endorsements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since becoming Tang Ye’s agent, he hadn’t secured a single endorsement for him yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not yet—wait until the summer window. We still have two games left this season.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bo Er nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary players always rush their agents to find endorsements after becoming famous, but Tang Ye never mentioned anything about this, which surprised Boer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s got patience!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this guy really have the potential to become a superstar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, pay attention to your Instagram account—when you’re free, post more photos. It’ll greatly boost your commercial value.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it, thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boer stayed with Tang Ye until he finished the bowl of wonton, then both returned to their respective residences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, Tom, the Dutch Cup champion medal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After winning the title, all of Tang Ye’s former teammates from the reserve team came to his dorm. Zakha bent over, hands on his knees, closely examining the golden medal on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And countless MVP trophies as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of these belong to Tang Ye alone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, Mr. Merent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye clasped his hands behind his head, looking at his former reserve team coach with hopeful eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merent took a deep breath: “It’s truly impressive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merent wasn’t just referring to the trophies—he meant Tang Ye’s performances in matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the reserve team’s head coach, Merent always watched match recordings whenever the first team played.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could say Merent had truly witnessed Tang Ye’s journey from China to the Netherlands, culminating in the Dutch Cup title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merent straightened up and suddenly asked Tang Ye an odd question: “Do you still remember our agreement?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Agreement? What agreement?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye didn’t understand what Merent meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merent exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Tang Ye’s current rate of growth, Merent might one day actually have to eat his own words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reserve team players touched Tang Ye’s trophies, while Merent pulled Tang Ye out of the room, his expression suddenly serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, will you stay at Utrecht next season?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honestly, I don’t know yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye shrugged: “My agent said Utrecht might not want me to leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you want to leave, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I wish you good luck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merent hugged Tang Ye: “By the way, I should warn you—if you join a top-five league team and keep training the way you do now, they won’t coddle you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye pointed to the trophies in the room: “Mr. Merent, I earned all those through training—I’m training seriously now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you just weren’t serious when you were on the reserve team?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, no—it’s not that, Mr. Merent, back then…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s words trailed off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know how to explain it to Merent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dude, it’s not that I was deliberately targeting you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1749,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d7a619668a1b889533abed0d3f231d5af9620956f6f495aecc1a2fe16d70c51e","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-96","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-94",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]