Chapter 009 I do not care who the hell you are

The changing room, this enclosed little circle, is equally filled with a variety of lives. Just as everything was proceeding as if it were a repetition of yesterday's scene, the door of the changing room was suddenly opened from the outside

Outsiders, such as the main player of the Czech national team, Galasek, generally do not engage in such antics, perhaps out of concern for the ambiguity of boundaries. If things go too far and conflicts arise, it would ultimately be undesirable. Compared to some teams whose trend of "internationalization" is becoming increasingly evident, traditional clubs like Ajax still maintain a distinct banner: local supremacy

After a season that shook Europe, these young players should be more mature. Why do they seem to be performing worse in the new season compared to the last season?

The Czech player Grigra, who transferred for a fee of 3.5 million euros in the summer, has not yet familiarized himself with his teammates. He quietly waits in the corner, observing his teammates and trying to integrate into this circle as quickly as possible

Sonck, the Belgian international, has been performing exceptionally well in Genk, Belgium, scoring a total of 54 goals in the last two seasons. Ajax spent 6 million euros to acquire him. Van der Vaart's frustration stems from the fact that he was originally supposed to occupy a forward position. However, due to the club's sale of Ziyech, the team needs to redesign its tactical balance. Head coach Koeman made it very clear to him that in the new season, he will need to withdraw from the forward line.

The person in question is the Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimović, who does not get along with Rafael van der Vaart. In the locker room, he does not share secrets with others, as Ibrahimović sometimes appears quite solitary on the field

The Asian youth in front of Ibrahimovic glanced to the left, then to the right, and then walked straight towards an unoccupied locker. He placed his handbag on the chair and, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, began to take off his sportswear and sneakers, and started changing into his jersey and putting on his soccer shoes

The roughhousing in the changing room sometimes resembles the boring childish antics of elementary school students, such as tugging at hair, kicking each other, suddenly startling teammates, and making crude and violent jokes...

Even as the captain, one should empathize with the team and be accommodating towards teammates. However, the arrival of Sonke and the retraction of his own position still left Van der Vaart feeling quite displeased. Yet, he could not express his frustration, for he is the captain

The person has an Asian face, a tall and slender build, and is dressed in inexpensive black sportswear, with sneakers that are likely of low quality.

The outside world can only speculate and discuss, while the specific reasons are undoubtedly very complex, as a team is composed of the most complex beings on this planet: humans

This is precisely the reason why he has attracted the attention of European elite clubs

However, for players like Van der Vaart, Sneijder, and Ibrahimović, Ajax may not be able to make them extremely wealthy, but at least it is not a problem for their income level to reach above that of the middle class in society

When Van der Vaart saw Sonck, who was neatly dressed and jumped twice in place, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a sense of resentment and frustration welled up within him, difficult to express.

His gaze swept around the changing room, scanning each of his teammates one by one

Moreover, Ibrahimović's arrogant and overbearing personality also made the equally ambitious Van der Vaart feel repulsed

In the third round of the UEFA Champions League qualifying, Ajax traveled to Austria for their first match, where they were held to a 1:1 draw by Graz AK. While the result is not too disappointing, considering their form and actual performance in the match, especially given the disparity in strength between the two teams, Ajax's performance has indeed faced scrutiny from the outside.

When they saw a stranger enter the changing room, particularly one with an Asian face and dressed very poorly, they had the thought of teasing him

The atmosphere in the changing room has become much more lively, but Van der Vaart and some of the Dutch players are clearly not participating. For instance, the genuine Ajax player Sneijder, whose background here is truly impeccable, even has his brother currently training in the lower ranks of Ajax.

Ibu whistled as he opened his wardrobe, beginning to change his jersey

Therefore, they may not necessarily live in mansions or drive sports cars, able to spend lavishly without batting an eye, but at the very least, wearing designer brands to maintain a certain level of dignity is not a problem

Upon seeing Griezmann, Van der Vaart could not help but glance at another teammate: Trabelsi

The petite winger Sikora curiously asked Ibrahimovic why he was in a good mood today, to which Ibrahimovic responded with a smile and chose instead to engage in playful banter with him

The unfortunate Trelabersy, originally the team's absolute starting right-back, has suffered a significant injury similar to that of Tushu. His absence due to this serious injury was a major factor in the team's failure to defend their title in the last league season. The arrival of Grigra is also aimed at addressing the potential risk posed by Trelabersy's uncertain form in the new season

At just 18 years old, the fierce-looking De Jong, the newly promoted second goalkeeper Stekelenburg, and the 19-year-old local defender Heitinga, among others

Ibu scolded, "Look at him, he has no reaction at all; he probably doesn't understand what we are saying, fool."

Where has the Ajax, which stirred up a youthful storm last season, gone

At that moment, someone pushed the door open. Van der Vaart turned his head to look and saw a tall figure resembling a tower. He immediately averted his gaze, adopting an attitude of out of sight, out of mind.

Forwards are generally the most dazzling players on the field, as the majority of goals come from them. Van der Vaart played 21 matches in the league last season and scored 18 goals

Everyone turned their heads to look, and the changing room immediately fell silent

O'Brien, an American, is somewhat pitiable. He was recruited by Ajax four years ago, but has remained on the fringes of the first team, having only one season as a regular starter. At other times, he has either been sidelined by injuries or overshadowed by local talents, making him feel like an invisible person in the locker room

Returning to Ajax, the Finnish ice skater Laitinen arrived early in the locker room. At 32 years old, he quietly sat in the corner changing clothes in preparation for today's training. As Graz AK has already arrived in Amsterdam, the decisive match for qualification into the UEFA Champions League will take place tomorrow. Therefore, Ajax's training has been arranged at the youth training base today, as the pitch at their home ground needs to be preserved for tomorrow's match, marking the first official use of the pitch in the new season, which the club is taking very seriously.

Everyone gazed at the unfamiliar outsider

Sitting in the center of the changing room, on a chair in front of the locker, is 20-year-old Van der Vaart. This young Dutch prodigy, who has achieved early success, is now a figure of interest being closely monitored by top clubs across Europe. He has already changed into his jersey and shoes, dressed impeccably. Even without wearing the captain's armband on his arm, he still sits upright in his seat, exuding the authority of a captain

Although Ajax has been profitable for several consecutive years, their expenditures are equally substantial. To ensure the quality of their youth training, they allocate a significant portion of their investments to the overseas satellite club system. Moreover, the profitability of the Eredivisie itself is very low, which prevents Ajax from offering high-value contracts to players. This is one of the important reasons why they are unable to retain their talents

Van der Vaart immediately stood up and positioned himself in front of him, saying lightly: "Zlatan, perhaps he just went to the wrong place"

Liteman has lost much of his ambition; although his abilities remain, Ajax's tradition is to innovate and renew. As the old guard, he showcased his remaining talents last season. However, with the further maturation of younger players this season, the significance of his role within the team will noticeably decline.

Ibrahim was ignored, feeling a bit angry. Given that this was the first team locker room, he believed he had reason to be upset, and thus he intended to go over and teach this ungrateful young stranger a lesson

Eevee walked up to the person and said seriously: "I am Eevee, who the hell are you?"

My name is Qin Xiong, and I do not care who you are

There will be a crucial UEFA Champions League match tomorrow

Maxwell, a Brazilian, also achieved success at a young age. He quickly made his way to Europe after debuting in the Brazilian league and secured a starting position at Ajax in his early twenties. However, compared to Van der Vaart, who became captain at 20 and attracted the attention of major European clubs, he naturally still lags behind in terms of fame

Pinar, having firmly established himself in the first team, stands bare-chested in front of the wardrobe, seemingly absorbed in whatever items are inside, perhaps photographs or letters.

For Ajax, renowned globally for its youth training, the oldest player in the locker room is a "ripe" 32 years old. This is hard to imagine for other European powerhouses, as they tend to have some older players. In contrast, at Ajax, considering the age threshold of 30, there are only 3 players over the age of 30.

At this moment, the Asian youth, having changed into his jersey and sneakers, stood up, stuffed his sportswear and shoes into a shoulder bag, picked up the bag, and walked out, passing by Ibrahimovic while saying a sentence in English.

They probably thought this person was a newly hired cleaner at the club, who mistakenly entered the changing room due to a lack of understanding of the rules