It was absolutely right that Plushchenko stayed, because he is simply younger than Yagudin.
I haven't liked Alexei since he went to Tarasova, who made him a champion (in those years, she had access to the best training facilities), while Zhenya stayed with his mother in a communal apartment where alcoholics lived behind the plywood wall. Plushchenko forged himself, Tarasova created Yagudin, so as an athlete, I like Zhenya more. And he deserved his gold!!!!

This is how the life's vicissitudes of the athletes were presented by Plushchenko's side; Yagudin's supporters had a slightly different version, that's for sure.
Zhenechka is a well-known master of complaining to the public. I heard with my own ears how he told a heart-wrenching story about how Tarasova hired a mega-wizard-clairvoyant to spoil his energy (to disrupt the coherence of his chakras, so to speak). And that's why Yagudin won the Olympics. The story is still fresh in memory...
But this is all subjective; objectively, it's different:
- Yagudin performed jumps on average at a slightly higher speed and with
less obvious preparation for them.
- Yagudin's skating was always softer, despite the fact that
Plushchenko periodically leaned towards a slightly feminine style
of performing some elements.
- Yagudin performed step sequences much better and more musically,
because he has very fast legs, and Plushchenko doesn't.
The only thing where Plushchenko could win is his naturally beautiful lines, which is why he chose a more feminine style of skating, unlike Yagudin, who had a more developed muscle mass, and accordingly, his skating had a distinctly masculine character. It's a matter of taste.