NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
Iran became anxious after my additional goal.
Since they were still young players, they struggled to control their emotions.
With rough fouls continuing, they received warnings.
“Hey, you bastards!”
“لحام رائحة.”
Just as Iran’s rough fouls agitated the South Korea National Team and the game was about to become more intense…
“Calm down! Don’t get unnecessary cards out of excitement!”
After soothing my excited teammates who had possession of the ball, I calmly passed it around to lower the tempo of the game.
There was no need to risk injury in a situation where we were already winning.
Well. Naturally, Iran was the one in a hurry, falling behind by two goals, so their defensive line started to push higher, creating gaps in the back.
To avoid the pressure coming from both sides, I dropped down to the defensive midfielder position to make a first touch with my heel.
The ball slipped between Iran’s number 10’s legs, and I maneuvered my body out of the space between the number 10 and number 8 applying pressure.
“ابن العاهرة. (You bastard!)”
“للخروج من الطريق! (Get lost!)”
As Iran’s number 10 and number 8 collided and rolled on the ground together…
I quickly lifted my head to scan the field ahead.
Since most of Iran’s players were in South Korea’s half, the space in the back was wide open.
If I performed a long pass forward, it would be a perfect opportunity to score.
Even in such a situation, there were players stubbornly sticking to short passes, but well… I wanted to believe it was just a matter of personal preference.
I didn’t want to think that they were doing short passes because they couldn’t manage a long one.
After all, wasn’t it the legendary Paul Scholes from Manchester United who said that if you can’t make a 30M pass, you shouldn’t even think about playing as a midfielder?
Which team would employ a central midfielder who can’t even make a reliable 30M pass at a big club?
– “Fuck Manchester United!”
I thought I heard Gyeouri’s voice in my ear, but it must have been an illusion.
Anyway, a long pass is essential basic training as a central midfielder.
Naturally, being South Korea’s best midfielder, I was confident in making long passes.
Not only long passes but I could also deliver precise passes all over the field.
Since I had a decent number of tools, I had run everywhere— from center back to striker.
Well. Because of that, I learned a lot too. Didn’t Roberto Lewandowski mention that he learned how to play from a lower position while playing as an attacking midfielder and observed the movements of players who play behind strikers?
‘Well. The striker did have his position changed after shaking his head just four games into being on the pitch….’
Anyway….
I was quite a versatile player who could handle multiple positions like that.
If I felt physically exhausted, I wouldn’t take a break in the next match, instead, the coach would put me in as a defender, you know?
Yet, even amid that, I managed to play full-time in every game without a single injury.
‘Thinking about it again, the coach is completely crazy, huh?’
Well. This is a bit of a joke, but it wasn’t for nothing that fans in Seoul said, “Son Jinho can be lazy and still be acknowledged.”
I was a player constantly followed by concerns of overwork, and during that time, I was the steel king representing the K-League.
Lost in my memories of the past when I used to run like a dog.
“Hey, youngest!”
Dongwon Tuna pointed ahead, calling for me.
As soon as our eyes met,
I strongly scraped the lower part of the ball with my instep and kicked it. The ball, spinning backward, flew straight and slowed down before reaching Dongwon Tuna, making it easy to receive.
This is often referred to as the flower of midfield, a lined shot. Xabi Alonso was exceptional at this kick.
“Whoa—!!”
In any case, with just that one pass, Dongwon Tuna faced a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper and calmly took the shot while watching the goalie’s approach.
“Waaaah—!”
The ball successfully shook the goal net.
I approached the Iranian players, who had their heads down even though the match wasn’t over yet, to offer some words of comfort.
*
After Cha Dongwon’s additional goal, Iran quickly collapsed.
[South Korea is dominating against its rival Iran!!]
As South Korea played a half-court game against Iran, the commentators, pumped with excitement, began praising the South Korea U-19 National Team, including Son Jinho.
[Ah! Son Jinho! Surrounded by Iranian players, he successfully escapes the pressure with a calm one-two pass with a teammate!]
[ He’s a very smart player who has a wide field of vision and knows how to utilize his teammates!]
[That’s right! On top of that, he has solid defensive skills, long-range shooting, and great physicality! He truly is an all-around hexagon midfielder!]
[In Dortmund, he’s being called the Korean Gullit or the Korean Zidane…. Oh! Just as I was talking, Son Jinho has started to dribble directly forward!]
[Whoa—!! Son Jinho! One, two, three!! He successfully goes past them all! Son Jinho!! Son Jinho!! Here comes the shot!!]
[Goal! Once again, Son Jinho shakes the goal! He’s the star of the match against Iran with two goals and two assists!!]
[Show And Prove! Son Jinho is proving his excellence on the pitch despite the controversies surrounding him!!]
*
Meanwhile, at that moment.
“Hehe….”
Han Gyeouri, lounging on the sofa in Germany while browsing internet articles, unknowingly hummed a little tune, swinging her legs.
[After An Jong-soo, is number 10 Son Jinho the successor to the fantasy star of South Korea? Showcasing his genius talent, he’s becoming a hot topic in Dortmund!]
└ Finally, it seems like a world-class player will emerge from Korea ^^
└ Just grow like this and nothing more….
└ Yeah, he’ll just turn into an ordinary player when he becomes an adult, lol.
└ I agree. He doesn’t seem particularly special. Isn’t his level just like that of neighborhood kids? ^^
└ I heard Son Jinho was a notorious brat in that neighborhood…
└ If that’s true, it’s too horrifying. How can such a player wear the Taegeuk mark?
└ lol I searched those usernames on Google and found accounts of soccer youth parents nationwide, what’s that? lol
└ Ah lol parents, it’s you guys again? lol
└ I went in and checked the posts written by the commenter, it’s so sad ㅠㅠ The kids just seem too lacking in talent ㅠㅠ
└ If you don’t apologize, there will be legal repercussions.
└ I’m just saddened~ I didn’t even leave a malicious comment like some people?
└ For real lol. Shouldn’t the parent who spread false rumors be careful about being sued?
└ Hello. I am the principal of Geumsun High School, which Son Jinho attended. He was a very diligent student and a pride of Geumsun High. Please refrain from spreading baseless false information, as this is a matter of our school’s honor, and we will actively respond.
└ Ah lol quiet deletion is so ugly lol
The malicious commenters—presumed to be parents—who perpetually left negative comments on Son Jinho’s articles vanished under a bombardment from South Korean soccer fans.
– Gyeouri: Our Jinho’s articles are popping up a lot!
In high spirits, Han Gyeouri bragged by posting the articles in the group chat.
– Jinho’s mother: Our Jinho looks good in the red uniform, but I’m curious about how he looks in the blue uniform.^^
– Gyeouri: …Why is mom’s account nickname like that?
– Jinho’s mother: Huh? I changed it because I’m prouder of this than Gyeouri’s mom.
– Gyeouri: ….
Han Gyeouri felt a sense of deprivation, having her mother taken away by Son Jinho.
*
[Han Gwangjong’s team, winning decisively 4:0 against Iran! Is this the beginning of an unprecedented golden generation?]
The South Korea U-19 Youth National Team started with Iran.
[Han Gwangjong’s team! Winning 3:0 against Australia! The key player this time is Son Jinho!]
They also won against Australia, effectively securing their progression to the quarter-finals.
Unlike the World Cup with 32 participating countries, the AFC U-19 Championship features 16 teams in the finals, starting the tournament from the quarter-finals.
[Han Gwangjong’s team suffered a shocking defeat against Yemen! Is it pride, negligence, or injury? Why did they give rest to the main players?]
Han Gwangjong’s team, having given rest to the main players, suffered a shocking defeat against Yemen, finishing second in the group.
[South Korea’s quarter-final opponent is Japan!]
Thus, South Korea’s opponent in the quarter-finals was determined to be Japan, known as the eternal rival.
After the mid-2010s, while China became the object of contempt, with anti-China sentiments surpassing anti-Japanese sentiments…
In 2010, China was a reliable ally rather than a foe.
[Son Jinho expresses his determination for the Korea-Japan match. ‘In the match against Japan, losing rock-paper-scissors is not an option.’]
During this time, anti-Japanese sentiment was stronger than anti-Chinese sentiment, making the interest in South Korea quite heated.
“Well… Initially, China couldn’t play football, so there was no rivalry.”
Son Jinho shook his head while recalling China’s soccer skills. His face expressed nothing but anticipation for the Korea-Japan match, not an ounce of tension.
And rightly so, leading the current U-19 team was Coach Han Gwangjong, who held the nickname “the Yi Sun-sin of soccer,” never recording a single loss against Japan.
And Son Jinho himself also earned the nickname “Geobukseon” by erasing Japan’s attacking squad in a friendly match in the future.
“Yi Sun-sin and Geobukseon? Ah. There’s no way we can lose here.”