Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

106 – An Eye for an Eye

106

Joo Ji-tae, who had fallen on the ground, looked at the palm of his hand in front of him and let out a dry laugh.

“This monkey kid. You’re really something. You know that, right? Ah, I guess you don’t understand Italian?”

It seemed like he had been planning this from the start. From the beginning, he had been targeting this.

Joo Ji-tae, who had received a pass from No Han-ho, lightly pushed away Paulo Pellegrini’s outstretched leg, but the latter wasn’t aiming for the ball.

It was exactly that.

He had stretched out his leg between Joo Ji-tae’s legs, cleverly blocking his path, and then collided with him using his body. Even Joo Ji-tae couldn’t withstand it.

If he had tried to resist, his knee would have been forced to bend, and a big accident would have occurred.

Luckily, Joo Ji-tae, who was used to all sorts of tackles and fouls, quickly let go of his strength and fell over, avoiding a dangerous moment.

But Joo Ji-tae, who had fallen over, looked apologetic, as if he hadn’t intended to do so. He reached out his hand and spoke with a pitiful expression.

“Good job. Let’s play like this throughout the game— oh, sorry. I got carried away and collided with you. Hey, referee, sorry about that.”

The referee, who had blown his whistle and rushed over, was taken aback by Joo Ji-tae’s polite words and eventually declared a foul.

Joo Ji-tae watched the whole process and nodded his head.

“Yeah, I forgot about this. This is Italy, and this is Catenaccio.”

The official name is Catenaccio, but it’s more commonly known as Catenaccio, a defensive tactic that represents Italian football.

Perhaps it’s even more representative of Italian football than the official nickname “Azzurri.”

‘The most beautiful football is 0:0 football,’ as the Italian saying goes, emphasizing defense.

The Catenaccio tactic, which prioritizes not conceding goals over scoring, is famous for its incredible defensive power, from individual defensive skills to team organization… But what’s really scary isn’t this.

Of course, these are also important parts of Catenaccio, but what’s really terrifying from the opponent’s perspective is Italy’s unique dirty play, which stops at nothing to defend.

The sly hand movements that deceive the referee, the provocative tackles that send players flying, the card inductions, time-wasting, and even the tactical fouls disguised as defense…

It’s the pinnacle of dirty play, opening up a new horizon of fouls.

That’s the true face of Catenaccio.

Joo Ji-tae felt a sense of unease.

“I’m in trouble. I should have expected this from Italy.”

But it’s okay.

Joo Ji-tae wasn’t just a talented young player.

“Stop messing around and get up, you idiot. You can’t even speak Italian—”

“Don’t rush me. I’ll get up.”

“…You can speak Italian, huh? Ah, it doesn’t change anything. You won’t be able to walk out of here with two legs today, rolling around like a dog—”

“Ah, don’t say something that’s too harsh. You’ll look weak.”

“What? I—”

Paolo Pellegrini, who had been watching with a keen sense of judgment, whispered with a gentle expression, his intense gaze still fixed on the scene.

“Monkey kid.”

“Then, can you play soccer better than a monkey?”

Juzi, who was still trying to get up, suddenly fell over, holding Paolo’s hand.

“Hey!”

His frustrated expression, with his arms spread wide, was like a child who had been scolded.

“Paolo, warning! Don’t go too far.”

“No, I— damn it!”

Paolo’s face contorted in anger, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

“So, you’re just like a gorilla. You look more like a monkey, though?”

“I’ll kill you.”

Juzi smiled wryly, seeing Paolo’s eyes gleaming with an ominous light.

“I’m the one who should—”

* * *

Although Italy has won the World Cup four times, its weight is significantly reduced when compared to countries that have won more than four times.

It’s a fact that even Italy can’t be treated on the same level as Brazil, Germany, and Argentina, who have similar careers.

This is a fact that everyone acknowledges, except for Italians.

However, even Italy’s four World Cup titles aren’t something to be taken lightly. Their tenacity in tournaments is truly remarkable.

Italy, with its unique catenaccio, is like a zombie in tournaments. It’s not an exaggeration.

To take down such a zombie-like team, you need to accumulate damage gradually, rather than trying to crush them with overwhelming force all at once.

If not, they’ll just come back to life, and the game will drag on, leading to an Italian-style kung fu that could result in multiple injuries.

A zombie is a zombie because it’s persistent and has high infectivity.

In that sense, Juzi could be called the greatest zombie slayer.

Why? Because Juzi was also a master of clever fouls.

In his first season, how many fouls did he commit?

Technical dribblers inevitably attract rough defense.

In the past, Pele and Maradona were like that, and recently, Messi and Neymar have been like that.

And in the 2030s, Juzi was like that.

Even small, weak dribblers get rough treatment, so it’s no wonder that Juzi, with his large build and height, gets even more attention.

Even the same move looks more dynamic when Juzi does it, compared to Messi.

It’s not just a visual difference; it’s actually more dynamic.

When someone with a higher center of gravity and more mass does the same move, it exerts more force, making it look and feel more dynamic.

Moreover, Juzi’s dribbling itself is incredibly flashy.

Even Messi can’t do what Juzi does, despite being 15cm shorter.

This is not only because of Juzi’s physical abilities but also because the defenders can’t just stand still.

If Messi or Neymar did it, they’d get rough treatment, but Juzi can do it with his build?

It’s only natural that they’d get rough treatment.

That’s why Juzi was the player who received the most rough defense in the 2030s, and through that, he became a player who could handle rough defense.

Are Pele, Maradona, Messi, and Neymar not the same?

They’re not, because those players are dedicated to attacking positions.

Although Pele and Maradona played in the same 2nd line in the past, modern football is different, and the roles of attacking and defending are distinct.

Unlike players who collapse after being roughed up, Joo Ji-tae had to take the rough defense and counterattack.

In other words, he had to use what he was given.

Moreover, it surprisingly suited him, and it was fun.

Thanks to that, during his early days when he was awkwardly following others, he even got sent off, but he learned something from it.

That’s why Joo Ji-tae could become an Italian counter.

“Kheok! Referee!”

“Ugh!”

Joo Ji-tae and Paolo Pellegrini, who were competing for the ball, simultaneously elbowed each other’s ribs without hesitation, and both fell to the ground.

It was a high-level technique, pretending not to use force, and making it seem like an accident.

Joo Ji-tae’s foul play was top-notch, but his opponent was no pushover, making it a 50-50 chance.

However, football isn’t just about fouls.

Peeeep—

The game was stopped again with a long whistle.

How many times had the game been stopped because of these two players?

As soon as the referee’s vision was blocked, the two players simultaneously fell to the ground, and the referee, who had been running towards them, shouted at Paolo without hesitation.

“Paolo!! This is your last warning!!”

Paolo, who had been rolling on the ground, covering his face, suddenly jumped up.

“Why?! Why me?! That kid did the same thing!!”

Paolo’s outraged cry made the referee’s eyes flash.

“Are you kidding me? You want to tell me that a 19-year-old kid deceived my eyes and committed a foul against you, a 31-year-old veteran ‘crazy dog’ like you?”

“That’s right! He did it! That kid elbowed my ribs—”

“So, you’re saying that a 19-year-old kid, with a straight face, deceived my eyes and committed a foul against you, a 31-year-old veteran ‘crazy dog’ like you?”

“That’s right! He’s acting right now!”

The referee looked at Joo Ji-tae, who was getting up with a pitiful expression, and sneered.

“To my eyes, it looks like the ‘crazy dog’ is giving a hard time to a newbie. Listen, Paolo. I know you had a big fight with the Korean media yesterday. But remember, there are many eyes watching this game.”

That’s it.

That’s exactly it.

When Joo Ji-tae was notorious for his dirty plays, the most difficult opponent to face wasn’t a player like Paolo who was skilled at fouls.

The most difficult opponent to face was… a newbie. Not just any newbie, but a quick-witted one.

Even Joo Ji-tae had been outsmarted by a newbie who was skilled at Hollywood-style action when he was notorious for his dirty plays. He had been so frustrated that he almost lost his mind.

It was the same now.

From the referee’s perspective, who would they believe – the ‘crazy dog’ Paolo, notorious for his clever fouls, or the 19-year-old player with a naive gaze? Would they believe that this young player, who was only in his second year, could deceive the referee and commit a foul that wouldn’t back down from ‘crazy dog’ Paolo?

“That’s true!!”

“Stop it. This is your last warning.”

Paolo Pellegrini, who reflexively turned around at the referee’s stern words, was visible.

Joo Ji-tae’s lips, which had been rubbing his aching ribcage (he was actually in pain), briefly curved into a faint smile.

“Uaaah!!”

“Paolo!! You’re getting a yellow card!!”

As Joo Ji-tae watched Paolo Pellegrini rolling on the ground, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

‘I’ve paid them back, and now it’s time to return the favor…’