Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

120 – Transfer (2)

120

Joo Ji-tae didn’t have a preferred team.

Whether it was a team he wanted to play for as a player or a team he wanted to support as a fan.

It wasn’t always like this.

In his childhood, filled with innocence… or rather, in the early days of his previous life, he had liked Real Madrid or Juventus a lot.

“Let’s think about it again. If we consider the money, PSG or Newcastle might be better. If we think about career and team reputation, Real Madrid might be better. Or maybe Chelsea or Manchester City would be good too. Barcelona… is a prestigious team, but their current situation isn’t great.”

Objectively speaking, CEO Jung Seon-woo’s words are correct.

When it comes to money, PSG and Newcastle’s conditions are overwhelmingly good. If we calculate 220 million euros in Korean won, it’s over 300 billion won. As a weekly salary, it’s 420,000 euros, approximately 6 billion won.

Compared to PSG’s highest-paid player, Nasir Al-Muhammad, who receives an annual salary of 70 million euros, nearly 1 trillion won, it’s a drop in the bucket. But that’s because PSG is crazy.

Even in the football world where high salaries are rampant, the average annual salary of the EPL, considered the most lucrative league, doesn’t even reach 28 million euros, which is around 40 billion won in Korean currency. It’s laughable to call a salary of 40 billion won “meager”.

La Liga? It’s around 11 million euros, approximately 15 billion won. Serie A is slightly higher at around 13 million euros, but there’s not much difference. The Bundesliga is around 12 million euros.

But it’s not just about the money.

PSG and Newcastle are not some Saudi Arabian league team; they’re teams that belong to the top 5 European leagues.

The French league may lack competitiveness in European tournaments and be rough, but a team like PSG is in a different league compared to other French teams. And Newcastle… well, Newcastle is in the EPL, which is enough. They may not be title contenders, but they’re a team that can fight for Champions League spots.

If we’re talking about club prestige and competitiveness, Real Madrid is the best, followed by Manchester City. Chelsea comes next.

Barcelona?

Well… it’s definitely a great club. Despite their financial struggles over the past decade, they’re still managing to hold on, and their team isn’t bad either.

But compared to Real Madrid, they’re lacking.

In the past, it was Levante, but now it’s Levaman. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City. Not Manchester United, but Manchester City.

They’re still a strong team, but they’re not the Barcelona that dominated the world alongside Real Madrid. Nowadays, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Manchester City is more notable.

But,

“Barcelona.”

I’m stubborn.

Starting from now.

“No… why?! Think about it again. Isn’t PSG or Newcastle good?”

“Barcelona.”

“Then, Manchester City! Manchester City is amazing, right? They’re on a roll, their team is solid, their coach is good, and their tactics fit Juzi’s style perfectly! They build up from the back, and their center-backs participate in the offense, just like Juzi’s style!”

“Barça.”

“Chelsea! You don’t know the EPL? Chelsea is great, Chelsea!”

“No, Barça.”

“Then, Real Madrid! The royal family of Madrid is amazing, right?”

“Ba.”

“…Why?! I’m really curious. What’s so special about Barcelona? Is it because of Juzi’s preference? No, he said he doesn’t have a favorite team.”

“Fernando Alvarez.”

That’s because that guy is at Real Madrid, so…

Fernando Alvarez.

Originally, he would’ve won the league title and the Golden Boot like eating rice, and would’ve won four Champions League titles and two trebles, eventually becoming one of the greatest strikers of all time.

Messi had Ronaldo as a rival, but Fernando Alvarez didn’t have a worthy rival, so he recorded eight Ballon d’Or wins, showcasing his dominance.

At one point, Jo Jae-sin formed a rivalry with him, but… after finishing second in the Ballon d’Or three times, he dropped out of the rivalry, and Fernando Alvarez stood tall as the best player of his generation.

And the team where he reached his prime was Real Madrid.

But should he move to Real Madrid? That’s a team where Fernando Alvarez has already established himself as the representative player.

No way.

It’s not possible.

Even though it was due to his teammate’s mistake, Juzi suffered a defeat in the World Cup.

One defeat may not seem like much, but in a rivalry, even one defeat can become a milestone.

Even if they won against Uruguay, they would’ve been overshadowed by Fernando Alvarez at Real Madrid.

That guy is a striker, and Joo Ji-tae is a center back. It’s frustrating, but it’s an unavoidable part of soccer that strikers get more attention than defenders.

Even if they’re in the same position, there are differences depending on the league, and it’s not easy to be tied to a rival in a position that’s as opposite as a striker and a center back.

How can you surpass a rival and take the upper hand? There’s only one way to do it without controversy: to directly prove it on the field, again and again.

That’s why Joo Ji-tae chose Barcelona despite the many lacking conditions.

“Wow… a true genius is different. I’ve come to realize that Joo Ji-tae is different from other players.”

Jeong Seon-woo, who was deeply impressed, jumped up from his seat and sent a compliment, and Joo Ji-tae smiled darkly, like a god from another world.

It’s strange that people criticize those who only chase money, but praise those who pursue honor or romance.

Funny, isn’t it? Most football players who are packaged as romantics, loyalists, or dreamers are actually high-salary earners who receive enormous amounts of money, something ordinary people can only dream of.

Of course, it’s not that Joo Ji-tae looks down on making more money, but he thinks that if he, as a world-class football player, can just put aside his greed a little, he can get even more.

That’s the power of image. And a player with a good image gets even more popular, which leads to even more money.

In that sense, this is a reason to show off to the world.

Who would leave a better option and choose a thorny path, like Barcelona, instead?

A 19-year-old boy who gives up a massive salary and a red-carpet career to challenge himself against a rival with a lower salary and a tough career path?

That’s something to cheer about! Any football fan would stand up and applaud.

Of course, Joo Ji-tae isn’t someone who would choose a difficult path just for image.

Although he can’t say it to others, Joo Ji-tae remembers a time when Barcelona shone brightly, around 3-4 years after the 2034 World Cup.

As the team’s performance declined and revenue decreased, they couldn’t afford the high salaries and had to let go of high-salary players, calling up youth players who surprisingly showed great potential and shone briefly.

The media and fans went wild, reminiscent of Barcelona’s golden era, and Joo Ji-tae remembers it well.

Well… as you can see, the promising young players who showed great potential eventually left the team, and the team continued to decline due to poor recruitment.

But what’s important is that Barcelona will shine again in 3-4 years.

“I’ll just take advantage of that period and go to Real Madrid or something.”

If Jeong Seon-woo knew Joo Ji-tae’s thoughts, he wouldn’t be praising him like this now.

“What a great player’s agent I am… I’m really a lucky person. I understand Joo Ji-tae’s mind now. Now I get it. For a great player like Joo Ji-tae, money has no value! Right now, let’s just—”

“Wait a minute.”

Joo Ji-tae stopped him with a serious tone.

“—sign a contract with Barcelona, right?”

“Why does money have no value? I’m not like that, and neither is my agent. Don’t you know that? It’s the agent’s job to get as much as possible. Barcelona may be struggling, but it’s still Barcelona. Let’s get as much as we can. The salary may be hard to increase, but we can get as much as possible with incentives and options. You know what I mean?”

* * *

Jo Jae-sin, who was lounging on the sofa, suddenly asked, “Hey, Joo Ji-tae, are you transferring?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Where?”

“Barcelona.”

“…Real?”

“Real. I told you before.”

“When!!”

Joo Ji-tae’s stunned expression turned into a questioning gaze as Jo Jae-shin suddenly jumped up, shouting loudly.

“Don’t you remember? A few days ago, you followed us on a date with the goddess, didn’t you?”

It was a rare date, but Jo Jae-shin had stuck to them like glue, making the goddess extremely angry.

Joo Ji-tae looked up at the air with a vague expression and shook his head.

“No, you crazy guy!! You said you’d take her to a multi-room, not a date!!”

“What’s wrong with that? If I’m a superstar, can’t I have a date outdoors like everyone else? People would swarm around us, making it impossible to date. You had the most fun, didn’t you?”

But when they entered the multi-room, it was as if they were siblings, refusing to leave each other’s side in front of the karaoke machine.

The “Wow, wow~” vibe from Jo Jae-shin’s crazy voice still lingered in his ears.

“No… Ah! I’m worried, that’s why!!”

“What’s there to worry about? What’s so worrying that you followed us on a date?”

“Ao!!”

“Tsk, tsk, Jae-shin. Do you think I’m you? The goddess is still a minor. What’s gotten into your head?”

“I’m so angry. Do you think I’d believe you!?”

“What do you see? Tsk, tsk. Come to your senses.”

Joo Ji-tae glared at Jo Jae-shin, who was stomping his feet, and clicked his tongue.

“Anyway, let’s start again. So, I asked you about Barcelona, right?”

“…That’s when we played FIFA.”

“Whatever.”

“This is crazy. So, what about me? If you transfer, what about me!!”

“What about you?”

“What am I supposed to do!!”

“Sorry, Barcelona doesn’t have the money to recruit you too.”

“You crazy guy, what am I supposed to do then!!”

“What’s there to do? You should transfer too. Don’t worry. I’ll find a team that fits you perfectly.”