Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

126 – The Black King

126

Although it’s not as good as before, Barcelona is still Barcelona.

Starting from the 1990s with Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff created the Total Football that showcased the true meaning of ‘modern soccer’, and in the 21st century, Pep Guardiola’s positional play, also known as the Barcelona-style soccer, shocked the world.

Especially, the 05/06 season’s Ronaldinho-Eto’o-Deco line, the 08/09 season’s Messi-Eto’o-Henry, and the subsequent ‘Three Musketeers’ line of Xavi-Iniesta-Busquets, and the ‘MSN Line’ of Messi-Suarez-Neymar.

Indeed, Barcelona’s overwhelming performance from the 05/06 season to the 14/15 season was worthy of being called a ‘dynasty’ that represented an era.

During this period, Barcelona achieved two Trebles (08/09, 14/15), six championships, five Copa del Rey titles, and three Champions League titles, becoming the first team in European football history to achieve six championships and two Trebles, dominating European football.

This is comparable to the ‘Ghost Corps’ Real Madrid dynasty of the 1950s-60s, the ‘Total Football’ Ajax dynasty of the early 1970s, the ‘Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer’ Bayern Munich dynasty of the mid-1970s, the ‘Red Empire’ Liverpool dynasty of the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, the ‘Saki Revolution’ Milan dynasty of the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, and the ‘Galacticos 2.0’ Real Madrid dynasty that won three consecutive Champions League titles in the 2010s.

At the time, Manchester United legend Alex Ferguson praised Barcelona as the “best team I’ve ever seen”, and Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger called them the “best team I’ve ever thought of”, making them a global phenomenon.

However, this was nothing compared to their status and popularity in South America.

As Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard said, “The passion of South American players for Barcelona is unimaginable”, and their status and popularity in South America were indeed unimaginable.

While European players dream of playing for Real Madrid, and German players dream of playing for Bayern Munich, South American players dream of playing for Barcelona, and this passion is much greater than any other.

Recently, Liverpool and Manchester City have been doing well and gaining popularity, but this ‘dream club’ status is not something that can be built in a few years. It’s a ‘history’ that has been built over a very long time.

Especially, the status of Real Madrid and Barcelona is unmatched compared to other teams, and even with the recent success of EPL teams, who have spent a lot of money and achieved good results, players still dream of playing for Real or Barcelona, which proves this point.

As Barcelona has an overwhelming presence and popularity in South America, it’s no wonder that their popularity in the rising American market is also extraordinary.

The reason American football fans are drawn to Barcelona is because of the ‘Latino’ players from South America.

Of course, the fact that Messi spent his later years there also contributed to this.

Barcelona, facing financial difficulties, was eager to explore the American market, and one of the ways they did this was through their pre-season tour.

In the past, Asia was the most notable market for football globalization and commercialization, but now that Asia has been largely conquered, the new rising market is the American market.

As it’s such a massive market, not only Barcelona but also many European teams are eager to hold tours in the US, but Barcelona’s popularity remains unmatched.

Fans are excitedly talking about the young players who have just been called up to the tour squad.

“What? Juzitae and Max Moreno?”

“Max Moreno? The one who just got called up, Martin?”

“Yes, that’s right. Max Moreno Martin. The young player who was scouted from Aqua Hotel and has been growing through the ranks from La Masia.”

“Wow, then the average age of our center-back duo is only 20 years old!”

This is Barcelona’s first friendly match in their US tour.

The lineup is announced, and fans are initially surprised by the unfamiliar starting lineup. But soon, they start sharing information about the players and showing their excitement.

“What is this? I came all the way here to watch kids play! Where are the regular players?”

“I don’t care about the level difference, but how can our team put out such a lineup? Are we a youth training team?”

Of course, there are angry fans, but most of them have a positive reaction.

“Well, Barcelona is rebuilding, after all.”

“They’re sending out old players and calling up young ones, so they must have some confidence. Let’s just enjoy it.”

The results may not be good every time, but big signings always give people hope.

The fans who came to the stadium, excited about the 125 million euro super youngster, could feel why Juzitae is considered one of the best center-backs.

“He didn’t win the Golden Ball for nothing.”

“I know we paid a lot, but it seems like a successful signing this time.”

“Max Moreno, who played well in the first half, and Joel Cabrera, who came on as a substitute in the second half, did a great job. They’ll make a great center-back duo.”

Although it’s just a friendly match, it’s Juzitae’s first game after the transfer.

And what’s more, the center-back who’s only 15 years old is playing perfectly, receiving applause from the crowd, which continued even after the game.

The friendly match against New York Red Bulls ended in a 3:0 win for Barcelona, followed by an impromptu fan meeting.

The one who received the most attention was not Barcelona’s captain Pablo Lopez or world-class striker Jose Marza, but newcomer Juzitae.

Even with fans swarming around him, Juzitae didn’t lose his smile and kept moving quickly, but his hand would occasionally pause.

“Sign here on my chest!”

“Sign here! Right here!”

The girls who asked him to sign on their breasts.

The fact that the genius boy, who seemed distant, was actually kind and gentle, sparked the desire of many women.

“I can ditch my stupid girlfriend who doesn’t know anything and come to me, and I’ll take care of her all day long~”

The number of women who wanted to take the place of his childhood friend, who was too young, rapidly increased.

Juzitae tried to ignore them with a troubled expression.

“Shit… I didn’t want to create this weird image, but now it’s too late. I’ll never be able to date again…”

The image he didn’t want was already established, and it’s hard to change it now.

If that’s an image that gets stuck in your head at once, then all the more so.

I didn’t particularly think about recreating the female fan frenzy of his debut days, but there’s a difference between self-restraint and being unable to do so.

A woman was watching from afar, sighing at the weight of the “ideal” image, as Joo Ji-tae, who was being surrounded by women, was trying to appease them with a gentle smile.

* * *

At the Red Bulls Arena, the home stadium of the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer.

The woman, who was sitting with her legs crossed, staring at Joo Ji-tae, who was being swarmed by women, took out her vibrating smartphone.

Daily Sports Kim Reporter ＞ Thank you for the information.

Daily Sports Kim Reporter ＞ I’ll send you the article with a link (link).

When she opened the link, it was an article praising Joo Ji-tae, a pure and innocent boy who didn’t get caught up in women and alcohol, unlike other successful football stars.

After checking the content, she saw that it was written that his success was due to not getting distracted by women and alcohol.

Daily Sports Kim Reporter ＞ I’m so grateful, so I’d like to treat you to a meal.

The woman’s hand, which had been hesitant for a moment, quickly blocked the message, and her gaze remained on the chat window where a new message had arrived.

Yeosin ＞ Hinggu, don’t post it, hinggu.

The woman’s fingers, which had hesitated for a moment, clicked on the chat window, and the chat history popped up.

＜ It’s really worrying.

Yeosin ＞ Yeah, it’s really popular these days.

Yeosin ＞ Even when we met last time, there were so many women who didn’t know him, and they just kept coming.

Yeosin ＞ But it’s okay in Korea, I can take care of it.

Yeosin ＞ The problem is in Europe!

Yeosin ＞ Why do German women do that? They just cling to unknown men, and it’s so embarrassing. I’m really fed up and ashamed.

Yeosin ＞ Ugh, I’m so annoyed. Should I study abroad? What’s Spain famous for? Is it art? I’ll tell my mom I’m studying art.

＜ Do you know a good way to deal with it?

Yeosin ＞ Yeah, yeah, really!!

.

.

Yeosin ＞ What’s this, hinggu?

Yeosin ＞ I got scolded for nothing. Hinggu, let’s meet next time, and I’ll buy you a meal.

The woman’s gaze, which had been scanning the chat history, returned to Joo Ji-tae.

Joo Ji-tae’s awkward expression, surrounded by women. But she knew. She knew about his slightly raised lip corners.

Chaeyeon’s eyes narrowed.

She knew that Joo Ji-tae was popular with women. But it wasn’t to the extent that it was getting out of hand. He had always had that kind of temperament, but it was just a boyish charm… However, at some point, he started to give off a dangerous vibe, and even he himself was being swept away…

Meanwhile, Chaeyeon muttered to herself, unaware, as she watched Joo Ji-tae sign a woman’s white t-shirt with a reluctant expression, his hand brushing against her full breasts.

“…Mistake.”

For some reason, the pure and innocent boy image seemed to stimulate the women’s competitive spirit, and they started to get more aggressive.