Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

131 – The Blow of Justice

131

Gaizka Garitano, who led Málaga to four consecutive European competitions, is indeed an exceptional coach.

Although Málaga’s financial situation is still precarious, when Garitano took over, the club was in shambles, and it was a wonder how they managed to secure promotion to La Liga.

That team, which has consistently produced results, surpassing relegation and even succeeding in advancing to the European competition for the past four years, undoubtedly possesses exceptional abilities… However, the problem lies in the fact that their methods are quite unlikable.

It’s the “Football 3” method, to be exact.

“Be careful!”

“Doing it aggressively is good, but don’t overdo it. You’ll only end up losing if you compete with them like that.”

In the past, when Barcelona’s unique football style sparked a tiki-taka boom worldwide, and everyone tried to emulate their possession-based football.

In the EPL, there was something that emerged to counter this possession-based football, and that was “Football 3”.

If Football 1 is the ordinary football we know, Football 2 is the style that stakes everything on possession.

In Football 2, scores like goals and conceded goals aren’t important. Because Football 2 is a completely different world of football from the traditional one. In Football 2, the team with high possession rates is the better team, and the team that dribbles well is the better team.

And to counter this Football 2, Stoke City, known as the “men’s team”, introduced “Football 3”.

Football 3 is a style that crushes the possession-based, dribble-obsessed Football 2, and it’s a counter-attack that rises to the extreme.

Of course, this is just a joke.

In reality, at that time, everyone was trying to emulate Barcelona’s possession-based football, and Chabi Hernandez was making excuses about how beautiful football wasn’t working, and how possession rates didn’t matter.

But this joke didn’t just come out of nowhere.

In reality, Stoke City, known as the “men’s team”, was famous for their rough football. …To put it nicely, they were a “men’s team” that played rough, but in reality, it was a dirty, intense, and brutal tactic that made opponents confused.

The person who led Stoke City’s Football 3 at that time was a figure evaluated as the greatest “chi-dal” (a term that means “kicking and running” in Korean) in football history.

He was a master of dirty play, who made numerous players fall to the ground, and his Football 3 was the pinnacle.

That person was none other than Professor Charlie Adam.

Some people say, “How can the EPL not give Charlie Adam a card or a warning? Is the EPL really that dirty and rough of a league? LOL”… But that’s just ignorance.

That’s why Charlie Adam is called “Professor”.

He proved that he could play dirty without getting a card, and his opponents couldn’t do anything about it, earning him the nickname “Professor”.

And his successor was none other than Roke Martinez of Malaga.

Roke Martinez’s clever and dirty play, which utilized his overwhelming physicality of 195cm and 94kg, was something that couldn’t be stopped even if you knew it was coming.

However, Roke Martinez’s greatest weapon was his hands.

“What the…! Diego! What are you doing? Don’t let go! Hold on tighter! Hold on, I say!”

Joo Ji-tae was pulling the players towards him, his face red with anger.

Football is a sport that surprisingly requires a lot of hand technique.

In competitive situations, hand technique is useful for maintaining distance, pushing, or disturbing the opponent’s balance. Roke Martinez was especially famous for his exceptional hand technique.

Every time he competed, he would use his long and thick hands to subtly push his opponents away, and it was a unique style that would make even the best players lose their way.

He was a famous top player, after all.

“Help! I can’t stop him alone!”

“……”

Joo Ji-tae’s rough competition was met with Roke Martinez’s clever handplay, which pushed him away.

Malaga, the team that inherited Stoke City’s Football 3, and Roke Martinez, who was called Charlie Adam’s successor, were experts at avoiding the referee’s eyes.

Even if they got caught, they would just say it was a natural movement that occurred during the competition, and there was nothing they could do about it. It wasn’t like they were committing fouls or pushing, and they would just say they accidentally used their hands.

At least the other Malaga players were normal, unlike Roke Martinez.

“Whoa? Hey, boy. That’s too rough, isn’t it? That tackle was a bit dangerous, you know~”

Joo Ji-tae, who was ignoring Roke Martinez’s finger-wagging, soon found himself on the receiving end of another player’s body tackle and fell to the ground.

However, even as he was falling, he precisely kicked the ball away, and it reached Madoo Murcia, who then connected it to Jose Marsa on the side.

“Ahk!”

“Hose! Referee!!”

Hose Mararga, whose speed was hindered by Malaga’s player’s elbow attack, fell to the ground.

Beep—!

A series of fouls followed.

“Are you okay?”

“My jaw hurts a bit.”

This time, the referee pulled out a yellow card.

Malaga’s players, filled with resentment, retreated, and Juzitae prepared to take the free kick.

‘I’ll definitely score.’

Although there were many players in Barcelona who were confident in their dead-ball skills, Juzitae, who had overcome all challenges to become the team’s free-kick specialist, had never felt as desperate to score as he did today.

The distance was approximately 35 meters.

At this distance, it was common to use a high-arcing header or a second ball, but against Malaga, the top team in La Liga, it would be difficult.

‘A direct shot is the answer. The distance is a bit far, but… I can do it.’

Juzitae decided to take a direct shot and, as soon as the referee’s whistle blew, he took a few steps forward and kicked the ball.

‘Ah, it’s curved in!’

* * *

[Ha ha, Juzitae is being cautious today.]

[It seems like Juzitae is also being careful because of Roc Martínez’s notorious reputation. Our Juzitae is doing well, haha.]

[Meanwhile, Diego Almeida has taken the ball away from Roc Martínez and passed it to Juzitae! Ah… Juzitae falls while passing it to Madu Murcia. Madu Murcia looks forward and… sends it long! Hose Mararga!]

[What is this?! Malaga’s Joeli has hit Hose Mararga’s jaw with his elbow! Ah, this is the nth time. This should be a card…]

[A foul is declared. The referee finally pulls out a card!! Malaga receives its first yellow card.]

Barcelona’s free kick is declared, and the commentators, who had been criticizing Malaga’s rough play, are shocked.

[Oh, Juzitae is coming out!]

[Until now, Barcelona’s free kicks have been handled by Pablo López and Iker Rodríguez. The fact that Juzitae is coming out despite their presence on the field… means he’ll likely be in charge of long-distance free kicks.]

[The distance is 36 meters! Malaga is the team with the longest set pieces in the league. Instead of sending it high, it’s better to send it low and fast— Juzitae shoots!]

[It’s going in— Ah, what is this?! The ball has curved in an incredible way and gone into the goal!!]

[What just happened! The trajectory is… it’s like Roberto Carlos’s UFO shot! This is an incredible free-kick goal!!]

The ball Juzitae kicked seemed to be heading out of bounds but curved sharply and shook the net.

Even the commentators watching on the screen, the spectators in the stadium, and the players on the field were left speechless by the incredible trajectory of the goal.

Coach Hose, who saw the goal, clenched his fist and pumped it in the air, shouting:

“That’s right. Juzitae is a big-game player. He’s better on the field than in practice… a natural-born big-game player!”

The players, who were late to react, rushed towards Juzitae, causing a commotion.

Juzitae, the protagonist, simply smiled calmly and nodded slightly, his expression nonchalant. …His foot hurt a lot.

* * *

After the free kick, Juzitae seemed a bit shaken, but Barcelona, which was leading 1-0, had to endure Malaga’s relentless pursuit.

Especially Roc Martínez’s provocative behavior, which stuck close to Juzitae, had worn down his patience. The final straw was when Roc Martínez received a verbal warning from the referee for his provocations and whispered to Juzitae as he walked by:

“You’re too sensitive. I was just teasing you.”

“Damn it.”

Malaga, which would stop at nothing to win, considered Roc Martínez’s provocations a means to an end, but this was unbearable.

It wasn’t long before another free kick opportunity arose.

Joo Ji-tae unleashed his justice sword on the despicable opponent.

“Whoa—”

A powerful shot, strong enough to trigger the Magnus effect, struck between Roc Martínez’s legs, causing his massive body to collapse like a withered tree.

A brief silence fell over the stadium.

“…Joo Ji-tae, warning.”

“I acknowledge it.”

In front of Roc Martínez, who was writhing on the ground, clutching his groin in a strange pose, the referee and the player exchanged intense gazes, creating a tense atmosphere.

Beep, beep, beep!

The game ended.

Barcelona won 2:0.

Barcelona, who had secured a pleasant three-game winning streak, would face Real Madrid next.

Incidentally, Roc Martínez, who was injured and carried off the field, was fortunate to have avoided a serious injury by covering himself with his hand just in time.