All Football Talents Are Mine Chapter 116

116. A monster spreading across the world (1)

Summer World Tour running from July 4th to 20th.

The Beijing Olympics will be held from August 6th to 23rd.

I was able to kill two birds with one stone.

This is because there were no problems with the game schedule.

However, there is one problem: the Olympic team has never been part of the team before.

Common sense dictates that it is almost impossible for a player to enter the Olympics without even a single evaluation match.

No matter how much Hoyoung’s skills have been proven, soccer is fundamentally a team game.

In that sense, to coach Park Seong-ho, Hoyoung was like a gambler.

Age and skills.

That didn’t matter.

However, the key was whether they could adapt to the disciplined atmosphere of the Olympic team.

That evening.

That was why Director Park Seong-ho asked Ho-young to call him.

“Hmm.”

Hoyoung calmed his voice once and then answered the phone.

“hello.”

-Oh yeah. Are you Hoyoung? Is this your first time?

“Yes, hello.”

-Hehe, okay. It’s the director.

Director Park Seong-ho began his self-introduction in a calm and gentle voice.

Pohang Steelers Korea U20 national team coach Korea adult national team coach.

He explained his career in detail, reciting his major achievements.

-The director is this kind of person.

“okay.”

There was no way Hoyoung didn’t know about Park Seong-ho.

‘He is the coach that Busan fans hate the most.’

This was due to an incident in which he was transferred to the Olympic team after only two weeks from being the coach of Busan I-Park.

So, it is said that even the seagulls in Busan launch a group attack whenever they see Park Seong-ho.

However, he was a manager whose skills were guaranteed.

Soon, Park Seong-ho got to the point.

-Director, Hoyoung, I want you to join the Olympic team and play with your brothers. But that’s it.

“yes.”

-It’s not that the director doubts your skills, Hoyoung. I’ve been watching your videos until my eyes tear out. It’s just that. It’s the director’s idea to want me to come to Korea and get tested. If you’re going to go to Beijing, shouldn’t you spend at least two weeks working with your team’s seniors? Do you understand?

“yes.”

Coach Park felt comfortable as the final entries had to be confirmed by the 24th, two weeks before the Olympics.

And it was also true that, no matter what, you had to work well with your teammates.

Hoyoung also agreed to that.

However, Hoyoung’s position was that he could not make much time due to the world tour.

Olympic World Tour.

For Hoyoung, both were opportunities he couldn’t miss.

Especially in the case of the Olympics, there was the opportunity to meet world-class soccer players even if they were not exempt from military service.

The only players Hoyoung remembers from the 2008 Olympics were Messi and Ronaldinho.

And maybe.

I didn’t know that I could even covet the talents of athletes in other sports besides soccer players.

Hoyoung opened his mouth.

“Then, I will come to see you when I visit Korea on the 15th.”

Late June.

Most professional soccer leagues around the world have come to an end, but the excitement is still strong in Europe.

This is because the Euro 2008 competition was in full swing.

Just like in Greece four years ago, a surprise occurred this time as well.

Russia, led by Hiddink, achieved the miracle of advancing to the semifinals thanks to the outstanding performance of Andrey Arshavin.

However, Hiddink’s magic came to an end when he faced Invincible Armada Spain in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, the summer in Spain became even hotter.

Spain, placed in Group D, dominated the midfield in every game with its crazy midfield consisting of Silva, Fabregas, Xavi, and Iniesta.

In addition, the offensive line consisting of Villa-Torres played the role of a problem solver and led Spain to the finals.

And on June 28th.

Germany, the opponent in the final, lost the trophy to Spain due to Michael Ballack’s failure.

In this way, Ballack continued the legend of the second-best player and Spain announced the beginning of its golden age.

It was the end of June, which was hotter than ever.

But around that time.

As July approached, there was someone who was busier than anyone else.

It was Real Madrid coach Bernhard Schuster, who is now in his second year.

He had a lot of trouble making a list of players ahead of the world tour scheduled for next week.

That’s because most of the main players were exhausted due to the Euro 2008 competition, so selection was difficult.

So, I was planning various combinations with the intention of giving opportunities to as many young prospects as possible, but there was one problem.

‘How should we use Woo Ho-young?’

Shadow Striker?

Goal getter?

Trequartista?

There were so many roles that Woo Ho-young could play that I couldn’t help but worry.

Truly a happy thought.

I wanted to use Woo Ho-young in as many ways as possible and try out many combinations.

‘If used well, I think it can be a valuable backup resource in the first team.’

Schuster planned to use Woo Ho-young mainly for cup competitions rather than the league.

Just like I did to Balboa last year, I planned to give Hoyoung at least a chance.

Age didn’t matter to him.

All you needed was the skill.

Of course, Schuster did not trust Hoyoung until recently.

This is because there was no guarantee that even if he played well in the second division for one season, he would be able to do so in the first division as well.

The difference in level between the 1st and 2nd divisions was that stark.

To put it simply, it was the difference between heaven and earth.

However, my thoughts changed when Hoyoung participated in first-team training last month.

‘Woo is not just a prospect.’

To some extent, I understood why the board wanted to promote Woo Ho-young to the first team.

However, I did not think that Woo Ho-young could become a starting player as soon as he debuted in the first team.

Therefore, the key was whether Woo Ho-young would adapt well to the first division.

In other words, we had to get his position right in the first place.

So that the lamb does not wander into an unfamiliar environment.

‘If Zidane has the stamina to play until the winter, I think the Zidane-Ho-Young Woo-Rovinho line will be fine.’

The range of choices was wide.

However, the coach only provided the opportunity and the rest was up to the player.

That’s why this preseason.

I was really looking forward to it.

next day.

The list of players participating in the pre-season tour was announced on Real Madrid’s official website.

The total number of players is 23, and the main players who exhausted their stamina in Euro 2008 were left out for rest.

However, most of the other players were included.

Hoyoung’s eyes were busy rolling as he displayed the player list on the monitor.

Goalkeepers – Dudek (35) Codina (26) Adan (21) Philippe (20)

Defenders – Roberto Carlos (35) Mitchell Salgado (3 captains. 32) Pepe (25) Sergio Diaz (23) Daniel Guillen (23) Miguel Torres (22) Mateos (21) Marcelo (20)

Midfielders – Zinedine Zidane (4th captain, 36) Guti (vice captain, 31) Mamado Diarra (27) De La Red (23) Tevar (22) Woo Ho-young (22) 14)

Strikers – Raul (captain. 30) Saviola (26) Robinho (24) Callejon (21) Higuain (20)

“It’s the same as what I heard yesterday.”

There was a sense of weakness due to the absence of the Dutch connection, but all the legends including Carlos, Zidane, Guti and Raul were there.

‘at las!’

I got the opportunity to play in the same stadium with soccer legends.

Aside from the talent that could be coveted during the tour, just being able to be with them raised expectations.

Departure was three days later, but I felt like I wouldn’t be able to sleep starting tonight.

It was on July 4th, three days later, that Real Madrid’s players boarded a private plane.

They were scheduled to hold a total of five friendly matches starting in Seattle (4th~), Chicago (7th~), Los Angeles (10th~), Korea (15th~), and Tokyo (18th~20th).

The players arrived at Seattle Airport that day, unpacked their bags at the hotel and warmed up and trained at the nearby Athletic Center (VMAC).

That evening, ambassadors Brian Robson and Dennis Irwin of the Seattle Sounders, who will be playing the game tomorrow, came to the hotel to welcome the players.

And the next day.

An autograph session was held for fans at the Space Needle, the top symbol of Seattle.

Most people flocked to Zidane and Raul, but occasionally there were people who came to Hoyoung.

It was questionable in many ways.

“haha. nice to meet you. But do you know who I am?”

“He’s a Real Madrid player!”

This was the majority reaction.

The United States is not a country that is very interested in soccer.

It was highly unlikely that an American citizen who did not know his country’s national team, let alone Spain, would know about Hoyoung.

Still, the rare Korean fans recognized Hoyoung.

Anyway, it was a good experience that gave Hoyoung an opportunity to work harder.

Two days later, on Sunday the 6th, at 2:15 p.m.

A friendly match against the Seattle Sounders was held at Seattle’s home stadium, Qwest Field.

As the 67,000 spectators who filled the stands were waiting with great anticipation, players from each team entered the stadium just in time.

Real Madrid’s starting tactic was a 4-2-3-1 formation with Raul as the lone player.

Beep!

When the game finally started, Real Madrid showed off their overwhelming performance and pushed Seattle into a corner from the beginning of the game.

Indeed, a prestigious name is a prestigious name.

Raul took the lead 10 minutes into the first half by scoring the first goal.

It was a fantastic goal created by the collaboration of Carlos and Zidane, who broke through the left flank.

The second goal came in the 40th minute of the first half.

This time too, Raul did not miss the opportunity and succeeded in scoring consecutive goals through a link-up play with Robinho.

Seattle looked for an opportunity and tried to turn the tide, but could not overcome the experienced defense of starters Mitchell Salgado and Carlos.

Real’s offensive became sharper as time went by.

Led by key players such as Zidane, Guti, Robinho, and Raul, they dominated Seattle throughout the first half.

But the second half was completely different.

As the veterans who were in charge of Real’s defense left out, a large number of young players such as Mateos and Miguel Torres were replaced, but they continued to show instability and make mistakes.

Just 10 minutes after the second half started, they gave up a goal due to an absurd mistake.

No matter how prestigious Real Madrid was, the Seattle Sounders were not that easy of a team.

They were a powerhouse with a long history in American professional soccer (MLS), and actually achieved good results against prestigious European clubs such as Manchester United and Barcelona, which visited every year during their summer tour.

Real’s defense, made up of prospects with little first-division experience, was unable to come to its senses to the point where its reputation was in vain.

As such, Real Madrid failed to perform as expected and played below par throughout the second half.

Afterwards, several decisive chances arose in front of the goal, but Saviola, who was deployed as a striker, blew all of them.

72nd minute of the second half.

When the game didn’t move at 2-1, coach Bernd Schuster made changes to try to turn the situation around.

It was a substitute appearance for an Asian boy.

[OUT 9. Javier Saviola]

[IN 43. Ho-young Woo] Ho-

young’s unofficial debut.

When Hoyoung’s name, who took Saviola’s place, was displayed on a large electronic display, the audience became noisy.

It wasn’t because he knew of Hoyoung’s existence.

I was just curious about the sudden appearance of an Asian.

“Who is it?”