122. From Seoul to Beijing (1)
After a light arrival ceremony at Incheon Airport, Real Madrid headed to the Sila Hotel in Seoul under the guidance of executives and staff of the Korea Football Association.
“Kya- it’s killing popularity? “I get that kind of reaction when I go to my hometown.”
Marcelo seemed genuinely envious of Hoyoung.
“haha. “I didn’t know it would be like this.”
“You envious bastard. “He even has a handsome face.”
Meanwhile, the team’s seniors were busy talking about Korea.
Most of the talk was about nightlife, but some even asked the organizers’ executives for information about Korean nightclubs.
The organizers did not provide information to the players due to safety reasons, but some players were already familiar with Korea’s hot spots.
Visiting hotel bars and nightclubs during world tours was a part of culture.
According to the Associated Press, Chelsea FC, who visited Korea three years ago, secretly enjoyed nightlife at a club in Gangnam.
Nightlife is not necessarily a bad thing.
There are some players who enjoy a little alcohol and feel the atmosphere of the country, and there are players who enjoy it more than that, and it’s just a difference in inclination.
In particular, Portuguese central defender Pepe could not hide his excitement.
It seemed like he wanted to go to the club after finishing the game against FC Seoul scheduled for the next day.
Meanwhile, Hoyoung went to a separate room under the guidance of the head of security.
Coach Park Seong-ho and Korea Football Association Executive Director Jo Jun-hyung were waiting for Hoyoung.
“Oh, you are Hoyoung. hi.”
“hello.”
Executive Director Cho Jun-hyung was a person Hoyoung knew well.
This is because he was famous for various achievements such as special military service exemption for the 2002 World Cup and expansion of youth development infrastructure.
Among them, I was most impressed by the fact that they promoted the incorporation of the association to improve transparency in the association’s operations.
He repeatedly praised Hoyoung and intermittently said that he had high expectations from the Korea Football Association.
At the same time, he expressed his will to block Hoyoung’s naturalization, saying he would entrust the future of the Republic of Korea to him.
However, Hoyoung’s only concern was whether or not he would qualify for the Olympics.
Director Park Seong-ho gave an answer to that.
“I’ll contact you right after the game tomorrow.”
“yes.”
He meant that he would decide on his entry after watching Hoyoung in person in tomorrow’s game against FC Seoul.
So everything went without a hitch.
There was no need to worry about naturalization for the time being.
This is because there has not yet been a specific reason to naturalize, and it is an issue that does not need to be decided right away.
Moreover, the regulations regarding naturalization are gradually being relaxed in the future.
Hoyoung knew.
This is how many issues related to naturalization came out in 2016.
The world is changing and immigration customs are also changing.
It was the same with FIFA.
When Fifa President Blatter, who was criticized as a hotbed of corruption, resigned, Infantino became the next head, and he made moves to gradually relax FIFA regulations.
As a side note, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, who ran in the 2016 election, also pledged to actively relax and partially abolish the naturalization policy.
However, he lost the election because he could not combine the votes with ‘Sheikh Salman’ of the Bahrain royal family.
In any case, it was okay to set aside the issue of naturalization for the next few years.
What matters is growth.
The most important thing this pre-season was to solidify my position at Real Madrid.
The first step will begin in Seoul.
“Then I’ll just leave.”
“okay. “Take care of yourself and look forward to the game tomorrow.”
Afterwards, Hoyoung met his family and spent free time under the consideration of Director Schuster.
The game started the next day.
Seoul World Cup Stadium away team locker room.
In an atmosphere that was devoid of tension, Hoyoung was with Marcelo with a slightly nervous expression.
That’s because Hoyoung has been at odds with Robinho for some time now.
Moreover, Hoyoung, who had just joined the first team, had no close players other than Zidane.
Although Hoyoung was very friendly, he couldn’t easily approach them and pretend to be friendly.
They weren’t the type of teenagers who would become friends even if they were together for just 10 minutes.
Each one was a legend and a superstar.
In particular, Raul has been with the club for over 15 years, and Guti, a legend among legends, is in his 23rd year this year.
For Hoyoung, who had just started wearing Real Madrid’s uniform, they were a wall he could not look up to.
It took time to become friends.
Still, everyone seemed to like Hoyoung, perhaps because he was talented and talented.
In particular, Roberto Carlos took care of Hoyoung better than anyone else after the game against Chicago, and Guti and Raul were silently encouraging Hoyoung.
Every moment spent with them was a moving experience for Hoyoung.
Even Pepe and Ramos, who spew harsh curses whenever they get the chance, were moved.
It may be that you don’t know it because you are still in the adaptation stage, but there were no problems like factions that were immediately visible.
I thought all I had to do was resolve the issue with Robinho.
And most of all, I was very grateful to Marcelo, who was a great help in adapting.
The age groups were also the most similar.
“Woo. But what did you say the name of the team playing a little later was?”
“It’s FC Seoul.”
“What kind of team is Seoul? do well?”
“hmm.”
Marcelo seemed curious about that from earlier.
Hoyoung readily answered.
“They may be weaker than us, but they are always in the top tier in Korea.”
“Will it be stronger than the United States?”
“Probably better than Chicago.”
“Who are the key players? “The guy named Park Joo-hyung the director mentioned?”
“that’s right. “He is FC Seoul’s ace.”
“I guess it’s fun.”
“then.”
I don’t know, but it would definitely be an interesting match for Hoyoung.
The excitement at the Seoul World Cup Stadium was so great that all 66,000 seats were filled two hours before the game started.
Likewise, the home team locker room was also heated up.
“Did you see Zidane earlier?”
“Fuck. My hands and feet were all shaking. haha.”
It wasn’t even a fuss.
But their main interests were different.
The Olympic team coach Park Seong-ho visited the stadium.
Since my entry had not yet been confirmed, I didn’t know if I would be selected for the Olympic team today if I did well.
Although it was a friendly game, it was natural for people to be greedy since military exemption was at stake.
Central defender Kim Seong-gyu was one of them.
‘This is an opportunity.’
A golden opportunity to enter the Olympic team as a wild card.
Since his name was already being mentioned in the national team list, there was a very high possibility that he would be selected if he made a clear mark in today’s game.
But he had been frowning since a while ago, wondering what he didn’t like.
‘But Woo Ho-young, doesn’t this guy even say hello to his seniors?’
Although he had nothing in common with Woo Ho-young, such as hometown, school, team, and national team experience, it was Kim Seong-gyu who treated Ho-young as his junior because they were of the same nationality.
The 26-year-old was famous for his rough and hot-tempered personality, and was evaluated by his seniors as not only talented, but also good at managing juniors.
Maybe that’s why my perspective on Hoyoung was a bit different from others.
‘Are you rudely looking at your seniors?’
Kim Seong-gyu was dissatisfied with that.
However, Lee Eul-ryong, a senior, smiled and didn’t say anything, so he wasn’t in a position to say anything.
That’s because Woo Ho-young felt more like a foreign mercenary than a junior.
‘Well, anyway, that’s it and this is this. Even though you lived abroad, you are still Korean, right? ‘If you do well, your seniors will look funny.’
The year was 2008.
Although the discord between seniors and juniors has eased a lot, the old school culture still remains.
Kim Seong-gyu, who was standing in the center of it all, had venom in his eyes.
‘But honestly, isn’t the K-League one level higher than the Spanish second division?’
Kim Seong-gyu, who thought so, started as a central defender in the game that day.
I thought I could stop Woo Ho-young even if I couldn’t overwhelm him.
It was 12:30 PM when each team entered the stadium amid enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
As the crowd in red uniforms cheered for FC Seoul, those in white uniforms on the other side shouted cheering slogans for Real.
“Madrit! Madrit! Hala Madrit!”
Even though they didn’t know the second verse of the national anthem, they were such passionate Real Madrid fans that they memorized every single lyric of Real’s cheering song.
Because of their presence, Hoyoung became even stronger.
If I hadn’t been confident, this wouldn’t have happened.
It was amazing and touching that he, like Park Ji-seok, who nurtured Manchester United fans, had become such a person.
It felt like something boiling inside was about to explode.
I couldn’t wait to explode it, and the game started right away.
After the captains of each team, Eul-Ryong Lee and Raul, shook hands and decided on their side, the kick-off took place immediately after the team was selected as Real Madrid.
[The game has started. FC Seoul, playing 4-4-2, will face Real Madrid in 4-2-3-1. Woo Ho-young is deployed as an attacking midfielder and is leading the attack. On the other hand, Park Joo-hyung is sitting on the bench. Fans’ expectations must have been high, but it turned out to be disappointing.]
[The goal is probably to allocate stamina for the regular league.]
The biggest interest in today’s game was the match between Park Joo-hyung and Woo Ho-young.
Of course, the dominant reaction was that Woo Ho-young’s skills were superior, but there were many people who evaluated Park Joo-hyung more highly until the end.
But the real winner of today’s game was something else.
Right in the 14th minute of the first half.
[Woo Ho-young! Run! As soon as he receives the ball from Zinedine Zidane, he attempts to
break through the center!] [This is Real Madrid’s typical tactic of building a foundation with stable passes and then taking a step forward and attempting a surprise breakthrough. FC Seoul needs to be careful about that. Woo Ho-young’s breakthrough happened literally in the blink of an eye…]
[Ah, the moment you mentioned! It’s pierced!]
[I told you! It happens in the blink of an eye! Kim Seong-gyu must stop it!]
Kim Seong-gyu can be said to be the center of FC Seoul’s defense.
He blocked Woo Ho-young’s path and engaged in psychological warfare.
‘right left…?’
However, Hoyoung did not accept the psychological warfare.
Kim Seong-gyu was a defender commonly seen in mid- to upper-tier teams in the second division.
There was no need to worry much.
Hoyoung neutralized Kim Seong-gyu’s psychological warfare with his excellent foot skills.
“eww…!”
Kim Seong-gyu’s mind turned white amidst Ho-young’s dazzling display.
That was the end.
[Woo Ho-young! Got it! He turned Kim Sunggyu into a scarecrow with a body fake that fooled even himself!]
Kim Sunggyu tried hard to stop him, but was helpless.
Leaving him behind, Hoyoung dug into the gap diagonally to the left and created the most confident shooting angle.
It was immediately after that that a mid-range shot was fired from about 30 meters away.
Cough!
Crash!
downpour!
The exhilarating shouts that resonated with three consecutive hits drove the audience into a frenzy.
What made me happiest more than anything was Hoyoung.
‘With this, I achieved my 29th 30-meter mid-distance shot.’
Cha Beom-gon’s talent is only available once more.
It was sooner or later.
And there were four people who had the biggest reaction to that goal.
The first is Kim Seong-gyu, who made an irreversible mistake.
The second was Robinho, who was sitting on the bench and anxiously watching the game.
The third is Park Joo-hyung, who was sitting on the FC Seoul bench with his hands clasped together.
“I think he’s ten times better than me.”
Park Joo-hyung was a top prospect who was evaluated as the best along with Woo Ho-young in the domestic media.
However, in his opinion, Woo Ho-young seemed to be much better than him.
It wasn’t the same thing, but it was like that when viewed objectively.
It just wasn’t at a level that could be compared.
And that fact was felt best by Park Joo-hyung himself.
So I spoke to the coach next to me.
“I guess we should hurry up and bring him to the Olympic team?”
“Yes, but…”
“Unconditionally.” “If I could play with a guy like that…”
I felt like I could achieve anything.
I meant it.
Woo Ho-young’s soccer was not just about being aggressive.
His movements were original and powerful enough to energize the entire pitch.
If Hoyoung joined the national team, it would be like gaining a great weapon.
‘It could be of great help to me too.’
However, since the selection of the national team was the responsibility of the coach and the association, Park Joo-hyung first planned to ask coach Park Seong-ho.
Are you young?
Are you an overseas group with no connection to the association?
It was absolutely absurd to not take Hoyoung with him for that reason.
And fourth.
The person who was most impressed by Hoyoung’s play was Olympic team coach Park Seong-ho.
While watching the game from the VIP section, he thought of putting Hoyoung in the national team.
“Key.”
As he was about to be selected for the final entry, he showed a cool expression on his face, as if his worries had finally been resolved.
After watching Hoyoung play in person, I became confident.
‘If we do that much in Beijing, it will be possible to advance to the quarterfinals.’
If the match luck was good, it would have been worth aiming for the semifinals… or maybe even a bronze medal.
‘How could a guy like that be born in Korea?’
Park Seong-ho’s mind was already filled with Woo Ho-young.
Even if there was opposition from the association, I planned to push ahead with it until the end.
To put it bluntly, Korea’s Ronaldo came out, but they don’t select such a player?
It was ridiculous.
Although he may be only half good, Woo Ho-young is a top prospect who has already proven his skills by taking second place in scoring in the adult league.
So it was right to select him unconditionally.
Moreover, isn’t this the place where he expressed his opinion that he wanted to go?
This was certain.
‘Let’s go to Beijing together, Bokdeong.’
Seongho Park put Hoyoung’s name in his heart and nailed it.