193. Immediately after the Champions League final (1)
against Real Madrid, Mourinho entered the press conference.
I could have ended it briefly with an interview with a reporter, but I said it was okay and attended a potentially uncomfortable event.
He answered with sad eyes.
“We lost today, but if we were lucky we could have won.”
“Does that mean it was luck that Real Madrid won?”
It was a question that could cause controversy.
However, Mourinho did not avoid it and spoke softly in a weak voice.
“Today’s game was a mess. It’s not that we couldn’t do it. Rather, we poured all our capabilities into it. What failed was referee Roberto Rosetti.”
Reporters’ hands were busy with Mourinho’s blunt remarks.
It wasn’t particularly surprising as it wasn’t the first time he criticized a referee, but it was a very useful remark for an article.
Mourinho expressed his thoughts without stopping.
“He made a serious mistake today.”
“Which part are you talking about?”
“Do I really need to say it with my own mouth? There must have been more than one questionable scene. That’s not all. “The ball boy in the stadium cut off the flow, knowingly or unknowingly, and we suffered damage in the process.”
“Hmm….”
The point of conversation was already focused on Samcheonpo, regardless of whether Inter won or lost.
Mourinho, who wanted exactly this situation, did not stop and continued to divert the attention of reporters.
“one more. We, Inter, have achieved something that has not been achieved for a long time. Reaching the semifinals of the Champions League is not easy. And next year, we will strengthen our squad and try again.”
“Then, can I hear the names of those on the recruitment list? “The competition to recruit Woo Ho-young is expected to heat up during this summer transfer market. Is the manager also interested?”
“He is an amazing player. Even though it’s only been 16 years since he was born, you have to pay a significant contract penalty to bring him in. It’s a very attractive amount compared to his skills, but the key is Woo Ho-young’s heart. And he is a child under 18 years of age. Just because you want to, you can’t bring him to Milan right away. “If you really want to recruit someone, you have to consider the preparation period.”
“You mean the possibility is open?”
“There is no reason to close the possibility against such a player, right? If I were the manager of Madrid I would increase the penalty tenfold as soon as the season ends. But actually, I have a strong desire to see Woo Ho-young in Italy. “Whether it’s for our team or not, it’s fantastic to see him play on the pitch.”
On this day, Mourinho spoke more than usual at the press conference and succeeded in generating numerous news stories.
He changed the mood by criticizing the referee and got into an argument with a reporter, turning all the arrows on himself.
This was Mourinho’s responsibility to protect his players.
In fact, he didn’t like the content of today’s game, but he had no intention of criticizing the players because of it.
This was because we made it all the way to the semifinals of the Champions League.
And from that day on, he showed great interest in Woo Ho-young and formally requested the club to recruit him.
The next day, a big match took place at Old Trafford.
It was the second leg of the Champions League semifinals between Manchester United and Barcelona, and the stadium was overheated even before the game started.
In the first leg, Barcelona won 4-2, but no one was sure who would win.
Barcelona was in a very unfavorable situation, so they couldn’t be completely reassured.
It was because of the aftermath of the last El Clásico.
Iniesta, who had not yet recovered from his injury, ultimately did not play, and Daniel Alves was not included as a substitute due to accumulated warnings in the Champions League.
On the other hand, Manchester United got off to a good start by using 4-4-2 as usual.
And indeed, Manchester United was strong at Old Trafford.
Around the 22nd minute of the first half.
Rooney attempted to break through after receiving a loose pass from Michael Carrick, but left fullback Silvinho was unable to block his cross.
It led to United’s first goal.
It was a perfect linkage play created by Park Ji-seok and Cristiano Ronaldo, who were waiting at the opposite post.
The scorer is Ronaldo.
He scored his 8th Champions League goal, becoming the leading scorer along with Woo Ho-young and Messi.
Moreover, Manchester United’s scoring did not stop there, and they scored an additional goal with Nemanja Vidic’s headed goal just before the end of the first half.
Pep Guardiola tried to change things in the second half, but manager Alex Ferguson, like the greatest general, did not miss the opportunity.
It was good until Barcelona’s Thierry Henry scored a consolation goal midway through the second half.
However, Wayne Rooney’s goal just before the end of the game became Manchester United’s winning goal and decided the game.
The score is 3-1 for Manchester United.
And the overall score was 5 to 5.
The score was the same, but the ultimate winner was Manchester United.
[With away goals, Manchester United will advance to the final after Real Madrid! [Manchester United has achieved the milestone of advancing to the finals for the second year in a row.]
[It’s a shame for Barcelona. The aftereffects of El Clásico were so great. In particular, it was a game where Iniesta’s absence was clearly felt. Because my back was broken, the ball flow was not organic.]
[In other words, it can be said that the main reason for the victory was that Michael Carrick and Park Ji-seok made Xavi Hernández annoying. And goalkeeper Van der Sar’s save also shined. Overall, I think we can say that Manchester United has prepared well.]
[That’s right. In fact, the situations of both teams were very stark. Manchester United’s team condition was the best, while Barcelona’s was the worst.]
In the second half of the season, Manchester United was able to regain some composure in the EPL as Liverpool gradually declined.
It was a great help to Ferguson in managing his squad.
On the other hand, Barcelona could not let go of their tension until the end due to the league competition with Real Madrid, which eventually led to this point.
It was a frustration itself for Barcelona.
[Lionel Messi looks devastated. How disappointing would that be? Barcelona was evaluated as having the potential to achieve a treble this season.]
[Guardiola is a very unlucky coach. It is no exaggeration to say that I lost everything because of Real Madrid. [There are still the King’s Cup and La Liga to go.]
For Manchester United, Real Madrid is like a benefactor.
Korean netizens were not upset by these results.
Even people who were not interested in soccer began to take interest.
[Park Ji-seok and Woo Ho-young clash in the UEFA Champions League final!]
└The real Ferguson should go and bow to Woo Ho-young right away. Honestly, if it wasn’t El Clásico, Manchester United would have lost.
└Fergieㅋㅋㅋ If this continues, won’t they just trade Woo Ho-young and Ronaldo? This transfer market is going to be really exciting. If you go to the EPL when you turn 16, it will be a huge money-spin.
└Key~! You see all these things in life. The Champions League final between Koreans. I guess I should pre-order chicken from the morning of that day haha
└Ha… But it’s Wednesday after all. In human terms, shouldn’t the Champions League final be held on the weekend?
└Anything is fine. Anyone can win! Beat the Koreans!
└Honestly, change the article title to Ronaldo vs. Woo Ho-young. A ‘two-team battle’ would be good.
The final was scheduled to be held in Rome, Italy on May 27th.
Real Madrid had important work to do before then.
The next day, Valdebebas.
Schuster gathered the players and banned them from all external activities.
Participants were instructed to focus on the remaining schedule for all 24 hours except for sleeping.
“There are only five games left until the end of the season. If we win them all, we can lift two championship trophies, and each time we fail to win, one trophy is lost. “In your career.”
“All right.”
“yep.”
There were no players expressing dissatisfaction.
If you just persevere for the next three weeks, you will be able to enjoy the best reputation.
Currently, the point difference with Barcelona is only 2 points.
After falling out of the Champions League, it was clear that they would do their best in La Liga.
Therefore, now I had to put aside everything other than soccer and focus only on soccer.
‘We’re almost there.’
Hoyoung felt many things as the season neared its end.
It would be a lie if I said there were no regrets, but overall it was a satisfactory season.
In particular, I gained a lot from the Champions League and El Clásico.
It was significant just a few days ago.
From Adriano, he had the potential (S+3) and the natural strength of a soccer monster (SU), from Vieira, he had the ‘instant ball cutting of a black octopus (SU),’ and from Cambiasso, he had ‘excellent spatial perception (A+3).’
In El Clasico, Messi’s ‘unrivaled soccer sense (SS+2)’ and Henry’s ‘King’s curling kick (SU)’ were coveted.
It took 40 days to digest them all.
‘This level is enormous.’
I’ve been feeling that way strongly lately.
I feel like I am becoming a real human weapon.
Actually, that wasn’t a problem, but I was worried that if this continued, talent would become saturated again.
so that.
‘We need to build SSS levels one by one and integrate them into one.’
That was the next task.
The next opponent was Mallorca on May 10th.
Real Madrid dominated the game from start to finish.
In the first half alone, Raul scored a hat trick, almost confirming the victory, and starting player Hoyoung scored the team’s fourth goal.
He also achieved an amazing feat of scoring 20 goals in his debut season.
Thanks to this, Real Madrid succeeded in maintaining first place in the league through a valuable victory.
The problem was that the next match between Villarreal and Valencia was scheduled, but when I opened the lid, it wasn’t the case at all.
Neither team was part of Real Madrid’s meal.
There was no team in Spain that could take on the rising tide.
Now, there was really only one step left to win the league.
But before that, there was the Champions League final against Manchester United.
Time passed so quickly that it was already the day before the game.
Tuesday, May 26th.
There was no morning training since he was scheduled to leave on a plane in the afternoon, but Hoyoung was busy from the morning.
There was no shortage of supportive phone calls, from parents to coach Cha Bum-gon and Monica’s school friends.
And I even received international delivery from the Houhowoo fan cafe.
It contained a handwritten letter wishing good luck and expressing the thoughts of the cafe management.
What was surprising was that everyone who supported Hoyoung said the same thing.
-It’s okay to lose, so don’t get hurt.
Words that worry about Hoyoung.
However, Hoyoung left Madrid with the mindset that he would not lose even if he died like a tree frog.
It was early morning the next day when we arrived in Roma, Italy, the site of the decisive battle.