All Football Talents Are Mine Chapter 271

271. FIFA Club World Cup (2)

A worldwide club competition sponsored by Toyota and organized by FIFA.

FIFA Club World Cup.

The word World Cup may make you think that the status of the competition is very high, but in reality, it is not that prestigious.

This competition, which started in 2000, has been held hastily every year and has earned the stigma of being ‘a competition that is worse than not being played at all.’

However, starting in 2008, the competition prize money jumped to 16.5 million dollars (about KRW 16.5 billion), and the competition began to establish itself systematically.

As the prize money for the tournament reached 5 billion won, it was an opportunity that Real Madrid could not miss.

In the last El Clásico, the physical expenditure was extreme, so they sent out a second team in the semifinals, but they planned to send out the best members in the final.

Since it was the Christmas holiday period until early January anyway, there were no competitions, so I was able to compete with all my might.

The opponent is Seongnam Ilhwa.

Last season, with coach Shim Tae-yong at the helm of the team, the team won the 2010 Asian Champions League and participated in this competition representing Asia.

Objectively speaking, they had the potential to be one of the strongest teams in this tournament.

But unfortunately, from Real Madrid’s perspective, it was nothing short of a laughing matter.

There were opinions that the very humid and hot weather might be a variable, but that was not just the team’s hope.

Real Madrid easily defeated African powerhouse TP Mazembe 3-0 in the semifinals just three days ago, despite only sending out its second team.

In fact, the win was as good as Real Madrid’s.

Most soccer fans already thought that way before the tournament.

[ The betting company’s odds say that Real Madrid is more likely to win 10-0 than Seongnam Ilhwa is likely to win 1-0… . ]

└(?)What on earth is so shocking?

└It’s not that shocking, right?

└The reporter doesn’t know about soccer.

└Still, it doesn’t look like there will be a lot of goals. It’s not a league, so there’s no reason to use your stamina to set records.

└This is correct. Maybe I should score 2-3 goals and take it easy? I expect 3-0 or 4-1. Still, Seongnam is a team with decent offense.

A tension-free game.

It was safe to say that the outcome of the match was already decided, with the probability of an upset being less than 1%.

Nevertheless, the reason why soccer fans around the world were so interested was to see Real Madrid’s spectacular play.

El Clásico was held not long ago.

People were hopeful that they might be able to see a game like that again.

It didn’t just apply to ordinary soccer fans.

Two hours before the game.

“I’m looking forward to a good game.”

The man who visited Real Madrid’s locker room with a face full of anticipation was Sheikh Mansour, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.

He encouraged and encouraged not only Woo Ho-young but also other players.

And next to him was an old man, clinging to him like a sticky rice cake.

It was Chairman Calderon who personally visited the United Arab Emirates for a new business.

It was very uncomfortable for Hoyoung to be in the same space as him, but that was over today.

Of course, Hoyoung planned to return to Real Madrid.

However, there was no promise.

Whether that would happen 6 months or 12 months later was up to Hoyoung.

Calderon, who was encouraging the players one by one, came and spoke.

“What can I say to you? All I can say is thank you. I look forward to the end. “I’m sure you know what I mean.”

It meant thanking him for following his wishes.

In other words, he meant that he was very grateful for being a political victim.

but.

‘Not everything will go the way you want.’

Hoyoung had no intention of becoming Calderon’s puppet.

[Yes, this is the Zayed Sports City stadium. Players from both teams finally enter. The long-awaited moment has arrived.]

[All Seongnam Ilhwa players are clearly nervous. But should we say that there is a hint of solemnity in it? Just by looking at their eyes, it looks like they will never lose.]

[It’s called winning mentality. That’s exactly what Seongnam Ilhwa needs right now.]

On the other hand, Real Madri looked very relaxed.

Moreover, I was in very good condition as I had recovered a lot of my stamina after resting from the last game.

That became clear the moment we shook hands.

Isn’t the body of each player who joins hands with Hoyoung full of strength?

Most of Hoyoung and Gumyeonin’s players had a hard time with Hoyoung and used polite language.

An aura that ignores things like age.

Foreign mercenaries were no different.

In particular, Seongnam Ilhwa’s professional goal scorer Radoncic went one step further.

“Is it possible to exchange uniforms after the end?”

It was almost impossible to request a uniform exchange before a game.

But he had no choice but to be desperate.

This was definitely an opportunity that would never come again.

The one who was in the most sane state was the gatekeeper of Seongnam Ilhwa.

“I’m counting on you.”

[Jeong Seong-yong]

Talents

– Amazing kicking power (A-)

– Excellent ball handling (B-)

– Good prediction ability (C)

– Selecting a useful defensive position (C-)

(You can covet one talent if you meet the conditions. )

(Condition 1: Score 3 or more goals in this match)

(Condition 2: Score 30% or more goal-making ability)

The conditions were different from when we met in the national team.

I didn’t have much talent to bring, but I felt like I could use it for a long time when it came to handling.

‘Because it will also be helpful when throwing.’

After shaking hands with Hoyoung for the last time, he raised a sharp look in his eyes.

“There is nothing like watching.”

“of course.”

Twitch.

Jeong Seong-yong raised one corner of his mouth and smiled his signature smile.

It wasn’t a bluff.

I was just purely curious.

As a goalkeeper, what would it be like to face Woo Ho-young in real life?

I’ve been curious about this since the World Cup in South Africa.

A curiosity that a soccer player might have at least once.

And Jeong Seong-yong was able to get the answer in just 5 minutes of the first half.

5 minutes in the first half.

gulp.

“Whoa.”

Jeong Seong-yong let out a hot breath.

My body became stiff and I couldn’t move much.

Cold sweat drenched my entire body.

It wasn’t just because the day was hot.

game.

The game unfolding before his eyes was making Jeong Seong-yong do that.

The cause was, of course, Woo Ho-young.

The ball was far away, but I couldn’t let go of my tension even for a moment.

There hasn’t been much movement yet, but for Jeong Seong-yong, every minute and every second was a series of tension.

This is because I knew very well how outstanding Woo Ho-young’s playmaking ability was.

‘You never know when an opportunity will arise.’

His mere presence made me feel impatient and anxious.

That was Woo Ho-young’s presence.

However, it did not have a large enough impact to influence the game.

‘Yeah, it’s just that I’m scared.’

Real Madrid, the world’s best soccer player, World Cup top scorer, various wonder plays, etc.

His presence was felt because of those preconceptions, but there was nothing that really hit home in terms of the game.

‘It’s the same person anyway. Don’t be scared, Jeong Seong-yong.’

He had faced numerous attackers before becoming a national team goalkeeper.

If there was one thing I learned along the way, it was that I had to go into the game without fear of the opposing attacker.

mentality.

I had to take off my colored glasses and arm myself with the idea that I could block my opponent.

I didn’t even want to win the game in the first place.

‘More than half of the cases are blocked.’

Woo Ho-young’s goal-making ability is at a very high level, but that doesn’t mean he can always shoot.

‘I can do it too, Jeong Seong-yong. Don’t be greedy and just block once out of two times.’

I steeled myself and focused on the game.

No matter how much the opponent is Real Madrid, they will not be easily defeated.

‘We are the strongest in Asia.’

If you think you’re losing, you’ve already lost.

Jeong Seong-yong thought so and tightened his goalkeeper gloves.

[Seongnam Ilhwa, which has established a 4-5-1 formation, is playing a very tight defense. They are showing an unexpectedly good performance against Real Madrid.]

[Hahaha. It’s amazing. Should we call it a rebellion by the weak team? Several people are dedicated to marking Woo Ho-young, who is playing as an attacking midfielder, and are trying not to allow him to easily take the lead. Rather than winning, the goal seems to be to stop Woo Ho-young.]

Seongnam Ilhwa’s strategy was very simple.

Once they got the ball, they kept passing passes in their own half to buy time, and when they gave up possession, they focused on marking Woo Ho-young.

That’s how we lasted the first 25 minutes.

[I thought there would be a lot of scoring, but the game is still scoreless. It’s going pretty boring. Since Seongnam Ilhwa locked it up, Real Madrid is not that enthusiastic either.]

[Even if you do it roughly, you will win.]

“Make Woo Ho-young unable to catch the ball at all!”

“Close off the visible space first and watch!”

“The rest of the players just have to block in front of the goal!”

Even though Ronaldo and Higuain were wandering around in the front line, they only paid attention to Woo Ho-young and played the game.

But in the 28th minute of the first half.

[Xabi Alonso moves forward slightly. Woo Ho-young goes down and picks up the ball himself.]

[Now, he is going to solve it himself.]

The movement has changed.

As the frustrating game continued, Hoyoung went down and got the ball himself.

And I spread my horizons wider.

‘There are a lot of shabby places.’

Movement and space of opposing players.

We have now figured out where the gaps that arise from that are.

I drew my own path in my head that would allow me to proceed safely.

It was from then on that the flow of the game changed.

Tuk.

[Halfline Woo Ho-young drives the ball in.]

[Joo Jae-cheol Joo Jae-cheol tries first.]

Offensive midfielder Joo Jae-cheol stands in front, rolling his eyes.

There was a tense atmosphere.

But it was only for a moment.

Percussion!

[Open the right side and break through!] It was just

psychological warfare and nothing else.

Immediately after, Jo Byeong-gu and Hwang Cheol tried to stick together like a flock of piranhas, but they were unable to stop Hoyoung’s breakthrough.

Swish!

It’s all meaningless nonsense.

There were five tackles in that short period of time, but Hoyoung moved his feet in zigzags and kept the ball until the end.

Then, he suddenly turned his body 90 degrees to the left, shifting the direction of the ball to the left.

It was a pressure relief technique that allowed him to neatly escape between two sturdy men.

But it didn’t end there.

[They even attack Sasa!]

European foreign mercenary defender.

As if he had been waiting, he came with a rough sliding tackle.

The timing was almost perfect.

However, Hoyoung’s response was faster than expected.

[Woo Ho-young’s Marseille turn!]

[It’s truly a huge pressure to escape. Even if you have good footwork, it’s hard to do that if you don’t have the ability to press, right?]

[Woo Ho-young just hits and runs!]

““Oh oh oh oh!””

The cheers of the 40,000 spectators who filled the stadium poured out.

Yeah, I’ve been waiting for this.

They came to the stadium despite the sweltering heat to see this fantastic play.

It was then that the decisive chance came.

As Koo Jae-seong, who was marking Douglas from the side, ran towards him, Ho-young passed and created an opportunity.

And the penalty area.

Douglas gave the ball away again with a lob pass.

A lob shot followed.

Jeong Seong-yong tried to react, but the lob shot was mercilessly sucked into the goal.

It was a goal that came out in an instant.

Crash!

[Gooooooo! As expected, Woo Ho-young scores first!]

[Isn’t this another scary thing about Woo Ho-young? He is a playmaker and a problem solver at the same time. Even when the game isn’t going well, you can always score.]

[That’s right. It’s like a guarantee.]

Seongnam Ilhwa’s mental strength.

It broke apart after less than 30 minutes.

“This is absurd.”

Jeong Seong-yong scratched the back of his head.

Even looking back, I don’t know what happened.

He couldn’t see it with his eyes.

‘It wasn’t a situation where a goal could have been scored, so why…’

This is an area I can’t understand.

Hoyoung’s skills seemed to have improved even more than what I saw on TV not long ago.

It wasn’t just a feeling.

Hoyoung had actually grown a lot in the past few days.