073. Spain’s prestigious school (1)
game score 4 to 3.
Near the end of the second half.
Applause poured out from the audience, which was filled with about 20,000 people.
“wake up!”
“One minute left!”
It was a shout of encouragement for Hoyoung, who was taking a deep breath.
“Whoa.”
Hoyoung raised his head.
My heart sank and a hot breath came out.
There were still about 30 seconds left in the game, but the foot did not drop.
It felt like my body had stopped, like a robot whose batteries had run out.
He cast a mischievous gaze into the distance.
The ball was still bouncing around Mexico’s defensive half.
People don’t move.
Everyone is exhausted.
The only things that move are time and the soccer ball.
‘Just a little more…’
The head tells to move forward, but the feet are still in place.
It’s really over now.
“after.”
There may be regrets about the end of the journey, but there are no regrets about the journey.
Well fought.
Beep!
Although it was Mexico that won after a breathtaking battle, just getting this far was good enough.
[Now, the game is over. Mexico defeated Korea 4-3, confirming its advancement to the finals.]
[Yes. I lost, but I fought well. Indeed, Mexico showed a formidable performance as a strong contender for the championship. In fact, for the Republic of Korea, it can be considered a great miracle just to come this far.]
[That’s right! Isn’t Korea the country that originally narrowly advanced to the World Cup finals? You fought really well!]
[That’s right. I’m really proud of our players. Ah… but Woo Ho-young. I can’t bear to raise my head because of my regret. I feel like I want to go down to the field right away and encourage them… Haha, my nose is getting a bit cold too.]
Hoyoung, who was lying down on the pitch right after the game ended, didn’t think anything of it.
My mind was just blank.
regret.
Other than that, I couldn’t think of anything else.
Still, I didn’t have any major regrets about the game because I showed everything I had prepared.
Failure to overcome the team’s power gap.
The bitter taste of being eliminated.
They were just divisions.
however.
Hoyoung raised his head.
Although I didn’t make it to the finals, I gained something valuable thanks to it.
The goal is to reach a level where you can freely display your own play, no matter which team you play or what league you play.
And the quality of pushing boundaries.
Even the ability to bring about a wind of change in the world of soccer.
‘It’s been a long time.’
It hasn’t even reached half of the level yet.
Maybe that’s why soccer feels more fun.
That there is a place to keep going.
This means that you can achieve endless achievements.
That’s why Hoyoung wanted to go up endlessly.
There was no satisfaction until there was no more room to reach.
So once again.
My heart started pounding.
Seeing the Mexican flag floating on the electronic display board strengthened my ambition.
I won’t lose that position again.
After the semifinals, Woo Ho-young’s name began to become widely known around the world.
In Korea, articles poured out as soon as the game ended, as if they had been written in advance.
[English press, “The winners are Mexico and Woo Ho-young, and the losers are Korea and Carlos Vela,” highlighting the possibility of Woo Ho-young’s golden ball]
[New record, new record, youngest hat-trick record… Woo Ho-young’s journey, which shocked the world, is not over yet.]
Many Among the articles, the one that attracted the most attention was the article about individual awards.
[Who will win the Golden Ball (MVP), the highest individual honor among World Cup players?
Woo Ho-young (13, Sao Paulo FC) and Carlos Vela (17, CD Guadalajara) ranked 1.2 as the top scorers ahead of the 3rd and 4th place match and the final, respectively. Currently, Hoyoung Woo is following closely behind with 8 goals and Bella is following closely behind with 6 goals.
Here, if Woo Ho-young becomes the top scorer and at the same time places Korea in third place, the possibility of winning the Golden Ball increases.]
└Woo Ho-young, of course.
└We don’t know yet… If Bella scores the winning goal in the finals and wins, she will definitely win.
└I guess we can only hope that Mexico takes second place.
└Let’s go to the top scorer!
└Let’s go MVP too!
A game without giving up an inch.
Who will be the star of the World Cup depends on the remaining games.
On October 2nd, three days later.
First, the 3rd and 4th place match between Korea was scheduled to be held, followed by the final between Mexico and Brazil.
Korea’s opponent happens to be Turkey!
It was a match that evoked nostalgia for the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.
3 p.m.
When the game started, about 35,000 spectators filled the stadium.
[yes! The 3rd and 4th place match between Korea and Turkey has finally begun. Although we only lost in the 3rd and 4th place match at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, I hope that our players will achieve good results this time.]
[I agree. I believe so. However, a very difficult match is expected. Turkey is in the round of 16…]
Turkey’s power is not that strong.
Nevertheless, the reason why commentator Park Moon-seok predicted a difficult game was because of their team’s organizational skills and the manager’s excellent tactical management skills.
And that expectation was wrong.
[Gooooooo! goal! goal! goal! It’s a goal!! 5 minutes into the first half, Woo Ho-young’s mid-range shot scores a goal!!]
[Ah, that’s amazing! Of course, it’s Woo Ho-young. A difficult game was expected, but our players are doing well. But you must not let down your guard!]
Ten minutes later, the goal net shook once again.
Turkey’s goalkeeper sighed heavily.
[Gooooool! Seok Hyung-Jun from South Korea! Score the second goal! Woo Ho-young’s key pass stood out!]
[Ah~ Haha. I have nothing to say! It’s amazing!]
The match was so close that it wouldn’t be surprising who won, but it was South Korea that took the actual score.
The hot game continued in the second half.
Perhaps because it was the last game, the players showed everything they had.
Then the second half.
Today, as usual, Turkey tried to take advantage of Korea’s poor defense, but it ended in a 2-2 draw.
It was South Korea that won only after a penalty shootout.
[Korea ranks 3rd in the World Cup!]
[Yes, it is an U17 tournament, not an adult tournament, but it is definitely a meaningful achievement. This is the first time in 20 years since the competition began in 1985 that an Asian country ranked third. I can only say that it is truly amazing.]
3rd place in the U-17 World Cup.
At the beginning of this year, some players held each other and cried at the unexpected feat, while others draped the Taegeukgi around their bodies and rejoiced.
The ending was a rinse.
Director Park Kyung-woon was the first to rise into the sky, and then…
“Who?”
“Who is it? “Raise it!”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the team’s youngest member.
First-class contributor Woo Ho-young.
There was no disagreement.
Woo Ho-young rose into the sky.
“Waaaaaa!”
The sight of him thrusting his fist as if he were going to pierce the sky caught the attention of reporters.
As a result, Korea finished the competition very successfully, taking third place, and the only remaining competition was the final.
Depending on the results, that is, Bella’s performance, the top scorer and golden ball winner were expected to be determined.
Soon the finals began.
Korean players sat in the stands provided by the tournament and watched the game.
Brazil vs. Mexico.
Familiar faces appeared one after another in Hoyoung’s eyes.
Marcelo Fabino Breno and others.
They were doing well against Mexico.
The final, which Mexico thought would win easily, took an increasingly strange turn.
Carlos Vela, who should be moving around the defense, is not able to use his strength.
‘It’s a burden.’
Since Hoyoung scored one goal in the previous 3rd and 4th place match, he was under pressure to score more than that and was unable to play properly.
The same goes for other players.
Because they poured so much energy into the semifinals against Korea, they were unable to show their full potential in the important finals.
On the other hand, Brazil was lively.
In the end, Brazil won the championship, defying everyone’s expectations.
At the same time, Hoyoung’s heart swelled.
‘This is done.’
After the 30-minute victory celebration, the individual player awards ceremony was held immediately.
The Golden Shoe, given to the top scorer, was given to Hoyoung, who scored 9 goals, and the long-awaited Golden Ball (MVP) award ceremony was held one after another.
Golden Ball, where votes were counted at the end of the first half of the final.
A golden trophy that can be held in one hand.
It was given to Hyeseong Hoyoung, an unprecedented player in the soccer world who, despite his young age, led Korea to third place and also became the top scorer.
Top scorer.
Youngest business trip.
Youngest scorer.
Youngest MOM.
Youngest hat trick.
Youngest podium finisher.
No one could disagree with Woo Ho-young’s Golden Ball award.
It was truly a historic moment that left a mark in the world of soccer.
An interview was conducted after the awards ceremony.
The recipients were the winning team’s manager, Golden Ball winner, Golden Shoe winner, and Golden Glove winner.
After the Brazilian coach, Hoyoung’s turn came.
The reporter asked in a very excited tone.
“I can’t leave out this question with Woo Ho-young in front of me. Would you like to start by telling us your thoughts on this competition?”
“yes. “Whoa,”
Hoyoung expressed his feelings with an overwhelmed face.
“It was a fun challenge. It felt like climbing a snowy mountain. Even though I didn’t reach the top this time, I will someday. As they say, the greatest glory comes from standing up again. And I would like to thank everyone who supported me. “To all of you at the Howooho fan cafe who support us 24/7, 365 days a year.”
I was especially grateful to the fans who sent me a variety of gifts, including clothing and electronics, on my birthday this year.
As the interpreter nearby relayed the words verbatim, each reporter smiled and responded positively.
“Thank you for those kind words. So what are your future plans? “There are already rumors of a transfer to a big club. Will there be any changes in the future?”
“This is the most important time in my football career. And you will need a partner to join you on that path.”
“There were rumors that you were going to settle down in Spain. “Is your next destination Catalonia or Madrid?”
The question of whether it is FC Barcelona or Real Madrid.
It seemed like the rumor had already spread here.
“hmm.”
Hoyoung smiled lightly.
“You can go anywhere. “As long as the conditions are good.”
With this, the 2005 Peru U-17 Youth World Cup came to an end.
December will come quickly.
Therefore, now I really had to decide which team I would sign with and under what terms.
There was no time to postpone the decision any longer.
What was certain was that no matter where it was, it was prestigious.
The next day, a valuable guest came to Barcelona, located in Catalonia, Spain.
“Nice to meet you. This is Ruchi, CEO of Euro Expert Agency.
“welcome. “This is Rexach, the club’s technical director.”
Woo Ho-young’s agent Lucci received an invitation from Spain’s prestigious FC Barcelona.
Originally, this meeting was scheduled to take place next week, but Rexach, who was in a hurry because Lucci had something to do in Spain, moved it up a week.
The two finished their introduction with a brief introduction and then got straight to the main topic.
Although the conversation lasted for two hours, the differences of opinion between the club and Rucci were hardly resolved.
Of course, FC Barcelona also wanted to recruit Hoyoung.
However, he was not confident enough to readily accept Hoyoung’s demands.
‘Under these conditions… money isn’t the issue.’
Rexach expressed his disapproval.
In the end, this meeting became an exploratory battle for both sides.
“So how long do you plan to stay in Spain?”
“I’m not sure. First of all, I have to go to Madrid this afternoon.”
“Is it Real Madrid?”
“It is difficult to give details, but two meetings are scheduled.”
“okay.”
AT Madrid and Real Madrid came to Rexach’s mind.
Rucci’s next destination was the head office of Real Madrid CF, located in Madrid.
Upon arriving at the building after being seen off by an employee, the club’s board of directors greeted Rucci.
It wasn’t a normal board greeting.
He exuded charisma from his square rimless glasses and had the impression of a typical politician. He was an old man who would be well known to any Real Madrid fan, regardless of gender or age.
“You’ve come a long way.”
The person who came to the negotiating table was none other than the president of Real Madrid.
It was Florentino Perez.