149. Top priority and final goal
When the game ended amid enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, Bernd Schuster moved to the press conference room located on the east side of the stadium.
It was for an interview, but on the way there, the details of the game kept coming back to me and my excitement never ceased.
It was such a fantastic game.
Although it wasn't a high level of perfection from a tactical perspective, it was a 'perfect' game in another sense.
'I saw half of what I wanted to see.'
50% of the desired plays were confirmed.
Unlike last year's game where Sneijder was given a complex role, Ho-Young Woo fulfilled more than half of what he was asked to do.
By refining the details and trying out various combinations, I thought I could create a surprising tactic that could be used in a big match.
"haha."
The laughter didn't stop.
Making use of a player's strengths to make his tactics successful was one of the greatest joys a manager could enjoy.
'Director Mandya's words are not wrong at all.'
Schuster occasionally met personally with coach Mandilla of Castile, who coached Woo Ho-young, and had heard this from him.
-You mean Woo Ho-young? Like an onion, even if you peel off the skin, a player constantly reveals new aspects of himself. Sometimes it's a day, sometimes it's a week, sometimes it's a month. It continues to evolve irregularly. It's a mystery itself. There are still many players who are better than Woo Ho-young, but I can guarantee that there will be no other player in this generation who is as mysterious as him. Once you handle it, you will know.
At that time, Schuster smiled and answered:
-haha. Is there a player like that in the world?
And he finally realized it.
'It was right here.'
That you were wrong.
Now I felt like I knew exactly what Mandya meant.
'It's amazing. 'He's definitely different from Woo Ho-young, who I had with him during the preseason.'
It was new and exciting.
'Of course, it is true that Woo Ho-young is wearing the halo of other players, but…' Even
if someone who has eaten meat eats it, it must be worn by someone who knows how to wear it to be able to perform to that level.
Moreover, the assist recorded at the end of the second half actually seemed to shine a halo on Higuain.
Even thinking about it again, it was a scene that gave me goosebumps.
Schuster soon arrived at the press conference and sat down happily.
Reporters crowded around like baby birds waiting for food and were flooded with requests for questions.
Schuster had a lot to say, but decided to keep the interview short.
Because at the beginning of the season, it was more advantageous to hide a lot rather than reveal it.
Still, I decided to ask three or four questions.
"Winning the first round of the Champions League is very important. Especially if it is a home game, its importance cannot be overemphasized. What did you think of this match against FC BATE Borisov?"
It was a formal question, but it was also a question that had to be heard and passed on.
In response, Schuster confessed exactly what he felt.
"We played like the best club in the world."
There was no need to talk long.
Because it was true.
Then this time a question came in that slightly clouded the mood.
"Last season, the wingers actively contributed to scoring, but starting this season, the role of the wingers has changed to a facilitator. "Is it because of Robinho's absence?"
"The order is wrong. It wasn't because we didn't have Robinho, we sent Robinho because we were able to do this. And I don't understand why his name is mentioned. This is the Bernabeu. And he is no longer a madridista."
"Are you afraid that we will face each other in the Champions League in the future? "Manchester City is investing an astronomical amount of money and is showing a strong will to advance to the Champions League."
"If everything were going to happen just because they had the will, there wouldn't be a team that couldn't make it to the Champions League. And that's up to them. I don't know whether it will take 10 or 20 years, but even if that day comes…"
Bernd Schuster paused here.
Then he twitched his blonde mustache and smiled kindly.
"We are the best club in the world. We proved that through today's game. It lived up to the expectations of fans and provided entertainment to countless viewers around the world. In goal is the world's best Spanish goalkeeper, above that are the best defenders from all over Europe, in midfield is the world's best commander from France, and above that is a top goal scorer from the Netherlands."
"In that order, you seem to be referring to Casillas Cannavaro and Carlos Zidane van Nistelrooy. However, except for the gatekeeper, everyone else was well past their 30s. Some people are looking into their 40s soon. "Wouldn't that be a realistic problem?"
"What are you worried about? We even have the best prospects in the world. "The future is guaranteed."
"Which country is the most promising player from?"
"I am Korean. "You don't have to go to the military."
"ha ha ha. Congratulations on protecting the world's best prospect from the Korean military. However, according to local law, Woo Young can only sign a formal contract with Real Madrid after three years. "Can we protect him from English teams who could sign Woo Ho-young next year?"
"There is no reason for him to leave Madrid."
Schuster was sure of that.
That is, as long as the club leadership doesn't do anything stupid.
The game of that day created a hot topic every day.
Everything from the game content to the interviews with the coaches and players was great.
In particular, each media outlet was full of praise for the game on this day, and Marca tabloid's famous columnist 'La Saeta Rubia' analyzed Hoyoung Woo's past moves in detail and also suggested the possibility of him winning the Golden Boy award.
[Marca]
[Written by La Saeta Rubia]
[… The 25 candidates for the '2008 Golden Boy Award', which will be selected at the end of December this year, have been revealed.
This award, hosted by the Italian media 'Tuttosport', is given to promising talent selected through voting by journalists from each European country.
In fact, until June of this year, Manchester United's Anderson and Atletico Madrid's Sergio Aguero were the most likely candidates.
If Brazil had taken third place at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Andersson would have likely won the award, but the bronze medal went to Woo Ho-young.
And since last year's winner, Sergio Aguero, is also a candidate for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, it actually seems difficult to win the Golden Boy award for two consecutive years.
In addition, prominent Argentine prospects such as Angel Di Maria, Pablo Piatti, and Franco di Santo were named on the candidate list.
Of course, we will have to wait and see what happens in the future, but I believe that if Woo Ho-young shows consistent performance, he will definitely win the Golden Boy award.]
'Golden Boy', the highest honor for promising players.
In fact, it was not a very prestigious award like the Ballon d'Or, as it only had a history of 5 years.
However, it was an award that was recognized for its public trust as it granted voting rights to prestigious European media outlets such as Spain's Marca and Britain's The Times.
If Hoyoung wins the award, he will continue the lineage of Van der Vaart, Rooney, Messi, Fabregas and Aguero.
Hoyoung, who was skimming through Marca's article, felt thrilled just thinking about it.
The award was an award, but the biggest benefit was being able to meet Messi's special conditions.
'It will definitely bring Messi's potential.'
Everything was going smoothly.
However, the problem is that things have gotten busier since school started.
In Castile, there were matches once a week, but the first team had a lot of competitions to participate in, so the schedule was quite tight.
Especially in September, there was a game scheduled every three days, so there was no day without training.
Hoyoung, who had to go to school in the morning, did not have much time to spend with his teammates.
With the school's consideration, I skipped classes as much as possible, but there were limits because I had to adhere to the minimum class hours set by the Ministry of Education.
The good news, though, was that this was my last year of school.
4th year of middle school.
Hoyoung, who became the highest senior in school, realized that school life could be so comfortable and dynamic.
It wasn't over, it was true.
That's right, even when he was at Castile, Hoyoung was the most famous student in the school, but after making his debut in the first team this season, his popularity has grown ridiculously.
On top of that, the day after he debuted in La Liga and scored two goals, there was quite an uproar, and the day after he debuted in the Champions League, the hallways seemed to explode.
There isn't a student who didn't come to get Hoyoung's autograph.
Especially on that day, first-year students often came to the classroom during break time to see Hoyoung.
Not only did I ride a sports car, but there was no separate filming location for Boys Over Flowers.
Of course, I felt good, but it was also true that I felt a little annoyed on a human level.
Still, Hoyoung did not show any sign of dislike and welcomed me warmly.
Because each and every one of them was a precious fan.
There was no special reason other than that.
Sometimes there were classmates who were jealous of Hoyoung, but there were almost no students who argued with Hoyoung that he was crazy.
There were no problems in school, and Hoyoung was able to focus only on soccer.
next day.
Hoyoung, who visited Valdebebas, was absorbed in training again today.
However, to control my condition, I only participated in team training with an appropriate amount of weight and refrained from other personal training.
This is because there was an instruction from the club to do so.
'I said that rest is as important as training.'
Most professional athletes' exercise routines focus on optimal endurance, but Hoyoung, who was in his growth phase, was training according to a schedule for physical growth.
There were some regrets as the A-level talent was growing into S-level talent, but training too much should not have an impact on the ability to compete.
Now that I was a first-division leaguer, I had to focus on controlling my condition.
15 to 25 hours a week was sufficient.
'Anyway, the important thing is the stage. As talent grows rapidly, you also need to build up your practical sense and skills. Versatility as well.'
After the last game, I realized once again the importance of versatility.
To be honest, there was a lot of talent available at Real Madrid, but it was disappointing that it took a lot of time to pursue it.
However, this time, as his versatility grew, he was able to alleviate some of that regret.
Now was the time to accelerate growth.
So, the next goal I carved out.
'Carlos' spin kick.'
That was Hoyoung's top priority right now.
Isn't this a unique talent that cannot be found anywhere in the world?
It was impossible to shoot unless you had a fair amount of leg strength, but it was clear that acquiring Carlos' kicking sense would help in many ways.
In addition, the biggest advantage was that he could later experience 'explosive kicking power'.
There is only one condition left!
'All you have to do is play at the same time and score a free kick goal.'
Opportunity will come someday.
Also, since you never know when an opportunity will come, you have to prepare in advance.
'you can do it.'
If he can become as fierce a practicer as Ronaldo and if he has more talent than Messi, he could become the best player of all time.
Literally an unprecedented soccer player.
That was the ultimate goal and the driving force behind training hard.
That's why Hoyoung was just focused on training today.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
Support the Translation! 🌐✨
20 Advanced Chapters are currently available in Patreon, make sure to visit and support our team.
patreon.com/Immortal_author
https://ko-fi.com/immortalauthor
https://discord.gg/KscfBegBPT