29 – Goal
029
In reality, the reactions of the media or the public are not major considerations when acquiring a player.
Of course, when I say ‘major,’ it doesn’t mean they are entirely disregarded. If possible, having the media praise the acquisition and being a player popular among the public is even better.
However, the most important factor is the decision-makers’ will in the acquisition, and providing that will is precisely the opinion of the scouts.
In that sense, all the talk outside about the ‘next Kim Minjae’ or ‘next Beckenbauer’ is nothing more than empty talk. What matters is impressing the scouts properly.
“So, the horns blaring in the media now are useless, oh, absolutely useless. Our country is especially susceptible to Western reactions. Since German guys say my playing style is similar to Beckenbauer’s or something, reporters are hooked on that.”
Listening to the flowing explanation from Ju Jitae, Jo Jaeshin nodded with clenched fists.
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“That’s right.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. That’s it.”
“But looking at women’s panty pictures is true. Also, every day.”
“It’s not like that.”
Ju Jitae felt the world was unfair.
To be seen as someone who looks for women’s panties every day!
“How did you even find out!?”
It’s too unjust because he wasn’t thorough enough!
“Then what is it? Does it have to be men’s panties?”
“You crazy.”
“See? It’s women’s panties.”
“Ah, seriously. Is that what you really think? Do I look like that kind of pervert?”
“Yeah, damn. Honestly, would you bet everything that I’m not a pervert?”
“…That’s true.”
“But seriously, what am I, damn it? This perverted bastard. Always looking for pictures of women’s panties.”
Watching Jo Jaeshin teasingly, Ju Jitae just kept his mouth shut.
Being labeled as a pervert who looks at pictures of women’s panties. That’s really not the case.
“Wow~ look at this guy acting. His expression really looks unjust. So, what, is it like the DMs where girls send you pictures of panties because they like you from the other day?”
“….”
“Yeah… for real?”
“….”
“Oh, come on… does that make sense? What crazy pervert takes pictures of their own panties and sends them! And that too, every day!”
Ju Jitae apologized silently in his mind.
…Sorry, noona.
“Yeah, there’s such a crazy pervert.”
“Crazy…”
A sigh flowed out of Jo Jaeshin’s mouth, which had opened in amazement.
“Unbelievable. Well, last time there was a girl who sent nude pictures through DM too…. Once you become famous… But who sends those kind of pictures—”
“Hey, man. Don’t you want to be the MOM in the next match?”
“Huh, huh? Well, I do want to, right? No, more importantly, who the hell sees those kinds of pictures—”
“Hey, damn it. Don’t you want to be the top scorer in the World Cup? Then, you’ll become really famous, and tons of DMs will come.”
“…For real?”
“For real.”
A strange silence descended.
“Hey, Jooji. You, this guy…”
Is it not getting through?
Ju Jitae became uneasy.
If he keeps pushing, what excuse should he come up with now?
“As expected, there’s no one else but you. You’re my friend!!”
“Oh, well then. Am I the Ju Jitae who lives and dies for loyalty again?”
“Haha~ Well, then, will I get some DMs too now?”
Fortunately.
Because I’m not curious about who the owner of the panty picture is.
* * *
Tick. Swoosh.
[Do you think I’ll win the championship in Korea?]
—Yeah, I think I’ll win for real.
ㅇㄴ It’s so exciting.
ㅇㄴ Talking like you’ve already won, lol.
ㅇㄴ But what if we actually win? I peed watching Messi scolding Mexico.
ㅇㄴ No, lol. Can’t you tell by looking at Ghana’s cockiness?
[Jang Ki-seok, the master of long-range shots]
—It would be great if he could show results by age and also lead the adult national team.
ㅇㄴ Isn’t that for the Korean coach to decide?
[Jang Ki-seok is not there yet, lol]
—He has to prove himself in our Suwon.
ㅇㄴ Suwon is hell;
ㅇㄴ This guy is trying to bring down the young coach into the abyss.
With a satisfied glance at the community reactions, Jang Ki-seok wrote one last post and closed the browser.
[King God General Jang Ki-seok God Dong-nu if it’s him, lol]
“It’s perfect. A perfect day.”
To secure a spot in the round of 16 with 2 wins in what’s called the worst Group A ever. Confirming advancement with one game left.
Jang Ki-seok couldn’t control the twitching corners of his mouth.
How desperate he was when the group was confirmed.
But when crisis passes, opportunities arise, and high risk has returned as high return.
Even though Ghana’s performance was not that great, the public opinion was overwhelmingly positive.
Jang Ki-seok felt like every day was a day like today, as if he had no more wishes.
“Let’s see. The only thing left now is the game against Germany.”
Tap, tap, regular tapping of the fingers on the desk reveals the agony.
Germany, Germany…
‘In the first game against Ghana, it was a 1:1 draw. In the second game against Argentina, it was a hard-fought 2:1 victory.’
Could it be… are we the stronger team!?
Stripping away the name value of ‘Germany’ and evaluating objectively, Korea’s metrics are far superior. Despite Germany’s hard-fought draw against Ghana, we secured a victory. And just like Germany triumphed over Argentina after a tough match, we did not falter.
“When you think about it, it’s the same as Argentina. Before facing Argentina, we thought it would be a tough game, but once we faced them, we dominated. What’s different just because it’s Germany?”
Tap, tap, the fingers drumming on the desk quicken.
“Seriously, give this some thought.”
Surprisingly, Korea’s track record against Germany isn’t bad. No, it’s quite good, especially in crucial matches, where we’ve handed Germany unexpected defeats multiple times.
“If we win this time… calling Germany our nemesis in interviews would make headlines, right?”
It was at that moment, with Jang Ki-seok immersed in the sweet dream of media massage.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
Jang Ki-seok adjusted his posture briskly.
Gracefully crossing his legs, the one entering was Ju Ji-tae.
“Huh? What brings you here?”
“Coach. Excuse me, but has the lineup for the next game been decided?”
If it weren’t Ju Ji-tae in front of him, Jang Ki-seok would have responded immediately. Asking about the starting lineup wasn’t something for a junior or a staff member to inquire about. But the one before him was Ju Ji-tae. Perhaps even more challenging to deal with than a captain or a senior, this guy was the de facto team leader, the behind-the-scenes powerhouse of the locker room.
Even though he was only 17, for some reason, facing him was not easy. Strange yet incredibly trustworthy, he was a player who, despite his young age, seemed like a genius who might not come around again in the coach’s lifetime.
Therefore, Jang Ki-seok decided to respect him as a ‘team leader’ rather than assert the coach’s authority.
From Noble mtl dot com
Surprisingly, many good ideas came up while talking to him.
“It’s roughly decided. You and Jae-shin, Ji-tae should go in. He’s a key player for the team.”
Since the opponent was Germany, and seeing that Ji-tae seemed eager, Jang Ki-seok assured him not to worry. But instead of relief, Ji-tae’s expression became even more serious.
“Are we not rotating?”
“Huh? Rotation? We should do it reasonably. Why? Is someone unhappy with their playing time?”
As if to convey that there was no discontent within the team, Ji-tae shook his head.
Curious about something, Ji-tae asked Jang Ki-seok with a serious tone.
“Coach.”
“Why. Listen. Speak.”
“What is the coach’s goal for this tournament?”
“Goal? Initially, it was to advance to the round of 16, which we achieved. Secondly, it’s just to climb as high as possible.”
At the vague goal, Ju Ji-tae seemed to let out a sigh.
“Well, this gentleman is still young. Looks like a veteran, but he’s barely in his late thirties.”
Jang Ki-seok, a young coach strategically nurtured by the football association.
His face might say he’s in his forties, but in reality, he’s only 38 now.
While Ju Ji-tae, a few years older than before the regression, continued to play actively, Jang Ki-seok retired early at 28, preparing to become a coach away from the field.
Moreover, during his active career, Jang Ki-seok, unlike Ju Ji-tae, who had rich experience with over 80 international matches as a national team representative, was far from the Taegeuk mark. Starting as a coach for the U-15 national team at 32, he finally became a national team coach.
In short, he studied a lot as a coach but lacked experience.
“If the coach is lacking, I have to lead.”
It’s not his preference, but for the goal, he had no choice.
Ju Ji-tae firmly said to the still bewildered coach, “My goal is to win.”
“What… win? Win??”
“And the Golden Ball.”
“Huh. Win and the Golden Ball? That’s too extravagant… No, no, no.”
Come to think of it, it wasn’t an extravagant story.
The U-20 World Cup is a youth World Cup with age restrictions, so many changes occur compared to adults. Before the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, South Korea reached the semi-finals in 1983, and in 2019, they even reached the final.
Not only Korea.
In the 1981 Australia tournament, Qatar finished as the runner-up, and in the 1999 Nigeria tournament, Japan finished as the runner-up. In 2013, Iraq reached the semi-finals.
The Golden Ball was also won by Ismael Matar of the UAE in 2003, becoming Asia’s first winner, and in the 2019 Poland tournament, Lee Kang-in won the Golden Ball at the age of 18.
‘With him… it might be possible.’
Unknowingly, Jang Ki-seok found himself convinced.
Ju Ji-tae was that much of a ‘genius.’
However,
“I have misunderstood all this time.”
“Misunderstood?”
“I thought he was a player with genius talent but no clear goals… Turns out, it was me who lacked a clear goal.”
Winning.
Rolling the words in my mouth alone, how delightful it would be if these words became reality.
“I understand what you’re saying. If the goal is victory, there’s no need to exert strength in the match against Germany.”
Already confirmed to advance to the round of 16.
If Korea’s goal is the quarterfinals, it’s right to pour strength into the match against Germany. It’s a fact that topping the group is advantageous for advancing to the quarterfinals.
But if the goal is to win, it’s a different story.
It’s not that topping the group isn’t important, but managing the stamina of key players is more crucial before entering a tournament where you have to give your all in every match.
“I guess I need to change the lineup.”
Jo Jaesin’s head, who was waiting in front of the door, tilted.
Contrary to expectations, Joo Jitae’s expression, coming out and opening the door, was not bright.
“What’s wrong? Did we fail?”
“No, no. Of course, it’s a success.”
“But then why the expression?”
“Expression? Ah, I have some concerns.”
Jo Jaesin, who observed his friend’s expression, just patted him on the shoulder and left the room first.
* * *
Joo Jitae, who had been contemplating in place for a while, let out a deep sigh.
The coach’s words lingered in his mind.
“Goal… the goal.”
