Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 299



Only Noblemtl

Episode 299: The Next Soccer Emperor

The table is set.

Penalty shootout.

It is true that they are very confident in penalty shootouts, but even that country was definitely nervous about the penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

‘The fate of our team rests in my hands.’

I don’t think it’s impossible, but the uncertainty of how the penalty shootout will end is enough to make me nervous.

As I prepare for the penalty shootout, all sorts of assumptions run through my head.

What if our kickers fail to make a single one and all of them fail? What if I make a mistake and allow the opposing kickers to shoot?

When I think about it, my heart starts pounding faster.

Time passed in an instant and I stood in front of the goal. It was Spain’s first goal. The surrounding noise and cheers were tremendous, but to my ears it felt distant, like a dream.

Sweat ran down my spine along with goosebumps.

‘Fuck. Were we always this close?’

It’s so close that you can see the opposing kicker’s expression and even his pores. Spain’s number one kicker was Alvaro Morata.

At 33 years old, he is a veteran player and a world-class striker who has been through a lot.

I watched Morata, analyzing his gestures and gaze. But I wondered what it all meant.

And then the referee’s whistle blows.

At the same time, a trajectory was created. There were two places. Top left and bottom left. Just knowing the location increases the probability of blocking the shot exponentially.

Morata moved slowly… … .

‘Bottom left!’

As soon as one of the tracks disappeared, I immediately threw my body. Morata’s shot flew honestly. Bottom left. A shot that hit the corner accurately. And that shot was blocked by my save.

Immediately a huge cheer is heard.

I stood up from my seat and clenched my fists.

“Ugh!”

This is it, fucking shit!

Even if you know and stop it, it’s still thrilling!

The first kicker for South Korea was, of course, Captain Sonny.

I went past the goal and watched the penalty kick. I knew it would be blocked, but I still hoped it would go in.

I’m so nervous that my lower stomach feels a little sore.

Beep!

And Son Heung-min slowly approaches.

The Son Heung-min I know would kick to the left here.

Boohoo!

And Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon also played to the left, as I predicted. Funnily enough, Son Heung-min made our predictions ridiculous.

Son Heung-min’s decision was central.

Right in the middle. A powerful shot sends the net rippling.

“wow….”

You’re really strong-hearted. Are you going to hit the center here?

Son Heung-min, with his experience, certainly knew the psychology of a goalkeeper. Even I never thought of hitting the ball to the center.

And here I am again, in front of the goal.

Spain’s second kicker was Mikel.

That player was also a veteran with considerable age.

I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them, and the referee quickly blew his whistle. Mikel moved hesitantly. It seemed like that. He watched my movements until the end and then hit me.

‘This kind of psychological warfare won’t work unless you’re at the level of Neymar.’

How dare this kid start a psychological war?

I stared at my opponent until the end. And a trajectory was created. It was in the upper right corner.

Mikel, who had been moving slowly, quickly moved and hit me hard when I didn’t make any moves until the end, and I moved immediately to block the attempt.

Two kicks. Two saves. Mikel clutches his head in frustration.

I roared, pounding my chest.

“Eww!”

When I blocked the Spanish kicker twice, my teammates who had been watching with bated breath breathed a sigh of relief or took a deep breath.

It was quite a distance away, but it was clearly visible.

In particular, Kim Min-je is so nervous that he looks breathless.

‘Okay. Then we’ve crossed the 7th ridge.’

I cleared the goal again. Korea’s second kicker was Hwang Hee-cheon… .

* * *

“Okay!”

Kim Shin-ah, who was watching with her hands clasped together at the stadium, was convinced after seeing her brother’s second save. We’re in the semifinals!

In fact, this match felt like eating sweet potatoes in a row. It felt like we, who had been fighting on the high ground the whole time, were fighting in a uniquely disadvantageous situation.

‘It was like looking back at the old Hanover days. Wow… .’

It was so nerve-wracking to feel that emotion again after such a long time, and in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

I can’t tell you how nervous I was every time Spain managed to break through the defensive wall and make a valid shot.

I trust my brother, but still, in that urgent situation, no one really knows whether the goal will work or not.

And the second kicker. Hwang Hee-cheon. Hwang Hee-cheon took a breather and kicked hard to the top right. The goalkeeper didn’t stop it. It went in.

“Gyaaaah!”

It wasn’t Shin-ah’s scream. It was her mother… .

Shin-ah clenched her fists and timidly liked it.

And seeing the Korean players score so coolly made me feel refreshed. It felt like I was getting compensation for the frustrating game.

It’s our turn to block again.

The fans cheering for Spain were crying as if they sensed defeat. Kim Shin-a really enjoyed seeing that.

“Our people do whatever they want~”

I really wanted to do a community, but I can’t right now. Let’s check after the game.

As the referee whistles, the Spanish third kicker takes the shot. And the Spanish third kicker’s shot flies into the sky.

I was so nervous that I ended up sending the shot into the Pacific Ocean.

“Wow!”

The spectators around them, who were confident of advancing to the semifinals, were either crying or rejoicing like children. Shin-Ah also couldn’t hold back her joy when she saw the shot flying into the sky.

The waiting time was so nerve-racking and suffocating, but once it actually went into penalty shootout, it was so refreshing!

“Let’s finish this quickly, no matter who comes out!”

I waited for Korea’s third kicker with a smile on my face. And then… … .

“Huh? What is it?”

Kim Shin-ah nodded, her mother nodded like a little girl, and her father laughed…

Korea’s third kicker was Kim Min-woo.

Kim Shin-ah couldn’t hold back her laughter when she saw that.

“No, not only are you blocking it, now you’re kicking the shot too?”

I get it. If he’s so good at kicking free kicks, he probably can’t miss a penalty kick right in front of the goal.

Three saves, and now the game-deciding finishing kicker.

It’s romantic, it’s romantic… .

“Kim Min-woo! Kim Min-woo! Kim Min-woo!”

The Korean spectators around them were initially shocked, but then they seemed to sense victory and cheered and chanted for Kim Min-woo. Shin-A also joined them.

and…….

Boohoo!

A shot from the exact same position as Hwang Hee-cheon, into the top right corner. Naturally, the Spanish goalkeeper couldn’t stop it.

The penalty shootout ended immediately.

We made it to the semifinals. We made it to the semifinals for the first time in 24 years! We hugged each other and rejoiced without saying who would go first… .

* * *

The quarterfinals have now concluded and the new semifinal bracket has been finalized.

Korea vs Brazil

France vs Argentina

All four semifinals were rematches from four years ago.

Korea and Brazil met in the round of 16 of the Qatar World Cup, and France and Argentina were the countries that produced the famous final match that everyone knows.

And today, in the match against Spain, the POTM was mine.

It was a natural thing.

He thwarted all of Spain’s creative attempts, blocked all three kicks in the shootout and ended the game by taking the final kick.

After the match, the reporters asked about my thoughts on the match and, of course, how I was going to face Brazil in the semifinals, where I would be meeting them again (although it was my first time).

“… I remember watching the World Cup match at home with my family four years ago. I still remember clearly how the Brazilian players laughed and danced every time they scored a goal against Korea. I will watch to see if they can do the same this time.”

“Korea has not had good results every time they have faced Brazil. Are you confident that you can keep a clean sheet against Brazil?”

“It’s just a declaration. This time, I won’t be able to smile or dance like I did four years ago.”

“Oh… .”

That’s how I ended the interview. It was quite a groundbreaking interview. And Kim Jun-young, who heard about my interview late, also sent support.

“This time, we’ll dance! Four years ago, Minwoo and I weren’t here, right?”

“Are you confident that Kim Jun-young will score a goal against Brazil?”

“There’s nothing he can’t do. I met Alisson in the EPL. He was nothing special.”

That’s too much, Junyoung… .

I’m so excited. But still, sniping players is a bit much.

* * *

Kylian Mbappe, captain of the French national football team and the heir apparent to the throne of football after Messi, touched his chin as he looked at the draw.

“A rematch with Argentina… .”

Actually, it was something I was waiting for.

Now Lionel Messi is a complete toothless lion. Even at his age, he still shows flashes of brilliance, but he is not as good as he used to be.

Rather, I thought it turned out well.

If they win again against the country they lost to in the last World Cup, advance to the finals, and lift the World Cup, they will be declaring to the world that their era has begun.

That was also why he was happy that he defeated Erling Haaland, who had won the Ballon d’Or before him, in the round of 32.

Because there’s nothing more thrilling than beating a player you were rivaling at the World Cup.

However, if there is something on your mind.

“… … That cheeky brat.”

Kim from South Korea on the opposite port.

A player I only met once in a match at best, but who is very much engraved in my mind.

The goalkeeper who stopped himself by making a fuss at the Olympics.

A player we might meet if we beat Argentina and advance to the finals.

Personally, I would rather have Brazil advance than Korea advance. That damn goalkeeper is so tricky, you can’t even predict the outcome.

And if that goalkeeper somehow makes it to the finals and frustrates France… … .

‘Then that guy will definitely win the Ballon d’Or this year.’

That won’t do.

The God of Football. The Emperor of Football should be his own title only.

It was a title that couldn’t be given to a goalkeeper who appeared out of nowhere.

It would be tough to face Brazil, but it’s not like Korea, where you can’t predict what kind of game will unfold.

At least, once they meet Brazil, they will play a ‘reasonable’ game, but that’s not Korea.

I’ve already experienced it once at the Olympics. I just don’t want to meet him. First of all, if he’s the goalkeeper, the game becomes too chaotic.

Mbappe sighed and shook his head.

“… No. It doesn’t matter if Korea comes up.”

The title of the next football emperor was now more important than how many goals one scored, how many assists one had, or how many trophies one won.

This just happened suddenly recently.

“Now I have to score against that guy to be crowned the next emperor of football.”

Kim was like a gatekeeper.

A gatekeeper that must be passed over in order to sit on the throne.

‘If this World Cup is a coronation… … scoring against that guy would really impress people.’

If you score against a goalkeeper who has never conceded a goal, and win the championship, the prestige and honor will be beyond imagination. Even more than beating Brazil.

Thinking that way made me feel more at ease.

First of all, we have to beat Argentina.

A country that had frustrated him four years ago at the threshold of victory. And a former teammate.

I will defeat the defending champions and lift the World Cup no matter who comes out on the other side.

And finally, I receive the Ballon d’Or and declare to the world that my time has come… … .

‘This is also just a process. Messi and Ronaldo have won the Ballon d’Or eight and five times respectively.’

To be the next emperor of football, you need to receive a Ballon d’Or that matches his reputation.

And, in order to do that, we absolutely must hold the World Cup this time. The coronation ceremony that was postponed during the last World Cup must be held this time.