Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 122



Only Krnovel

Episode 122: Waves

Wow!

After scoring my debut goal, I ran around every corner of the stadium under the bright lights and endless cheers.

I wouldn’t say everything was perfect.

Sometimes, his path overlapped with that of his front-line partner, Cho Kyu-min, and he rolled around on the grass several times due to rough tackles by Iranian defenders.

However, it wasn’t really a problem because the South Korean national team was overwhelming their opponents.

Again, if you attack again, it’s over.

No, right next, in the center of the second line. Right after receiving the ball while standing at an angle and looking out of the field.

Charruk!

I would cheat by moving to the side and then suddenly turn to the other side, making two defenders look foolish.

Wow!

Again, on the next attack turn, it runs towards the friendly camp.

The third-string defensive midfielder rolls a ground pass over the center line… …and lifts it up with his right heel.

Following a delicate touch to the ball, he turns his body 180 degrees and turns sideways as the ball passes over the head of the dedicated marksman.

iced coffee.

Although the time given is only about 20 minutes, the more I run, the more my form improves.

That would be the case-

Waaaaaaaaaah!

From the moment he came on as a substitute, the crowd started cheering like crazy.

Is it okay to have expectations this high?

Of course I was fine.

No, it’s not just okay, the in-flight environment feels close to perfect. It feels so good that ‘discomfort due to long-term flight’ is blown away to the edge of Jupiter.

Seong Ha-neul is a player who is better than expected. In theory, he might show his best performance today.

And then comes the moment to put the period.

To be honest, opportunities start from mistakes.

Hwang Hee-cheol, who changed his position to right wingback, ate the side, and the central midfielder joined the attack. As he took up the space on the right edge of the box, I lost my judgment for a moment about where I should stand.

As I was moving to a space about 3-4 meters away in front of the box to avoid overlapping, the ball suddenly came from my right.

Tong, tong.

On the right side of the field, a friendly team’s through pass is caught by an opposing defender and bounces to knee height.

I think the dedicated defender only has to block the shooting angle, so I stand in the middle of the box line and reflexively turn my head to check the other side just before receiving the ball.

I felt a tickle in the back of my head, and then the opposing midfielder was sneaking up behind me.

If you do this… … you temporarily give up possession of the ball. Place the outside of your left foot on the surface of the official ball and turn your body to the right.

While avoiding the clutches of the opposing midfielder, return the ball in front of your body to the left… … and immediately retrieve it.

Waaaaaaaaaah!

The word ‘well-behaved’ seemed to have been erased from my mind, as the cheers of the audience once again paralyzed my cochlea (or anything else related to hearing).

It wasn’t a chance to shoot, just a player being passed, so I looked at the spot slightly to the left of the center of the box.

“Heaven, here! Forward!”

Tall striker Cho Kyu-min is now ready to make a diagonal incursion to the left. In addition, Lee Jae-seon, who plays for Bundesliga’s Mainz, is also running in from the left.

How will you give it to whom?

It’s not difficult to decide.

If possible, it would be better to record the help.

Then how do you give it to me?

It’s a bad idea to give him a chance. Considering what he showed in the practice matches, he has the ability to be somewhere between Anderson and Modeste. There was no need to give him a chance.

So this time, I’m going to use the outside of my right foot. The contact surface of the ball is to the left center, and I intend to rotate it to the right, but I’m not going to push it all the way so that the pass speed decreases significantly by the time it reaches the foot.

Phew.

Yes, this level of feeling is enough.

You don’t have to look at the aftermath to know that the penetrating pass would have curled incredibly well into a place where defenders would have difficulty getting their feet out.

What remains is the recipient’s finishing ability.

If you try to receive it clumsily with such a strong spin, you’ll end up getting kicked out, but fortunately, the friendly attacker chose an easy option.

Crouch down tightly with your upper body and twist your waist and lower body to shoot directly.

The official ball, still spinning, flew straight toward the lower right corner of the goal, and the game was finally over.

4 to 0.

It was a complete victory.

* * *

The finale of the game is, of course, an interview.

A billboard full of brand names is put up on one side of the stadium, and I greet the crowd and pretend to lose as I am dragged in front of the camera.

Busy atmosphere.

It felt a lot busier than Cologne, but that wasn’t a bad thing. More people would see it anyway.

“You led the game to victory today, so first of all, tell us how you feel about the victory.”

It’s okay if the interviewer’s questions are relatively light.

The important thing is not to show your ugly side. I consciously try not to make sounds like ‘uh’ or ‘um’.

“It’s nice to win. But actually, I thought the game was decided before I even got involved… … I don’t think it’s a special feeling. It’s just like winning a game that I should have won? Yes. That’s exactly how it feels.”

The answer was ordinary, but personally, even the interview felt different. It’s not like it’s been a day or two since I started standing in front of the camera, so maybe it’s because I mixed formal language with Korean.

However, the interviewer standing outside the camera immediately asks the next question as if there is a set script.

“You are the youngest player in the history of the Korean national team to make a debut and score a debut goal, and right after scoring a goal, you also achieved the youngest assist record. I’m sure you received a lot of congratulations from your teammates. Are you personally very happy?”

“What are you talking about?”

“… … .”

“Uh… … That means it’s that good.”

Damn, I cut it once.

If it were a German interview in German media, I wouldn’t know, but if it were a Korean broadcast, it would be obvious that all my relatives would be watching – I quickly added my words and started to sort things out.

As my father said, Koreans are supposed to be humble.

“But the team’s victory comes first… … .”

It’s a blatant lie.

“I tried to focus on each situation inside the stadium. Fortunately, the fans’ cheers were passionate, so I think I was able to get into the mood and do better. Oh, right. I said earlier that today’s victory wasn’t particularly joyful, but I think it’s because I was worried about the competition for the starting position. It felt good to have the fans cheering me on.”

“Soon-”

“Oh, but that competition for the starting spot, you mean I debuted this year? Even at the beginning of the season, I was mostly a substitute, so when I was playing for the club. Even then, I wondered if I was actually concerned about my personal record… … Thinking about it that way, I guess it makes me feel good, secretly?”

“……yes?”

ah.

What are you doing, tongue?

What the hell are you trying to do now!

“Uh… … umm… … .”

“… … .”

“… … So what was the question? If you remember well… … .”

“Hahaha, I’ll just move on to the next question.”

“……yes.”

No, it’s not.

What can I do when I’ve already done something so stupid? Let’s control my expression. Let’s exhale once so that my face doesn’t turn red, and let my trembling fingertips-

… … Since when has this been happening?

“Today’s match is not the end. The next match is the 10th and final qualifying match against the United Arab Emirates. Even though we have secured qualification for the main tournament, there are still many important matches left. Please tell us about your determination as a national team player.”

Judging from the situation, the interview is in its final stages, so now is the only chance to make up for it.

“I will continue to score many goals to help us advance to the World Cup finals… … . Oh, we already did. Get out of my mind. Sorry. Well, I will score goals, but I will also record many assists to make my teammates happy… … . But I still have to compete for a spot in the starting lineup… … . Anyway, I will do my best. Please cheer me on! No, uh, cheer me on.”

What a cripple, an idiot, an idiot.

“Okay, then we’ll end the interview here. Thank you for the good game.”

“……thank you.”

I don’t know about anything else, but one thing was certain.

From the interviewer to the cameraman, everyone was laughing out loud, making my first A-match interview a real success.

* * *

A few days later.

Despite Sung Ha-neul kicking the blanket several times while recalling the post-match interview, the domestic response was so positive that it was sky-high.

[South Korea National Team, Iran 4-0. Sung Ha-neul 1 goal, 1 assist. Perfect debut]

[The best talent in the history of the national team? Sung Ha-neul, A-match debut goal and debut assist]

[From the beginning, it was the best ever. Cologne’s talent shook up Sangam]

[Who is Seong Ha-neul? From his childhood to his first-team debut]

The boy, who had been attracting a lot of attention even before the game, as the youngest player to debut on the national team and with his handsome face, revealed on live TV that expectations for him were actually rather low.

In fact, it was not difficult to find information about Sung Ha-neul in the media and online communities over the past two days.

Buri Buri King: Seong Ha-neul’s debut record. Pass success rate 87%, 17 ball touches, 3 key passes, 6 ground duels won, 4 successful dribbles, 2 decisive chances created.

└Rebuttal: Stats are stats, but these are the stats after running for 20 minutes. What? Yes, what? Yes.

└Crabby Squid: ??? What are you talking about?

└Downward left: No need to say anything like thisㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└Dog death si: Seriously lol

Back Number 00: ‘But the team’s victory comes first (when you say something nice, use me as a starter)’

└HotTNum: Ah, I’ll let you win lol

└Gwang-eo Bae-geun: ‘I’m worried about the competition for the starting position (Why am I a candidate?)’

└Crespoon: He was a regular player in Cologne, so why is he a substitute here? lol

Americano: Why is the guy cute? ㅋㅋ At the end of the interview, he actually admits that he cares about personal records. What’s with that? ㅋㅋ ‘It might make you feel good’ That kind of crapㅋㅋㅋ

└Let’s have a quick chat: But actually, with that face, no matter what you do, it’s cute… … .

└Park Modeler: I was really into the part that said, ‘Cheer up for me!’

└Gonihani: Seriously. My heart is pounding right here. And why are my hands shaking so much? Lol

Blue Mingming: From the very beginning, the interview on entry was unusual… … Watching the interview, it seems like he himself is the most down-to-earth person. He makes it impossible for me not to be a fan.

└Hehehehe: You have the skills, but you also have the face? There’s nothing you can do about it.

└Park Gun: Actually, all female soccer fans will probably be fans. I’m also looking forward to the match against UAE.

└Pine Cone Nest: When will we play against UAE?

└Park: The game is next Tuesday. It’s an away game, so I guess he’s about to leave the country?

And just then, a post on SNS adds to the buzz.

It was because of a photo of Sung Ha-neul squatting and using chopsticks in the middle of Incheon International Airport on the day of departure for the UAE.