Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 139



Only Krnovel

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Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Built for the 2002 World Cup, it is now the home stadium of the Seoul Furys and the third-largest soccer-specific stadium in Asia.

It was a place that held memories for Choi Sung-hee.

You might wonder what memories she has of the World Cup stadium, as she had no interest in sports before her son started playing soccer, but Choi Sung-hee was part of the generation that shared the year 2002.

She had been here with her husband 22 years ago to watch the game.

It was 22 years ago when Korea advanced to the semifinals.

Just in case, I looked online to see if I could buy tickets to the Germany game, and by some stroke of luck, I managed to get two tickets.

As I was a college student at the time, I was able to purchase the lowest grade ticket (which was quite a burden), and I watched the World Cup semifinals live.

‘At that time, really···.’

I was really filled with anticipation as to whether Korea would really advance to the finals, and when I saw the card section that said dreams come true, I felt an indescribable emotion, but that was already a long time ago, more than 20 years ago.

“Wow! The stadium is so big! Wow!”

And Choi Sung-hee, now grown and wrinkled, went to the stadium with her daughter.

Why?

To watch my son’s debut match for the national team in person.

“Honey. Don’t you remember the old days?”

Her husband, Kim Min-seok, also nods his head as if reminiscing and stares at the ground.

“Looking back, it seems so······ short. Before we knew it, we were already in our 40s.”

“Honey, you’ll be in your fifties in just one year.”

“Oh, you can last a few more years in your 40s.”

Choi Sung-hee continued to joke around, smiling brightly, just like when she was in her 20s.

“Who in Korea writes their age in Korean?”

“These days, all the kids my age are like Yoon Sung-yeol.”

“No······ Heh! What the heck!”

Choi Sung-hee punched Kim Min-seok in the shoulder.

Shin-ah happened to hear our conversation and came over to us and hugged us.

“But you know what? Among our peers, no one uses their age?”

“That’s because you’re still a student.”

“No? My friend said that even college students these days judge age by the year they were born in.”

Choi Sung-hee smiled brightly and watched her daughter and husband bickering from the side.

Growing old is sad, but I think it can be a blessing when you’re with your family.

My son, who used to be able to walk without any problems, is now preparing for his A-match debut, and the little crybaby who would burst into tears when his dad was away has now grown into a mature lady.

‘···Isn’t she a young lady?’

Because sometimes Shin-ah acts like a man.

***

“-Wow!”

Before the game, we went to the stadium in advance and warmed up.

Field players sprinted or passed the ball among themselves.

I stood in front of the goal and continued to block Eugene Ho’s shots.

It was an easy task.

The trajectory was visible, and since it was for warm-up, the car was being driven slowly.

however.

“Tchcha.”

Every time Yoo Jin-ho’s shot was blocked, the crowd went wild.

It wasn’t yet time for the game to start, so the huge stadium wasn’t full of spectators, but it was still a bit strange to hear the tens of thousands of spectators screaming every time I made a save.

‘I’ve become a player who has such high expectations?’

Maybe that’s to be expected.

People saw clearly how Korean soccer won the Olympic gold medal.

And then a clean sheet with his club team.

I’m sure he was desperate to see me on the senior national team, but for some reason Leon Harpers kept delaying my selection.

And it was only when the time came that I could no longer be delayed that he called me.

After seeing this, soccer critics predicted that Kim Min-woo’s life with the national team would not be smooth, but… I plan to completely dispel those evaluations in this match against Mexico and the following match against Japan.

‘By the way, Mexico also came in perfect condition.’

Uruguay, who faced Japan, had been out for a few weeks, but Mexico was different.

To cut a long story short, this evaluation match was Korea’s best 11 vs Mexico’s best 11.

Usually, when strong teams come to Korea for an away game, most of them miss out on a few weeks, but this time, they are not one of those many cases.

‘They say Mexico isn’t what it used to be.’

Didn’t you say that the generational change didn’t go well?

Mexico had been steadily advancing to the round of 16 throughout the World Cup, but had been showing a very inconsistent performance since being eliminated in the group stage at the last World Cup in Qatar.

They showed their ability by easily beating Ghana 2:0 in a friendly match and drawing with Germany 2:2, but they drew with Uzbekistan 3:3.

Likewise, they drew 2:2 with Australia and lost 0:1 to Qatar.

The national team was so unstable that it was like a dice roll.

‘I wonder how many dice will come up in this game…’

Japan beat Uruguay 3:1, so I hope we can show the same level of strength.

First of all, if I can do well in the short game, I can score. Scoring is important.

“Minwoo! Let’s go in now!”

Eugene Ho, who was in charge of my training, waves to me when the coach calls.

I stopped thinking and started to walk towards the locker room.

*

The conversation in the locker room was uneventful.

Tactical talk + Let’s do well in this match and move on to Japan.

When it comes to tactical conversations with field players, it’s true that they occupy a very important position… but for me…

Because it is such a special position.

Of course, the director singled me out and told me what he wanted me to do.

“Kim. Do whatever you want. I won’t ask you to do anything in this game.”

It’s too grand to call it a freeroll, it’s just telling you to do what you used to do on your team.

I nodded slightly and before the national team left the locker room, Captain Son lifted the mood with some encouraging words.

“The Mexico we know now is not the Mexico we used to know! Their power has been greatly weakened! We can definitely beat them! Let’s all do our best!”

“Come on! Let’s go!”

“Wait a minute, be quiet. Be louder!”

Here comes Kim Min-je.

We left the locker room in a desperate manner after yelling for the locker room to leave.

***

Kim Jun-young looked around at the packed Seoul World Cup Stadium and let out a small exclamation.

“Wow. This stadium could be packed.”

Home stadium of Seoul Furyx.

Kim Jun-young is also from Suwon and Shenyang, so he knows this stadium well.

When K-League games are played, this stadium is never full.

At best, if the stadium is filled to 1/3, many people will come.

“Hey. Minwoo is coming out, guys!”

Go Young-jun’s cry.

We gathered together once again to watch Kim Min-woo make his historic debut for the senior national team, and it was heart-warming to see him in person.

‘older brother···.’

It seems like only yesterday that we were playing together at Suyang High School, but now he has risen to a position where I really have to look up to him.

Kim Min-je and Son Heung-min’s colleagues. What the…

[······Number 1! This is Kim Min-woo!]

The in-field microphone announcer introduces the players in a loud voice. And when Kim Min-woo’s name was called, cheers so loud they were deafening.

““Wow!”

Next, let’s introduce the players.

But no other player’s decibel level went up as much as when Kim Min-woo was called.

and.

[······Number 7! It’s Son Heung-min!]

““Wow!”

Kim Jun-young nodded in response.

Kim Min-woo’s debut match is receiving much anticipation, befitting the current captain of South Korea.

The decibels were almost the same.

‘Well, it’s been a year since he made his professional debut, and even in the Bundesliga, he’s still kept a clean sheet, so even people who don’t know anything about soccer would be like, “Wow!”

Kim Min-woo continued to do the same basic things he did at Suyang High School even after moving to the Bundesliga.

A goalkeeper with great fundamentals.

And to Kim Jun-young, he was also a benefactor.

Even though Kim Min-woo made the excuse······ In any case, if it weren’t for Kim Min-woo, Kim Jun-young would have quit soccer too.

What if I quit?

You must have had a hard time studying so late that your hair fell out.

‘I can’t believe that I became a regular in the K-League at such a young age, but that guy…’

Overwhelming genius.

Even if you play soccer your whole life since childhood, the odds of debuting in the K-League are slim.

Once you debut, the gap in talent becomes everything.

Kim Jun-young himself can’t believe that he has such potential at such a young age, and sometimes he can’t tell if it’s a dream or reality.

Clearly, he wasn’t that good at soccer.

‘But it changed after I met Minwoo hyung.’

The growth rate was strangely steep.

It was even more shocking because it was something I could never have imagined, like debuting in the K-League before even graduating from high school.

In addition, although it was difficult at first, he adapted to the league smoothly, so the K-League Rookie of the Year award was practically a given.

‘Even I, who am like this, am called a genius above geniuses, but Minwoo hyung···.’

Heaven outside of heaven.

Sky above the sky.

It’s just a cosmic space where you can’t even imagine jumping over it, and you don’t even know if such a place exists.

After the pre-game formalities were over, Kim Jun-young said to Han Seung-woo as he watched Kim Min-woo slowly running towards the goal.

“Hyung Seungwoo. If you were to compare Hyung Minwoo to a field player, who would they be?”

“···Well. It seems like there is no comparison group.”

Here, Go Young-jun intervenes.

“Messi! When Messi first came out, there was no player who played like him, so people were just dumbfounded.”

Messira.

Lionel Messi, who was said to be in a slump if he scored one goal per game during his prime?

“If it was Messi back then, would it have been possible to break through Kim Min-woo now?”

“Oh. Sounds fun? Did he get through it? Last time, he got through it a few times to the aging Messi. He survived thanks to the offside.”

“The game begins.”

Beep-!

The match against Mexico started with the referee’s whistle.

Korea was the first team to win, but as soon as the game started and the ball was passed, the opponent took possession.

“Oh, what are you doing?”

Then, the surrounding audience members started to express their discontent. Kim Jun-young was also flustered, but he thought that something like this could happen in the very beginning when the warm-up wasn’t even complete.

Mexico, in possession of the ball, briefly circulates the ball in their own half, then holds it for a long time on the side before quickly breaking through the Korean half and penetrating the penalty box.

“What, what is it? What are you doing?”

The opposing winger was too comfortable.

They had to actively stick close and apply pressure, but the Mexican players were passing the ball back and forth, and our player was not able to properly stick to the winger, so the winger lightly ran along the side and dropped the ball into the penalty box.

“It’s okay. Our team’s defense is good.”

Kim Min-je’s partner Kim Yang-kwon rushes towards the opponent to defend the penalty box that was quickly opened up.

The opposing striker staggered and even collapsed under the pressure, but he quickly stood up, straightened his back, and passed the ball into the center of the penalty box.

“Hey!”

A no-mark chance in an instant.

The spot where Kim Yang-kwon was was occupied by the big Jeon Woo-young, but he was unable to block Mexico’s shooting chance.

Mexico, where fruits come so easily.

I was shocked to see the first goal scored just one minute into the game.

And a light kick shot.

And a super save from the goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper is drawn to the ball as if it were a magnet and ends up making a save.

“Wow!”

Clap clap clap clap-

Thunderous cheers and applause.

Kim Jun-young cleared his throat.

“Yeah, it’s our goalkeeper Kim Min-woo~”

Go Young-jun’s playful shout.

And here is Kim Min-woo, who is in hyung mode.

“Wow. Seriously, Minwoo Ham is different. This is actually a surefire hit···.”

A complacent defensive play.

It was absurd and ridiculous, but Kim Min-woo’s brilliant super save barely prevented a shot that was almost a goal.

Han Seung-woo also nodded briefly in admiration.

“I just think Minwoo is a world-class goalkeeper. Earlier, Youngjun said he was like Messi, but I think Minwoo is like Oliver Kahn.”

“Back in the old days, the German goalkeeper?”

“Yeah. Considering his age, Kim Min-woo’s high score would be a few steps above Oliver Kahn’s. He’s still a high school senior in Korean age, right?”

Kim Jun-young only heard of Oliver Kahn’s reputation, but he doesn’t know how good a goalkeeper he is.

So, in Kim Jun-young’s view······.

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

The audience’s praise for living up to expectations.

Kim Jun-young thought with a laugh.

‘In my opinion, no goalkeeper in the history of football can match our Minwoo Ham.’

The greatest goalkeeper of all time, never before seen and never to be seen again.

Beep-!

And then Mexico’s corner kick begins.

And Kim Min-woo’s clean punching.

A save that sends the ball far away by flying through the sky.

“It’s really annoying.”

Kim Jun-young jumped up from his seat and applauded.

‘I will work harder than I am now and definitely wear the Taegeuk mark.’

I know the competition is tough.

Kyu-Seok Cho, who won the K-League scoring title and scored multiple goals in the World Cup, moved to Europe.

Hwang Eul-jo, who helped Son Heung-min get exempted from military service at the Asian Games and is still active in Europe.

‘I can do it too.’

It may be difficult right now, but step by step.

First, let’s start with the K-League scoring title. It won’t be easy, but if we maintain our growth, it could be possible next year or the year after.

End

ⓒ Doctor Am