Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 217



Only Krnovel

Episode 217: The Invited Guest

“Ha… ha. What are you talking about, Captain? I think there’s a misunderstanding. The authority to select players is—”

“I know. It’s with the director.”

Richard went out shamelessly.

“But Giovanni, it’s not common for Korean players to fight each other. What’s uncommon is rare, and what’s rare is valuable.”

“I know that, sir. If it’s for the sake of the show, our goalkeeper is already Korean.”

“That’s not enough. To attract the attention of China and Japan beyond Korea, we need one more Korean.”

“… … .”

Richard got up from his chair, looked at the glass window at the back of the office, raised his arm, and shouted.

“Kim connects, Kim receives! Fantastic long ball from Kim, Kim connects and solves!”

“… … ?”

“What do you think? Isn’t it fun to just imagine?”

The captain held back a laugh as he looked at Giovanni, who was looking at him as if he were some old man with dementia.

“Besides, as long as Kim is there, there’s no way we’ll lose the game even if forward Kim shows a poor performance, right?”

“It is true that Kim has never conceded a goal since his debut, but it is dangerous to assume that he will continue to do so. In particular, an unconventional goalkeeper like Kim can go into a slump after conceding a goal once. For example, he suddenly concedes a large number of goals.”

Richard Johnson smiled, holding the head of the chair.

“Kim is not unusual, Giovanni.”

“… Yes. I know what you’re trying to say.”

“Kim is pioneering a path that even Yashin has never walked before. Besides, the other Kim is a striker. I don’t think Kim will concede a goal just because one striker has changed.”

Giovanni continued to protest. Why couldn’t he use forward Kim in that game? The manager could understand the explanation, but in a society where people live, there are times when irrational decisions are made.

And Richard Johnson himself thought the case was not so irrational.

“I will sell Onana and Anthony in the winter transfer market. If that doesn’t work, I will release them and get them out of the club. Will this work?”

Just making a fuss about something that has to be done anyway.

Giovanni also seems to know.

But I can’t point it out openly.

The captain tried to persuade him once more here.

“I’m not saying you should use him for the full 90 minutes. Just start him and play for 60 minutes. And I’ll try to recruit two players that Giovanni wants as well as the players that are out.”

An offer to let the 3rd option striker have a warm winter instead of playing him in the third match of the Europa League.

Giovanni finally gave in.

“Okay, I’m willing to put up with this if it helps with marketing and finances.”

Richard smiled kindly and asked for a handshake. Giovanni accepted. And Richard said,

“If Kim does well in that match, he can play for Tottenham and Wolverhampton… you know?”

“yes?”

* * *

Recovery training has now become a daily routine.

Once this is done, next comes tactical training.

It’s terribly boring, but it’s a process that all players who prepare for a match must go through.

I was pedaling my bike and dazed, and I was bored so I checked my stats for the first time in a while.

If we have to be specific, it was what is called a ‘comparison’.

Now he has two running mates, and the two comparison groups are our team captain and clear world-class player Bruno Fernandes, and the other is a rookie K-League player Kim Jun-young.

I compared the stats from beginning to end, including those two and myself.

‘All three of them easily exceeded 100.’

The captain had the highest stats, followed by me, and last was Kim Jun-young.

Back when I was in Suyang High School, I could barely reach Junyoung Kim’s toes, but now I had surpassed him by a long way.

‘If it’s obvious, then it’s obvious. Kim Jun-young hasn’t benefited from the running mate effect at all so far, and I’ve gained a lot of experience in the Bundesliga…’

How should I express this?

In terms of options, Bruno was ‘top’, I was ‘middle’, and Kim Jun-young was ‘bottom’.

To begin with, goalkeepers and field players had different stat classifications, so it was difficult to compare them accurately, but in terms of numbers, that was the case.

‘I’m in my mid-hundreds.’

When I was in Hanover, my stats were barely above ‘110’, but now they are over 150 and hovering around 160.

What did the Man U captain say? The lowest was 180. And our chick… … .

[Details]

Location: 121

Dribble: 114

Pass: 107

Determination: 124

Kick Power: 117

Heading: 103

Defensive sense… .

“Let’s fight, Junyoung.”

Although it was the lowest, in fact, it also meant that there was a lot of room for growth. The captain was already at an age where all growth had ended and he was in decline.

‘Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the stats, so I wonder what the other players are like.’

I was particularly curious about Kim Jun-young’s competitors. Hoilun and Bayer. They’re both on a roll these days.

… but there’s no way to check it right now. Unless I gain some kind of spying ability, the only way to check other players’ stats is to designate them as a running mate.

‘… Certainly, since the stats have increased to this extent, there is no longer the steep growth that there used to be.’

Actually, I was satisfied with my current stats.

In the past, there was definitely a lucky element to preventing goals, but now that has been greatly reduced.

At least now there’s no such thing as a shot I know I can’t block.

‘… Don’t you know? It might be different if you meet guys like Mbappe or Holland.’

I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out when we meet Manchester City later.

I finished my thoughts and concentrated on pedaling again.

* * *

And the opponent for League 10R was Newcastle United, who had faced them a few days ago. The two teams, who had faced each other once in the EFL Cup, met again in the league a few days later.

This time, not at Old Trafford, but at Newcastle’s home ground, St. James’ Park.

“This is incredible….”

The facilities here look better than Manchester United’s aging home stadium.

When we arrived at the stadium, we warmed up and prepared for the match, and then the match proceeded like any other match.

If there’s one variable, it’s that the away fans’ seats are crammed into a corner, and at the very top, so it looks like the whole place is filled with Newcastle supporters?

It was uncomfortable, but not to the point where it interfered with the game.

And unlike the EFL Cup, this match pitted the best Manchester United could field against the best Newcastle could field.

Unfortunately, Junyoung couldn’t even sit on the bench… .

Despite being an away game, unlike the one-sided defeat a few days ago, Manchester United pressured Newcastle from the start.

A completely different game.

‘Well, I guess that’s possible.’

The composition of the players is different, but today’s Man U was different from the Man U a few days ago.

If Newcastle pulled out the same tactics as that day, Manchester United today took advantage of that game and pulled out an unorthodox 4-2-3-1 formation, and this trick hit the mark, shaking Newcastle from the start… .

“Can it be this comfortable?”

A time period where 16 minutes fly by.

Man Utd continued to attack, while Newcastle relied on their goalkeeper’s superb saves.

It was the exact opposite of the beer mug situation.

Manchester, who had been pounding on and on for so long without rest… … .

“… …Wow!”

The cheers of away fans.

It was audible as the Newcastle supporters fell silent for a moment.

“Okay.”

I also felt relieved as I watched from afar.

It was a collaboration between the captain and the two wingers.

Newcastle, who were wavering here and there, had to give up the first goal after a few passes from three players.

… and Manchester United, back in the Ferguson era, continued to pressure Newcastle even after scoring.

Newcastle collapsed helplessly, conceding another goal in the second half before the game ended.

Newcastle also continued to attack from time to time, but most of them were cut off by the defenders, and even then, when they broke through, I would step forward.

It wasn’t as threatening as last time, so I had to worry about this.

‘Should I take a shower?’

The weather was cool and my body felt clean.

Score 2:0.

Newcastle, who dreamed of becoming the second Manchester City when Bin Salman took over the team, eventually had to kneel before Dae Hwang-yu.

With this win, the current record is 8 wins, 2 draws, 26 points, and 1st place.

It was a performance so good that it was hard to believe that Manchester United had ever had such a good first half in recent years.

So what about second place?

Of course, it was Manchester City who had been acting like Munich in the league for the past few years. The record was 8 wins and 2 draws. The result was the same. However, due to the goal difference, the ranking was 2nd.

‘I feel amazed that Liverpool won the league championship by beating Manchester City like this…’

I waved to the away fans who came all the way here with the other players and then went into the locker room.

* * *

When I was recovering at home after finishing my schedule, my mother called me in a quiet voice.

“Son, it looks like something good has arrived?”

“…what.”

I replied, lying flat on my bed. It was a day when I didn’t even feel like getting up.

“Don’t you want to see this? It seems really important to my son.”

“… What is it?”

I hugged my pillow and thought, Ah. I have to go get my driver’s license. The club said they’d give me lessons too. Why is this so annoying… .

“Is this an invitation? What does this read? Ballon d’Or?”

My mother’s fluent French pronunciation.

As far as I know, French wasn’t one of my mother’s five languages.

“What did you say, Mom?”

I jumped out of bed and looked at my mother. She unfolded a piece of paper that looked like an invitation and read it.

“Kim, we would like to invite you to the 69th Ballon d’Or ceremony. Please come and grace the occasion with your presence.”

“what!?”

I jumped up and checked the invitation my mother was holding. Of course, it was written in French. The Ballon d’Or is held in France. And I know that the French are very proud of their language.

But how did Mom read it?

“Did you study French, Mom?”

“Yeah. As a hobby. It’s at a middle school level. How do you feel, son? Is your French ability okay?”

You’re saying that now… .

“If my mother had been born a long time ago, she would have probably become a diplomat.”

If I had gone to a foreign language school instead of a diplomat school, would I have become a real diplomat?

Anyway, I looked over the invitation again. It was in French, so I couldn’t understand a single word. So I asked my mom to translate it for me, but most of it was just formal text.

“Isn’t there something like that, Mom? Like there’s an award prepared for me, or I’m a strong candidate or something like that.”

“…There isn’t any?”

“ah.”

Mom then showed me another piece of paper that came with the invitation.

“What is this?”

“Um, wait a minute.”

Mom narrowed her eyes and slowly translated.

“… we are pleased to inform you that, in recognition of your outstanding performances in 2024, the Ballon d’Or Academy has selected you as a candidate for the Ballon d’Or.”

A lightning bolt struck my head.

Is this day finally coming for me? I said nothing and sat lost in thought for a moment.

And Mom’s translation wasn’t over.

“We are pleased to inform you that the Ballon d’Or Academy has selected you as a candidate for the Trophee Coppa.”

“We are pleased to inform you that the Ballon d’Or Academy has selected you as a candidate for the Trophée Yachine.”

My mother, who was translating the passage, looked at me and smiled brightly.

“I don’t know what it is, but son, it seems like it’s telling you to prepare to receive an award.”

“…ah.”

As far as I know, the Ballon d’Or is awarded based on the performance of the previous season.

Last season, I played a key role in helping Hannover, who had just been promoted to the Bundesliga, win the title, and kept a clean sheet for the season, something no one has ever done before. It is a very difficult feat to achieve even in football games.

So I had vague expectations, but was the Ballon d’Or, which boasts history and tradition, really for me?

‘That’s strange. If you wanted to find fault, you would have caught enough.’

Despite breaking the Munich stronghold that had dominated the Bundesliga for over a decade and leading Hannover to the title, I still had no international wins.

He didn’t even participate in an international competition, let alone win one.

Even though the Ballon d’Or focuses more on individual player achievements than team performance… … Me in that snobby Europe?

‘No, but more than anything, should we give the Ballon d’Or to an Asian?’

I don’t know. I’ll have to wait and see. I haven’t won the Champions League or even the Europa League…

“Should I go, Mom?”

“Of course! Of course you should go! They said they’d give you a prize, but if you don’t go, people won’t look at you favorably~”

“Hehehe.”

It’s funny. A Ballon d’Or winner who refuses to attend. He’s not like a scientist who refuses the Nobel Prize.

I was caught up in the afterglow for a while. How caught up was I,

“Son, I know it feels good, but stop wandering around. You’re driving yourself crazy!”

“Oh, yeah.”

Ah. What should I say when I receive the Ballon d’Or? First, I would like to express my gratitude to my family and friends, and also to Yoo Jin-ho, and also… … .

I wandered around for a while, caught up in a happy delusion. Then suddenly,

“Oh, that’s right, Mom! Don’t you need clothes to go to places like award ceremonies? You’re wearing something like a tuxedo.”

“Should I buy it now? My son earns a lot of money.”

I nodded in agreement.

By the way, Kim Min-woo in a tuxedo. Just thinking about it makes my hands and feet shiver.