Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae - Chapter 208



208 – Awakening

208

July is too early to conclude the year.

Although more than half of the year has passed, there’s still about half a year left. It’s not enough to say that the year is ending.

But for football fans, it’s different.

For football fans, July is indeed the month that concludes the year.

After all, the 2038 World Cup final is just around the corner in July.

The end of the long journey of a month is finally approaching.

* * *

The venue for the highly anticipated World Cup final is the AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.

The massive AT&T Stadium, with a seating capacity of 105,000, is one of the most expensive stadiums in the world and is considered one of the best domed stadiums.

Its reputation is well-deserved, having hosted a variety of events, from the Super Bowl to the NBA All-Star Game, NCAA Final Four, WWE, and the Cotton Bowl Classic, as well as concerts like Taylor Swift’s.

Moreover, it was used as an important venue for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, making it an ideal location for the final. And Fernando Alvarez, who was a youth player back then, is now a player returning to the same stadium.

“It’s still the same here, no matter what.”

As the final approaches, Fernando Alvarez took his time to get accustomed to the stadium during the training session.

He was getting familiar with the grass, the atmosphere, and the stadium’s conditions, a ritual many football players perform. In fact, many of his Uruguayan teammates were doing the same, following his lead.

“It’s Korea.”

Suddenly, thoughts of the opposing team in the final come to mind.

South Korea.

An unfamiliar name, a foreign country.

Not that he didn’t know anything about Korea.

Korea is a well-known country, after all.

Even he, who wasn’t interested in culture, knew about K-pop and had listened to it with his younger sister when they lived together. As a football player, he had also watched the plays of outstanding players like Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in.

However, that’s all.

In terms of cultural influence, South Korea is not a country that leaves a deep impression as a football nation.

Although it has produced many outstanding players, if we compare it to Côte d’Ivoire, which has produced players like Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré, Kolo Touré, Franck Kessié, and Wilfried Zaha, or Mozambique, which has produced a Ballon d’Or winner like Eusébio.

For Fernando Álvarez, South Korea was just like that.

EPL top scorer? World-class center-back? A midfielder who was once considered the best? Of course, that’s impressive. But how many EPL top scorers are there, and how many world-class players are there? When viewed from the entire football world, it’s a remarkable achievement, but it’s not particularly special.

Every year, there’s a new top scorer, and every year, there are new world-class evaluations.

Even if you’ve won the Ballon d’Or, your status and achievements in the football world are limited to a few seasons. It’s just that, as an Asian player, you get more attention.

In the football world, South Korea is a country that occasionally produces outstanding players and achieves remarkable results. There are many countries like that. Whether it’s an African powerhouse team or a South American powerhouse team.

Fernando Álvarez’s home country, Uruguay, has also produced outstanding players like Luis Suárez, Edinson Cavani, Diego Forlán, and Darwin Núñez, as well as world-class players like Federico Valverde, Diego Godín, Maximiliano Pereira, and Martín Cáceres.

But how many Koreans know about Uruguay?

Even Uruguay is a two-time World Cup winner.

When Fernando Álvarez was a youth, watching the World Cup at the AT&T Stadium, no one expected South Korea to reach the finals.

Twelve years have passed since then.

Now, South Korea has become a strong contender for the championship, reaching the final stage.

It’s a miraculous achievement for a country that was once considered a football backwater in Asia. Right now, Cho Jae-shin, who is challenging for the most goals in a single World Cup, is receiving more attention, but ultimately, it was—

‘Joo Ji-tae.’

Just one center-back.

The one who blocked the path of Fernando Álvarez, who was considered unbeatable, and is the only Asian player to have won three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards as a defender.

Fernando Álvarez shook his head.

He was confident in his own abilities. He had the confidence that he was the best. In reality, his skills and talent were the best.

He made his debut for Real Madrid at an early age and became the top scorer in his teens.

The world called him a genius, and experts didn’t hesitate to call him the best talent since Messi.

When he first won the Ballon d’Or, and then won it consecutively, he thought his era had begun…

[This era will only be remembered as Joo Ji-tae’s.]

But somehow, it’s already his third time.

From noble mtl dot come

The Asian center-back, who was just considered talented, had surpassed him and become an enormous wall. He had to watch as another player took the path that he thought was his, and he had to shed tears of frustration many times.

Now, he’s lost confidence.

He’s lost the confidence to surpass that kid. He’s lost the confidence to reclaim the Ballon d’Or.

He’s still called the world’s best attacker, but even that’s being taken away.

In this World Cup, he’s being surpassed by a Korean player who wasn’t even expected to be a contender, and his position as the best attacker is being shaken.

“12 goals and 7 goals. Yeah. There’s a difference that can’t be ignored.”

Objectively, Fernando Álvarez’s stats aren’t lacking. On the contrary, they’re outstanding.

Who scored 7 goals in this World Cup and led Uruguay to the finals? It was Fernando Álvarez.

But competition is always relative.

Objectively, good records can be overshadowed by even better records, and everything can become dull.

“Hey, Albi.”

“…?”

It was then that Fernando Álvarez’s teammates approached him, who had been standing still, looking stunned.

“Why are you standing still?”

“Just… thinking for a moment.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

A colleague with a disappointed expression grabs Alvarez’s shoulder.

“Why are you stuck in the same place?”

“What’s with the same old talk…”

“You’re Fernando Alvarez, our leader, the leader of La Celeste! Don’t stay still. Take us to victory, claim it for us.”

“I’m sorry to worry you, but I think I’ve been doing well on my own.”

“What we want is your old self. Not a coward like now.”

“A coward? Me?”

“Yes. Why are you always backing down? Why do you keep passing up shooting opportunities? You’re Fernando Alvarez, Fernando! You represent courage and valor! Don’t act like a coward, stand up and fight bravely. Fight to win.”

A coward?

Fernando Alvarez recalled his performance in this World Cup.

Undoubtedly, it was an outstanding performance.

7 goals and 7 assists.

He was second in scoring and first in assists.

But when did he start prioritizing assists over goals?

He was a forward, a fierce beast with a strong competitive spirit. A forward with a natural instinct to score goals anywhere, anytime.

Fernando Alvarez suddenly looked up.

He saw his worried wife and cheerful daughter waving at him from the stands.

He couldn’t show a shameful face to his colleagues and family.

“Yes, I’m Fernando Alvarez.”

With a sense of liberation, Fernando Alvarez smiled faintly.

Can’t overcome it? Then what? He was still young. His opponent might be younger, but he was still young and had plenty of room to grow and challenge himself.

He didn’t want to become a loser and be buried in time.

“I’m sorry to worry you all. Brothers, the Fernando Alvarez you know is back.”

“Damn it! We believed in you!!”

Among his colleagues who were embracing him tightly, Fernando Alvarez regained his confidence.

So—

“It’s dangerous to lose balance against Korea. When we’re overly aggressive or overly defensive, we’ve already shown what kind of results we can get in previous matches. We’ll do it like we always do—”

“Coach.”

“Yes? Do you have something to say, Fernando?”

“In this match, I’ll focus more on offense.”

“What?”

“My role in this World Cup has been to lure the opponent’s defense, but this time, I’ll focus on scoring. I won’t join the midfield battle, but instead, I’ll suppress the opponent’s defense from the front. I’ll tie up Joo Jitae.”

He decided to clash with all his might in the final match.

Was his opponent an insurmountable wall? Was he the sole ruler of this era?