Chapter 44
Chapter 44
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: I'm Younger Than You - 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I've realized something recently
As soon as I turned around with the ball, I saw players charging at me in my field of vision.
One from the front left.
And another from the front right.
There was one behind me too, but since I had no intention of going back, there was no need to worry about him.
I focused only on the two in front of me.
Tatatat-!
Neither of them seemed like amateurs at this kind of pressure, having done it more than just once or twice.
They were rushing in, perfectly maintaining their distance from each other.
If my turn had been even a little slower, I might have been flustered by how close they were.
But not now.
I had turned around quickly and well, and I had already grasped their positions in advance.
Since the situation was already calculated, I remained calm and dealt with the two of them.
Tatat-!
First, I kicked the ball to the left and moved.
To create a distance difference between the two of them.
If I stood still, I'd have to deal with both at once, but if I ran to one side, I could put distance between myself and the opponent on the other side.
Tatat-!
Just like now, by moving to the left, the distance to the opponent who was charging from the front left became closer, while the opponent on the right became farther away.
Since I'd created a distance difference, it was no longer a 1 vs 2, but now just two separate 1 vs 1s.
Tuk-
After stopping the ball at an appropriate position, I turned my body to face the first opponent head-on.
I waited with my posture lowered as much as possible...
When the distance to the opponent had narrowed to about three steps.
Swish-
I lifted my left leg, bending it so my left foot came to my right knee,
Tak-!
Then, as I tilted my upper body to the left, I stomped my raised left foot down to the ground.
I gave a feint as if I was going to charge to the left...
Tatat-!
With that feint, the opponent's center of gravity wobbled greatly.
His right leg buckled and he collapsed as if he was about to fall flat on his butt.
Even so, he stretched out his left leg to try and touch the ball...
Pang-!
I pushed the ball to the right with my left foot, dodging his foot,
Pang-!
And received the ball with my right foot, pushing it forward again.
Then I charged forward.
Tatatat-!
One down, for now.
Next.
I dribbled the ball towards the remaining one.
As the distance closed, I gently pushed the ball with my right foot, slightly changing my path.
And then I bent my right leg back deeply.
As if I was about to pass it to our right fullback.
Tatatat-!
At that movement, the opponent stretched out his leg to try and intercept the pass... Sorry, but my pass won't be caught. I never intended to pass in the first place.
Swish-
After stepping on the ball with my right foot, I scraped it with the sole of my foot to change direction.
Feeling the ball flowing behind my left foot, I quickly twisted my body.
And in an instant, I increased my speed and escaped from the two of them.
Tatatat-!
I broke through.
Finally, the wide central space came into view.
I'd drawn in two, and shaken them off, so it was only natural the space was empty.
Without hesitation, I charged into that space.
That's it for now.
But there was no time to be happy about successfully breaking the pressure. I had to get up the field quickly.
Tatatat-!
Two things the coach emphasized today.
One was breaking the press, and the other was a fast transition from defense to offense.
I'd just done the breaking the press, so now it was time for the fast transition.
As I dribbled the ball and quickly crossed the half-line, I saw their inside central midfielder pulling towards me.
But my gaze was fixed on the space beyond him.
Their defensive formation was quite loose, as if they didn't expect me to break through the press so easily.
And their line was high, and our attacker, Vlahovic, was fast too...
Now was the time to blast a through ball into the space.
Beeeeeeep-!
I lofted the ball low into the space behind their defensive line, just at a position that was too far for the keeper to come out and catch but too close for him to ignore.
The direction was towards the left side of the goal.
Watching Vlahovic's back as he ran towards that pass, I also didn't stop and ran towards the box.
If Vlahovic got to the ball first, he'd have a one-on-one chance with the keeper, so it might seem like there was no need for me to run further... but on the field, you have to consider every possibility.
If the keeper deflected the shot, the ball could flow out right in front of me.
Tatatat-!
Vlahovic was definitely fast.
He shook off the defender who was tugging at his jersey and, after lightly controlling the ball,
Beeeeeeep-!
He took the shot right then and there.
However... with the defender sticking to him and the keeper rushing out, he was a bit rushed.
It was too straight on.
Paaaaang-!
The shot hit the keeper's body and bounced off.
And that ball... began to flow out right in front of me.
Luca Coach had said something once.
Opportunity comes to those who are prepared.
As expected, it never hurts to listen to your elders.
Beeeeeeeeeep-!
I hit the ball that had flowed out right as it was.
The ball had rolled perfectly for me to shoot, and the keeper had rushed out, leaving the goal empty, so there was no reason to hesitate.
Shwoooooooong-
The shot that flew like that...
Thwack-!!
Went straight into the empty net.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah-!!
"Hey, Kim Ji-woo."
"Did you see?"
"Who's the real genius now?"
*
The clock on the scoreboard stopped, and the first half went into added time.
The score was 1-0, Fiorentina leading.
"Hehehe."
Coach Toni shot a glare at Luca Coach, who was snickering next to him. Luca Coach had been tapping on his phone and splitting his sides for a while now.
It seemed he was实时 teasing that Lazio youth coach.
That sight looked really immature, but on the other hand, I could understand it.
'How on earth...'
Coach Toni clicked his tongue in astonishment, as if it was a new experience.
To put it simply, as the first half was coming to an end... you could say it was a game whose entire complexion had changed because of a single player.
Of course, that one player was Lee Ji-an.
Actually, the start of the game was quite shaky.
Right from the start, the opponent applied strong forward pressure, and because we couldn't handle it calmly, we ended up conceding a shot from the very beginning.
Lazio is a team that plays at a very fast tempo. Once you get caught up in that tempo, their soccer is so dangerous that even teams like Juventus or Milan can concede a large number of goals.
So, losing the ball on the first press was an even worse situation than it seemed.
Lazio would have pressed even harder from there, and Fiorentina, facing that pressure in a disorganized state, was highly likely to completely lose the flow of the game.
But, right at that moment.
Lee Ji-an cut off the flow in an instant.
With a crazy level of pressure breaking and the subsequent counterattack finish.
Thinking back on it, it only makes me sigh in admiration.
In that dangerous position, to even think of attempting to break a 2v1 press by himself.
And to succeed so easily at it.
Truly, the word 'flawless' fit perfectly.
Keeping the ball glued to his foot with great control, and then using simple feint movements, two-footed dribbling, and a single change of direction to escape between the two... it was only natural that a roar erupted from the stands in that moment.
And what about his judgment afterward?
Not content with just breaking the press, he carried the ball himself and even dropped a lobbed through pass of insane quality right in front of Vlahovic's feet.
But the best part is what came after. Vlahovic's shot was unfortunately blocked and bounced out, and that guy was standing right there.
Some might say he just picked up a free goal, but that's not the case.
It was a chance you could only get if you ran with sincerity.
It meant it was a goal he had created himself.
'That one shot completely killed the opponent's momentum.'
It was only natural for the opponent, who had conceded in an instant, to falter.
Well, there was still a lot of time left, so they didn't completely give up on the forward press, but they weren't as aggressive as they were at the beginning.
Especially when Lee Ji-an got the ball, they even showed signs of dropping their line instead of pressing.
They must have been scared to press him easily after being burned by him once.
Lee Ji-an cleverly exploited that, and whenever he got the ball, he would adjust the tempo appropriately and bring the possession rate over to our side.
That's why I had no choice but to give that kind of summary for the first half. It was a game whose complexion had changed because of one player.
'To be honest...'
Coach Toni looked at Lazio's number 17.
That was the kid, Rico Romero, the prodigy. To be honest, the difference in presence was just too great.
The media had tried to make an issue out of this game, calling it a battle between two genius boys.
But seeing the two of them on the same field like this, I just had this thought.
'They're on different levels of talent...'
It wasn't that Romero was bad.
Playing as a first-team attacker for a team like Lazio at that young age meant he had a crazy level of talent to begin with.
But... his opponent was just a monster.
If Romero was considered amazing for a 16-year-old, Lee Ji-an was simply the best on the field right now.
That's why I felt a bit sorry for him.
He hadn't done anything wrong, but he was going to be compared to him for the rest of his career.
Well... I think I saw him do an interview before the game, saying something like 'I'll show you what a real genius is.'
But this is still a bit harsh.
"Wow, that bastard blocked me. Hahahahaha!"
As he listened to Luca Coach's laughter, Coach Toni shook his head.
*
3rd minute of the first half.
"Give it to me again! One more time!"
10th minute of the first half.
"Give me the ball! Here!"
25th minute of the first half.
"I'm open here too...!"
40th minute of the first half.
"The ball..."
And when the second half started, Rico Romero's voice, which had been getting quieter and quieter, disappeared completely.
He had been substituted out right after the first half ended.
"..."
Rico Romero sat on the bench with a sullen expression, watching the field.
His 16-year life, short if you think of it that way, long if you think of it the other way, he had lived with nothing but confidence.
He had no choice.
He had never seen a friend who was better at soccer than him in his life.
Romero, who had started playing soccer at the age of 5, had only ever been called a genius wherever he went.
At the academy, in the age-group teams, and even after coming up to the first team here.
He was always the youngest and the biggest genius everywhere.
Considering that background, maybe Romero was actually being humble right now.
He went around telling his much older seniors to wait just one year, that he would surpass them, but still, considering he had lived his whole life being called a genius.
Thanks to that, Romero was finding it hard to accept the current situation.
"..."
Romero looked at the opponent's number 20.
The coach had told him during training.
He had to be wary of that guy. He said that guy wasn't a 16-year-old's level, and that they had to suppress him to make the game easy to play.
At the time, he had scoffed.
That guy was also born in '05, so wasn't he the number one talent among the '05ers?
Romero had clicked his tongue at the coach and seniors making a fuss for no reason.
He just thought he had to show them properly this time. What real talent was.
But... the game had flowed strangely.
The start was good... but somehow, that guy was becoming the protagonist of the game.
He even scored a goal.
While he himself was substituted at the start of the second half, sitting here on the bench.
'But... still! I'm better at dribbling, right?'
Romero pouted his lips and thought.
His pride wouldn't allow him to admit defeat like this. He had to find at least one thing he was better at.
Right. Dribbling is still my forte.
He's not very good at dribbling, is he?
To be honest, isn't dribbling a much more precious talent than pressure breaking or passing?
'Yeah! That's right!'
I'm super fast! I'm better at dribbling too! I know so many individual skills!
Romero was just about to nod, comforting himself like that.
Paaaaang-!
That guy gets the ball.
Right in front of Lazio's bench, of all places.
The guy, who had caught the ball near the left touchline, started dribbling past one defender right in front of him.
And then...
Tatatat-!
After completely breaking down the defender, he started charging into the center.
He... he can dribble too?
The senior he just beat isn't an easy opponent!?
But that's not the end of it.
Beeeeeeeeeep-!
The guy, who had cut into the center, took a shot from in front of the box. It was a right-footed curler aimed at the far post...
The trajectory... that trajectory...
'It's beautiful!!'
Even Romero had to admit it was beautiful.
Thwack-!!
Once again, the net swelled, and when the stadium became so loud it was deafening.
Rico Romero's world crumbled.
"..."
Rico Romero (16 years old).
Feels the wall of talent for the first time in his life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇