Naturalization? - 2
They said they'd support whatever decision I made.
As always, it devolved into a family squabble, but I'd gotten used to it by now, so I quietly turned off my smartphone screen.
"What to do..."
Lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought—that's when it happened.
"Son Jinho!"
The door flew open and Han Gyeowol burst in.
"Did you block me?"
"Huh? No?"
"Then why no reply!"
"Your reactions were too funny?"
Whining that no one was replying to her messages, Gyeowol suddenly grew serious—maybe because my expression was so dark. She grabbed my head and pulled it to her chest.
"Jinho, like Mom and Dad said, just follow your heart. No matter what, we'll always be cheering you on."
The soft sensation against my face cleared my complicated thoughts about naturalization in an instant.
'From the start, my real wish was to be with Gyeowol.'The national team stuff would work itself out somehow. If not, I could just retire. An Olympic gold medal was plenty of value for my soccer studies abroad, right?
Feeling the softness against my head, I quickly sorted out my tangled mind.
'Oh yeah, gotta tell Coach Ki-hyeon too.'If I naturalized, he'd be the biggest victim, so he deserved to know about the German offer.
The next day, Son Jinho messaged Choi Gi-hyeon.
It was a reference to that famous future message Ronaldo supposedly sent to Antonio Cassano.
Even after reading the message, Coach Choi stayed silent for a long while.
His reply, when it came, was far from what Son Jinho expected.
Pushing future worries aside for now, it was time for Bundesliga Round 2.
Dortmund headed to face Hoffenheim away.
Ilkay Gundogan wasn't adapted to his position yet, so Schmelzer—no, Sven Bender started instead.
Me? Obviously.
"Gino! Slam one in clean today too!"
A starter, of course.
Many expected me and Gundogan to compete for the spot left by Nuri Sahin.
But I was firmly the starter.
Well... early season still, so time would tell.
Commuter buddy Jurgen Klopp had said when making the lineup, he put my name first then figured the rest.
'Could be lip service.'But his eyes full of trust said otherwise.
Beep—!
The match kicked off at Hoffenheim's home, Rhein-Neckar-Arena, holding 30,000 fans.
Dortmund vs. Hoffenheim.
Unlike expectations of an easy win for the defending champs, Hoffenheim dominated early.
Most Bundesliga teams are beasts at home.
Favorable ref calls and familiar turf help, but I figured the fans' fiery cheers pushed players beyond limits.
At 9 minutes in the first half, boosted by fan buffs, Hoffenheim's midfielder Sejad Salihovic rattled Dortmund's net with a mid-range screamer.
A perfect trajectory—no chance to react. Goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller could only stare at the shaking net.
Salihovic sprinted to the corner flag for his celebration.
"Wooooooaaaaaa—!!"
Hoffenheim fans filled the stadium with chants, shaking Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
After Hoffenheim's opener, the vibe fully shifted their way.
Korea's broadcast crew voiced concerns just then.
Son Jinho snatched the ball from Firmino's reckless dribble.
Springing up, he feinted a pass to penetrating Lewandowski.
Fooling Hoffenheim mids, he dribbled on, and spotting goal, unleashed a thunderous right-foot mid-ranger.
Like Salihovic's, Jinho ran to the corner flag for his celebration.
"Hooouuuu—!!"
The arena, heated by Hoffenheim's lead, cooled instantly like ice water poured.
Dortmund grabbed the lead just before halftime with Lewandowski's goal. Into the second half.
Klopp subbed out struggling Mario Gotze.
Ivan Perisic, injected fresh, boosted team energy with insane work rate.
Dortmund held the 1-goal win.
Late on, Perisic skyed a 1v1 with the keeper, glancing at Jinho who fed the killer pass.
"Agh! Good job!"
Jinho approached with a bright smile and encouragement.
"...My name's Ivan?"
"Nickname."
Perisic's moniker became "Ao" from then on, unflappable as Jinho said it straight.
It didn't take long for him to realize failed goals meant "Ao" status.
[Dortmund grabs 2-1 away win at Hoffenheim.]
[Son Jinho's league goal #3! Birth of a generational talent?]
[Dortmund wins home vs. Nuremberg too! League 3-peat!]
[3-0 thrashing of Nuremberg.]
[Son Jinho bags 2 assists with killer passes!]
[Klopp on Jinho: 'The most talented player I've coached.']
[CL group draw: Bundesliga champs Dortmund pot 4? Death group incoming!]
Dortmund cleanly beat Nuremberg in Round 3 too.
August 25. Monaco CL group draw broadcast day.
"Klopp! Come on in!"
"Jinho! Thanks for inviting me!"
Finally got Jurgen Klopp to dinner after putting it off.
The table overflowed with Mother-in-law's sweat-earned Korean dishes.
"Klopp, my girlfriend dreams of coaching—what talents does it take?"
Standing in for shy Gyeowol, I asked Klopp about coaching essentials.
"Soccer's done by people, so understanding people is key."
"Over tactics?"
"Yep! Tactics are in your head, but players execute."
Gyeowol loosened up, chatting with Klopp as time passed.
CL groups aired—we focused.
Dortmund drew pot 4.
Top seeds based on 5-year Euro performance—Dortmund's near-bankruptcy meant slim Euro runs.
Not till 2015 did UEFA league rankings replace club ones.
Made sense: Bundesliga champs in pot 4? Disaster for us and opponents. Rivals probably praying we'd drop in their group.
"Please, not Chelsea—put us with Arsenal!"
Mother-in-law's desperate wish granted: Dortmund to Arsenal's Group F.
Forgetting Klopp was there, she threw arms up.
"Hoooouuuu—!"