José Mourinho. "What a Fine Critic We Have Here."
Big Ben's clock tower tolled the hour with heavy, deliberate strokes through the London night.
Amid the city's ceaseless roar, the BBC building blazed with unusual brilliance, its lights trained on the world as the network prepared to deliver an untimely breaking bulletin.
Inside the studio of the football talk show Match of the Day, the cameras swept across the set. Host James Edwards sat in a crisp suit, his face tight with tension. The lens caught him straightening his notes and drawing a deep breath.
At last the red light flared. They were live.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have breaking news that has just come in. What may well be the most shocking event in football history has just taken place."
James's voice carried far beyond the studio walls, seizing the ears of viewers across the globe. The screen snapped to a crimson emergency backdrop as a drumroll ratcheted the tension higher.
"A seismic shift has hit the football world. I can scarcely believe it myself. The winner of the World Football Manager tournament—a young Korean man named Han Shin—has been appointed the new manager of Sunderland AFC."
The picture split: on one side, the black-haired young Korean celebrating his victory; on the other, the crest of Sunderland AFC. The next clip showed Han Shin unleashing Cristiano Ronaldo's signature celebration.
"Siuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
"This almost unbelievable development marks the first time in history that the champion of an esports competition has been handed the reins of a professional football club. Han Shin will become the first Asian—and the first Korean—manager in the EFL Championship."
The camera returned to the studio. James flipped through his papers and pressed on.
"Sunderland AFC's young owner, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, personally took the stage to present Han Shin with the trophy and congratulate him on the appointment. Can a twenty-seven-year-old French chairman and a twenty-nine-year-old Korean manager possibly succeed on the unforgiving English stage?"
Footage rolled of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus handing over the trophy; the handshake filled the frame in tight close-up. James's expression grew graver.
"The club's radical decision has already ignited fierce debate."
"Our research reveals that the name itself is no ordinary one. Unfamiliar as it may be to many of us, this young Korean's name—Han Shin—derives from one of the greatest strategists in Chinese history, the general Han Xin."
James gestured as the screen placed an image of the ancient general beside the modern manager.
"General Han Xin served under Liu Bang, founder of the Han dynasty. Known as the 'God of Strategy and Tactics,' he led countless victories that ultimately unified the Chinese continent."
Guksa-mussang
Unparalleled Genius of the Nation
"In Chinese characters it is read Guksa-mussang—Unparalleled Genius of the Nation. It means a talent without peer in the entire country. Quite a magnificent title, wouldn't you say?"
An illustration appeared of armoured soldiers contending over a football.
"Football, after all, is often called a war fought over a ball."
"Just as General Han Xin conquered the battlefield through strategy and tactics, will Manager Han Shin conquer the pitch with his own? Can the great general who once pacified the realm now pacify the world of football?"
The producer gave the cue; James caught it cleanly.
"To discuss this burning topic we have invited a very special guest into the studio. Please welcome him with a round of applause—the eternal Special One, currently at the helm of Fenerbahçe, José Mourinho!"
Applause thundered as the picture cut to José Mourinho striding onto the set. The Portuguese mid-lifer, his hair now silvered, still possessed those razor-sharp eyes.
"Oh, José. Still looking magnificent."
"Hahaha, James, it's been too long. And what an entertaining story you were telling. Han Shin—named after an Asian general. The name alone is splendid."
After a brief introduction, James drove straight to the heart of the matter.
"José, there is considerable concern that Manager Han Shin has no professional playing career. Can he succeed? Can he work another miracle in the world of football?"
José Mourinho answered with his trademark cynical smile.
"Real football is not a fairy tale. Han Shin may be a genius in a game, but reality is different. Football is not mere strategy; human relationships and psychological factors are crucial. The chance of a manager with no professional playing experience succeeding? Close to zero percent. Miracles do not happen often in football. A game is only a game."
"'A game is only a game.' So how do you rate Manager Han Shin's probability of success?"
Mourinho rolled his eyes slightly and replied in that familiar, mocking drawl.
"Probability of success? Pfft... I'll say it again: zero percent. The tactical ability he showed in the game may be impressive, but it will not translate to the real pitch. Football is a sport in which human relationships and psychology matter far more than pure strategy."
"So you're saying it's completely different from a game?"
"Absolutely different. In a game the players obey every command without question. In reality it is hard to imagine professionals listening to a man who has never played the game at that level. Above all, trust with the squad is essential. In that regard Han Shin faces an enormous challenge."
"You mentioned professional playing experience. You yourself had only a brief career as a player, yet you became one of the greatest managers in the world. Couldn't Han Shin write a similar miracle?"
Mourinho countered at once.
"Of course I had a short professional career. But the important point is that I always prepared myself to become a manager. And I learned coaching under the very best—Sir Bobby Robson."
"Yes, you entered the game as Sir Bobby Robson's interpreter at Barcelona."
"Exactly. But Han Shin? He succeeded only in a game. Reality is different. It is cold—brutally cold. The chances of a manager without playing experience succeeding are extremely low. Football is not built on tactics alone. If Han Shin is prepared in every one of these areas, perhaps it is possible—but expecting a miracle is unrealistic."
James scanned his notes and posed another question.
"Yet football has seen figures such as André Villas-Boas, the former Chelsea manager you yourself once guided, who succeeded without any professional playing career at all."
"True."
"And William Still, currently in charge of RC Lens, is a similar case—someone who fell deep into Football Manager and somehow became a real manager. What is the difference between them and Han Shin?"
"There are exceptions like André Villas-Boas and William Still, but they were never mere game players. Villas-Boas prepared from childhood to become a manager and accumulated a wide range of experience."
José crossed his legs.
"William Still is said to have begun through the game as well, yet I understand he also built coaching experience in the real world. In Han Shin's case, he succeeded only in the game. Football is not that easy."
Mourinho raised his index finger.
"That decisive difference is what separates success from failure."
The host gently needled another fact.
"Thank you for those insights. José, another reason Manager Han Shin is generating such heat is not only his background but his youth—he was born in 1994."
Mourinho's eyebrows shot up.
"Wow, so he's thirty? Incredibly young. That German manager at Brighton..."
"Fabian Hürzeler, you mean?"
"Yes—younger than Fabian, then?"
"Correct. One year younger. If Sunderland gain promotion he would also become the youngest manager in Premier League history."
"If they gain promotion, that is."
"Hahaha, quite right. Han Shin is even two years younger than Sonny, the captain of your former club Tottenham. Do you think the 'young manager' label will ultimately trip him up?"
Mourinho shook his head firmly.
"No. I can state that categorically. In football age is meaningless—provided there is ability. Players may differ in attitude, but they are professionals. To a true professional the manager's age is irrelevant. The real question is whether the manager's philosophy can be absorbed by the team."
James pressed once more.
"Then, finally, how would you gauge Manager Han Shin's chances of success? Like his nickname Hannibal, can this Korean mastermind cross the Alps of the Championship and challenge the Premier League?"
Mourinho broke into a bright smile.
"Hahaha. Probability of success? Zero percent. Separate from my evaluation, I would stake my own managerial career that he will not last a full season. He will return to his homeland after ten matches—no, five—with zero points."
"José, you're staking your job?"
"If he succeeds at Sunderland, I will retire from management."
James nodded and continued.
"Dear me... Personally I would love to see José Mourinho take charge of the Portuguese national team. For that to happen, I suppose I must hope for Manager Han Shin's failure. Hahaha!"
Mourinho looked straight into the camera and thumped his chest with a fist.
"The national team... I prefer not to speak of the future. Right now my heart is with Fenerbahçe."
"I can almost hear the roar of the Fenerbahçe fans. We shall all be watching closely to see what result Manager Han Shin's challenge produces. José, thank you for your valuable time."
"Thank you."
As Mourinho departed, James drew a final deep breath and delivered his closing.
"Manager Han Shin's new era at Sunderland AFC has only just begun. Will football history's greatest gamble prove a self-inflicted wound—or will it forge yet another miracle of success? Every eye is fixed on Sunderland. To all football fans, please keep watching his every step."
"This has been James Edwards for BBC News."
The camera lingered in a slow close-up on James's face, capturing the resolve and excitement in his eyes. The screen faded to black and the broadcast ended. Within hours the interview struck the world like a typhoon.