Chapter 32
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 32
Chapter Title The Eldest Son Yearns for Soccer
Son, so now, uh, I mean, in Korean age, youre playing soccer with 19yearolds?
Yeah.
Wow does that even match up?
Dad seemed amazed that I was playing soccer with kids up to high school seniors.
What, a fouryear gap? Its not that tough.
Really?
Dad was still tilting his head in disbelief when Mom sat down beside him and spoke up.
Didnt you see the video of our son training with the senior team, honey?
Huh? Theres something like that?
Take a look.
Mom handed Dad the tablet PC.
Newcastle United FC
Video Matteo Silva and Taeyangs Attack Training Footage
A training session featuring Newcastle Uniteds present and future togetherthe Toons future looks incredibly bright.
The video showed me nutmegging Arnold and slotting the ball into the net.
Dad watched it with his mouth agape in an O shape, then turned to stare at me.
Wow age 19 is no issue at all.
Turns out adults arent that big a deal either.
At that, Dad burst out laughing, wahahaha.
At this rate, you might make the youngest pro debut ever!
Could happen.
Yeah, yeah.
Dad nodded along as he started fiddling with his phone.
I sneaked a peek to see what he was doingturns out he was posting the link in his high school alumni group chat and his early morning soccer group chat.
Link
This is footage of my boy playing soccer Bros
My boys good at soccer, right?
Koreas soccer future is in my boys hands, bros
Sonboasting at its finest I wanted to call him a proud dad, but somehow my heart felt warm.
I needed to turn pro quick and give Dad more to brag about.
Starting today, I was reporting to the U18s, led by DegualMaximiliano Diaz.
Id wondered why Newcastle kept this deskbound theoristwho only knew book smartson as U18 manager, but it wasnt a big deal once I thought about it.
In a youth team, the managers job was just assigning roles on match day. All the actual training was directed by youth director Karlsen, who got reports from the coaches and issued instructions.
MDs role was purely managerialfocusing on games and tactics.
The issue was that no one except the firstteam manager could question his tactics, and absolutely no one could secondguess him on matches.
Josh! I said your role is to cut into the halfspace from the right flank. Who gave you permission to bomb down the sideline?
.
Your success rate when attacking from the sideline is a measly 24. Show some restraint.
Got it.
That was how it went.
The manager suppressed the players freedom to an extreme degree.
Calling them chess pieces wouldnt be an overstatement.
Of course, not every manager who prioritizes tactics over player freedom was like that.
But
Stop! I said if youre cutting into the halfspace from the right, the left needs to hold back. Who told you to hang back?
The guys up front are blocking the spot Im supposed to go into.
I dont want excuses!
That was too much.
No wonder they called him a deskbound manager.
Humans werent machines, and opponents didnt move exactly as you wanted, but he demanded they stick rigidly to positions.
Since hed never played himself, he couldnt grasp why it didnt work.
How was I supposed to play actual games like this?
I was worried, but it turned out not to be an issue.
Yoon! You no.
Yoon! Huh yeah, youre doing great.
That breakthrough!
Unlike with the other players, he didnt try to box me in according to his rigid standards. Or rather, he couldnt.
Why?
Thats when I noticed the strange standoff.
Whenever I did anything and he opened his mouth to bark, the senior coach would glare at him fiercely.
He was a veteran with worldwide renown in youth development.
A youth manager couldnt touch himhe held massive authority backed by Karlsens full trust, making him the real power in the youth setup.
He let the manager run things unquestioned with other players, but whenever it involved me, he kept pressuring him.
There was some internal dynamic at play, but whateverit was good for me.
That said, I didnt completely ignore the manager.
You had to stay balanced leaning too far one way could backfire.
Lifes about keeping things round and smooth, right?
Oh, and the U18s were way more active with signings than the U16s.
Heres our newest addition.
I heard lines like that over and over in just a few days.
Made senseat U18 level, they had a rough sense of a kids potential, and with contracts in play, they could buy talent, so transfers were bound to be lively.
That said, out of all the U18 players, hardly any were ones Id heard of in my future.
Well, truth be told, with no ties to the Premier League, the only names Id recognize here would be bigclub starters or internationals anyway.
The fact there were a few like that already made Newcastles youth setup impressive.
Hey? Im here, from Argentina.
The most impressive of the bunch was this guy.
Saviola.
Argentina? Long way from home.
You speak our language?
Ended up picking it up somehow.
No one here speaks Spanish except the managerlucky break.
Come to think of it, there werent any kids from Spanishspeaking countries at all.
There were a couple Portuguese speakers, but that wasnt 100 compatible.
Anyway, the point wasnt thatSaviola here.
I had no idea why this guy was at Newcastle.
Wasnt he a La Masia Barcelona product?
I wasnt the type to remember full career histories, but yeah, he was definitely a Barcelona guy from La Masia.
Had history changed?
Who knows.
But you look young. Asians supposed to look youthful or something?
Nah, I really am. Fourteen.
Jesus. Thought I was the baby here, but theres someone younger than me.
Yeah, this guy was sixteen.
Seventeen in Korean age.
Even if I was on the verge of skipping grades, coming straight to U18 from below showed his talent was recognized.
Got a problem with that?
Nah. Just look way younger than expected. Heavy sponsorship or something?
Japan back then, China nowbig money pulling kids from bigclub academies wasnt rare.
South America was even worse.
Some clubs there would put you in the first team just for the cash.
This the kind of club that takes money like that?
Fair. So you must be the real deal? Intriguing.
Youll find out soon enough.
League wasnt far off.
There was one more guy worth watching.
Fuck! Fuck!
This white kid with a mouth full of swearsthat was him.
Jake Lindemann.
GermanAmerican, positionagnostic fullback.
He was better known as Mr. Fuck, weirdly enoughand originally, he wasnt here but at Manchester City.
What the hell was going on.
Had Shallet, Saviola, and this guy all started at Newcastle in the original history before moving?
Or was it a real butterfly effect?
Point was, with Shallet, Saviola, and Lindemann, Newcastles future got a massive boost.
I was thrilled.
Newcastles future was bright. Very bright.
But not unconditionally so.
Unlike Degual, Shallet, Saviola, and Lindemann were all overflowing with personality.
And despite their differences, they shared one thing.
Get em tied down too tight, and they got frustrated and lost interest fast.
No wonder Shallet whined about training being boring last time.
At this rate, they might really end up at Barca and Man City like in the original history.
Problem was, I was losing interest too.
At first, he left me alone thanks to Karlsens righthand manthe senior coach with the most seniority in youthbut the nagging was ramping up.
Maybe hed realized the senior coachs pressure had limits, or maybe he was flexing his pride as this teams manager, or just getting cocky like try mewhatever.
Yoon! Your role is to break the opponents defensive line!
I did it well, but I absolutely didnt want to be a onetrick linebreaker.
No! Thats not it! Youre not the pass hubyou need to target space behind in transition!
Why didnt he think about how sticking the hub guy at the back left no one to play those passes from the front?
Dribble less! Thats timewasting showboating!
I enjoyed showboating because my past life didnt let me, but honestly, was my skill wasting time?
No way.
At best, it was Cruyff turns, La Croquetas, Free Flaps.
Quick, simple dribbles even Messitypes loved.
Sure, Id pull flashy flicks sometimes, but only to bait opponents deliberatelynever in fastbreak situations.
Anyway, I couldnt straightup defy the manager.
Even with the senior coachwho had real clout from Karlsenpressuring him, lineup spots were the managers sole domain.
To start, I had to play along.
Shallet saw me like that and asked.
Didnt think youd toe the line so faithfully. Figured youd say its boring and bounce.
Why bounce? Look at what theyre offering here.
Got a transfer offer from Man City. Thinking of going.
Man Citythose rootless bastardsalready reaching into the U18s?
Whats there for you at Man City?
Titles.
They cant even win the Champions League.
Newcastle hasnt won the league or Champs either, right? And I hear your last title was early 20th century? Over a century ago?
Exactly the 192627 season.
Checked it on the wiki.
Figured itd boost my image if someone asked and I nailed it.
Thats why itd be sweeter. Go win at Citythink youd get noticed?
Hmm! But they havent won Champs yet?
Theyre the weird ones for not winning. No matter how good you are, no spotlight. But think about itleague title here, first in nearly a century? Firstever Champs? Hows that sound?
Shallet was an attention whore on top of being a motormouth.
His ears went red imagining it, excitement building.
Nnot bad?
Right?
Hooking Shallet was easy.
The problem was the other two.
How to keep Lindemann and Saviola here?
As I pondered and pondered, the league loomed closer.
Gotta focus here for now.
I followed the managers instructions to the letter.
Yoon! I huh? Yes! Thats it! Linebreaking like I said! Use that speed!
Told you to hit space behind good work.
Dribble! No showboating! Yes! Perfect! Youre young, but you could start opening day.
Since I stuck faithfully to his words, Degual seemed thrilled and promised to use me.
And so opening day arrived.
Opponent Liverpool.
They hadnt won the youth title in years, but they were a traditional powerhouseand true to their name, they battered our Newcastle United youth side.
Shattering Deguals theories with two goals in the first half, then adding one more in the second for 30. They dominated us in shots on target, possessioneverything.
Degual scowled, clearly unhappy, then looked at me.
Taeyang, youre on. Looks like we need speed on the counter. Remember hold the line and target space behind their defense.
Yes, sir.
I gave a resolute nod, looking loyal as I stood before Degual.
I trust you, Taeyang.
His tense voice came from behind me.
Sorry, Degual.
I dont think I can do exactly what you say.
With my back to him, I grinned slyly.
My moment had arrived.