League Championship
The commentator's voice rang out across the stadium as the final whistle blew. "Goal, goal, goal! Celta Vigo scores a dramatic comeback goal in the 93rd minute! Real Madrid concedes a blow from Celta Vigo! The crumbling Real Madrid!"
"Wow... Real Madrid lost this."
"Yeah."
Ten minutes before kickoff, someone in the locker room had left the Real Madrid match on, and the shocking news hit like a bolt from the blue. Celta Vigo was always a team gunning for Europa League spots, but no one had ever imagined they'd actually beat Real Madrid.
The players' faces lit up with pure joy over the championship. Even though two games remained, the situation was basically a done deal, and I couldn't help smiling.
'But it's a little disappointing. I would've enjoyed it more if I'd played from the first half.'
Still, a faint sense of regret lingered. If I'd started from the opening match, I could've savored the victory even more perfectly.
If I'd played from the start, I might've even gone for the top scorer or assist titles...
'That joy will have to wait until next year.'
Missing out on those titles was a shame, but considering how I'd struggled to even make the first team last year, this was already a blessing.
'Wait, is this really a blessing? My skill level should've gotten me playing even in the first team. Camila and Tiana made it up there.'
Thinking of them, I glanced at Camila and Valentina's faces. Both looked overjoyed that they'd debuted in the first team and could already taste championship glory. Especially Valentina, who rarely showed emotion, had tears glistening in her eyes, and I felt a surge of pride.
'Right, the kids have been playing at Barcelona since they were almost six.'
I'd felt this same emotion in my previous life too. Back then, I was also a La Masia product.
And because of that, the betrayal when I was sold to Manchester United had been particularly bitter, which was why I'd transferred to Real Madrid.
Anyway, the special feeling of contributing to a league title as a youth player was something I couldn't ignore, so I sat down without noticing Valentina's tears.
"Everyone, remember, the title isn't fully confirmed yet. Don't get complacent..."
Before the match started, Angela had warned the players not to get too comfortable, but the words barely registered with those who had already written off the championship. I heard half of it and let the other half drift away.
Honestly, even on the road, the odds of losing to Levante were almost zero, so we entered the game with light hearts...
"Waaaaaaaah!!!"
'Huh?'
Tiana, who had been anchoring the backline, slipped while clearing the ball and conceded the opening goal. She'd rested for about a week after the Real Madrid match, but during that time she'd played almost every game without missing a single one, and now she'd finally gotten injured in a real match.
'Tsk. I got too excited after drawing with Real Madrid. Still, it's just one goal.'
It was embarrassing, but one goal was nothing. With our attacking power, we could easily make it up. The other players and I weren't particularly dejected, and smiles still lingered on the players' faces.
But that smile wouldn't last long.
"Alvaria's shot! It bounces off the post!"
Our first shot ricocheted off the post, and we kept pressing for Levante's goal, but somehow Levante's keeper was playing like a demon, making miraculous saves after save. Levante's players started doggedly shutting us down.
When the first half ended, the score was 1:0.
"Everyone, focus! Is this the level of a team that actually wins the championship?! Show us what it means to be professionals."
Angela had never been this angry at the players' performance since taking over. After Tiana, who looked sluggish, was substituted for Valentina, the second half began.
But the bad luck didn't stop there. The moment the second half started, a Levante defender's tackle came in deep...
"Ugh...!"
...I jumped over the tackle, landed awkwardly, twisted my ankle, and collapsed.
"How is it? You okay?"
"...I think I can manage..."
The trainer checked my ankle and told me to keep playing, but Angela's voice came from afar.
"Ha-neul, you're out! Substitution."
"Huh? But..."
"Ha-neul!"
It didn't feel like a big injury to me, so I tried to protest, but Angela's expression was scarier than the one she'd worn in the locker room at halftime. I had no choice but to leave the pitch.
After that, the match picked up pace. But Lorenz, who took my attacking midfielder spot, couldn't match my stability, and when the final whistle blew, the score was 3:2. We'd suffered our first loss in 37 games.
"...It was disappointing, but the second half showed real improvement. Still, we're only two points behind, so let's prepare well for the last game. We won't show this kind of performance at home."
"No! Coach!"
Losing the unbeaten run was a shame, but we were still only two points behind.
Angela comforted the players and ended the match. The next day, unlike after the Real Madrid game where we'd relaxed, we prepared for the season's final match as if it were a Real Madrid clash. Of course, my ankle injury meant I could only rest for two or three days.
Honestly, I thought Angela was a bit too overprotective, but considering my body age, it was unavoidable, so I rested two or three days to recover my stamina.
"You seem better now, Ha-neul. Don't push yourself too hard just because you want to play."
"Hey, I'm fine, really."
"...I know. But always be careful. Even a small injury neglected can turn into a big one."
"...Yes."
Angela still looked worried, but when she saw me performing even more flamboyantly in training, she smiled faintly at the end of practice.
While I was absorbed in training, the time for the final match finally arrived.
"...Barcelona's lineup. Goalkeeper: Maximilena. Three-back line: Anila, Tiana, Narcis. Midfield line: Yelena, Lorenz, Lucia. Forward line: Eloya, Alvaria, Ryu Ha-neul, Arnal."
"It seems Barcelona is sticking with the 3-3-3-1 formation they've been using lately."
Our lineup against the final opponent, Real Sociedad, included all our starters and focused more on attack since we were at home.
Our team, fully prepared and without complacency, was completely different from the one that had lost the previous match.
"Alvaria's breakthrough! Shot! Goal! Barcelona leads 1:0 in the fifth minute! Alvaria's eighteenth league goal!"
Alvaria immediately scored with a curling shot from inside the penalty area, and the atmosphere completely shifted in our favor. We slowly circulated the ball, trapping them and launching attacks.
Before the first half ended.
At the moment when the Sociedad players let their guard down,
'Now!'
Lucia's pass found me as I made a penetrating run down the line.
A Sociedad center back came sprinting to mark me.
But once.
With a chest trap, I changed direction. The wobbling defender. And that brief moment was more than enough for me.
Pop!
Instead of testing the keeper's reaction speed with a near-post shot, I used my left foot to curl one toward the far post where the keeper's precision mattered most. The perfectly struck ball curved beautifully and found the top left corner of the net.
"Riiiiiiiiiiii!!!"
I'd scored my sixteenth league goal, and I showed a ceremony that might be my last of the season,
-Riiiiiiiiiiii!!!!
At my cry, the home fans, now familiar with my ceremonies, answered. The sight of the Camp Nou packed with fans roaring my name was quite spectacular, wasn't it?
'Heh, the effort of putting on ceremonies paid off.'
With the first half ending 2:0, we maintained our concentration until the end and added Arnal and Yelena's headers in the second half to win 4:0.
After that,
-...Clap clap clap! ...Barça! Barça! Barça!
Even after the match ended, we held a one-and-a-half-hour victory celebration with the fans singing the anthem. Finally, we celebrated the league title together with the fans while spraying champagne.
...By the way, I almost tried to sneak a sip of champagne but got caught by Tiana, who snatched it away, and then got scolded by Angela. The scene went viral on SNS and boosted the branch's follower count, but most of the comments were cute, so I couldn't be purely happy about it.
'Sigh, but more followers is a good thing...'
Well, after that, we carried the Copa del Rey and league championship trophies in a victory parade from Camp Nou to the Puerta del Sol, enjoying the joy of the title with the Barcelona citizens who couldn't make it to the stadium, but there was one thing that left a bitter aftertaste.
'Ah, I could have eaten for free at Barcelona for about a week...'
In my experience, after winning a title, you usually got a few days of free meals, but I wouldn't be able to enjoy that privilege and had to fly back to Korea.
To prepare for the World Cup in about three weeks, I had to return to Korea immediately.
"Ryu Ha-neul player! Welcome!"
"Kyaaaaaaaak! It's Ryu Ha-neul!"
"Ryu Ha-neul! Ryu Ha-neul! Ryu Ha-neul!"
'Wow... so many people gathered. More than in my previous life?'
The moment I arrived in Korea, I saw the airport packed with fans.
"Ryu Ha-neul player! Say something! What's the goal for this World Cup?"
Even the journalists waiting for me.
"Goal? The goal is always to win. The spear thrown toward the sun flies the farthest."
Honestly, the fact that so many people had gathered just to look at me was rare, so I answered with a slightly arrogant line that didn't quite fit my image...
-Kyaaaaaaaak!
Looking at the fans' reactions, it seemed I hadn't given a bad impression, which was fortunate.
'But the screaming noise is so annoying, damn it.'
...It was a secret that the noise from the screaming kids had made me slightly irritated.