Jesus Kids on the Rise
Hong Doyun, who had already made waves against the UAE, kept up his hot form in the away match against Iraq, drawing the eyes of European scouts.
[Hong Doyun clears the ball!]
[Whoa! Hong Doyun's got some serious speed! You can almost see flashes of Kim Jaemin from his Napoli days or Kim Minjun who's there now!]
With his blistering pace and spot-on positioning, he delayed attacks in defense or sent opponents flying in physical battles, giving the Korean public that satisfying rush.
[Hong Doyun! He sends Mehdi Azmun flying in the challenge!]
[Like a tank! Opponents just bounce off him!]
Build-up play was a bit lacking, but his defending alone was enough to etch his name in the minds of those European scouts.
[Full time. No goals, but rock-solid game management earns us points on the road against Iraq.]
[Yes. Baek Dongsu's shot clipped the post late on, but his tireless work rate and linking play stabilized both attack and defense.]
[Utilikeke's side locks in World Cup qualification with this point.]
[Has it been this smooth since the Qatar qualifiers? Coach Utilikeke boldly declared in the locker room that the target is at least the round of 16—is that confidence talking?]
[Yep. Players and netizens fretted at first, but when Jesus heard and clapped in support, the worries vanished.]
[Not a Ballon d'Or winner yet, but with Jesus consistently on the podium, you can't ignore him.]
As the broadcast wrapped, portal news sites flooded with Hong Doyun articles. Koreans go nuts for national glory, and transfer rumors are their catnip. Reporters swarmed Hachi Unicorns GM Park Yoon for quotes.
While Hong Doyun soaked up the spotlight, something joyful was brewing at the Jesus Soccer Orphanage, funded by Jesus himself.
"Yes! Thank you!! Coach!!"
"Good, Juyun. Take care of your body and see you in October. Oh, can you switch with Saret next to you?"
"Yes, coach, one sec. Nasaret, phone!"
"Who's this?"
"Kim Youngmin, U-17 national team coach!"
Two orphanage grads had been called up to the U-17 World Cup team training in Busan.
At Juyun's urging, Junasaret took the phone with a trembling voice.
"…Hello? Switched."
[That you, Saret?]
"Yes, coach."
[Yeah, Kim Youngmin here, U-17 coach. Got something to say about the Busan U-17 World Cup call-up in October…]
"I'll run till my body breaks!!"
From the moment he picked up, the anticipated moment hit reality, and Junasaret lost it.
[…Uh, alright, that's a yes on the call-up. Juyun's got the details. Take care of yourself.]
"Thank you! Just say the word, coach, and I'll drown anyone, no matter who!"
Coach Kim Youngmin replied in a voice thick with exhaustion to Junasaret's skyrocketing hype.
[…Sure.]
The seeds Jesus had scattered far and wide were finally starting to bear fruit.
Rumors of Jesus Soccer Orphanage kids getting U-20 and U-17 World Cup call-ups lit up the bored communities like fresh bait.
The Jesus Soccer Orphanage run by Jesus had a solid curriculum. Kids dreaming of pro soccer, agents, coaches—or even sports massage, GM, or front office roles—got pro training from Real Madrid, Kim Dusik's agency, and Gangwon FC experts.
Personality education? Handled by the director nun. Jesus insisted she shaped his fine character, overriding the other sisters' objections.
"If a school kid picks a fight with you, what do you do?"
In the big hall with all the kids gathered, the director led the personality lesson.
"Poke their eyes?"
"Beat 'em up!"
Shaking her head at the wild answers, the director gently steered them right.
"No, no, then I'd have to go to the school. Don't bother this momma."
One kid timidly asked,
"Then what do we do?"
"You wanna be soccer players, right? Settle it on the pitch."
Having guided her lost lambs, the director nun ended the lecture with a kind smile.
"Kids, that's personality class for today. Bow and we're done."
"Money knows no good or evil! Thank you!"
After class, the director nun answered Jesus' long-overdue call with delight.
"Oh, Jesus, I was just about to call you—perfect timing…"
"Yes… I'll call again next time."
From chatting with the director nun, I learned Juyun, Junasaret, and JuAdam made U-17 and U-20 youth national teams.
Juyun I expected, but Nasaret and Adam as rising stars? No clue they had that in 'em.
Real Madrid youth coaches that good? Pulling talent from thin air?
News from days ago says Korean soccer's just rotten. Bribes for starting spots are baseline. Orphans like Nasaret and Adam probably seemed easy marks for coaches, getting subtle bias. Juyun survived with flashy talent like mine, but these two with work rate and tactics? Tough sledding. Or maybe seeing me at Madrid lit a fire and they grinded their potential.
Anyway, I called Adam, Nasaret, and Juyun to congratulate 'em and promised to catch their May and October games.
"Hyung, for real? Coming in October?"
"Yeah, kid. Stay injury-free. Nail it there, who knows—World Cup call-up next year?"
Juyun's hype exploded at my words.
"World Cup right now!!!"
Junasaret, listening quietly on speaker, jumped in.
"Nah, hyung, mid-season—how you handling league games?!"
I shrugged it off.
"Take vacation, duh."