Level Test
The whistle blew sharply. Huk… huuk….
Ha Sunmoon finished every last test and was catching his breath in heavy gasps. Clive Harrison, meanwhile, looked genuinely stunned after watching Espanyol’s players in action. Having grown up mainly watching 1990s English football, the modern, Spanish style of play left him utterly bewildered. Even when he had seen Sunmoon’s Premier League matches—especially Liverpool’s—on television, he had been shocked, but seeing it in person was on another level.
Good work, kid.
“For now… just rest here. I’ll go eavesdrop.”
“Yes… ha… huu… huu…”
David, who had originally been the B-team coach but was now serving as interim first-team manager for Espanyol, was deep in conversation with the U19 coach about Ha Sunmoon. David was a black-haired man in his mid-forties with a cleanly shaven face. The U19 coach, by contrast, was a younger man in his late thirties sporting a neat beard.
“What do you think? Your honest opinions?”
“You can definitely tell he trained in Brazil. His ability to hold onto the ball and break forward with dribbling is top-class. On top of that, his defensive skills are outstanding.”
Hmm… exactly!
“However, his vision during the build-up phase seems poor, so he doesn’t seem to know the right timing for passes. And the most fatal flaw is that he can’t deliver crosses. I’m worried about how to use a player who isn’t suited for team play.”
“That’s true. In that regard, using him as a winger might not be bad…”
“But it would be a waste of his defensive ability not to use him as a fullback.”
Interim manager David recalled the way Sunmoon had defended. Against the loaned-in, highly skilled Jonathan and Facundo, Sunmoon had blocked nearly everything. The way he handled technically gifted South American attackers with ease made him look extremely useful against other talented wingers.
“For now, let’s send him to the U19s and let him adapt. Wouldn’t he be a starter right away in the U19s?”
“Yes. The U19 side currently has no specialist fullbacks, after all.”
What? U19? Oh no…
But their standards were clear, and it was also one of Sunmoon’s weaknesses. Clive quickly returned to the boy.
Sunmoon? Bad news, kid.
“Why? What happened?”
Sunmoon asked while drinking water. Thanks to the short break, his breathing had steadied.
Looks like they’re sending you to the U19s. Tsk, I thought you’d go straight to the B-team…
Yet Sunmoon looked at Clive with a perfectly calm expression.
“Listen, hyung. I’m only sixteen. Normally I should be playing at U17 level. Even though I took time off in the middle, if they’re willing to put me in the U19s here, isn’t that actually pretty good?”
No, it’s not…
Clive, who had absorbed football knowledge by watching TV back in Korea before coming to Brazil, understood exactly where Sunmoon stood right now.
Sunmoon… do you know how much you’re worth? Your weekly wage is twenty thousand euros! Even across the entire B-team, there aren’t many players as expensive as you.
“How much is that?”
Sunmoon asked back because he had no real sense of such a large sum or the value of euros. Clive translated it into another currency the boy could understand.
“Hmm… about thirty million won!”
Only after hearing the amount in won did Sunmoon’s face twist strangely. He thought about all the money he had saved from part-time jobs, and the sudden realization that such a huge sum was now attached to him left him flustered.
That’s how high their expectations are for you. You need to be playing in the first team within a few years.
Only after learning the monetary value did Sunmoon realize something was off.
They’ll be coming soon to tell you you’re going to the U19s. So what are you going to do?
Clive asked him directly.
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
In football, what ultimately matters is playing for the team with seriousness and fighting spirit. Do you understand what I’m saying?
Clive clenched his fist tightly as he spoke. Sunmoon nodded.
“Ah! I get it.”
The moment Sunmoon answered, interim first-team manager David and the U19 coach approached.
“Sunmoon?”
“Yes, coach.”
“We came to give you the results of today’s test. Do you think you did well?”
Serious and full of fighting spirit!
“Today’s test was absolutely excellent. The overall level of Espanyol’s players was very high, and especially those two attackers from the same team were outstanding, but… I stopped all of them, didn’t I?”
At Sunmoon’s answer, Clive slapped his own forehead.
That’s not what I meant…
The two coaches chuckled softly at the boy’s unexpected remark after such a strong start.
“That’s right. Both Jonathan and Facundo are excellent players from Argentina, yet you handled them very well.”
“Argentina? I thought their dribbling felt a bit sneaky, and now it makes sense—they’re Argentine. Whew~ I’m glad I didn’t get beaten.”
Good grief… If anyone heard you, they’d think you were Brazilian.
Clive felt his ghostly mind growing faint from Sunmoon’s continuous barrage of bombshell comments.
“What an entertaining kid has joined us.”
“Indeed… Ah, that aside. Hmm… Sunmoon? We’re satisfied with your overall level, but we think we should send you to the U19s first. It seems you need time to adapt to the way we play in the Spanish league.”
Time to adapt to the league…
“U19. That’s fine. I definitely think I need time to get used to this style.”
“Hmm? Yes, that’s a good attitude. Take your time coming up. You have real potential, so you’ll be all right.”
At Sunmoon’s answer, interim manager David spoke in a gently admonishing tone. At that moment, Sunmoon’s eyes blazed.
“One year. I will make it into the first-team squad within one year.”
David saw the burning determination in the boy’s eyes and gave a satisfied nod.
“Confidence is a good thing. We’ll see you later, then.”
* * *
“Uncle Felipe.”
“Yes? What is it, Sunmoon?”
“Um… is my weekly wage really twenty thousand euros?”
Felipe nodded.
“That’s right. With your base salary of one million euros a year plus various bonuses, that’s roughly the weekly amount you’ll receive.”
Sunmoon’s pupils shook at the enormous figure.
“So the first thing you need to do is open a bank account in your name here. We’ll deposit the money, and it will be more than enough for you to live on.”
Ask about the contract length.
“Then how long do I have to play here?”
“Contract length? It’s five years.”
“That’s quite long, isn’t it?”
“In return, there’s a ten-million-euro buyout clause attached to you.”
Ten million euros? Hmm… so your transfer value is fourteen billion won. Can you believe it?
Once again faced with a dizzying amount of money, Sunmoon felt light-headed.
“I understand! By the way, it looks like I’ll be playing for the U19s for now.”
“U19? That’s strange… They seem to be taking a rather conservative approach with you. They must want to develop you slowly.”
When Sunmoon mentioned starting in the U19s, Felipe spoke as if pondering something.
“Would you like to play for the B-team instead? As your agent, I could put in a word and make that happen.”
What he means is that if they don’t send you to the B-team, he’ll throw a tantrum. The club might not like that. On the other hand, they might appreciate you acting mature and saying you’ll do it yourself. Remember what happened earlier? When you declared you’d break into the first team in a year, the manager started looking at you favorably. Adults usually like that sort of thing.
“No, it’s all right. I don’t think you need to. The U19s are for getting used to the league atmosphere, and my goal is to reach the first-team squad within a year.”
Having listened to Clive’s advice, Sunmoon spoke firmly to Felipe.
“You’re going to break into the first-team squad in a year? If a 2003-born player like you makes the first team, the fans will love it.”
“Of course. I’ll show you. I can do it!”
Felipe nodded at Sunmoon with a proud, fatherly look.
“Good. Keep improving so we can get you an even bigger contract. I’ll squeeze every last euro I can out of the club for you.”
“Yes, sir!”
After asking Felipe everything he wanted to know, Sunmoon headed back to his room.
“Hmm… Listen, hyung.”
Yeah?
“You said you heard the whole conversation earlier, right?”
Yes. You want to know exactly what they think you’re lacking that made them send you to the U19s, right?
“Yes!”
Based on what he had heard, Clive slowly explained it to Sunmoon.
The difference between the admission test and now isn’t that big. The only new point is that they think you’re bad at passing. This league values passing more than individual movement.
The huge stylistic gap between the Brazilian league and the Spanish league had slightly diminished the impact of Sunmoon’s strengths.
“Then how can I climb up quickly?”
They prefer breaking through with a few short passes rather than the individual skill-based breakthroughs you rely on. They say you’re lacking in crossing, vision for passes, and positioning…
“Ugh…”
Since we can’t find an immediate solution, let’s play in the U19s and figure it out there.
“All right.”
Still, Sunmoon believed he could leave the U19s quickly, so he wasn’t too worried. At least from what he had seen with his own eyes, the level of the B-team and first-team players looked manageable.