This Place Sucks
The Korea Football Association was deep in discussion over which new players to add to the senior national team. “Who else should we put on the roster? Feels like we’ve already included most of the players based in Europe…”
In the meeting to decide the latest additions to Paulo Bento’s senior squad, the understudy coach Kang Jeong-ho spoke up.
“I… have a player I’d like to recommend.”
“A recommendation?” Vice President Jeong Bae-im frowned the moment Kang Jeong-ho opened his mouth. “I thought we’d already added everyone worth adding. What player are you suggesting now? Director Bento made it clear last time that he didn’t want to hear any more about young prospects. We only just managed to force through Kang Jin-ri because of your stubbornness.”
“It’s Ha Sunmoon.”
“Ha Sunmoon? We barely squeezed in a 2001-born player and now you want a 2003-born? He’s only eighteen!”
Jeong Bae-im’s face twisted with clear displeasure.
“That’s exactly why we need to call him up now!”
“Why on earth would we throw a kid that young into the senior team? I won’t stand in your way this time—just send him to the U20. What’s the big hurry…”
“He’s not a U20-level player. That’s precisely why we have to get him into the senior side as quickly as possible. Ha Sunmoon already possesses the quality to earn a national team cap. He needs to be ready for next year’s World Cup.”
“You want a player who’s not even nineteen yet to feature in a World Cup? Just because he’s playing in Europe?”
“It’s not just any European club. He’s playing for Manchester City now. The team Ha Sunmoon currently represents is no longer Espanyol.”
Only then did a flicker of interest cross Jeong Bae-im’s face.
“Ah… I think I’ve heard something about that. Manchester City? What sort of team is that? It’s not even Manchester United.”
At the vice president’s remark, Coach Kang Jeong-ho and several other staff members listening nearby let out quiet sighs. They felt their heads spin at Jeong Bae-im’s complete ignorance of overseas football.
“Ha Sunmoon’s position is fullback, Vice President. His primary role is left-back. And elite left-backs are incredibly rare! He’s an extraordinarily valuable player. He delivered a sensational performance against Barcelona and even helped secure the title…”
“Left-back—that’s the position we’re already taking good players from Jeonbuk and Ulsan, the top teams, isn’t it? And all four defenders are coming from Ulsan so their understanding is perfect. You want us to throw away that advantage for one player?”
“No! Ugh… And there are other benefits. At Manchester City, Ha Sunmoon is currently being used as a number 9—a central striker. The manager is deploying him there because of his exceptional ability. This isn’t some random club; it’s Manchester City, widely regarded as the strongest team in the world right now. The fact that their manager trusts him in that role shows he’s a versatile player capable of performing in multiple positions.”
Kang Jeong-ho tried to highlight the advantages of Ha Sunmoon’s multi-positional talent, but none of it seemed to register with Vice President Jeong Bae-im.
“You keep going on about Manchester City this, Manchester City that… Is that club Barcelona? Real Madrid? Manchester United? Have they even won the Champions League like Inter Milan? They haven’t achieved anything on that level. You can’t keep pushing a player who isn’t even at a club like that. And why are you even talking about the attacking line? There are plenty of good European strikers already! We already have two players who can play as number 9.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Enough. There will be no special treatment for a 2003-born player. This meeting is over! Just focus on supporting Director Bento properly. Stop bringing up these strange ideas.”
Kang Jeong-ho felt a headache coming on.
The match against Manchester United. Although it was an away fixture, Old Trafford wasn’t far, so the team trained at their usual ground before boarding the bus there for the short trip to the stadium.
What a shame. What a pity. I should be playing in a match like this to make a strong impression. I’ve worked so hard to earn the number 9 role, but I’m not even starting. What a shame, what a pity.
“Still, you made the substitute list,” someone reminded him.
Ha Sunmoon felt satisfied with the situation. Plenty of players couldn’t even make the bench, so this was good enough.
The starting lineup for the away game against Manchester United was as follows.
LW: Phil Foden
CF: Bernardo Silva
RW: Gabriel Jesus
LCM: Ilkay Gündogan
CDM: Rodri
RCM: Kevin De Bruyne
LB: Joao Cancelo
LCB: Ruben Dias
RCB: John Stones
RB: Kyle Walker
GK: Ederson Moraes
The squad looks rock solid. How am I supposed to break into this lineup?
“I just have to become good enough to earn a place on that list.”
With that thought, Ha Sunmoon boarded the bus bound for Manchester United. Soon the bus set off for Old Trafford, and he arrived at a venue teeming with supporters dressed in red.
“Quite the welcome, isn’t it?” Fernandinho remarked to Ha Sunmoon.
“Yes. The atmosphere is fascinating.”
As the Manchester City bus rolled past, the red-clad Manchester United fans shouted and occasionally appeared to throw things.
“Whoa… Is that allowed?”
“That? It’s nothing. Just a bit of fun. You see this kind of thing quite often when we travel to other clubs.”
“I see…”
“Do you know where the really scary place is?”
“Where?”
“Liverpool.”
Ahem…
Harrison looked slightly flustered at the mention of Liverpool.
“It gets a bit frightening there?”
“Gasp! Really?”
“Yeah. They set off flares and bang on the bus with their bare hands… Those people are something else. Even when the police escort our vehicle, they still do it.”
At Fernandinho’s words, Harrison’s expression grew even more embarrassed.
Well, it’s not exactly a pleasant story.
In the old days they would have charged the bus ready to wreck it, but these days they’ve gone soft. When we get off I ought to make their legs shake…
Huh? He wasn’t embarrassed—he was disappointed they’ve become weaker?
Ha Sunmoon was confused by Harrison’s reaction but decided to ignore that side of him for now.
“We’ve arrived.”
Phew…
Ha Sunmoon headed into Old Trafford alongside Fernandinho.
Whoa…
He was once again stunned by the sheer scale of the stadium. Although he had taken a tour before, he had spent most of his time in the Manchester United museum and hadn’t examined the stands in detail. Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, was a venue steeped in history. Its greatest feature was its capacity of 65,000 spectators. Ha Sunmoon felt overwhelmed by its size all over again.
“Wow! It’s massive!”
“Impressive, right?”
“Yes. But as I noticed earlier, the two clubs don’t seem to have such a terrible relationship.”
“That’s because we’re practically neighbors. There are plenty of Manchester United and Manchester City fans living side by side, so the hostility isn’t as bad as you might think. The real rivalry is with Liverpool. Even then, ours is milder than most.”
“I see.”
“Of course, that’s changing. Since Klopp took over at Liverpool they’ve been battling fiercely for the title, so the rivalry has grown stronger for us too. But… it’s not vicious. It’s more like ‘let’s settle it on the pitch with quality.’”
“Ooh. That sounds admirable. There’s something cool about it.”
Ooh. That has a nice ring to it. A rivalry decided by skill… Very healthy. Though the lack of roughness is a little disappointing…
“Don’t you think?”
“Yes. It’s cool.”
Fernandinho looked pleased to be explaining it.
“The most entertaining case was our former captain, Kompany.”
“Kompany?”
“Yes. I think it was the 2017/18 season. We watched the Manchester United match together at my father-in-law’s house.”
“Your father-in-law’s place?”
“He’s a Manchester United supporter.”
“Ah!”
“That day United lost, which confirmed City’s title. They apparently threw a party right there on the spot.”
“No way!”
“Hehehe. Funny, right? Anyway, the relationship is friendlier than you’d expect. Not bad at all.”
Tsk. Regional rivals should be fierce.
“Still, some people must be disappointed that the derby isn’t more intense.”
“Ah! For that, watch Liverpool versus Everton. We don’t go that far, but they certainly do.”
“Really?”
“If you like fiery atmospheres, that’s the one to watch. Remember last season? I was shocked. They sent off one of Liverpool’s key players. Van Dijk got injured by Pickford and their whole squad turned into an injury ward. After that every center-back got hurt, so they had to use two defensive midfielders at the back. First time I’d ever seen that outside our own team.”
“Wow! That really happened.”
Aaaaaargh.
The reminder of Liverpool’s injury-plagued dark period made Harrison visibly uncomfortable.
Ha Sunmoon and Fernandinho stepped inside Old Trafford.
“Hmm? This really is the famous Old Trafford, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
After seeing the interior, Ha Sunmoon frowned.
“It really is?”
“I told you it is.”
“This place sucks. I’m so glad I didn’t join Manchester United. So that’s why Felipe was trying to push me into this dump. How long has it been since they last cleaned the place?”
“Hahahahahahaha!”
Hahahahahahahaha!
Both Fernandinho and Harrison doubled over laughing at Ha Sunmoon’s blunt assessment.