First Team Debut Against the Giants
Ha Sunmoon entered the locker room with a tense expression. The first-team players had already arrived and were chatting among themselves.
"Let's head in," said veteran player Naldo as he led Sunmoon into the locker room.
The number assigned to Ha Sunmoon for now was 21. A brand-new locker space had been prepared for him.
Hmm~ First-team debut, huh? This feels way too good. Take it slow, kid. Let's do this step by step.
Stepping into the actual first-team locker room for a real match made the reality of playing in this game finally sink in.
"Ha! Your name's Ha, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Nice to meet you."
Left winger Puado welcomed him warmly. Since they'd already linked up a few times during training, he wasn't a complete stranger. The number 7 on his back made it clear just how important a player he was.
"I honestly didn't think the manager would actually use you, but it's a tough match. Let's do our best. If we defend well, we might have a chance."
"Yeah, that's a good point. We do have a chance, so let's stay focused and give it everything."
Oh~ For a team sitting in 19th place, the atmosphere isn't bad at all. Maybe the players aren't as bad as I thought?
A team in 19th place usually had its chemistry completely shattered. All sorts of little things could cause sighs and cracks that would make the whole squad collapse. But from Harrison's perspective, the players didn't seem completely broken yet. Maybe it was thanks to finishing 7th the previous season; mentally, they still looked solid.
Then... is the problem the manager?
The thought briefly crossed Ha Sunmoon's mind, but since this was the same manager who had chosen to start him, he decided not to dwell on negative ideas.
When Puado and Naldo stood on either side of him and began hyping each other up, Sunmoon strangely felt his own energy rising too.
"By the way, you know your name is blowing up on social media, right?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. How often does a 16-year-old get a first-team start? And it's in the league against Real Madrid, no less."
Ha Sunmoon scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Still, you're not exactly setting club history. Maybe around fifth on the list? If you'd been born just a little later, you would've set a new record."
"Records like that don't matter to me. What matters is that I'm actually playing here."
"True. Then you better perform like it."
Ha Sunmoon nodded. While the players were loosening up through casual conversation, manager Pablo Machín walked in.
"Alright, everyone's here. First, I'll go over the tactics we'll be using today."
"Yes, coach."
Pablo Machín checked the player positions on his prepared tactics board.
"Our core approach is a 4-4-2 with heavy emphasis on defense. But always keep counterattacks in mind. We're not building up gradually. We're looking for one decisive strike on the break."
He then pointed to the left flank.
"The most important part is... Ha! That's you."
Gulp.
Ha Sunmoon swallowed hard as all eyes turned to him.
"We'll focus on defense as the baseline, but when we push the line high, it'll come from the left. On the right, Gomez will mainly look to put in crosses."
"Understood."
"If the opportunity comes, you can go forward once or twice. As for the attack..."
The manager continued explaining the day's tactics in detail.
"Right! Everyone understand?"
"Yes!"
"Then let's head out and warm up."
RCDE Stadium. In the tunnel of the home ground that could hold 40,500 fans, players from both teams stood in lines, waiting to step onto the pitch.
Whoa... So these are the legendary Real Madrid players?
Ha Sunmoon's heart pounded as he watched the Real Madrid squad with nervous eyes.
Whew... Ah! That guy! No. Hold it together. After the match. Not now.
There was someone in particular he really wanted to talk to, but he held himself back and focused on preparing to enter the pitch.
The signal came, and Ha Sunmoon followed the other players onto the field. After completing all the pre-match procedures, they were ready to begin.
Peeeeep!
The home team, Espanyol, started the attack first. Striker Tomás played the ball to midfielder Loca, and the match began.
When Ha Sunmoon looked around, he could hear countless home fans shouting his name.
Alright, let's get started. You ready?
Facing one of La Liga's big two, Real Madrid, Harrison's fighting spirit burned fiercely, and that same will transferred to Ha Sunmoon.
What are you looking at? Focus! This is your first-ever first-team match!
The nerves had made Sunmoon distracted, but Harrison kept pumping him up, and gradually he was able to concentrate on the game.
"Okay. Let's do this."
- Espanyol. They're slowly building an attack from the right side.
Since Ha Sunmoon hadn't yet earned the full trust of the other first-team players, the attack began from the right. It started with right midfielder Loca, right winger Wu Lei, and right-back Gomez.
- They're pushing forward patiently. Gomez with the cross!
Right-back Gomez sent in a cross, but Ramos cleared it away without much trouble.
- Casemiro passes to Modric. Real Madrid are moving forward.
Left midfielder Sanchez stepped up to block Modric.
- Modric plays it to Isco.
Here he comes!
Ha Sunmoon found himself facing right winger Isco.
Left? Or right?
Isco toyed with the ball gently, pondering how to beat the young defender in front of him.
Now!
The moment Isco tried to cut inside, Ha Sunmoon stuck out his foot. The ball he touched rolled straight to left winger Puado.
- Ha Sunmoon! He clears it!
Run!
Ha Sunmoon immediately sprinted forward to join the build-up. He'd handled the zonal defending well; now it was time to attack. Like a classic fullback, he raced up the line.
- Ha Sunmoon! He's pushing all the way up!
Puado preferred to cut inside with his right foot. So Sunmoon's decision to stay wide and stretch the pitch was an excellent movement.
Confirming that Sunmoon was joining the attack, Puado passed to left midfielder Sanchez, who then played it into the path of the advancing Sunmoon.
- Ha Sunmoon races up the line!
Deep inside Real Madrid's territory, Ha Sunmoon felt a completely different atmosphere than before. Carvajal. Real Madrid's right-back. Against a defender who'd faced the world's top wingers, Sunmoon couldn't sense any space he could easily exploit.
Why are you just standing there?
"Listen, hyung. I don't think I can break through this guy," Sunmoon said in Korean, sounding a bit dejected.
He's that good? Then there's no choice. Recycle it.
But if he gave the ball away too easily, the opposition defenders would swarm the other players. So Sunmoon feinted as if he would cut inside before slipping the ball to left winger Puado, who had taken up position in the half-space.
- Ha Sunmoon passes to Puado.
After releasing the ball, Sunmoon dropped back slowly to the line created by midfielders Sanchez and Loca.
- Puado receives it and plays it to Sanchez. Sanchez returns it to the overlapping Puado!
- Puado crosses from inside! Tomás!!! Ah~ Baran clears it!
They had built a neat little attack, but at the end, Real Madrid center-back Baran slid in and kicked the ball away with the top of his foot, sending it out of play.
Set-piece situation. Short and not much of a kicker, Ha Sunmoon stayed on the outside of the center while the others prepared for the corner.
- Gomez with the cross! Jonathan with the header!
- But it's straight at the keeper. Courtois punches it away immediately!
Oh no! Stop it!
Real Madrid launched a rapid counterattack. In the blink of an eye, the ball reached left winger Vinicius. Having faced many players trained in Rio de Janeiro's rival teams while at Fluminense, Ha Sunmoon barely managed to read Vinicius's movement.
Whoosh!
Ha Sunmoon stretched out his leg and kicked the ball out for a throw-in. Vinicius looked quite surprised that his movement had been read.
"What the? Damn it. You saw that coming?"
"Isn't that how all the guys who played for Flamengo do it? It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"
When Vinicius grumbled in Portuguese, Sunmoon answered back. Hearing familiar words at an unexpected moment, Vinicius looked straight at him.
"Wait! You played in Brazil?"
"I spent a few years at Fluminense."
"No wonder you're good. Marcelo's gonna love this."
"I'm planning to ask for his jersey after the match."
Vinicius grinned at Sunmoon. He liked the way this young defender read movements intelligently and timed his tackles instead of the reckless challenges that usually earned him criticism every time he dribbled in the league. On top of that, Sunmoon's fluent Portuguese and the time he'd spent in Rio de Janeiro created an instant sense of kinship.
Marcelo was running over from behind to take the throw-in. The moment Sunmoon saw him, he froze.
"Marcelo! This kid says he played for Fluminense!"
"What? Stop talking nonsense and focus on the game!"
When Vinicius started chatting during the match, Marcelo yelled at him. Vinicius looked a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry. I was going to introduce you properly, but I guess it'll have to wait until later."
"It's fine. We'll talk after the match."
Ha Sunmoon nodded at Vinicius and quickly returned to his position. He knew it was better to exchange proper greetings after playing well rather than just saying hello in the middle of the game.