Rhythm of the Cross
During cross training, Marcelo watched Ha Sunmoon loft a cross from the pitch beside the villa and gave his honest assessment. "Hmm… that's a mess."
Haha.
Though Marcelo's evaluation was blunt, Ha Sunmoon didn't complain, and Harrison found the boy's silence amusing.
"So that's why you kept trying to disrupt our left flank with individual skill that day? Impressive that you managed to trouble us with that level of ability."
"No point in exposing my weaknesses on purpose."
"But I've figured it out today. And when we play next, our players' fitness will make it much harder for you."
"I'll learn properly from you today, Marcelo, and mix in some crosses next time."
Marcelo grinned at Ha Sunmoon's words. He'd deliberately needled the boy a little, yet Sunmoon had fired back without hesitation. Marcelo liked that about him.
"You know our team did quite a bit of analysis on you after that draw, right?"
"On me?"
Whoa~ The guy Real Madrid analyzed.
"Well… we only just learned you can't cross like that, but aside from that, we couldn't help but rate you highly. What year were you born?"
"2003."
"Right. Seeing a '03-born player perform like that was pretty shocking. Do you know what kind of style you have?"
"Um… just a regular left-back? Very classic, right?"
"Exactly. That's your style when you attack."
Marcelo nodded.
"In that sense, your approach to the game differs a bit from mine. When building attacks, you're closer to Carlos than to me."
Carlos?
Harrison flinched at the familiar name.
"You mean Roberto Carlos?"
Roberto Carlos. Another player from the class of '73 who had played in Harrison's era and was another Real Madrid legend. A man whose left foot was so fearsome he was called the Devil of the Free Kick.
"Your technique of hugging the line in classic fashion is similar to Roberto Carlos. In contrast, I'm the type who helps with build-up play."
Ha Sunmoon nearly drifted into thought at the mention of Carlos, but quickly refocused on Marcelo's words.
"But the slight difference in your game is because you're half like me."
Marcelo continued his explanation slowly.
"Your defensive style resembles mine. To be precise, Carlos didn't defend as much, so that might be part of it. So tell me—what do you think? Between Carlos and me, who seems like the better left-back in the end?"
"Uh…"
Haha.
Marcelo's sudden ambush question froze Ha Sunmoon in place. It was the football equivalent of "Do you like Mom or Dad more?" and the boy was utterly lost. Because of his position, he liked both Carlos and Marcelo. He'd practiced with both as models back in Brazil, and traces of their styles were woven into his own play.
Kid, there's a right answer to this kind of question. You know what I'm saying, right?
Harrison's advice helped Ha Sunmoon decide quickly.
"Obviously Marcelo!"
Ha Sunmoon chose Marcelo—his fellow Fluminense alumnus and current acquaintance—and Marcelo answered with a satisfied expression.
"Correct!"
Marcelo hadn't asked the question to test national-team loyalty. Over time, more and more defenders had come to rate Marcelo higher when comparing the two.
"That's why I said you'd become an excellent player. You attack like Carlos and defend like me."
Having seen everything in Ha Sunmoon's game, Marcelo gave his honest evaluation.
"But there's one problem. Without Roberto Carlos's classic breakthrough followed by an accurate, sharp cross, your threat is cut in half. Even I, who isn't a classic full-back, deliver good crosses. Crossing is one of a full-back's most basic weapons. If you can't do it, you carry a fatal flaw."
Here came the main point. Marcelo had praised Ha Sunmoon, but he was equally candid about the weakness.
"Even without crossing you're a solid prospect, but if you add crossing to your game, you'll become something else entirely."
Thud. Marcelo passed the ball to Ha Sunmoon.
"Naldo! Come get this."
Ha Sunmoon struck the ball toward Naldo, but it sailed far wide.
"Again."
Thud!
"Again!"
Thud!
"See? Total mess. But there's a way."
Marcelo looked confident.
"Uh… how do I fix it?"
"The problem is you're trying to cross from a static position. Players with your style—no, we Brazilians—need to approach it by riding the rhythm."
"Rhythm?"
"That's right. Rhythm."
Marcelo received the ball and suddenly sprinted before swinging in a cross.
Whooosh—
Marcelo's left foot smashed the ball with power. It cut through the air on a sharp trajectory and found Naldo's head.
Thump!
Naldo's header sent the ball into the net.
"See that? Did I just cross?"
"No."
"Then watch the next one."
Marcelo dribbled slowly toward the touchline, then crossed.
Thud—
It wasn't as powerful as before, but the ball still dropped near Naldo, who headed it back toward Marcelo.
"Okay, thanks."
Marcelo, positioned a little deeper, timed his run with the returning ball and exploded forward. Using that speed, he delivered another cross.
Thud—
Once more a powerful, sharp cross arrowed toward Naldo. The ball's swerving flight was spectacular, yet it still landed perfectly in Naldo's vicinity.
Whoa… that cross is insane. So this is what a world-class full-back looks like?
Harrison was genuinely impressed by Marcelo's delivery.
"Never think you're crossing. Think you're passing to the player inside. The more you obsess over technique, the more your crosses will miss."
"Young players these days don't take powerful shots or headers, so someone your age also struggles to get full power through the ball. But if you start practicing like I said, you'll be crossing properly before long."
"By riding the rhythm?"
"Exactly. Rhythm. Never cross from a standing position."
Run and strike hard!
Run and strike hard!
Ha Sunmoon began practicing crosses exactly as Marcelo had taught him.
* * *
"Not coming out today either?"
A girl stood waiting in front of the house where Ha Sunmoon was staying.
"You said the important thing is greeting him every day and getting closer…"
For several days now she'd lingered outside his house, but Ha Sunmoon hadn't come out. He hadn't even gone to Raul's restaurant.
"Don't tell me he went back home? Shoot… then all this waiting was for nothing…"
Just as she was fretting, an expensive car pulled up in front of the house.
"Maybe he came back?"
The red-haired girl quickly hid and peered out.
"I'll head in then. Thanks for the ride."
"No need to thank me. I'm just glad you're in a better mood."
Ha Sunmoon thanked Naldo for driving him home. Naldo winked, smiled, rolled down the window, and drove off.
"Hehe. That was fun."
After a week at Marcelo's villa, Ha Sunmoon felt refreshed, and the fact that he'd finally grasped a clue to solving his long-standing crossing problem put him in an even better mood. As he crossed the road, he spoke to Harrison.
"You had a good time too, right, Harrison hyung?"
Well…
"You saw plenty of girls in bikinis."
Ahem…
"Ah! Maybe you're too old for that? Yeah, at your age getting excited over young women would be weird."
No~! That's not it!
"Then just say it! Did you like it or not?"
I liked it.
Just as Ha Sunmoon and Harrison were chuckling their way toward the house, Annie—who had been waiting for this exact moment—launched her operation.
Step, step…
"Oh! It's Ha Sunmoon!"
"Hmm?"
Redhead approaching from six o'clock. Caution advised.
Harrison immediately pointed out Annie walking up from behind, and Ha Sunmoon's mood soured slightly. He'd had such a good week, and now it felt like his good spirits were about to be ruined.
"Ah… hey."
"Huh? Yeah. Hey."
Ha Sunmoon was a little thrown by how awkwardly Annie greeted him.
"Uh… what's up?"
"I just happened to be passing by and said hi."
At the same time, Annie's sudden attempt at a normal greeting left him equally confused.
"Uh… okay. Keep walking then."
"Ah… got it."
Tch…
Feeling her plan had gone strangely off track, Annie was disappointed in herself.
Vroooom
"What was that about?"
After dropping Ha Sunmoon off, Naldo had turned around and witnessed the odd scene.
Whoa~ He comes back from the beach and immediately has another girl waiting. Sunmoon, that kid's something else. But what's with that awkward vibe?
Then it clicked—Naldo remembered something Ha Sunmoon had mentioned before.
"Ah~! So that's the girl?"
"What?"
"Hmm~ She's cute. Again, don't make your girl problems complicated."
Naldo grinned and drove away.
That kid called her a dog? What? Don't tell me… me!
For a moment Annie's mind spun with wild fantasies.
"I'm going now! You should've just said something!"
Annie's face turned as red as her hair. She hurried home, and Ha Sunmoon suddenly felt his head growing complicated.
"Uh… that's not what I meant… What do I do?"
Yeah… what do you do?