The Scouts Take Notice
"You understand me? And what you're speaking sounds a lot like Portuguese, doesn't it?" The Real Betis coach asked Ha Sunmoon once he had collected himself.
"Yes. I don't catch everything, but I can follow most of what you're saying."
Communication was crucial, so the Betis coach nodded with clear approval. "That's good news. Let's move on to the left-foot test, then."
"Yes, sir."
Thud. The coach rolled the ball back to him. Whump! After watching Ha Sunmoon strike it cleanly with his left foot, the coach narrowed his eyes and glanced at the rest of the boy's file.
"Oh? You spent quite a bit of time at Fluminense. That explains the Portuguese. You'll pick up Spanish quickly too. And as a left-back… Espanyol will definitely be interested."
The Betis coach awarded Ha Sunmoon the highest mark for the shooting course. Once the test was finished, the coach simply met his gaze and gestured with his eyes for him to wait with the others. "Next!"
Ha Sunmoon walked over to where the players who had already finished were standing. "Hmm… How did I do?" He was curious about his score.
Don't worry, kid. That coach liked you a lot.
"Really?"
Of course. Didn't I tell you? You've got a massive advantage. Do you see what it is now?
Ha Sunmoon gave a small nod.
That's right. Being able to communicate is incredibly important.
"Then why can I understand you and Listen-hyung?"
I'm speaking English.
"But you're speaking Korean right now."
Hmm… Maybe you're hearing it wrong. Or perhaps we speak different languages but somehow understand each other anyway. Either way, as long as we can talk like this, it works, doesn't it?
Something felt off, but the current situation took priority, so both Ha Sunmoon and Harrison let it pass.
And it looks like you scored very well. That guy gave you the top mark.
"The top mark? That's great."
Also, even though it's not Betis, it seems Espanyol is looking for a left-back. The coach mentioned they'd like you because of your preferred position.
"Oh! Then…"
That means at least one team has already taken an interest in you. They wouldn't say it out loud if they didn't mean it. At the very least, Espanyol seems likely to pick you.
Harrison gave Ha Sunmoon a meaningful nod, and the boy felt his confidence rise a little more.
And look at the other kids, kid.
Harrison spoke while watching the rest of the D-team players take their turns. Delivering a goal from a high cross or a fast ground cross almost nonstop was extremely difficult. The young players could manage stationary balls reasonably well, but they struggled badly with moving balls.
You're the only one who's succeeding properly. Even the ones who do well only manage it with one foot, or if they use both, the power drops so much the keeper saves it. You nailed every single one. Be proud of that.
* * *
After completing all four courses, a short break was given. The coaches and scouts from Spain gathered during the rest period to discuss the players. Their job was to share evaluations and select the young talents their teams needed.
"There aren't many players worth taking. In the end, we'll have to see them play to be sure."
"Each group has at least one decent kid…"
"Group D definitely has a standout. Isn't Espanyol already eyeing him? They've been complaining about needing a left-back for a while."
The Betis coach looked toward the Espanyol coach as he spoke. But the Espanyol coach shook his head firmly.
"You're talking about the kid from Fluminense? He wasn't that impressive."
"Hmm? He was the best shooter across all groups. He was the only one who rattled the net cleanly all six times."
The Espanyol coach glanced around at the others. "So his evaluations were good elsewhere too? You all don't seem to agree with me."
"Yeah. His ball progression and passing were excellent. His fundamentals are rock solid."
"His pace is outstanding too. His sprinting and change of direction are sharp, and his defensive positioning when dropping back is excellent."
Every coach praised Ha Sunmoon for his performances in the other courses.
"Huh… Really? Then why couldn't he do it here? That's what was bothering me. He was the only one who listed left-back as his preferred position…"
"He couldn't do it over there?"
The Espanyol coach nodded. "Yeah. He couldn't deliver crosses. Even the ground crosses were lacking. It looked like all he could manage were cut-back passes."
"That's a shame… Espanyol just missed out. Everything else about him was excellent."
"You said his fundamentals are solid, right? Just bring him in and teach him."
The other coaches' positive assessments made the Espanyol coach and scout view Ha Sunmoon in a slightly more favorable light.
"Is he really that good?"
"Yeah. He's worth bringing in."
The Betis scout asked the coach. Since the Betis scout had mostly watched from the Espanyol coach's area, he had only seen Ha Sunmoon's disappointing moments. The Betis coach nodded and spoke in a low voice.
"His dribbling is good enough that developing him as a winger wouldn't be a bad idea either. But more importantly, he can communicate. Half the applicants only speak Korean, and most of the rest only speak English. This kid speaks Portuguese. Since we can talk to him, he'll adapt quickly. Plus, he's already lived abroad for several years, so he'll settle in fast here too."
The mention of communication made the Betis scout look quite satisfied. "Then he's worth considering. Still, let's wait and see how he plays in the match."
* * *
When the break ended, it was finally time for the practice matches. "Please gather again." The organizer called the players, and they slowly assembled.
"Each match will be fifteen minutes, and every team will play once. That means three matches of fifteen minutes each. We'll try to let you play in your preferred positions as much as possible, but we have to balance the teams, so you might not get your first choice. However, at least once across the three matches, you'll get a chance to play your preferred position. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Then each team should move to the pitch we've assigned you."
The players moved with their teammates to their designated pitches. Coaches were already waiting there, and each coach used the player list to set up formations. Ha Sunmoon's D-team was scheduled to play against C-team first.
When they reached the waiting area, the Espanyol coach was standing there. Ha Sunmoon felt a little intimidated, remembering how poorly he had performed crossing in front of him earlier.
Chest out, kid. You don't have to be good at everything. Crossing isn't your strength right now. At your age, you can't excel at every single thing. Show confidence instead.
Seeing Ha Sunmoon's slightly withdrawn posture, Harrison offered advice, and the boy straightened his shoulders.
"Sunmoon?"
"Yes?"
"I heard you understand Spanish. Shall we speak in Spanish?"
"Yes, that's fine."
The Espanyol coach had suddenly addressed him first, and Ha Sunmoon answered with a hint of surprise. The other D-team players watched him warily as he conversed in a foreign language they didn't understand.
"Your main position is left-back, right? Since you're the only one who plays there, you'll be at left-back for all three matches."
"Yes."
"But if the formation becomes unbalanced and someone else has to shift to left-back, you might need to move positions. You could end up at right-back. Would that be all right?"
"Yes, I can do that."
Ha Sunmoon answered the Espanyol coach confidently.
"Good."
The Espanyol coach then called for a translator. "All right, I'll be announcing positions now… As you heard, you won't necessarily get to play your preferred position."
The Espanyol coach placed each player's name on the board, resulting in a clean 4-4-2 formation.
"Now show us what you've got. Especially for those who didn't score well in the courses—this is your last chance."
* * *
'Hoo… hoo…'
Good, kid. Keep doing exactly that.
Playing left-back in the 4-4-2, Ha Sunmoon showed exactly how he had played at Fluminense.
"Stop that kid!"
Ha Sunmoon didn't even need to cross. With a light flip-flap, he slipped past the opposing right-winger and drove the ball across the halfway line all the way to the edge of the penalty area. But he stopped there, looked around, and assessed the situation.
'The opposing right-back is here? Then…'
After bursting down the left, Ha Sunmoon saw the right-back step up to close him down and simply rolled the ball to his left-winger.
"Okay, nice!"
The D-team left-winger who received the pass drove into the final third and cut the ball back to the striker. Thump!
"Yes!"
The left-sided forward who took the cut-back scored and celebrated.
"He's something else."
The Espanyol coach thought to himself. "He's composed and knows how to use his teammates. If he's already thinking about involving the team at this age, we can't afford to let him go."
"He really plays like a Brazilian player. Honestly, he probably had the space to go all the way and score himself."
The Espanyol scout made his decision in that moment, and the coach agreed.