Football Is Difficult
Football is difficult.
“Hola.” “Hola.”
Ha Sunmoon greeted Pep Guardiola, the manager who had just entered the room, and his wife, Cristina Serra.
“Sorry if I’ve made things a little awkward for you.”
“Not at all. To be honest, I was feeling slightly uncomfortable eating alone in a room like this. Thank you for filling the next table.”
Good. You had a proper conversation. You didn’t freeze up and you spoke well.
Despite coming face to face with Pep Guardiola, Ha Sunmoon had managed to exchange light greetings without trembling too badly. Harrison sounded proud as he spoke inside his head.
While they traded those easy pleasantries and took their seats, Cristina Serra noticed Ha Sunmoon’s outfit and gave him an appraising glance.
“That’s a sharp look. This is the kind of place where people dress up, but… honestly, it’s incredibly refined and suits you perfectly. You look really cool.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s rare to see fashion sense like that at your age. Do you work in fashion, by any chance? It’s unusual for a young man to come to a place like this alone, so I have a lot of questions, but right now I’m most curious about that outfit.”
Cristina Serra seemed genuinely taken with the style Ha Sunmoon was wearing and showed strong interest. A renowned fashion designer in Barcelona, she was visibly surprised by how well this young man carried himself.
“Thank you for the compliment, but I’m a football player, so I don’t know much about fashion. My friend picked these clothes for me.”
“A football player?”
At the word “football player,” Pep Guardiola’s attention sharpened.
“Where do you play?”
“I play for Espanyol.”
“Espanyol? In the youth team?”
As a Barcelona legend both as player and manager, Pep Guardiola tilted his head slightly at the mention of Espanyol, but assuming the boy was young, he casually shifted the conversation toward the youth setup.
Wow, Sunmoon. Looks like he doesn’t know who you are.
“No, sir. I play for Espanyol’s first team.”
“Ah… I see. I heard they were relegated recently… That’s unfortunate.”
“It’s all right. We just have to play well and get back to the top flight.”
Then something seemed to click. Pep Guardiola’s expression suddenly changed to one of genuine surprise.
“Wait a second—you’re Ha!”
“Yes. Sunmoon Ha. Left-back for Espanyol.”
When the manager reacted as if he knew the name, Ha Sunmoon answered promptly.
“You’re the one who stopped Barcelona from winning the league. There’s no way I wouldn’t know. Seeing you out here like this, though, I didn’t recognize you at first.”
Real Madrid had snatched the La Liga title from Barcelona by a single point. Analysts agreed that the defeat to relegation-threatened Espanyol had been decisive.
Ahem.
Almost immediately the engine in Pep Guardiola’s mouth kicked into gear, and his wife Cristina wore the familiar look that said, Here we go again.
“Oh, right! First… shall we order? It looks like the staff are waiting outside.”
“Thank you.”
Cristina Serra gave a grateful nod, relieved that Ha Sunmoon had given them the chance to order.
The finest dishes from the four-star restaurant arrived, and after they had eaten a reasonable amount, the conversation began to flow freely.
An opportunity to speak with a master. This moment felt like a gift from the heavens.
Both Ha Sunmoon and Harrison had come prepared with many questions, and because Pep Guardiola had grown quite interested in the young player, he began answering them one by one.
Ha Sunmoon’s questions, born from not knowing exactly what to ask, were extremely abstract.
What does it mean to be good at football? How should a fullback play to be effective?
Manager Pep Guardiola smiled at the questions.
“In the end, this is an era that rewards creative players. So playing in that creative style is what raises your value. Think of our Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City, or the greatest player, Messi. You need to become someone who can produce creative passes or creative dribbles that decide matches. Defense is the baseline, of course.”
Hmm… I see. Creative…
Harrison liked what Pep Guardiola had said. After all, the two fullbacks he had taught—Robertson and Arnold—were precisely the ones who delivered the most creative passes in the league. That meant Harrison’s teachings aligned closely with what the Catalan called “good football.”
“But you can’t be too deficient in other areas. The key is doing everything well while also possessing something special. Becoming that kind of player requires both natural talent and an enormous amount of work. Countless players fall short before they reach that level. Still, there is a way to become a good player even without reaching that pinnacle.”
There’s a way to become a good player?
Ha Sunmoon nodded, listening intently.
“It’s becoming a player without any clear weaknesses. You build up slowly from the back using sequences of simple short passes. When you lose the ball, you press immediately to win it back within seconds. When the opponent tries to build from the back, you press high and aggressively. It’s an incredibly boring and painful process for the players, but enduring that discipline is the path to becoming a good player.”
This was where Pep Guardiola’s philosophy revealed itself most clearly. Harrison, whose own style was far removed from such play, looked as if his head might burst.
It’s difficult. So difficult… I already felt like there were too many holes to fill, and now it feels like the list of things to work on just got longer.
Ha Sunmoon kept nodding, doing his best to absorb every word.
“The style I just described is what my Manchester City players are doing right now. There’s no need to overcomplicate it in your head. The most important lessons are always given directly on the pitch anyway. What I’m giving you now is only the rough framework.”
“Even so, it’s been incredibly helpful. I’d like to keep listening.”
“Would you?”
After finishing the main course, Pep Guardiola checked his phone before dessert, wanting to confirm something.
Impressive.
The reason Pep Guardiola had opened his phone was simple: he wanted to re-watch Ha Sunmoon’s performance against Barcelona. Even he found it hard to watch every single Barcelona match while managing Manchester City, but he had heard about the loss to Espanyol. Only after seeing the footage did he understand the full picture.
He’s so young, yet he shows this level of quality?
Ha Sunmoon’s play had been genuinely surprising. He performed the inverted fullback role Pep himself envisioned, frequently switching positions to unsettle opponents. Normally he acted as a classic right-footed fullback, but when attack required it he would drift inside like an inverted winger. A young player was already imitating the ideal fullback role that existed in Pep’s mind.
He neutralized Messi with intelligent, strategic tackles. He also knows when to bite and when to let go—very clever. And that last piece of play… he has star quality. He can be ruthless when necessary, and he’s just as ruthless with himself in pursuit of victory.
“I just watched a few clips of your play. It’s quite distinctive.”
“Oh? Is it?”
Ha Sunmoon felt a touch of embarrassment at the mention of the videos.
“Your dominant foot is left, yet you produced an excellent shot with your right. Are you two-footed?”
“Well… my original dominant foot was right, but I wanted to play left-back so I trained my left foot heavily. Now the left feels more natural.”
“Ah, so in reality your right foot is still stronger. That makes the impressive crosses you deliver with your left even more remarkable.”
“That’s correct. But as a left-back I rarely get the chance to cross with my right…”
“No! If you control it with the outside of the foot, it’s entirely possible. That said, crossing with the left and striking mid-range shots with the right isn’t a bad combination either.”
The straightforward praise lifted Ha Sunmoon’s spirits.
“Being comfortable with both feet is important. It lets you unsettle defenders more effectively. And if possible, you should try playing right-back as well.”
“Right-back?”
“Yes. Playing on the right will increase your versatility. In particular, you’ll be able to switch play quickly with well-timed long passes to the opposite winger or fullback.”
Experiencing the other side is useful. Remember how quickly Liverpool link up? You remember, don’t you?
Having heard Harrison’s comment, Ha Sunmoon borrowed the idea at once.
“You’re saying that experiencing the opposite side helps us distribute the ball to each other more effectively?”
“Exactly. And one more thing.”
“Yes! What is it?”
“Try playing as if you were a midfielder.”
“A midfielder?”
“Yes.”
Pep played a clip and pointed out something unusual.
“Your case is very distinctive. Usually, outstanding players scan their surroundings several times before receiving the ball or during decisive moments. Yet you seem to know the positions of opponents without any visible scanning.”
Gasp!
Gasp! He noticed the help from above!
Both Ha Sunmoon and Harrison froze at Pep Guardiola’s sharp observation.
“Hmm… So far you’ve been lucky and things have gone in a good direction for you, but from now on you should practice looking around frequently. You need to train yourself to see your teammates’ positions and the passing lanes. That’s how you become a better player.”
With those final words, Pep Guardiola left the restaurant with his wife.
“Whew…”
I heard so many different things, my head feels like it’s going to explode. I must have taken in too much at once.
“Yeah…”
Back home, Pep Guardiola watched Ha Sunmoon’s clips again.
“Hmm… Definitely impressive. And he said his original dominant foot was right… If I apply this to Cancelo… It’s perfect.”
Pep Guardiola wore the expression of a man who had just found the missing piece of a puzzle.