The Only Anomaly in Korean Soccer
The Only Anomaly in Korean Soccer
After vomiting my guts out like that, the scoreboard changed to 75 minutes without much happening after the second half started.
The fourth official raised the number board.
It was a substitution order.
The Villarreal fans' cheers were so loud that I couldn't even hear the Roma away fans' booing.
The manager approached and patted my shoulder.
"Well done, Kim. Your movement today was perfect. Don't be too disappointed, I took you off to manage your stamina for the end of the second half."
84th minute of the second half.
Just as we dropped our line and went into lockdown mode, a Roma cross went over our defenders' heads.
Puck.
The net rippled with a dull sound.
Furthermore, not long after, Roma's Ortega headed in another goal from a corner kick, and we were chased down to a draw.
The stadium was instantly covered in the fanatical cheers of Roma fans.
"......Is this for real?"
The bench atmosphere and the manager's expression froze rapidly.
And so, the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
The locker room atmosphere was stagnant, having been caught up in a game we could have won.
The defense, which collapsed helplessly after I was substituted, couldn't lift their heads, and Manager Marcelino left the stadium without a word, which was unusual.
My mouth tasted bitter.
I, who was usually cursed at for being a 'Stats-padder' or 'Chicken-hearted', had even vomited for the first time in a while and scored a brace in an away game at Roma.
And suddenly the defense just explodes?
Of course, getting 1 point from a 2-2 draw in an away game at Roma isn't a bad result, but...
I felt disappointed that the result of the 'Click' I had poured my soul into had lost its shine.
Today's Spanish major newspaper ratings, look at this. Only Hansu is treated like a human lol
[Marcia] 'Lonely Struggle' Korean striker Kim Han-su, victory stolen by team's defensive anxiety
[AZ] Villarreal's strange phenomenon that baffled Roma, but the back door was still anxious
[Mundo Sports] 'Two flashes' Kim Han-su's perfect scoring ability, a talent too good to be buried in a draw
ㄴMarcia's expression is spicy lol 'Victory stolen' lol
ㄴ'Strange phenomenon' lol If you look at Hansu's shot trajectory or how he scores, it is a strange phenomenon
ㄴThe tone of the article is generally 'He did his part, but the team is substandard'.
ㄴHansu must be burning up inside right now, but it's even funnier that the local media is full of praise
ㄴThe Spanish kids know it too. The team balance was destroyed as soon as Hansu left.
The next day at the training ground. The club's official platform live stream was turned on.
Public training as a fan service. Dozens of cameras illuminate the pitch.
Actually, Korean football is in a long dark age.
An era where failing to qualify for the World Cup is a daily routine.
It started with failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals.
The Korea Football Association president risk was a chronic disease.
Dogmatic administration and incompetent personnel. There was no way a flower would bloom on a rotten root.
Administrative mistakes were repeated, and the association became a laughingstock for fans.
The golden generation has faded.
The stars who dominated an era have retired or their prime has passed.
There were many 'Second [Name]', but there was no real one.
People don't watch football anymore. No, they only watch it to curse.
Since there is no expectation, only cynicism remains.
Fans whose eyes have only gotten higher have seizures over even the smallest mistakes.
In the midst of that, I am the only mutant that has sprouted.
Thanks to that, even though everyone curses saying "It's ruined," "I'm not watching," they crawl into the YouTube live stream at dawn.
In this dark age, the only talent worth being called 'The second someone'.
When I score a goal, they get drunk on patriotism, and when I'm silent, they chew me out as a 'Stats-padder'.
They are like old people whose eyes have only gotten higher, reciting past glories whenever they open their mouths.
Thanks to that, the Villarreal official platform live stream exploded.
Over 10,000 Koreans flocked to the training ground of an unpopular Spanish club.
The chat window is a spectacle. Korean and Turkish poured out like a waterfall.
I couldn't tell if this was Villarreal, Spain, somewhere in Jongno, or Istanbul.
-No, the national team is ruined, why are you guys watching this? lol
-Maşallah Kim! Nazar değmesin! (Maşallah Kim! May the evil eye not touch you!)
-Haydi Ilmaz! Haydi Arkadaşım Kim! (Let's go Ilmaz! Let's go my friend Kim!)
-The last hope of Korean football is a 'Stats-padder'... The country is really ruined ㅠㅠ
-Çok güzel gol! Kim is the next star! (Very beautiful goal! Kim is the next star!)
-Look at the firepower of the Turkish brothers lol Ilmaz, just pass the ball well.
Of course, the purpose of today wasn't some fan service.
An experiment of my 'Click' ability.
The threshold of dizziness. And is continuous use possible?
That is the only purpose of today's training.
Ilmaz chipped the ball.
A lob pass with lots of spin. It flies to my chest height.
"Click."
The world froze.
The ball stopped 30cm in front of my eyes.
It was stuffed in the exact trajectory it was spinning in the air.
The distortion of the threads and the dirt particles on the surface are vivid.
Now is the time for deliberation.
Should I receive it with my chest and put it down?
Or should I bounce it with my thigh and turn immediately?
A judgment that would normally take 0.1 seconds, I ponder for a few seconds.
If I use it for a long time, there's a recoil. Let's think as shortly as possible.
The ball's spin is to the right.
Let's relax my ankle and touch the side of the ball as if brushing it with the outside.
Then the spin would be canceled out and it would die exactly in front of my feet.
Click.
The world poured in.
I extended my foot as I thought.
The ball stuck to the tip of my foot as if it had a magnet attached.
At the same time, my temple tingled.
A slight motion sickness. It was bearable.
But I couldn't stop.
One more time.
I chipped the ball with my instep.
The moment the ball reached its peak.
Click.
I stopped the world once again.
Continuous use.
I ponder again in the frozen moment of time.
And I caught the bottom of the ball.
Click.
My vision twisted with a lurch.
A much stronger nausea than before hit my solar plexus.
The ball in front of my eyes looked like two.
Cold sweat poured down like rain.
It feels like my brain is burning.
I instinctively chose one of the two and swung my foot.
The ball drew a beautiful parabola and pierced the corner of the opposite goal.
"Kim! Arkadaş! That's insane, isn't it?"
Teammates ran over, but I couldn't answer.
My vision went dark.
Fishy saliva pooled in my mouth.
Three times is impossible.
Just using it twice in a row for a long time was enough to turn the whole world upside down.
Ugh.
What was that touch just now? Did you attach a magnet?
OHA! Kim ne yaptı öyle? (Wow! What did Kim just do?)
I know he'll just 'Stats-pad' again if he goes out to a match like that lol Nope, not falling for it~
No, but seriously, the trajectory is insane? Is that an angle that can come out in training?
Ilmaz pası, Kim golü! Harika! (Ilmaz pass, Kim goal! Awesome!)
The forced-praise crowd is going crazy again. Who can't do it in a training ground without defense? lol
But why is Hansu's expression like that?
He's doing a vomiting celebration even in training lol
It's a training live stream, but is it real that there are over 20,000 viewers... They said Korean football was ruined, but they're all here lol
Since it's ruined, they're clinging to this place ㅠㅠ Hansu-ya, don't get sick, that's national prestige...
Nazar değmesin! (May the evil eye not touch you!)
Bang!
Kim Han-su shook the net with a header that pressed down accurately on the hitting point of the floating ball.
Whish! With the sound of a whistle, his teammates patted his back.
A man watching the scene from afar opened his mouth.
Villarreal's head, Manager Marcelino.
He asked the assistant coach Carlos standing next to him with his arms crossed.
"Did you see that just now?"
Carlos nodded while flipping through the chart.
"Even if we assume the touch was luck, the header hitting point just now was perfect. As if he knew the landing point in advance."
The manager's gaze was fixed on him, who was staggering on the pitch.
"It's not just a hitting point problem. Look at the timing of pushing the defender when competing for an aerial ball. He moved slightly earlier to take the spot. As if he's a guy who reads where the defender's muscles will twitch in advance."
Marcelino rested his chin on his hand.
He was a seasoned gambler who trusted his intuition more than the players' data.
The Kim Han-su reflected in his eyes was giving off a different scent than before.
"He's become a completely different player since the Roma match. Before, he had too many thoughts and his body was sluggish, but now it feels like he's moving knowing the optimal path. There's no excess."
"What about the physical part? He looks a bit tired after scoring just now."
The manager chuckled at Carlos's point.
"If he wasn't tired while pouring that much concentration, he'd be a machine. It's actually good. It means he's pouring his soul into every single scene."
The manager put the whistle in his mouth. Confidence was evident in his eyes.
"Stats-padder? Chicken-hearted? It doesn't matter what the fans say. That kind of timing and sense cannot be taught. It's innate."
Conversely, Villarreal's back door was always anxious.
Unlike the attacking line where young blood was transfused.
Aging center backs. Slow feet. If they raise the line, the back space is robbed, and if they lower it, the midfield is eaten.
It was a chronic disease.
Carlos sighed while flipping the chart.
"The defensive line data is still disastrous. We have to assume that we will concede 2 goals in this weekend's match too."
Manager Marcelino's brow furrowed.
Instead of a defense that cannot be fixed, trusting the firepower that has started to explode is the only chance of winning.
"If we can't block it, we just have to score more."
The manager's gaze was fixed on the pitch again. Specifically, towards me.
"That's why we are obsessed with the attacking line. Especially Kim, we have no choice but to gamble on that guy."
He knew. That he had to shake the net before the defense collapsed.
In a situation where the team's balance was broken, the only lifeline the manager could grab was his toe.
"Put more power into the attacking line. Attach Ilmaz more so that Kim doesn't get isolated."
The manager's decision was firm.
It was a declaration that he would give up on the anxious defense to some extent and go all-in on the certain attack.
That also meant that the moment he failed, the entire team would fall to the edge of a cliff.
Click. Click. Clickclickclickclick.
At the same time, his lips were moving incessantly.
The manager who saw that scene felt a chill down his spine.
"Carlos. What is he doing right now?"
"That is... isn't it self-suggestion to awaken his senses?"
"......."
-Hey, why is Hansu like that? lol Did he get a tic disorder?
-He's going click-click? What kind of spell is that?
-Shamanic football ㄷㄷㄷ It's even scarier that he scores goals after doing that, damn lol
-Maşallah Kim...