[
[Ho-young Scores 5 Goals in Just 2 Official A-Matches]
[Some Radical Japanese Fans Riot After the Match, Fortunately No Players Injured]
[Honda Keisuke, "Conceding 5 Goals in a Korea-Japan Match Reflects the Current State of Japanese Football. We Need to Wake Up. If We Go to the World Cup Like This, It Will Be a Humiliation."]
[Yuki Abe, "It Was Not the Football I Know. He Is the Strangest Player I Have Ever Seen. I Do Not Know Why He Is on a Football Pitch Instead of an Athletics Track."]
[Japan Football Association, "An Unacceptable Result."]
['Ho-young' Complies with Doping Test Requested by the Japan Football Association, No Abnormalities Found]
[German Football Expert, "As Long as Ho-young Is in the Korean National Team, Japan Will Never Defeat Them."]
[
The day after the friendly against Japan.
The players were given one day off.
However, due to concerns over potential attacks from radical Japanese football fans, they were accompanied by security and stayed near the hotel.
Ho-young also received a flood of offers for short two-hour TV show appearances and variety programs, but for safety reasons, he declined them all.
In this kind of situation, there was no telling what might happen if he appeared in public unnecessarily.
The next schedule was the World Cup send-off ceremony at Sangam World Cup Stadium.
Idol groups and veteran singers performed on stage, followed by the introduction of the national team as the players and coaching staff walked onto the stage.
Each person was given time to share a message, and head coach Heo Sung-soo began.
"Coach Heo Sung-soo will now give his remarks."
"Hello. Seeing so many of you here today gives us strength. Thank you."
The stadium erupted with cheers.
Tens of thousands of football fans who came to watch the ceremony chanted his name.
After crushing Japan, he was nothing short of a hero.
He continued.
"We are eager to achieve victory at the South Africa World Cup. We hope many of our citizens will support us as we travel far to compete. Whether you cheer for us on the streets, on television, or even travel to South Africa yourselves, we will definitely…"
As the atmosphere heated up, he poured out his speech energetically.
Then it happened.
A thunderous roar filled the stadium.
"...?!"
Ho-young.
When the camera briefly showed his face on the big screen, a deafening cheer exploded.
He had done nothing.
He was simply standing there, yet the reaction was as if he had just scored.
It was only natural.
The most admired star among teenagers.
The most popular star among those in their twenties.
He ranked first in almost every category.
Heo knew that well, so he did not drag out his speech.
"Thank you. Just like that, please continue to give our players passionate support and strength. We will repay you with good results."
Applause poured down, and captain Park Ji-sung followed with his statement.
"Our goal is to reach the Round of 16 overseas for the first time. I believe we have the fighting spirit and passion, so if we work hard, we can achieve a good result. As captain, I will do my best to demonstrate leadership and guide the players in the right direction."
After him, key players Lee Woon-jae, Ahn Jung-hwan, Kang Nam-il, and Lee Dong-gook took turns at the microphone.
The mic passed down by age, and soon the stadium seemed ready to explode again.
Ho-young's face appeared on the giant screen.
The cheers roared like a waterfall.
"Ho-young! Ho-young!"
The reaction was so intense that the announcer struggled to continue.
"Haha. Truly incredible popularity. We cannot pass up the chance to hear from him. The youngest member of the squad, but the reliable spearhead leading our attack, Ho-young. Ho-young?"
"Yes, this is Ho-young."
High-pitched screams filled the air.
Most of the teenage girls in the crowd barely knew the basics of football, but that did not matter.
They might not know where the halfway line was, yet they knew every detail about him.
"So many passionate fans have come today. Would you like to say a few words first?"
"First of all, thank you very much for coming."
Though the excitement sent chills down his spine, this was not a solo concert.
He kept it brief and continued.
"The decisive moment is just three weeks away. Thanks to your belief and support, we have come this far. I joined the national team after our seniors had already secured qualification for the World Cup. I would like to thank my seniors and our coach for that opportunity."
Most criticism had faded after the dominant win over Japan, but he wanted to address it clearly.
He continued.
"As mentioned earlier, our goal is to reach the Round of 16 overseas for the first time. But that is not the end. We will give everything until the final whistle and achieve meaningful results. Thank you."
The ceremony ended there.
The very next day, commercial offers flooded in, but Ho-young postponed all schedules and focused on World Cup preparations.
The team departed the following morning for full-scale preparation.
Before joining the squad, Ho-young said his final goodbyes to his family.
"Son. It's fine if you don't score, just don't get injured. The World Cup is always dangerous. They say it's the tournament with the most injuries. The whole world is watching, so the tension is higher. Make sure you warm up your muscles properly and…"
"Haha. Anyone would think you've played in the World Cup before."
"Hahaha. In my heart, I've played more than ten times."
"Don't worry. I know my body better than anyone."
"Right. Like you always have, I trust you'll do well this time too."
They did not speak long.
Don't worry. I understand.
That was enough.
"By the way, how's your business going? Did you really build it as Ho-young Football Academy?"
"Ever since I put your name on it, I've been getting offers to merge with other academies. At this rate, I might even open franchise branches."
"Haha. Take good care of the kids. Who knows? If I become a manager someday, I might recruit a few from your academy."
"Oh? Planning to become a manager too? Trying to do everything yourself?"
"Of course. Whose son do you think I am?"
"Haha. What couldn't my son do?"
They embraced one last time.
"We're heading to South Africa anyway, so see you there. Your mother is coming from Paris too."
"Yes. I won't disappoint you."
His younger sibling, now in third grade, held out a hand.
"Hyung, don't get hurt. Do well."
"Get ready to brag to your friends when I score. I'll show a cool celebration if I do."
"Wow. I'll cheer for you!"
About three weeks until the World Cup.
Ho-young left Korea and headed to Austria.
The national team would spend about two weeks there for final preparations.
The training atmosphere in Austria was decent.
With many overseas-based players, the mood was somewhat relaxed, but Ahn Jung-hwan and Kang Nam-il worked to maintain discipline and steady the team.
Soon, the first friendly began.
The match was held in Kufstein, Austria, against Belarus, who had finished fourth in their European qualifying group and failed to reach the World Cup.
They were ranked 82nd in the FIFA rankings, far below Korea at 45th.
The match kicked off in front of around 400 spectators.
Korea lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Ho-young played as an attacking midfielder with a free role in a "flank-strengthening tactic." Although unfamiliar to the team, they delivered a better performance than expected.
The result was a 2-1 victory, with goals from Ho-young and Park Ji-sung.
They conceded late, but at least they won.
However, fans were not entirely satisfied.
After the emphatic victory over Japan, expectations had risen significantly, so a narrow win against Belarus drew concern.
The main target of criticism was lone striker Park Joo-young.
[
└ It's been almost a week since leaving Korea. What jet lag? Are they training in day and night shifts? At least make a believable excuse.
└ Lee Dong-gook would have been a hundred times better. No one is better in front of goal than him.
└ Honestly it wasn't just Park. The entire attack was poor. When Ho-young came off in the second half, the system completely collapsed. Maybe we shouldn't use 4-2-3-1 without him.
Park Joo-young had performed well in Ligue 1 and impressed in recent internationals, but one match turned him into a scapegoat.
Mentally, he was one of the strongest in the squad, so he did not waver, but he knew he had not played well.
Still, he was not the only one.
Ho-young, officially named MOM, played until the 60th minute and delivered eight key passes. However, Lee Chung-yong wasted several chances with weak finishes, drawing criticism alongside Park.
[16 Shots, 2 Goals Against Belarus. What Is the Problem? Experts Agree That Without Improving Finishing, Even Reaching the Round of 16 Is Uncertain.]
└ Why is our national team always so poor at finishing?
└ That's our chronic problem. Just realized?
└ I've been watching since the 1980s. It was even worse back then. I remember matches with over ten shots in front of goal and not a single score.
It was true.
The Korean national team had always struggled with finishing.
Heo Sung-soo had long been concerned about it, but acquiring Ho-young had eased some of those worries.
Still, there were limits to relying on one player.
Unless he had four hearts, he could not play alone for over 90 minutes.
So the coaching staff focused on training programs to improve teamwork and organization.
They poured effort into every aspect while preparing for the next friendly.
June 3.
The final opponent before the World Cup was the tournament favorite, Spain, known as the "Invincible Armada."
Led by Vicente del Bosque, Spain had recorded 15 consecutive international wins and were unbeaten in 35 matches.
However, several players were excluded due to injuries or fitness concerns, so it was not their strongest lineup.
Even so, they remained formidable.
[Although it's essentially a 1.5 squad, the lineup is still strong. They are using a 4-3-3 formation. The front three are Juan Mata, Fernando Llorente, and Jesús Navas. It's a tactic built around Mata's left-footed crosses, Navas's right-footed crosses, and Llorente's aerial ability.]
[The midfield is also solid. Busquets, Xabi Alonso, and Javi Martínez provide a very stable structure. Behind them, Capdevila, Raúl Albiol, Marchena, and Sergio Ramos form the back four, with Liverpool's first-choice goalkeeper José Reina in goal.]
It was clear they intended to exploit Korea's weakness on the flanks and dominate aerially.
In response, Korea set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Ho-young as the attacking midfielder.
[Ho-young once again takes on the playmaker role. Hopefully he and his teammates can produce a strong performance.]
Soon, the two teams entered the pitch to the cheers of around 25,000 spectators.
At that moment, Ho-young's gaze shifted toward the Spanish bench.
'Xavi…'
Xavi Hernández.
He could not take his eyes off him.
The condition tied to his talent had completely reversed.
Before heading to the World Cup, this was a perfect opportunity to acquire a crucial weapon.
(To be continued.)