[On the 18th, Real Madrid legends Raúl González and Guti terminated their contracts with the club and became free agents.
Raúl González is a legendary Los Blancos player who appeared in 732 matches and scored 318 goals for Real Madrid. However, his farewell was rather lonely. Only teammates and fans were present for the departure of this legendary player, while the club's board showed a cold response.
According to media reports, Raúl González left the club of his own will despite manager Scolari trying to persuade him to stay.
Many interpret this as a protest against President Calderón's wage policy, which Raúl had been expressing dissatisfaction with since last season.
Guti held the same stance. Having joined Real Madrid at the age of nine and played a total of 528 matches, he did not hide his frustration, saying, "I didn't even exchange a single greeting with President Calderón."]
President Calderón's wage structure was determined purely by performance.
In other words, the symbolic value of players like Raúl and Guti received no special treatment.
The dissatisfaction had been building for a long time before finally exploding, leading to their departure from the club.
The second piece of news concerned Barcelona.
[FC Barcelona appoints José Mourinho as the successor to Guardiola.]
A massive headline.
Fans reacted with disbelief.
That was understandable, as Mourinho had never had a good relationship with Barcelona's leadership.
His famous verbal clash with Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff was well known, and it was also widely known that President Laporta felt uncomfortable with Mourinho.
They feared that Mourinho's rough and blunt personality would dominate the club's leadership.
Furthermore, Barcelona was a club that pursued Johan Cruyff's philosophy of "beautiful football."
Under such circumstances, the arrival of Mourinho, known for his pragmatic football, shocked fans.
Nevertheless, President Laporta appointed Mourinho with an annual salary of 14 million euros for a clear reason.
[President Laporta expresses strong determination to win trophies.]
Among the trophies Barcelona had lifted over the past four years, there was none they could proudly boast about.
The decision to hire the trophy-winning specialist Mourinho was also aimed at winning silverware.
During this process, Johan Cruyff fiercely opposed the decision, but Laporta and the club's executives did not back down.
Fans felt the same.
As long as the team could win, they did not care which manager arrived.
Especially if it was Mourinho, the man known for delivering trophies.
He had already proven his ability with numerous titles.
And indeed, once Mourinho took charge of Barcelona, he immediately demonstrated his ability.
He quickly asserted control over the squad and began recruitment.
As a result, Ángel Di María, Mesut Özil, Sami Khedira, Alexis Sánchez, Javier Mascherano, and David Villa were placed on the transfer shortlist.
However, with limited funds, they had to prioritize the most urgent signings.
The first was David Villa, who could fill the void left by Ibrahimović and Henry.
The second was Argentina's rising star, Ángel Di María.
Finally, Mourinho conducted intense training sessions to prepare for a successful debut.
His debut in Spain was scheduled for the 14th of next month at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Meanwhile, Ho-young's July remained peaceful.
He was simply enjoying a comfortable vacation on the island Mansour had rented entirely for him.
He also invited his grandfather and grandmother to spend time together.
"At my age, I'm living in luxury thanks to my grandson. Eating meals prepared by others every day, sleeping in such a wonderful place, splashing in the water without any worries. I have no regrets even if I die now."
"Grandma, you're still very healthy."
"Haha. People live to one hundred these days. Don't act like I'm already old. Maybe your grandmother just wants to die quickly."
Kim Jae-kyum, splashing water nearby, burst into laughter.
Compared to before arriving on the island, his face looked much brighter.
"How about you, Grandpa? Is it comfortable here?"
"The sky is clear, the sea breeze smells wonderful, it feels like heaven. The accommodations are excellent and the staff are very kind. When would we ever experience treatment like this in our lives? I feel like an emperor."
"Haha. Even after returning to the mainland, just call anytime and the staff will bring you here. If you want some sea breeze, you can visit whenever you like."
"Anytime?"
"Mansour plans to buy the entire island as a private resort. So it will probably only be open to people he knows."
"As expected, oil business is the best business."
However, Lee Moon-hee had been showing a slightly disappointed expression.
"Grandma, is something bothering you?"
"I keep thinking about Monica. It would have been nice if Monica could have been here with us."
Over the past two years, Monica had frequently visited Ho-young's home and had grown close to the couple.
Kim Jae-kyum and Lee Moon-hee felt regret that Monica could not join them.
In truth, Ho-young felt the same.
If possible, he wanted to invite Monica and spend the vacation together.
But that was impossible.
Monica had returned to Brazil to prepare for a competition.
She was going to participate in the 30th World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Moscow, Russia.
"When you talk to her next time, tell her to stay healthy."
"And Ho-young, you take care of your health too."
"Of course."
This offseason was focused entirely on recovery.
He rested thoroughly while undergoing yoga, physical therapy, and even mental therapy.
The rest continued well into July.
He skipped the planned U.S. tour in early August and focused solely on recovery.
Because of this, some voices began expressing concern.
[Ho-young has been completely silent for three weeks. Has he lost his motivation after the World Cup? Many believe he is taking it easy since the Ballon d'Or is already guaranteed.]
[10 days until the Supercopa de España. Some interpret this as meaning he believes he can beat Barcelona without even training.]
Speculative articles questioning whether he had become complacent filled online media.
But every single one of them was nonsense.
There was only one reason Ho-young was resting.
For a better future.
There was even a famous quote among athletes that said rest was one of the most important parts of training.
And while resting, Ho-young realized something clearly.
His body was actually improving.
It felt like the accumulated fatigue from the past was gradually fading away.
His condition improved day by day.
It felt like he could show an excellent performance in the upcoming Supercopa de España.
The Supercopa de España was a competition between the previous season's La Liga champion and the Copa del Rey champion.
The first leg was held at Real Madrid's home stadium, Santiago Bernabéu.
It was Saturday, August 14, at 9:30 PM.
"Madrid!"
"For Raúl!"
"Madrid!"
"For Guti!"
More than eighty thousand spectators filled the stadium and shouted the names of Raúl González and Guti.
Card sections formed the names "Raúl" and "Guti," while massive flags shaped like jerseys with the numbers 7 and 14 covered the stands.
That was their way of honoring the legends.
[July has been a turbulent month. It feels like Real Madrid's spirit and soul have left the club. Recently, many socios have been expressing dissatisfaction with Calderón's policies.]
[That's true. But the good news is that the club has significantly reduced its financial burden. In any case, Calderón brought the Champions League trophy to the team and achieved four consecutive league titles. In this situation, his position is unlikely to be shaken. At this rate, even reelection seems possible.]
With the captain gone, Casillas took the armband.
Sergio Ramos became vice captain, Ho-young the third captain, and Marcelo the fourth captain.
[It will be interesting to see how Real Madrid has changed.]
[Yes. And above all, it will be exciting to see whether Ho-young, who had a full rest, can reproduce the performance he showed at the World Cup.]
[Right on cue, both teams are entering the pitch.]
Amid thunderous cheers, both teams walked onto the field.
Ho-young was in the starting lineup.
[Real Madrid has lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Barcelona comes out with a 4-3-3. The tactical styles of these two teams are clearly different.]
[That's right. The tactical approaches of Scolari and Mourinho are very different. Both rely on strong defense, but there is a clear difference in attack.]
Just like last season, Scolari deployed Ho-young as an attacking midfielder and gave him a free role.
The entire tactical system depended on how Ho-young controlled the game.
[However, Barcelona's momentum is strong.]
[Many said the atmosphere of the team changed significantly after Mourinho took charge. So far, they look quite solid.]
3rd minute of the first half.
Barcelona, who kicked off, dropped their defensive line slightly and built their attack mainly through wing penetration.
The ball frequently moved toward Ángel Di María, who had risen to stardom after scoring 3 goals and providing 1 assist in the World Cup.
Xavi and Iniesta handled the build-up, while Di María took on the role of breaking through and distributing passes, creating chances for Messi and Villa.
On the surface, it was not very different from the attacking tactics Guardiola had pursued.
[Marcelo steps forward to challenge Ángel Di María. But Di María attempts the dribble.]
[Ah! Brilliant footwork. He cuts inside.]
[Immediate pass to Messi.]
Thud!
At the crucial moment, Pepe's sliding tackle saved Real Madrid.
[A clean interception. Pepe read the passing lane perfectly.]
[Exactly. It's unfortunate for Di María, but he did well. Just like his nickname, the Angel of Death, his dribbling was sharp and ruthless. To make Marcelo, who has played four years at Real Madrid, lose balance like that.]
[This shows exactly why he's a World Cup star. If he keeps this up, he will have an impressive debut.]
Ángel Di María.
He had a dream.
To defeat the greatest club in the world, Real Madrid.
He wanted to rise high by breaking their fortress.
At Barcelona.
'Good.'
Di María felt confident he would have an impressive debut.
The match itself was going well.
The boos from the home crowd were irritating, but the flow of the game was positive.
However.
Tap!
It did not last long.
The moment Ho-young received the ball.
"Waaaaaa!"
[Incredible. The moment Ho-young receives the ball, the spectators are rising from their seats.]
[What an incredible sight.]
"Woo! Woo! Woooo!"
"¡Vamos!"
"Young!"
"¡Vamos!"
"Young!!"
The return of the World Cup superstar.
Real Madrid fans had been waiting for this moment.
They shouted at the top of their lungs to celebrate Ho-young's 99th official appearance.
And it did not stop there.
"Y nada más!"
"¡Hala Madrid!"
The official chant Hala Madrid echoed across the pitch, signaling the start of the second act of the match.
This was the respect shown to a living legend.
And then.
Tap, tap.
As if by magic, the flow of the match began to change.
The passes became shorter.
The tempo became faster.
And then.
Thud!
[Near the penalty area. Ho-young receives the ball.]
After several quick passes, Ho-young received the ball again just outside the penalty area.
His condition was exploding.
It was time to show Ángel Di María clearly.
Why Real Madrid was the strongest club in the world.
(To be continued.)