Ballon d'Or.
The greatest award a footballer can receive.
Its history goes back 54 years.
In 1956, it was first organized by France Football, a French football magazine, as a specialized football award. At the time, it was established as the "European Footballer of the Year."
Because of that, only players with European nationality who played for European clubs were eligible to win it.
However, to raise the prestige of the award, the candidate pool was expanded worldwide, and now the number of nominees had grown to ninety-six.
There was another change this year.
The organizer of the award changed from France Football to FIFA.
As a result, it merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award, which was voted on by national team coaches and captains, creating the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
In other words, the authority of the award had risen even higher.
Winning this alone meant receiving the greatest individual honor in football.
It was the most prestigious award in the sport.
Of course, there were also criticisms.
It was often called a popularity contest.
Since the selection was not based purely on quantified data but on the subjective opinions of journalists, controversy was inevitable.
A typical example was in 1999.
David Beckham, who led Manchester United to a treble, was a strong candidate, yet the award went to Barcelona's Rivaldo.
Because Rivaldo's performances had been that impressive.
Luck also played a role.
Consider Antonio Salieri, one of the greatest musicians in history.
Even a genius like him remained forever second because he lived in the same era as Mozart.
The Ballon d'Or was the same.
There were many unfortunate geniuses like Thierry Henry and Roberto Carlos who never won it.
'Even Iniesta and Xavi never won it.'
That was how difficult it was.
Just making it into the podium, the top three, was already a huge honor.
And Ho-young had already set the record as the youngest to do so.
But.
'I want to win it.'
He had already finished third last year.
This time, he wanted it no matter what.
He had delivered top performances in La Liga, the Champions League, and the World Cup.
Not expecting it would be strange.
At the very least, he had to rank above Messi.
Only then could he covet talents like Flawless Dribbling (W+3) or God-Given Agility (SSS).
"No need to worry."
Inside the room.
As Ho-young looked troubled, Lucci spoke.
"There's nothing to worry about. I guarantee it."
With only a few days left before the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Football figures around the world spoke in unison.
[Diego Maradona predicts the next Ballon d'Or winner will be either Messi or Ho-young]
[Alex Ferguson: Mentioning any candidate other than Ho-young is disrespectful to the Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo is my beloved player, but I cannot support him this year.]
[Cha Bum-kun: This will be the moment when the first and greatest Asian football star is crowned.]
[Nike preparing to release 1,000 limited edition boots to celebrate Ho-young's first Ballon d'Or win?]
Even Nike was already preparing to celebrate his victory.
It almost seemed certain that Ho-young would win.
His worries might have been unnecessary.
But.
"I'm more worried about the move to Manchester City."
That was the bigger concern.
The official announcement would soon be released.
A transfer.
He still was not completely sure if it was the right decision.
"What did Monica say? Her reaction will probably be similar to the public's."
"She was shocked. She asked what I meant all of a sudden."
Monica had recently placed well in a competition and was set to move to another region in Brazil with support.
Since they already knew they would be apart, the shock was not overwhelming.
But football fans were not prepared for his departure.
Their reaction would be even stronger.
Especially Real Madrid fans.
They cared deeply about anything related to Ho-young.
If he suddenly left the team, the reaction was obvious.
Disappointment, betrayal, and anger.
"Hoo."
As the time approached to reveal everything, his worries piled up.
Perhaps he was standing at the biggest crossroads of his life.
The news broke on December 30.
The day before the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
[No.10 Ho-young confirmed to transfer to Manchester City on January 1, buyback clause after six months]
As soon as the official announcement was posted on Real Madrid's website, countless media outlets reported it.
[Official: Ho-young leaves Real Madrid for Manchester City. As he has not yet signed a professional contract, there is no transfer fee. However, the contract termination penalty paid to Real Madrid is approximately 22 million euros, an extremely low amount considering his value.
According to the agreement, Real Madrid has the option to re-sign Ho-young after six months. This clause is not controlled by Real Madrid, but is part of a direct agreement between Ho-young and Manchester City.
In other words, the buyback clause was proposed by Ho-young himself. It reflects his loyalty and his intention to return to Real Madrid after six months.
Additionally, Real Madrid is reported to have received various benefits from Manchester City in exchange for facilitating the transfer. This also indicates the club's urgent financial situation.]
The world was shocked.
There had been rumors for months, but few believed them.
Now everyone knew the truth.
Whether a Real Madrid fan or not, anyone who loved football was shocked.
[What on earth is going on?]
└Wait… he's going to Man City? Suddenly? Why?
└How bad must their finances be to sell Ho-young? This is ridiculous management.
└It's basically a loan. No need to overreact.
└But why Manchester City? They're not even in the Champions League.
└That doesn't matter. He's coming back in six months. He already played in the Champions League with Real Madrid, so he can't play for another team anyway. He could play in the Europa League though.
└I don't want to believe it. There's no way he would leave Real Madrid. Please tell me it's not true.
└This is Manchester City. It's a festival here. Everyone is out celebrating in the streets.
└The EPL is about to be disrupted. Man City is currently fourth, are we about to see a miracle comeback?
└Why sell Ho-young instead of Ronaldo?
└Who would accept a six-month buyback clause on a 100 million euro player like Ronaldo? Ho-young is cheaper and certain, so they can structure it like a loan.
└Did Man City lend them money or something?
└I saw news about Real Madrid's budget approval recently. The amount was huge. There must have been some deal involving Ho-young.
└Either way, the final decision was Ho-young's. You can't deny he betrayed Madrid.
└Yeah. Probably for money. He can sign a professional contract in England.
Countless opinions poured in within a single day.
Most were divided into two views.
1. It was Ho-young's decision driven by money.
2. He was an unfair sacrifice due to the club's situation.
Then Calderón's interview was released, calming the controversy slightly.
This was not simply his decision. I want to thank Ho-young for trusting and following the board's choice. However, I do not agree that this is a bad decision. He is a player with a strong desire for challenges. He is still young and has room to grow, and experiencing another league will help him develop further. We are confident that he will return as a complete player, and that Real Madrid will become even stronger.
Everything was going according to Calderón's plan.
He managed to reduce thirty percent of the club's debt before the end of the year.
As a result, he secured approval for the budget in the desired direction.
Additionally, through agreements with local banks, he revived the theme park project previously pushed by former president Pérez.
If the financial situation continued to improve, the Middle Eastern partnership project could proceed without issues.
These results came from sacrificing players like Raúl, Guti, Robben, and Ho-young.
Therefore, there was no longer a need to sell other key players, including Ronaldo.
And Ho-young could be brought back at a low cost.
To Calderón, everything seemed perfect.
If he could endure these six months, all his mistakes would be erased.
Of course, he had to accept criticism for letting Ho-young go.
But it would not threaten his position immediately.
After all, he had just led the club to five trophies.
If Ho-young returned in six months, his approval rating would rise again.
It was the perfect path to re-election.
[So he really was sacrificed by the club.]
[Still, it means Ho-young also wanted to experience something new.]
There were quite a few who felt disappointed.
But that afternoon, several interviews completely changed public opinion.
Luiz Felipe Scolari: I heard that Ho-young has to leave due to the club's situation. I thank him for fulfilling his responsibilities until the very end. He made a great decision for the club. His loyalty is beyond doubt.
Raúl González: The departures of Guti, Robben, Ho-young, and myself gave Real Madrid breathing room. If we had stayed, next year's wage budget would have been reduced even further.
Guti: Putting a buyback clause on a young player like Ho-young is a sly way of taking advantage of his loyalty.
Alfredo Di Stéfano: We must acknowledge our mistake. Ho-young was sacrificed due to the incompetence of the board. He never wanted to leave and always sought new challenges at Real Madrid. No one has the right to criticize him.
Within hours, public opinion shifted in Ho-young's favor.
Meanwhile, Ho-young safely arrived in Zurich, Switzerland.
All eyes were now on the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
December 31.
Many Real Madrid players attended the ceremony in Zurich.
Casillas, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Alonso, Douglas, Ronaldo, Higuaín, and others were nominated for the FIFA World Best XI.
Before the ceremony began.
Ho-young met them and spoke in a heavy voice.
"I'm sorry."
He thought his teammates would feel betrayed.
But that was not the case at all.
"What do you have to be sorry for?"
There was no need for more words.
They had been just as shocked by the news, but they also understood the situation better than anyone.
So instead, they felt sorry for him.
"We're the ones who should be sorry."
"Yeah. We'll take care of the club, so don't worry. Come back whenever you want. We'll be waiting."
"…Thank you."
Ho-young held back his tears.
Marcelo and Gago were already teary-eyed, but Ho-young did not cry.
After all, he was the main figure of the night.
He could not ruin his sharp suit and carefully prepared appearance.
Casillas gathered the players.
"Alright, let's go. Time to collect the awards."
Soon, the ceremony began.
The FIFA Puskas Award, given to the best goal of the year, was awarded to Ho-young, marking the start of the ceremony.
Next, the FIFA World Coach award went to Real Madrid's Scolari.
In a short speech, he wished Ho-young well.
"Thank you for this award. There were many difficult decisions within the club. I have much to say, but for today's main character, I will keep it short. I dedicate this honor to the players, staff, and fans of Real Madrid. I wish everyone the best. Thank you."
Then came the highlight.
The Ballon d'Or ceremony.
After showing the faces of past winners, including Cristiano Ronaldo from 2009, a video showcasing the performances of 2010 players played.
The host spoke.
"FIFA President Blatter and UEFA President Platini will now present the award."
As the two men stepped forward, the hall fell completely silent.
Then Platini spoke.
"A shocking result."
He smiled faintly before continuing.
"Woo Ho-young."
There was no upset.
La Liga champion, Champions League winner, third place in the World Cup, Golden Ball, Golden Boot, league top scorer, Champions League top scorer.
On top of that, 27 goals in 16 league matches this season.
The shocking part was the voting percentage.
Out of 193 journalists from 193 countries, 68 percent voted Ho-young as number one.
Cristiano Ronaldo received only 13 percent.
An overwhelming victory.
Standing on the stage, Ho-young held the Ballon d'Or trophy and faced the microphone.
It was a moment that proved he had reached the peak of football.
"I am truly honored to receive this award. I would like to thank everyone here. I want to share this honor with my family. I will continue to work hard to improve as a player."
Applause filled the hall.
Then he spoke what he truly wanted to say.
"For the past six years, I have spent happy and meaningful time at Real Madrid. Madrid is the city I love most and my second home. I could receive this award because I was here. Thanks to my teammates, coaches, staff, and fans. And now, I will be away for a while. I cannot say exactly when I will return, but one thing is certain. I will see you again. Thank you."
He had many things he wanted to say, but kept it short and clear.
The season was still ongoing.
He did not want to say anything that might affect his teammates.
It was not the time yet.
After that speech, he left Madrid the very next day.
Early the next morning at Madrid Airport.
The airport was packed.
"Ho-young! Ho-young!"
"We'll wait for you!"
"Stay strong! We'll support you wherever you go!"
"We love you!"
Ho-young said his goodbyes to countless fans and entered the departure gate.
Even on the plane, his heart was unsettled.
But a few hours later.
When he arrived at Manchester Airport, his eyes widened in shock.
"What is this…"
An unbelievable scene unfolded before him.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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