LIGHTNOVELONLINE chapter 140
140 – Leader
140
October had passed, and November had arrived.
At least October had the Ballon d’Or ceremony, but November was really empty. There were few games, and no awards or competitions to excite the fans.
But unexpectedly, it was a fascinating month for Barcelona fans, and the reason was that the highly anticipated youth players’ performances were finally taking off.
“Kosiso is a treasure. Watch the goal scene he showed against Osasuna. That really shows he has an instinctive sense of scoring.”
“Judging by talent, Pode Diaro is better. Haven’t we already forgotten how he scored two goals against Cadiz? Diaro is perfect as a striker. Jose should give him more opportunities.”
“Everyone’s obsessed with the striker position. What’s most important to us is the midfield. Isn’t it obvious that Leo and Hector’s performances should take priority?”
From the 14th round against Osasuna to the 15th round against Cadiz and the 16th round against Almeria, Coach Jose gave young players a chance, making significant changes to the starting lineup.
In each game, 1-2 young players made their debut, and they even performed impressively, allowing Barcelona fans to enjoy the uneventful November with few games and no special matches.
It was the emergence of the ‘golden youths’ from La Masia, who had been disappointing as the world’s top youth development institution.
“When you think about it, there are nine La Masia graduates in our first-team roster.”
“From strikers to midfielders to defenders, young players from the youth team have successfully settled in. It’s been a while since we’ve seen this.”
“The youth players are successfully settling into the first team. It’s definitely a different feeling this season. If we keep going like this, we might be called ‘Jose’s kids’.”
In defense, there were Max Moreno and Joel Cabrera, in midfield, there were Leo Martinez and Hector Santiago, and in attack, there were Destiny Kosiso and Pode Diaro.
All of them were young La Masia graduates in their 20s.
Barcelona fans were perhaps more delighted by the good performances of La Masia graduates and their successful integration into the first team than by the good results.
While results are temporary, the successful integration of youth players into the first team will bring long-term success.
And fans know that this is not just a coincidence.
“At first, we criticized the board for spending 120 million euros on Asian player recruitment… but it’s been one of the best investments in recent years.”
“I protested, saying we should’ve used that money to recruit David Martinez. Thinking about it now is embarrassing.”
“Juji-tae is truly a treasure. He’s not only great in defense but also in attack and build-up, and he’s a player who can change the team’s dynamics on his own.”
* * *
November 27th, Monday.
At the Struncovy Sady Stadium in Plzen, Czech Republic, the Champions League Group E fourth-round match between Barcelona and FC Viktoria Plzen was about to begin.
FC Viktoria Plzen, a rising star in the Czech league, may not be well-known in Korea, but they have an unexpected connection with Korea – in 2009, Doosan acquired the Czech company Skoda Power, and FC Viktoria Plzen, which was under Skoda Power, became a subsidiary of Doosan.
That’s why the home stadium is called the Doosan Arena.
Of course, according to UEFA regulations, sponsor names cannot be used in UEFA competitions, so it’s not used in the Champions League.
[The starting lineup for the away team Barcelona is out. Destiny Kosiso, Iker Rodriguez, and Pode Diaro will form a three-top attack.]
[It looks like young players are starting.]
[Next, Hector Santiago, Leo Martinez, and Diego Almeida will form the midfield. The back four will consist of Alexis Olmedo, Juji-tae… wait, Juji-tae is listed as the captain.]
[Oh, that’s right! With Captain Pablo Lopez and Vice-Captain Hector Port out, Juji-tae naturally becomes the captain.]
Coach Jose, who had been giving young players opportunities, once again presented a shocking lineup in the Champions League.
He filled half of the starting lineup with players in their early 20s.
Even Captain Pablo Lopez and Vice-Captain Hector Port were benched, and Juji-tae became the captain, so if the game didn’t go smoothly, it could be a disaster.
But Coach Jose was confident in his bold decision, and it soon became apparent on the ground.
[Barcelona has won three games in a row in Group E, securing a spot in the round of 16. If they win this game, they’ll secure first place in the group, and even a draw will guarantee their advancement.]
[Coach Jose is so confident, and he’s put out a lineup that’s mostly young players. Look, there’s only one player in his 30s, Pau Berges.]
[Most importantly, our Juji-tae is the captain. Ah, it’s really… seeing a Korean player become the captain of Barcelona is truly an emotional moment, following in the footsteps of Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.]
[Juji-tae is really amazing. At just 20 years old, he’s already won the Ballon d’Or third place and is now the captain of Barcelona. Ah, wait a minute.]
The commentator, who was excitedly talking, suddenly stopped and announced a new record.
[We’ve just finished researching, and… Juji-tae has set another record.]
[Yes, that’s right. By becoming the captain in this game, Juji-tae will become the second-youngest captain in Champions League history at 20 years and 105 days.]
[In 2003, Rafael van der Vaart held the record as the youngest captain at 20 years and 217 days while playing for Ajax, but that was surpassed by FC Porto’s Ruben Neves in the 15/16 season at 18 years and 221 days. Now, 19 years later, Juji-tae has taken third place.]
[Wow… it’s really incredible. Our Juji-tae is a record-breaker!]
The commentators continued to praise Juji-tae, who had become the second-youngest captain in Champions League history, until the game started.
Juzitae, who had put on the captain’s armband and stepped onto the ground, gave directions with a calm expression, as if he didn’t know about the record or didn’t care.
The game that had started was led by Barcelona.
[Diego Almeida, good pressure to take the ball away! To Juzitae behind him. Juzitae receives the ball – and shoots it long!! He saw Podolski’s penetration well!!]
[Podolski, trapping the ball with his chest… and attempting a breakthrough! Leo Martinez’s shot!! It barely passes over the goalpost! Barcelona’s lightning-fast attack!]
[Alexis Olmedo’s early cross from the side! Iker Rodriguez tries to compete, but Viktoria Plzen takes the ball, Hector Santiago! He gets the second ball and commits a foul, earning a free kick!]
[Juzitae comes out. If it’s Juzitae, he can definitely try a direct free kick from this distance. Juzitae… shoots! The goalkeeper blocks it well, but Destiny Kosiso scores!!]
Starting with the opening goal in the 19th minute, Barcelona began to bombard Viktoria Plzen and continued,
[Oh! Pau Berges!! He scores his first goal of the season!! It was a very cool mid-range shot!!]
[Haha. Leo Martinez scores his third goal! Following Pau Berges, Leo Martinez also scores his first goal of the season! Juzitae congratulates him enthusiastically.]
With Pau Berges’ second goal and Leo Martinez’s third goal, they won 3:0 easily.
In the post-match interview, the coach, Jose, and the young striker, Podolski, who was selected as the best player with one goal and one assist, received the most attention, but Juzitae, who didn’t attend the interview, was the main topic.
“Barcelona’s first Asian captain in history. What do you think about this—”
“Why did you give the captain’s armband to a 20-year-old player who’s only been with the team for a year—”
“We can see Juzitae wearing the captain’s armband and playing in the future—”
Barcelona and La Liga’s first Asian captain.
It’s even more attention-grabbing than their win against Viktoria Plzen because it’s the birth of the youngest captain in history, who was recruited this season.
Coach Jose left a concise answer amidst the pouring questions.
“Race and age don’t affect anything. He’s already recognized as an excellent leader on the ground and in the locker room, so I knew he would perform well as a captain in this game. Juzitae is a natural-born, perfect leader.”
『Juzitae, writing history again!』
『The Asian captain born in La Liga and Barcelona!』
『Captain Juzitae leads his teammates to a perfect game and a big win!』
『The record-breaker Juzitae, with the highest transfer fee, the highest Ballon d’Or ranking, and the first captain title!』
『Korean football, which has been cultivated by Cha Bum-geun, seeded by Park Ji-sung, and sprouted by Son Heung-min, has finally blossomed into a beautiful flower!』