Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

141 – The First Trophy

141

The last game of the first half, just before the winter break, was the Spanish Super Cup.

The official name is the Supercopa de España.

It’s a prestigious tournament that dates back to the 1940 Copa de los Campeones de España.

However, it was changed to the Copa Presidente de la Federación Española de Fútbol in 1941, only to be suspended due to the war, and then revived as the Copa de Oro Argentina in 1945. It wasn’t until 1982 that it was established as the current Supercopa de España.

After nearly 36 years, the Supercopa de España has continued to evolve, and since the 19/20 season, it has adopted a tournament format.

The participating teams are the finalists of the previous season’s Copa del Rey and the top two teams in La Liga, excluding those teams, for a total of four teams competing in the tournament.

However, the Supercopa de España, which is the only Spanish Super Cup, has been avoided by big clubs because it’s held in January, right before the winter break, and is being held in Saudi Arabia.

There’s no stadium or region in Spain called Saudi Arabia.

It’s actually being held in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East.

The reason why the Spanish Super Cup is being held in Saudi Arabia is simple.

“Ah, why is it the Supercopa? We were supposed to spend the winter break in Las Palmas, but we have to go all the way to Saudi Arabia. Why are they holding it in the Middle East and not in Europe?”

“What’s the point? It’s obviously about the money. The prize money they’re offering is no joke.”

Exactly, the prize money.

In the first year the tournament was held in Saudi Arabia, the Spanish Football Federation received a total of 120 million euros in hosting fees, and the participating teams received a total of 42 million euros in prize money.

The semifinalists received 9 million euros, and the finalists received 12 million euros. While it may not be as much as the European competitions, it’s a considerable amount of money for a short tournament.

On the plane heading to Saudi Arabia, the players gathered and started discussing their vacation plans, which soon shifted to the topic of the Super Cup prize money.

“How much is the prize money?”

“Let’s see… This year, the participation fee is 12 million euros, and if we make it to the final, we’ll get an additional 15 million euros. If we win, we’ll get another 15 million euros on top of that.”

“Wow, that’s 42 million euros if we win? It’s not bad for a two-day tournament.”

“It’s a huge amount for our cash-strapped club.”

Even the players who were complaining about having to go all the way to Saudi Arabia couldn’t help but nod their heads in agreement at the massive prize money.

While it wasn’t an absolute record, the prize money for the semifinals and finals, with only two games in two days, was certainly substantial.

“But how bad is our club’s financial situation?”

“What’s new? It’s better than it was a few years ago when we were on the verge of bankruptcy.”

“If you look up the news, you’ll see that last year we finished third and secured a Champions League spot, earning 18 million euros. With our Champions League title, we got an additional 37 million euros. And from the Market Pool, we received 21 million euros from UEFA. Plus, we got 65 million euros in broadcasting rights from La Liga. That’s a total of 141 million euros.”

“141 million euros? That’s not even Juzi’s transfer fee!”

“…….”

The players’ gazes suddenly shifted to one side of the plane.

“What’s up?”

“…It’s just that Juzi’s transfer fee is so high, it’s burdensome. We have to live up to his price tag.”

Max Moreno’s question was met with a smirk from Juzi, who leaned back in his chair.

“Burdensome? Not at all. I earn more than my worth.”

“More than your worth? The tournament prize money is still far from that.”

“What are you talking about? My image rights and related goods are worth a fortune.”

The players were once again reminded of Juzi’s superstar status by his nonchalant tone.

“That guy’s a superstar.”

“I’m jealous… I wish I had a cool nickname like ‘Conqueror’ too.”

“I’m more envious of the Ballon d’Or podium.”

“I’m just a face.”

“I’m a giant, majestic face that doesn’t match my humble appearance.”

The players’ gazes suddenly shifted downward.

* * *

This season’s Supercopa de España participants were Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, and Athletic Club.

Barcelona’s semifinal opponent was Atlético Madrid.

Atlético Madrid, led by David Martínez, was a team that Barcelona had once spent over 100 million euros to try and sign.

Just two years ago, David Martínez was considered a better player than Juzi, showcasing incredible skills in La Liga…

[David Martínez’s precise pass— Ah, Juzi intercepts it!!]

[He’s taking it directly to the goal! Can he get past Juzi? Ah, Juzi easily takes it away!]

[Juzi! He’s toying with David Martínez, showing off his amazing dribbling skills, proving why he’s on the Ballon d’Or podium!!]

But now, two years later, David Martínez was being dominated by Juzi on the field.

The game where Atlético Madrid’s legend, Koke, was succeeded by the technically gifted next-generation Koke, David Martínez, ended in a crushing defeat.

Meanwhile, Barcelona secured a convincing win against Atlético Madrid, while on the other side, Real Madrid and Athletic Club were engaged in an unexpectedly intense match.

Last season’s La Liga champions, Real Madrid, and league runners-up, Atlético Madrid, as well as Copa del Rey runners-up, Barcelona, were all participating in the Supercopa de España as expected.

But the last participating team was quite unexpected.

Athletic Club, also known as Bilbao.

The conservative club, famous for its Basque-only policy, showed an astonishing upset by winning the Copa del Rey, despite finishing 13th in La Liga last season. And it was against Barcelona, who had poured all their energy into winning the championship.

In the end, Barcelona, who had reached the finals of the Copa del Rey, the only tournament they had made it to last season, ended up with nothing.

And Athletic Bilbao pulled off another massive upset.

They defeated Real Madrid in the Super Copa de España semifinals and advanced to the finals.

The Barcelona players, who had finished their game against AT Madrid and were watching the other match, were stunned by this unbelievable turn of events.

“What? Bilbao won? Is this real?”

“They’re not even in the top 10 this season, are they? And now they’re beating Real Madrid out of nowhere.”

“They did the same thing last season, finishing 13th in the league and then beating us in the Copa del Rey. They’re a team of dark horses. Bilbao is really a lion in one-match tournaments.”

It wasn’t just that they won by defending against Real Madrid’s attacks.

Like their nickname “Los Leones,” they fought valiantly and defeated Real Madrid head-on.

“Is this team really that different from the one we faced in the league?”

When they met in the first half of the league, they had easily won 4:1, but their performance against Real Madrid was on a different level.

Among the tense players, who were worried about Bilbao’s momentum, Joo Ji-tae was calm and collected.

“The final will be easy.”

“What do you mean it’ll be easy? Why?”

“Look at the lineup.”

“There’s nothing unusual about it.”

“They’re all starters.”

“That’s why… Ah!”

The Super Copa de España is a tournament that takes place over just two days.

In other words, the final is held just one day after the semifinal. Naturally, the players didn’t have any time to recover.

“Bilbao’s win wasn’t just because of their good performance, but also because Real Madrid was too complacent. Look, Fernando Alvarez wasn’t even substituted in until the second half.”

“That’s right. They rotated their lineup to prepare for the final.”

“We thought we’d make it to the final and prepared for El Clásico.”

Of course, Barcelona also rotated their lineup against AT Madrid.

It’s similar to Real Madrid’s strategy, but in the end, it’s all about the results. If the result is good, it’s a wise decision to consider the players’ conditions and rotate the lineup. If the result is bad, it’s an arrogant lineup that underestimates the opponent.

However, the key difference between the two teams was whether to deploy their ace.

Barcelona started Joo Ji-tae from the beginning and grabbed the win, substituting him in the 77th minute of the second half. Real Madrid, on the other hand, benched Fernando Alvarez and suffered a blow in the 71st minute of the second half, hastily substituting him in.

If they had won, they could have fielded their ace and most of their starters in the best condition possible, but since they lost, it was all for nothing.

On the other hand, Bilbao, who had poured all their energy into the semifinal, was exhausted and suffered a disappointing defeat in the final against Barcelona.

It was Barcelona’s first championship of the season and Joo Ji-tae’s first championship since his transfer.

As an aside, Joo Ji-tae’s interview after being selected as the MVP of the final sparked a lot of interest.

“The Bilbao players did their best. It wasn’t an easy game, as it seemed. Their passion and determination were threatening. If we had faced them in the semifinal, it would have been dangerous. But we met in the final. Well, that’s just how the world is, right? There’s a saying in the East, ‘Mosa-jae-in saeng-sa-jae-cheon’.”

— Korean proverbs are so deep.

— It’s very philosophical.

— I knew Eastern philosophy was great from a long time ago!

— He’s definitely a smart player, and he talks well too.

— This is a Chinese proverb!!

— Hey, Chinese friend, are you kidding me again?

—”So, whenever Koreans achieve something, the Chinese always appear, right?”

—”Are you a Joseon person? You Gaoli bread kid! Stop stealing Chinese culture!!”

—”Everyone, this is a Korean proverb, right? The Chinese are lying again :)”