Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

144 – The Direction of Anger

144

The training was being carried out at a light pace.

Unlike other international competitions, the Asian Cup was not a tournament with a lot of time to spare, with a total of 7 games to be played in less than a month. Moreover, the European players had joined mid-season, while the domestic and J-League players had just finished their seasons.

Given the tight schedule, with the group stage starting in just a few days, Coach Jang Ki-seok focused on condition management rather than high-intensity training. Well, some countries might be able to assemble their players for a training camp specifically for the Asian Cup, but… that’s not possible for every country.

The teams that could threaten Korea in Asia would only meet in the tournament, so Jang Ki-seok’s plan was to build up the team’s organization during the group stage.

Therefore, the training was being carried out in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, rather than a tense and intense one.

“Wow, this kid’s ball control is on a different level. Is this Barcelona class?”

“What’s new? Ji-tae was like this from a young age. Don’t you remember the Asian Cup and World Cup?”

“I was shocked when I saw him back then. Where did this kid come from?”

“Do you remember? This was his first start in the group stage of the World Cup against Vietnam. He just suddenly burst out with the ball, and… wow, I was watching from behind, and he was doing step-overs, and I was like, ‘What the…?'”

The common topic of conversation was, of course, the past U-20 Asian Cup and World Cup. Those who were ridiculed as the “golden generation” back then had achieved two consecutive wins on the international stage, surprising the world, and it was still a glorious moment that made their hearts swell with pride.

“Hey, guys. Look at me and learn. I’m the captain of Barcelona, aren’t I? Is football that hard? I’ll teach you.”

“This guy’s gotten even more arrogant after joining a big club. Hey! If you’re the captain, then you’re the captain, and if it’s Barcelona, then it’s Barcelona, but what’s with the kid’s attitude— Ah, please teach us.”

“Park Gyun-oh, this crazy guy, his confidence is overflowing.”

“Hey! If you’re good, then you’re good, but our center-back friend is asking for football lessons.”

The players were laughing and joking around Ji-tae.

But there was one topic that Ji-tae couldn’t laugh about.

“But we’re exempt from military service because we’re national representatives.”

“……?”

“What are you pretending not to know? You guys were exempt from military service because we won the Asian Games, remember?”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t an exemption, but a benefit of military service, but for the players, it was a benefit that was equivalent to an exemption.

When Ji-tae and Jae-shin led Korea to a third-place finish in the World Cup, sparking a nationwide football fever last September, the 21st Asian Games were held immediately after the World Cup.

The venue was coincidentally Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As a country passionate about football, Saudi Arabia spared no expense in hosting the Asian Games, and the tournament was a huge success. The team that participated in the tournament was the 23-year-old national team led by Coach Jang Ki-seok.

Since the Olympics were not an issue, it was common for the adult national team to be the main force, but with the World Cup taking place right before, it was a burden to hold the Asian Games consecutively. Moreover, the Asian Games did not have a mandatory call-up rule.

Even if there was a call-up rule, it was impossible to transfer the entire World Cup team. The adult national team’s main players were from Europe, and they had just participated in the World Cup right after the season ended. They didn’t even have time to rest for the next season, and now they were being asked to play in the Asian Games again, which was already underway? It was absurd.

Especially in the case of Joo Ji-tae and Cho Jae-shin, who had risen to global stardom through the World Cup, it was ridiculous to ask them to adapt to a new team without even having a preseason, and then participate in the Asian Games.

Therefore, the Riad Asian Games were led by the under-23 national team, which consisted of members who had previously won the U-20 Asian Cup and the World Cup. It was reasonable that the team members would not be greatly changed, considering their achievements. The Korean squad was not overflowing with talented players, and the coach at the time was Jang Gi-seok.

Under Coach Jang Gi-seok’s leadership, the Korean national team unexpectedly won the gold medal at the Asian Games.

Although the team’s performance was not exceptional due to the absence of key players like Joo Ji-tae and Cho Jae-shin, winning the gold medal was still the best achievement.

However, what made the players even happier than their Asian Games performance was the military service benefit.

Before the tournament, public opinion was divided, with some saying, “They didn’t even get to rest after the World Cup, and now they have to adapt to a new team?” But after winning the gold medal, the sentiment shifted to, “It’s a shame they didn’t include Joo Ji-tae and Cho Jae-shin…” Of course, it was already too late.

“Ji-tae, you’ll be doing a lot of push-ups in the military.”

Among the players who were teasing each other, Joo Ji-tae was particularly laid-back.

“What’s the big deal about the military? If you just want to, you can get the military service benefit.”

“Hey, how can you just want to?”

“Aren’t you just 20 years old? You have plenty of time. You can participate in the Olympics or the Asian Games and get the benefit.”

“But you haven’t even done your military service yet, have you? You’re still a conscript, and you have to take your physical exam now?”

“…….”

The two conscripts were furious.

* * *

As part of Group E, along with Jordan, Bahrain, and Malaysia, Korea was expected to take first place in the group.

Even if they didn’t take first place, it was unlikely that they would fall out of the top two, which would guarantee them a spot in the tournament.

Korea proved their strength by dominating their first game against Jordan.

“Korea is starting with a 4-5-1 formation. It’s been a while since the members who won the U-20 Asian Cup and the World Cup have played together.”

“And isn’t the coach, Jang Gi-seok, the same one who led the youth team? Coach Jang Gi-seok, who has finally taken the reins of the adult national team, is already receiving high expectations from many citizens.”

“That’s right. From the youth team to the adult team, he has built a career, winning the U-20 Asian Cup and the World Cup, and now leading the under-23 team to win the Asian Games. He’s a renowned coach. Let’s see how Coach Jang Gi-seok will lead the team in the first game of the Asian Cup— Ah, what’s this? A goal is scored in the first minute of the game!”

“The scorer is Arsenal’s new ace, Cho Jae-shin!!”

First half, 1 minute.

Cho Jae-shin, who started as a forward, scored a goal with a volley from a long pass, making a stunning circus-like goal that left the Jordanian players stunned.

“Ha Seung-jun! Ha Seung-jun is breaking through and scoring! Korea’s second goal is made! Korea looks like they’re going to win for sure! This is a destructive performance!!”

Korea scored three goals in the first half and then made a large-scale substitution in the second half, conserving the energy of their main players and securing a 4-0 win.

In the next game against Bahrain, they scored four goals in the first half and defeated Bahrain, securing a spot in the round of 16. In the final group stage match against Malaysia, they made a large-scale rotation but still won with their second-string players, finishing the group stage with three wins and a dominant first place.

As the winner of Group E, Korea advanced to the round of 16, where they would face Vietnam, who had come in second in Group D.

Vietnam was the team that Joo Ji-tae had made his debut against in the U-20 Asian Cup, creating a miserable video of himself getting scored on from his own penalty area to the opponent’s penalty area.

Moreover, the current team members were the same ones who had created that miserable video.

Although they knew it would be a tough game, the Vietnamese players were determined to resist with all their might and took to the field—

“The scorer of Korea’s first goal is Captain Joo Ji-tae!!”

“Joo Ji-tae scores a fantastic free kick!!”

“Corner kick situation… Header! Goal!! Joo Ji-tae scores his second goal!!”

“Ahh! The referee has blown the whistle! Korea has a penalty kick! Korea’s penalty kick specialist is Cho Jae-shin, but he’s passing it to Joo Ji-tae. Ah, Joo Ji-tae is on a multi-goal streak! He’s one goal away from a hat-trick, so he’s passing the penalty kick. Joo Ji-tae, easy goal! With his left foot, head, and right foot, he scores a hat-trick!!”

In the end, Joo Ji-tae scored a hat-trick, and in the second half, Park Hye-chan added one more goal, but Vietnam had to accept a bitter defeat.

Nguyễn, the only European player in the Vietnamese national team and the Belgian league, gave a tearful interview after the game, saying, “We lost again. We couldn’t do anything. We felt the wall in this game.” This was a moment when all Vietnamese people, who take great pride in their country, especially in Southeast Asia, were shedding tears.