Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

145 – The 75-Year-Old Championship

145

Vietnam was on the brink of despair, and South Korea, who had made it to the quarterfinals, was blocking their path. Coincidentally, their opponent was Uzbekistan, the same team they had faced in the final of the U-20 Asian Cup.

“Ah, I remember. Back then, our next opponent was Uzbekistan, and Jo Jae-shin got confused with Ukraine.”

“What did you say? Kim Tae-hee said it was a country that grew rice?”

“But isn’t that true?”

“Uh… Yeah. Both Uzbekistan and Ukraine are countries where Kim Tae-hee grows rice.”

Joo Ji-tae, who had been quietly listening, suddenly looked down at his smartphone screen.

＞ Sejelyeoyeosini: So, our opponent is Uzbekistan?

He had met them yesterday, and in the meantime, ‘Gieumppang Saranghaeyo’ had changed to ‘Sejelyeoyeosini’.

Anyway, Uzbekistan…? Must be a typo?

＜ Oh, Uzbekistan is correct. We met them in the final of the age-based Asian Cup.

＜ Jo Jae-shin scored a hat-trick and won against them.

＞ Sejelyeoyeosini: Is that not Uzbekistan?

＜ Uzbekistan is Uzbekistan;

＞ Sejelyeoyeosini: Ah~ Really? Uzbekistan is Uzbekistan.

＞ Sejelyeoyeosini: I thought it was Ukraine.

…Typo, right?

＞ Sejelyeoyeosini: There, Kim Tae-hee grows rice, right?

At that moment, Joo Ji-tae looked at Jo Jae-shin.

“Why? What are you looking at?”

“It’s nothing. I just… think that blood ties are stronger than I thought.”

“…??”

Yeah.

It’s okay if it’s pretty.

Uzbekistan, who had been defeated by Jo Jae-shin’s hat-trick in the final of the age-based Asian Cup, had come prepared for revenge. However—

“Jo Jae-shin! He did it again!”

“Wow~ This player is really easy to score goals. He received a pass from the back, lightly trapped it, and broke free from pressure to create space, then shot it in to score the opening goal.”

What’s difficult when everything goes as planned?

Jo Jae-shin had developed beyond what the Uzbekistan players had prepared for.

“Jo Jae-shin! Oh Seung-hwan did a great job of tracking back! Oh Seung-hwan! Shoot! Go in!~!! With a low, precise shot, Korea scored their second goal!”

“Of course, it’s Oh Seung-hwan! The player who went through a fierce legal battle with his club AS Roma and eventually transferred to Dortmund. Although he didn’t get many opportunities in his club, his class is undeniable! Oh Seung-hwan’s shot was very accurate!”

After Oh Seung-hwan’s second goal, the game, which had been slowly flowing, briefly reignited with Uzbekistan’s fierce counterattack in the 15th minute of the second half, but ultimately ended 2:0.

With Korea’s momentum, which was unbeatable without a crisis, the public opinion had already turned to “They’ve already won the championship,” and the discussion was about how overwhelmingly they would win.

Especially when their semifinal opponent was determined to be Japan, their arch-rival, the focus shifted to how crushingly they would win.

— Ahㅋㅋ Japan is already done for ㅋㅋ

— Do you feel the excitement of the Japanese fans, who are already freaking out? Are they annoyed? Are they frustrated? But there’s nothing they can do.

— It’s just a difference in level ㅋㅋ I think it’s possible for us to win without conceding a goal.

— And, you know, just a few years ago, Japan’s Golden Generation was really intimidating, but now they look like a joke.

— Yeah, the Golden Generation you guys were talking about has lost its 1st-class class, and it’s been a while since they’ve been stripped of their gold plating.

This kind of public opinion was well-known to the national team coaching staff, but national team coach Jang Ki-seok was facing difficulties.

“So, what about Barcelona?”

“That’s… we need to keep the promised playing time, you know?”

“Huh… it’s not like we’re asking for a lot, just 75 minutes instead of 60, but they won’t even give us that?”

“Yes. We’ll keep the promised 60 minutes. Ah, and Arsenal and West Ham have sent us a formal agreement to accept it.”

“Ugh, these annoying guys! Who do they think they are, trying to dictate our playing time?”

It was the club’s playing time restriction.

Of course, there was no obligation to follow it.

Initially, the Asian Cup was an official A-match recognized by FIFA, with regulations for player selection. The club could ignore it, but…

However, the problem was that not everything in life was resolved in the public sphere.

According to the rules, the club’s playing time restriction could be ignored, but if they did, the club might not send players to tournaments without selection obligations.

The problem was that Joo Ji-tae was a 20-year-old young player who could participate in U-23 tournaments without military service benefits.

From Barcelona’s perspective, Joo Ji-tae’s military service issue was a significant risk, and that’s why they had an unofficial agreement with the KFA to allow him to participate in the next Olympics or Asian Games under the condition of limited playing time.

It was an unofficial agreement between the KFA and the club, but it was something that had to be kept, like a human relationship.

Of course, from the perspective of national team coach Jang Ki-seok, ignoring it wouldn’t cause any harm.

A-matches had selection obligations, but as someone who had gone through the youth national teams and knew the importance of military service benefits, he couldn’t just abandon the agreement with Barcelona.

“Ugh, can’t do anything about it. The Japan match will go like this.”

* * *

Three years ago, when Joo Ji-tae won the U-20 Asian Cup, there were three teams that claimed to be the Golden Generation: Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Japan.

These three teams had one thing in common: they were all crushed by Korea and received the ridicule of “not being golden, but just plated.”

However, their claims of being the Golden Generation weren’t entirely baseless.

Vietnam… well, that’s aside. Uzbekistan had reached the Asian Cup final back then.

And Japan.

Japan was indeed worthy of being called the Golden Generation.

At the U-17 World Cup two years before the U-20 Asian Cup, they had reached the semifinals, showing impressive results, and even fought hard against Germany, the championship favorite, eventually losing 2-3.

At the time, foreign media had evaluated Japan’s performance as one of the strongest contenders for the championship.

Except for one player who was dubbed a “traitor” after being benched, the other 10 players had gained immense popularity in Japan, earning the nickname “10 Swords.” They were Shimizu Ken, the “Prince of Kanto”; Moribayashi Genjin, the “Yokohama Giraffe”; and Tabuchi Masahiro, the “Shikoku Captain.”

And among them, the most promising young player was undoubtedly Hotaru Daisuke, the “Prince of Urawa.”

With his incredible speed and technical dribbling skills, Hotaru had been recognized as a talent in Europe, making his J-League debut at just 17 years old with Urawa Red Diamonds, one of Japan’s most popular clubs.

Hotaru’s football life seemed to be on a smooth path, but it was when he met one player that dark clouds began to gather. That player was Joo Ji-tae.

“I realized my limitations at the U-20 Asian Cup and went to Europe, but I’ve been disappointing fans with my poor performances. I know I didn’t meet expectations at the World Cup.”

Hotaru, once considered one of the four next-generation attackers in the football world, along with Argentina’s Rodrigo Silvio, England’s Andrew McNeil, and now-Ballond’or winner Fernando Alvarado, had been ridiculed as “Urawa’s Trash” instead of “Urawa’s Prince.”

After the Asian Cup, Hotaru actively sought to move to Europe, and European clubs, still evaluating his potential highly, sent him aggressive love calls.

He eventually joined the Dutch league.

When Joo Ji-tae and Cho Jae-sin were playing in the Bundesliga, Hotaru Daisuke, who had settled in the Dutch league, initially struggled, disappointing fans, but things had changed now.

“But last season, I awakened. This Asian Cup… this Korea match, I want to show off my grown abilities in front of that player.”

Hotaru Daisuke, who had awakened since last year, had grown to the point of being selected for the Best 11 in the first half of the season.

And the player who wanted to show this—

“Na-nit?”

Hotaru was staring blankly at the bench, not on the ground.

“Ah~ Coach Jang Gi-seok, you made an unexpected decision. Joo Ji-tae is starting from the bench.”

“This game’s captaincy went to Oh Seung-hwan, the vice-captain and the eldest. Hmm… Is it to manage Joo Ji-tae’s physical condition? Or did he get a small injury during training? It’s a strange choice, especially against Japan.”

Hotaru Daijoubu, filled with anger, started moving actively from the sidelines as soon as the game began, and on the other hand, the Korean team, with Jo Jae-sin and Oh Seung-hwan, started to run wildly.

The intense first half ended with Korea and Japan exchanging two goals each, resulting in a 2-2 tie. Hotaru Daijoubu scored one goal and played a crucial role in the other, showcasing his changed skills.

And the second half began.

Hotaru Daijoubu was still sitting on the bench, staring blankly at Joo Ji-tae in front of him—

“Ah, heaven, why did you give birth to Joo Ji-tae in Korea, and Jo Jae-sin, and Oh Seung-hwan?”

They suffered a 4-3 defeat, swallowing their frustration.

And then came the final match against Iran.

With Joo Ji-tae’s outstanding performance, Korea easily won the championship, achieving their third Asian Cup title in 75 years since 1960.

“Finally, we won! We waited 75 years for the Asian Cup title!”

—Wow, we won after 75 years! But what now?

—You should be happy, but why are you so calm? This is normal, right?

—I really feel like we slaughtered Asia…

—Why are you so calm even though we won against Japan?

—Ah, haha, this is really a comeback, haha…