Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

170 – The Ultimatum

170

The 38th and final round of La Liga.

Although Barcelona had already secured an early title, the last game of the league season drew more attention than expected.

The reason was that Barcelona was on the verge of breaking the La Liga record for most points in a season.

The current record was held by Real Madrid in the 11/12 season and Barcelona in the 12/13 season, with 100 points each.

Barcelona had 98 points after 37 rounds and only needed to win the last game to break the record.

Their opponents in the final round were Valencia, a former powerhouse.

Ordinarily, Barcelona’s win would be a given, and breaking the record would be a certainty, but things were far from normal at Barcelona.

Although we had already achieved an early victory, people’s attention was still focused on whether we could overcome the pressure of breaking the record for the most wins.

Originally, if someone is doing well, people don’t pay much attention, but if they start to falter, people can’t help but watch. Moreover, it’s a big game with a record on the line.

Football is a delicate sport, and the players’ mentality and spiritual preparation can lead to unexpected results.

However—

[Valencia, you can’t even be Barcelona’s opponent!]

[Barcelona has already secured the championship, but the players’ momentum hasn’t slowed down at all.]

Valencia, who barely avoided relegation, couldn’t stop Barcelona.

Against Barcelona’s diverse pattern play, centered around team building, Valencia could only take the blows and couldn’t even launch a decent counterattack.

[Valencia is narrowing the line and minimizing space, but Barcelona is still passing actively in the narrow space.]

Even Real Madrid had given up on pressuring Barcelona’s defense and had switched to a “turtle shell” mode, but Barcelona’s youthful attack line, led by midfielders, shook off the solid defense.

[Destiny Kosiso receives the pass, and Hector Santiago makes a roaming pass! Leo Martinez finds an opening and makes a great run! Leo, Leo Martinez—takes a shot, and it’s a through pass! Pode Di Alo, and he shoots!!]

[Oh, the ball hits the post and goes out of bounds. But that was a great play. If we keep moving like this and keep shooting, we can shake off Valencia’s defense.]

Valencia, who had been struggling to hold on, finally collapsed after conceding a goal from a beautiful free kick by Barcelona’s midfielder, and Barcelona won the game 4-0, reaching 101 points.

It was a moment when the La Liga record for the most wins was broken after 20 years.

However, the post-game interview focused on a different topic.

“Is it true that Barcelona’s management is considering bankruptcy? What’s the atmosphere like inside the club?”

“There’s talk about adjusting the players’ salaries due to financial difficulties. How do you think about the 30% salary cut?”

“It’s been said that you might leave Barcelona after just one year. Do you have anything to say about that?”

The reporters weren’t interested in the early victory or the record-breaking win.

The La Liga championship and the record-breaking win were already old news, and the topic had been discussed for a while. It was a topic that had lost its luster.

Bankruptcy?

The story of Barcelona’s bankruptcy was also an old topic. Barcelona’s financial difficulties were nothing new, and it had been a concern for almost 20 years.

But this topic was different.

Perhaps it was the bread and butter of football journalists, a topic that always generated buzz, especially when it came to superstar players’ transfer rumors.

After the game, midfielder Joo Ji-tae, who had been interviewed as the MVP, looked at the reporters with a calm gaze.

“I made a promise when I joined Barcelona.”

The reporters’ mouths, which had been chattering nonstop, suddenly shut tight, like magic.

Dozens of eyes focused on Joo Ji-tae’s mouth, and everyone leaned in to catch every word.

“I promised to break as many records as possible. In Barcelona’s 150-year history, I wanted to leave my mark, just like Lionel Messi…”

In football history, Lionel Messi was an unforgettable player. As a player who had spent most of his career at Barcelona, Messi’s legacy still lingered in the club. Most of the club’s records bore Messi’s name.

“Unfortunately, it’s unrealistic to break Messi’s records. How can I break his record of 672 goals? He holds the records for most appearances, most goals, most assists, most hat-tricks, and most free-kick goals…”

If you broke it down, the list went on and on.

Just looking at goals, there were records for most goals in a season, most goals in La Liga, most goals in a single season in La Liga, most goals in a single season at home and away, and most consecutive goals in La Liga… It was all Messi’s records.

Even Joo Ji-tae, as a center-back, knew it was impossible to break Messi’s records. Even if it were possible, the standard was too high, and he would have to play for at least 10 years at Barcelona.

Of course, Joo Ji-tae had no intention of spending the rest of his career at Barcelona.

“It’s realistically difficult. Messi is a forward, and I’m a defender. But I set this goal when I joined Barcelona. I know how great a player Messi is, and I wanted to achieve a lot at Barcelona. We broke the record for the most wins today, and we also achieved the treble we promised at the start of the season. Now we’re heading into the Champions League final.”

Joo Ji-tae looked around at the reporters.

“But I don’t see any reporters interested in our achievements. No one is curious about our performance, our hard work, or our sweat. It’s understandable. But shouldn’t we at least be interested in our achievements? At least here, where we’ve broken the record and have only one game left?”

The corners of Juzitae’s mouth twitched slightly as he gazed at the reporters avoiding eye contact.

* * *

『Emphasizing “we” rather than “I”, Juzitae receives endless praise』

『”We are the champions, and we have the most wins” Juzitae’s shout to the world』

『In an interview, Juzitae makes a bold statement: “Even if you don’t recognize our sweat and effort, at least acknowledge our achievements!”』

『A Barcelona citizen: “Juzitae is a player who embodies the spirit of Barcelona!”』

『A 20-year-old Korean shows the world his dignity, moving the hearts of many』

Juzitae smiled contentedly as he read the headlines of various newspapers.

“An image is just one impactful moment.”

Do you need to manage that?

That’s only necessary when you’re in a relationship where you can face each other directly.

What the public remembers is the impact, no matter what. No matter how hard you train, will the public even notice? Maybe the coach or teammates will, and the evaluation of industry peers is also important.

But to be remembered by the public, to be remembered as a “good” image, you need a huge impact.

For example, shouting “Let’s go!” to the reporters like I did in the interview.

Look at this overwhelming cheer.

Juzitae couldn’t help but smile as he read the explosive comments on his SNS account.

He knows that his outburst to the reporters won’t change the atmosphere of the industry. Maybe the young players felt embarrassed at the time, but that’s all.

Does a movie that moves people change them? Even if it’s impressive, people will forget it over time.

But an etched image won’t be easily forgotten.

You may not be able to change people, but the image of Juzitae will be remembered for a long time.

If I want to be the leader of another team in the future, I need to do this kind of work beforehand.

“Transferring…”.

Barcelona’s financial crisis has always existed, but… it wasn’t like this the first time, was it? What’s the problem?

Juzitae shook his head, deciding to think about it comfortably.

Well… I’ll do it when I transfer. I won’t be leaving my bones in Barcelona.

Let’s focus on winning the Champions League first.

The Champions League final, held in Germany’s Allianz Arena, was right in front of him.