Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

184 – Natural Disaster

184

When the season ends and all schedules are complete, most football fans start to speculate about the transfer market.

Since various rumors start to spread, some people find it more entertaining than actual games. Of course, the level of entertainment varies from person to person. Rich club fans enthusiastically celebrate, while others are furious about their team’s ace leaving.

As the transfer market approaches, big news starts to unfold one by one.

“Ju Ji-tae’s former teammate Miguel Gomez to extend contract with Chelsea?”

“Chelsea prepares 1.5 billion euros to sign Atlético’s ace David Martinez!”

“Bayern Munich targets England’s second Michael Owen!”

Although various transfer rumors emerged, it seemed that Barcelona would be the main character again this year.

Last year’s transfer market was also centered around Barcelona.

While it wasn’t in a good sense, Barcelona was undoubtedly the main character, generating the most buzz and earning the most transfer fees.

This year, Barcelona’s transfer rumors were also receiving the most attention.

“Barcelona, which put out the fire, what’s Ju Ji-tae’s whereabouts?”

“Barcelona official: ‘Ju Ji-tae is our team’s captain and pillar! He won’t leave no matter what.'”

“Ju Ji-tae, who lost trust in the board, to pursue a solo transfer?”

“Chelsea uses former teammate Miguel Gomez to lure Ju Ji-tae!”

“Real Madrid aims for the second Pigu!”

Now, Ju Ji-tae was starting his annual tradition of creating a stir in the transfer market, but this time, the buzz wasn’t as explosive as last year.

It was because Barcelona was facing bankruptcy, and that news overshadowed everything else—

“(Official) Ju Ji-tae joins Korean Olympic team”

The news that stole the spotlight was announced.

* * *

Originally, transfer rumors were what heated up football fans during the off-season, but sometimes the transfer market news gets buried.

That’s when international competitions take place.

For instance, the World Cup.

The World Cup is the most prestigious tournament for national teams, just like the Champions League is for European clubs.

Some players who have won the Champions League multiple times would rather win the World Cup.

Moreover, continental championships like the Asian Cup are also great topics.

Although the Asian Cup isn’t as popular in Korea, continental championships are quite prestigious and popular. It’s easy to understand if you think about the passion of the UEFA Nations League. If that’s hard to understand, just think of the Olympic football.

While Olympic football might not be popular in other countries, it’s a huge topic in Korea, even more so than the Asian Cup.

This phenomenon is entirely due to the military service benefits.

The Asian Cup, although a continental championship, doesn’t offer military service benefits, unlike the Olympic football.

On the other hand, the status of Olympic football is relatively low globally. After all, the Olympics are amateur-based, and the football tournament is for players under 23, with no mandatory military service rules.

Let me know if you need any further assistance!

It’s common knowledge that South Korea has an exceptional advantage in terms of military service benefits, but this is not comparable to the popularity of the European Champions League or the Copa America.

Of course, military service benefits do not apply to the World Cup.

In 2002, the members received military service benefits due to the special law passed at the time, which was a one-time exception. In principle, even if they won the World Cup, they would not receive military service benefits.

Still, the World Cup’s popularity is unmatched… simply because the tournament’s level is extremely high.

It’s the largest sports competition in the world, and Koreans, who love to be number one, wouldn’t care about military service benefits or anything else.

However, the Olympic football tournament, which was extremely popular in Korea due to military service benefits, was slightly different this year.

The 2036 Hamburg Olympics in Germany.

“Joo Ji-tae (22, Barcelona) and Cho Jae-shin (22, Arsenal) join the Olympic team from the start! Korea’s ace players will be together from the group stage!”

“The golden medal duo, who led Korea to gold in the age-group championships, officially joins the team!”

Since military service benefits were at stake, Korea didn’t need to say anything more.

“Korea’s 10-year plan, a huge success!”

“Now is the time to follow Korea’s youth project!”

“Is Japan’s football industry okay with being left behind?”

The island nation, which always looked over at its neighbor, issued a general mobilization order to revitalize its struggling age-group team.

The strange excitement of the Olympics didn’t end in Asia.

“Barcelona fans, ‘Joo Ji-tae is being overworked!’ all say in unison.”

“Is it okay for a Ballon d’Or winner to participate in the Olympics? Football experts criticize amateurism!”

“What kind of age-group tournament has a Ballon d’Or winner participating? The bitter words of the Italian Olympic football team coach.”

From the Barcelona fans who only looked at Joo Ji-tae to the football fans who are now criticizing the ‘great king’, the Hamburg Olympics, which attracted more attention than usual, finally began.

* * *

Hamburg, which had bid for the 2024 Olympics, eventually gave up after failing to gain majority support in the referendum on November 29, 2015. However, the attempt led to the hosting of the 2036 Hamburg Olympics, and Germany finally succeeded in hosting the Summer Olympics again after 62 years since the 1972 Munich Olympics.

As the days go by, the popularity of the Olympics may be decreasing, but the Olympics are still the Olympics.

As the world’s festival, the Hamburg Olympics attracted a lot of attention, and the highest interest was in football.

[The United States has secured a spot in the round of 16!!]

[Italy achieves two wins and joins the round of 16!!]

[Japan wins and advances to the round of 16!!]

As the teams that advanced to the round of 16 were being decided,

[Korea secures a spot in the round of 16 with two wins and a perfect performance!!]

Korea also easily advanced to the tournament.

—The tournament is so easy, lol.

—We’re professional football players, but the opponent is like a neighborhood team, lol.

—Ah, Korea only used one wild card, right?

—But Joo Ji-tae (Ballon d’Or winner) is only 22, so it’s not a wild card, lol.

—Wow, the player introduction is so cool, with names like Barcelona, Arsenal, and Dortmund next to them, lol.

Korea, with its dual aces Joo Ji-tae and Cho Jae-shin, alternately played and rested, showcasing overwhelming victory and advancing to the round of 16 against the rising football powerhouse, the United States.

The United States, which was once a barren land for football, has now become a regular in the World Cup round of 16 and occasionally reaches the quarterfinals.

[Ju Jitae and Jo Jae-shin’s 3 goals led to a victorious match against the US]

[Crushing! US ace Donald Rish admits, “There’s a difference in level”]

[South Korea defeats the US 4:0, aiming for the championship!]

The match left a lingering fear of South Korea’s power, making it difficult for opponents to catch up.

Considering the tight schedule of playing a match every three days, the team’s strategy of rotating players, including Ju Jitae, Jo Jae-shin, Oh Hyeon-gyu, and Park Han-gyeol, paid off, making the victory even more valuable.

The next opponent was Hungary, a strong team from Eastern Europe, similar to the US.

[Jo Jae-shin achieves a hat-trick, booking his spot as the top scorer with 8 goals!]

[Dortmund’s Oh Hyeon-gyu takes the stage, showcasing his skills!]

[(photo) Ju Jitae, relaxed and carefree, enjoying a leisurely stroll]

Once again, it was proven that humans are no match for natural disasters.

The team advanced to the semifinals with ease.

Their next opponent was Japan.