Jersey seller.
Literally, it refers to a player signed primarily for the purpose of selling shirts.
It's a term often used sarcastically to describe Asian players, but given how large the Asian market is, whenever a major European club signs an Asian player, shirt sales typically spike.
The same logic applies to pre-season Asian tours.
As another example, star players like Cristiano Ronaldo account for nearly half of all jersey sales at their clubs.
In short, star quality and being Asian are two factors that heavily influence jersey sales.
Ho-young possessed both.
Of course, as a Real Madrid player, he hadn't shown much to the public yet, but the fans were already full of anticipation.
Florentino Perez felt the same.
The thought of seeing that boy running across the Santiago Bernabéu in a white shirt a few years from now gave him chills.
As long as Ho-young performed well, jersey sales were bound to skyrocket like never before.
Perez hurried to the Noheda Hotel for the club's New Year's celebration event, New Year's Lunch.
Board members and proud players of the club gathered to welcome Perez.
"Everyone, take your seats."
The event proceeded smoothly.
After taking commemorative photos to wish fans a happy New Year, they moved to a grand hall for the meal.
The round table where Perez sat was made up of older figures. To his left was Head Coach Juan Lopez, and to his right, the white-haired Alfredo Di Stefano.
The remaining seats were filled by high-ranking officials, but there was one sharply dressed footballer among them.
Real Madrid's captain.
Raul Gonzalez.
He was the only active player seated at the executive table.
It was a clear indication of his status within the club.
At that moment, Perez turned to him and spoke.
"This year will be difficult, won't it?"
At those words, Coach Juan closed his mouth tightly.
Despite being only midway through the season, Real Madrid had already recorded six losses and had fallen far behind league leaders Barcelona.
At this rate, the league title was out of reach again.
So Juan had nothing to say.
But Raul responded with firm resolve.
"It's not over yet. We will keep fighting for the title."
As always, Raul was filled with passion for the team.
Perhaps it stood out even more because it was the New Year.
"Los Blancos are not dead."
"That's right. We still have the Champions League."
Perez, weighed down by the poor league performance, finally managed a brighter expression.
A man like him could instill the spirit of Real Madrid into that boy.
From that moment, Raul rose to the top of Perez's list as a potential tutor for Ho-young.
Given his deep loyalty and strong professionalism, it was highly likely he'd accept the role if Perez asked.
But time was on their side.
Raul was still in his 20s, so there would be plenty of time to assign him as a tutor.
The situation was different for others.
Especially those nearing retirement.
Perez's gaze shifted to the right.
At another round table for nine, the first-team players were deep in conversation.
Beckham, Carlos, Zidane, Ronaldo, Guti, Casillas, Helguera, Robinho, and others...
Their combined market value could probably buy the entire hotel.
Among them, Perez's eyes focused on one particular player.
He's the one.
A player who was set to retire at the end of the season.
That alone made him the clear first-choice candidate.
But there was no rush.
With both La Liga and the Champions League still underway, it was impossible to implement the tutor system immediately.
So, for now, Perez simply planned to set a schedule in advance.
"Excuse me."
Having finished his meal, Perez moved to the players' table.
Thanks to frequent interactions, the first-team regulars didn't find Perez intimidating.
In particular, Perez had a very close relationship with the man he approached.
Perez got straight to the point.
"You should raise a successor before you retire."
School, home, training ground, home, away matches.
Ho-young had already adapted to this endless cycle.
There were times he had to take long bus rides for away games, but compared to Brazil's vast distances, Spain was nothing.
And not just in size.
The number of matches was also manageable, with fewer than 40 games in a season.
Of course, that was a luxury felt by Ho-young, who had gone through the grueling Brazilian league system.
In return, he had more time to train.
The Spanish Youth Football Federation didn't impose any special restrictions on training hours.
Unlike England, where youth players are limited to 90 minutes per day for protection, Spain was much more flexible.
Ho-young liked that.
There weren't many talents in the Juvenil C–B leagues worth competing against anyway, so it was better to focus on individual training.
In truth, Spanish football philosophy preached that the goal was happiness, not becoming a pro. A system that sounded admirable and easy to agree with.
But that was the ideal. The reality was different.
Anyone could be a youth player, but the path to becoming a professional was incredibly narrow.
It was more intense than Brazil, not less.
Between youth and pro.
Between Juvenil C (U16) and Juvenil A (U18).
Countless young players fought desperately in that gap, long having lost sight of happiness.
Once football becomes a profession, it's no longer a game. It's war.
Naturally, few could still enjoy it amidst that tension.
How could you enjoy something when you couldn't even see what lay ahead?
To enjoy, you needed certainty.
Certainty in yourself.
Belief.
And skill.
It was thanks to these that Ho-young was promoted to a higher-level team within just three months.
Belief, skill, and certainty.
He had them all. Over the past three months, Ho-young played in 12 matches and scored 18 goals.
The board concluded that his level was too far beyond his current league, and promoted him to Juvenil B (U17).
With players able to transfer freely between Juvenil teams, there were no issues.
Thus, Ho-young skipped five full development levels ahead of his age group.
He would now be playing against players up to five years older, but he had already proven the possibility at the Peru World Cup.
Lack of stamina could be handled by adjusting match time.
Everything was progressing as Ho-young had envisioned.
And when the process was complete, he would enter the Santiago Bernabéu as a complete player.
Early May 2006.
The league title had already been decided.
With last year's Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho leading the way, FC Barcelona had remained on top all season.
They had even advanced to the Champions League final.
Meanwhile, Madrid was having a nightmare of a season.
If it's painful to see a friend succeed, it's unbearable when an enemy does.
Real Madrid, eliminated early in the Round of 16 in the Champions League, was in shambles.
Everything was a mess from top to bottom.
Despite spending a fortune on the world's top players, this was the result. It was the perfect recipe for global ridicule.
Coach Juan had long been on the chopping block, and Perez was already scouting his replacement.
There were even rumors that Perez himself might be ousted, but the board fought to suppress the backlash by highlighting the acquisition of Ho-young.
Meanwhile, Ho-young was making his presence known in Juvenil B.
At first, he seemed to struggle slightly, but he adapted quickly and turned the league into his personal stage.
At 14, U17 was no longer an impossible challenge.
What helped even more was Spain's officiating style. Compared to the U17 World Cup or the Montaigu Tournament, Spanish referees allowed less physical play.
As long as the defenders weren't huge tanks, Ho-young's skill would shine.
Due to stamina limitations, he couldn't play every game.
Still, in Group 11 of the Juvenil League, he recorded an incredible 7 goals in 5 matches.
At the same time, news of Ho-young was spreading all over Spain.
Among them, Barcelona-based magazine Don Balon was obsessing over Ho-young in particular.
[Real Madrid's Ho-young requests meeting with board over future concerns.]
[Ho-young's future with Madrid uncertain. Is it because of Barcelona's interest?]
[Barcelona continues to pursue Ho-young. Considering a trade with Juvenil A's Giovani dos Santos.]
[Ho-young disappointed with Madrid's weather. Barcelona board says they'll gift him sunglasses and swimwear if he joins.]
[Ho-young prefers beaches and sand over a stuffy city. Wishes to live in Barcelona.]
[Ho-young: "Barcelona food is the best in the world."]
[Ho-young: "I dislike Ronaldo. He's too fat."]
[Ho-young prefers Ronaldinho over Ronaldo. Wants to debut in La Liga like Messi."]
[Ho-young wants a girlfriend from Barcelona instead of Madrid.]
They churned out a never-ending stream of gossip articles filled with "Ho-young" and "Barcelona."
The columnist La Saeta Oscuro, infamous for digging into Ronaldinho's personal life, took particular interest in Ho-young.
But Madrid-based Marca, known for siding with Real Madrid, fought back with their own satire.
[Ho-young has already chosen a burial spot at Madrid's Almudena Cemetery. A vow never to leave Madrid, even in death, brings joy to fans.]
[Ho-young can't live by the beach. He loves football so much he forgot how to swim.]
[Ho-young's most respected player is Luís Figo, who made the "historic decision" to escape Barcelona.]
For fans not aligned with either Real Madrid or Barcelona, the situation was laughable.
Ho-young himself had no issues, yet the media and clubs around him were stirring up conflict.
The reason? In Spain, players under 16 can't have buyout clauses. So if Barcelona managed to sway Ho-young, they could sign him at any time.
Still, Ho-young focused solely on growth.
His top priority was reaching the professional level as soon as possible.
And today.
There was a training match between Juvenil A and Juvenil B, with youth executives and coaches in attendance. All players were on edge.
For Ho-young, it was the perfect opportunity to impress and move up to Juvenil A.
All the most hyped prospects are in Juvenil A.
That was the real buffet.
He had to get there fast.
Maybe within the next year.
He was fully prepared to move up.
All that was left was to prove it.
Ho-young checked his current talents and assessed his condition.
---
[Ho-young]
[Possessed Talents: Football Prodigy (S-), Storm Dribbling (SU), Unshakable Solidity of a Rock (U), Playmaking of the Football Crown Prince (U), Versatile Midfield Commander (U), Genius Dribbling (A+3), Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A+3), Tactical Understanding (A+2), Clever Space Penetration (A+2), Sculpted Looks (A+), Creative Individual Skills (A+), Razor-Sharp Decision Making (A+), Precise and Quick Kicks (A), Burning Fighting Spirit (A), Iron Body (A), Exceptional Flexibility (A-), High Football IQ (A-), Solid Finishing (A-), Sharp Anticipation (A-), Excellent Positioning (A-)]
(More...)
[Balanced Body Coordination (B+3), Excellent Passing (B+3), Powerful Long Shot That Penetrates Gaps (B+3), Reliable Ball Stopping (B+3), Delicate and Precise Ball Touch (B+3), Fairly Flashy Footwork (B+3), Strong Stamina (B+2), Superior Agility (B+2), Consistent Off-the-Ball Movement (B+2), High Work Rate (B+2), Fairly Threatening Body Feint (B+2), Sharp Interceptions (B+2), Natural Language Sense (B+), Great Link-up Play (B+), Open Growth Plates (B+), Natural Muscles (B+), Precise and Clean Free Kick (B+), Exceptional Composure (B+), Quick Directional Change (B+), Accurate Cross (B+), Surprise Heel Chop (B-), Clean First Touch (B-), Excellent Heading (B-)]
---
Since the Montaigu Tournament last year, this was the biggest growth spurt yet.
All C-level talents had been promoted or transferred, and the B-level ones were steadily improving.
There was still a lot left to do, but at this rate, he could reduce the list to a third within a year or two.
I've gathered quite a lot.
Among Real Madrid's youth players, no one could compare to Ho-young's talent.
Except maybe one.
The captain of Juvenil A.
Today's opponent, and Real Madrid's top youth prospect.
He definitely lives up to his name.
He wasn't particularly big, but his skill level was almost pro-ready.
With striking blue eyes, the boy stepped forward and offered a handshake.
"Looking forward to it."
The sight drew the attention of those in the stands.
President Perez, seated in the center, spoke.
"Watch closely and make your decision."
"Yes, sir."
With just a short, confident reply, he radiated charisma.
He was candidate number one to be Ho-young's tutor.
Tutoring, huh...
It wasn't something you could just do because you wanted to. There had to be chemistry.
With that in mind, the player planned to evaluate Ho-young harshly.
To see whether he was worth tutoring or not.
"Let's see what he's got."
He lifted his head, slick hair gleaming, and stared straight at Ho-young.
(To be continued.)
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