Kim Sung gyu.
After passing through the J League and Busan I Park, he joined FC Seoul last year. At one point, he had been considered the hope of Korean football.
He built his reputation through youth national teams, then gradually made a name for himself after being called up to the senior level.
And now.
The golden chance of being selected for the Olympic team was right in front of him.
Since the tournament came with military exemption, he had to make it no matter what.
This Olympic Games also had a favorable group draw, and with a bit of luck, many believed a semifinal finish was well within reach.
That was why today mattered so much.
Yet he ruined that crucial match within the first five minutes.
"Fuck."
He had never believed he could completely shut down Ho young.
That was why he had prepared thoroughly for this match over the past few days.
Even though it was a friendly with a strong exhibition aspect, if things went well, he could secure a spot on the Olympic team and even attract interest from Real Madrid.
Had Sir Alex Ferguson not done something similar when he brought Ronaldo back from a preseason friendly in the summer of 2003?
Even if not Real Madrid, it could have been a chance to move to the Spanish league.
That was why he had to stop Ho young, and the card Kim Sung gyu chose was physical defending.
Body to body defense.
That was the specialty of Kim Sung gyu, a fighter type defender.
He knew very well that he could never outthink Ho young.
But.
The physicality Ho young showed in that brief clash was far from something he could take lightly.
Kim Sung gyu frowned deeply.
"Lee Chung yong definitely said it… that his weakness was physical battles."
A few days ago, he had pressed his junior teammate Lee Chung yong hard to dig up Ho young's weaknesses.
But once he actually faced him, it was nothing like that.
"He's like a rock."
He clenched his eyes shut.
His chest felt tight, but he forced himself to stay composed.
He could not collapse like this, not with his pride as a senior on the line.
He wanted to show Ho young what Korean football was really like.
"You've never experienced this before, have you?"
Football you learn by getting hit.
He wanted to teach him how much mental strength it took to endure that.
Of course, Ho young had never asked for such a lesson, but he still wanted to give it to him anyway.
And he wanted Ho young to respect him.
He wanted to turn the world recognized top prospect, Ho young, into a properly respectful junior.
Crunch.
He ground his teeth.
Even if he lacked talent, Kim Sung gyu prided himself on having mental strength that did not lose to anyone.
He believed he could do it.
[The match resumes with Lee Chung yong's kickoff, and the ball is immediately passed back to Kim Sung gyu.]
[Kim Sung gyu of FC Seoul circulates the ball calmly from the back, slowly creating an attacking opportunity. It seems like he wants to return what he just suffered.]
Kim Sung gyu was a defender with seasoned build up play and strong organizational skills.
Despite his rough personality often landing him in controversy, his actual ability ranked among the top in the league.
And now, with him as the starting point, FC Seoul was gradually reigniting their attack.
[Lee Eul ryong tries a breakthrough down the left flank.]
[Unfortunate. He is blocked by Real Madrid right back Michel Salgado, but it was still a good attempt.]
Lee Eul ryong, the backbone of the team, fought hard and injected energy into the match.
At the same time, Ki Sung yong, deployed as a central midfielder, came alive and supported Lee Chung yong up front.
However, Real's defense remained solid, and their attack grew sharper as time passed.
Twenty five minutes into the first half.
The chemistry between Zidane and Ho young began to click again.
Tap, tap.
"Ho."
At that moment, Zidane slipped a through ball out wide.
[Ho young receives Zidane's pass and immediately drives forward.]
[Kim Sung gyu tries to stay with him, but he is just a step late.]
Ho young, on the other hand, was insanely fast.
No matter how hard Kim Sung gyu chased, the gap between them only grew.
The crowd even burst into mocking laughter.
That struck Kim Sung gyu's temper, and his hot blood finally boiled over.
He launched into a sliding tackle from the diagonal side.
But his legs could not match Ho young's speed.
"That bastard."
Failing to touch anything, Kim Sung gyu could only kick the grass in frustration as Ho young broke through.
Fans in white jerseys rained down boos in unison.
Head coach Bernd Schuster spread his arms in visible displeasure.
But regardless of all that, Ho young focused solely on his play out wide.
He showed no mercy.
He looked completely determined.
To him, Kim Sung gyu was not even worth dealing with.
It was better to touch the ball one more time instead.
Through this attack, he intended to firmly pave his road to the Olympics.
Ho young's gaze turned toward the left side of the penalty area.
The Argentine top prospect Gonzalo Higuain was carving through the center with sharp movement.
Ho young sent a low cross straight toward him.
Thud.
The skidding cross cut across the ground, met Higuain's foot, and was sucked into the goal.
Thump.
"You fucking piece of shit."
Kim Sung gyu exploded in rage at the sight.
Only then did he realize it.
The football he played and the football Ho young played existed on completely different planes.
After that, Ho young's relentless attacks did not let up.
The opening goal was only the beginning.
The true terror of Real Madrid started there.
In the fortieth minute of the first half, Roberto Carlos's overlapping runs tore apart FC Seoul's space at the back like a wringer, repeatedly handing Ho young golden chances.
It almost felt like they were deliberately putting the spotlight on Ho young as a gesture for their visit to Korea.
It was entirely Ho young's stage.
By the time the first half ended, the scoreboard already showed a score of 3 to 0.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
After Kim Sung gyu's earlier tackle, every time he touched the ball, the boos from the crowd never stopped.
Unable to watch any longer, captain Lee Eul ryong spoke up.
"You idiot. Are you playing a Korea versus Japan match by yourself? Why are you so on edge?"
"..."
"Get it together. What year do you think this is? Do not drag the team's name through the mud."
"I'm sorry."
"Tsk. Even if you do something, you need to know the time and place. So many people are watching. Why label yourself as trash?"
"I'm sorry."
Regret came too late.
The boos only grew louder, and the friendly was no longer a friendly.
As if to prove a point, Ho young began targeting Kim Sung gyu's defensive zone relentlessly.
Each time, Kim Sung gyu was torn apart by Ho young's individual skill.
It was pure humiliation.
It even felt intentional.
In fact, Real Madrid's players were deliberately funneling the ball toward Ho young.
Almost as if they were enjoying it.
As this repeated again and again, Kim Sung gyu felt like he was going insane.
Every time he stood in front of Ho young, he tasted despair.
Eventually, he completely lost focus.
A crushing sense of self loathing tormented him.
"Ha… I'm screwed."
He had never hated playing football this much in his life.
Just running felt painful.
Humiliation did not get worse than this.
He could not lift his head for even a second.
But in the end, he raised his head.
And raised his hand as well.
"Please take me out."
It was a voluntary substitution request.
Head coach Gunes was already preparing a change.
[OUT 2. Kim Sung gyu]
[IN 19. Park Chan su]
As Kim Sung gyu returned to the bench, Gunes clicked his tongue.
"Tsk."
He had trusted Kim Sung gyu more than anyone, which made his disappointment even greater.
"When you get obsessed with what's right in front of you, this is what happens. Sit down and reflect."
"… Sigh."
Having shown nothing, Kim Sung gyu swallowed his frustration and sank into the bench.
And as if on cue.
Boom.
A long distance shot exploded from Ho young's foot, sending the stands into a frenzy.
It felt like an unspoken message aimed at Kim Sung gyu.
If you are not prepared to see it through, do not start in the first place.
That was how Kim Sung gyu interpreted Ho young's fiery strike.
If they ever met again on the pitch, no, he simply hoped that would never happen.
Real Madrid's onslaught continued into the second half.
Around the fifty fifth minute, when key players were subbed out and the field filled with second string players, FC Seoul's attack finally began to revive.
At the same time, cheers poured down from the stands.
FC Seoul's pride, Park Ju young, was coming on as a substitute.
But.
Whistle.
[OUT 43. Ho young]
[IN 10. Robinho]
With Ho young being substituted, the anticipated duel never happened.
That was understandable.
Ho young had played four straight matches, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, and now this one.
He had already expended well beyond a reasonable level of stamina and needed to manage his condition for the upcoming schedule.
Still, Ho young gained something valuable.
Ki Sung yong's talent.
[Select the talent you wish to obtain.]
Outstanding Passing (A-)
Broad Vision (B+3)
Instant Ball Cutting (B+)
(More)
"I already have passing, so vision first."
Done.
This preseason had been more than successful.
He was also steadily meeting the conditions for other starting level players' U grade talents.
Now only one thing remained.
The Beijing Olympics.
That was the real challenge.
"The gap in level is huge."
He felt it clearly through today's match.
The current level of Korean football was lower than he had expected.
It might have been because his standards had risen from playing with world class players at Real Madrid.
But reality was reality.
Avoiding it and relying on hollow self consolation would lead nowhere.
Just looking at the Olympic participants, there were players like Messi and Ronaldinho, names that made the heart race.
"This Olympics will probably serve as an important stepping stone."
There was only one goal.
Break through the team's limits, advance to the knockout stage, then face them and harvest their insane talents.
Then debut in the first division as a monster.
Just imagining it sent chills through his body.
He could only count the days until that moment arrived.
And the next day.
A headline dominated the front page of the sports newspapers.
[Park Sung ho announces final 18 man Olympic squad… Ho young included]
Within the association, opinions were divided over Ho young's age, but considering that he would be the youngest ever in Olympic football and public sentiment, this decision was made.
The national football team was also the first among the Korean delegation to depart.
The date was July 28.
From early morning, news related to it was being broadcast.
[The Olympic football team, aiming for Korea's first ever medal, has departed for China, the land of decisive battles. Head coach Park Sung ho, four assistants, and the squad of 18 have just arrived at the Beijing Olympic Village and unpacked. The team then immediately moved to their training camp and will play their first group match against Cameroon in Qinhuangdao on the seventh.]
Ten days later, on August 7.
One day before the opening ceremony, the Olympic football group stage kicked off.
Starting with Group A matches in Shanghai, games were held simultaneously in Tianjin, Shenyang, and Qinhuangdao.
Korea's opponent was Cameroon.
Five in the afternoon.
Inside the press conference room at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center.
Ahead of kickoff, interviews with both managers took place.
First up was Cameroon head coach Martin.
"You qualified for the Olympics by finishing first in the African qualifiers with dominant performances. Today, you face Korea, who topped the Asian qualifiers. Are you confident?"
Martin answered briefly and firmly.
"Of course."
It was a bold statement meant to seize the initiative.
Then a reporter asked,
"Korea has a young prospect who has been making waves recently, a Real Madrid player. Are you prepared to stop him?"
"Real Madrid…"
Martin smiled faintly before continuing.
"Impressive. But we have Barcelona's Black Panther, Samuel Eto'o."
The man who had led Cameroon to Olympic gold with a stellar performance at the Sydney Games in 2000.
Samuel Eto'o, who joined the Olympic squad late, was waiting for Ho young.
(To be continued.)