All Football Abilities Are Mine! Chapter 148 - 149: Primary Goal and Final Goal (BONUS)

As the match ended amid roaring cheers from the crowd, Bernd Schuster made his way to the press room located on the east side of the stadium.

It was for the post-match interview, but even as he walked, he couldn't shake off the excitent from the ga. The performance continued to replay in his mind.

That was how spectacular the match had been.

Tactically, it hadn't been a masterpiece in terms of precision, but in other ways, it had been a 'perfect' ga.

'I saw about half of what I wanted.'

It was a match where he had confird 50% of the plays he had hoped to see.

Unlike last year, when he had assigned a complex role to Sneijder, Ho-young had executed more than half of the instructions given to him.

With so polishing in the details and more combinations tested, Schuster felt he could develop a surprise tactic that could be used in big matches.

"Haha."

He couldn't stop smiling.

For a manager, there was no greater joy than successfully executing a tactic by maximizing a player's strengths.

'Mandía was right. Not a word of exaggeration.'

Schuster had a personal relationship with Mandía, who had coached Ho-young in Castilla. He rembered the words he had heard from him.

— Are you talking about Ho-young? He's like an onion. No matter how many layers you peel off, there's always sothing new. Sotis he evolves in a day, sotis a week, sotis a month. It's completely unpredictable. He's a mystery. Sure, there are many players better than Ho-young right now, but I guarantee, none are as mysterious. You'll understand once you coach him.

At the ti, Schuster had chuckled and replied,

— Haha. Is there really such a player?

Only now did he realize how wrong he had been.

'He was right here all along.'

He finally understood what Mandía had ant.

'It's amazing. He's completely different from the Ho-young I saw during preseason.'

It was new and electrifying.

'Of course, Ho-young is benefiting from the shine of his teammates, but…'

Like they say, fine food tastes better when you've had it before. It's not just about having the opportunity, but knowing how to take advantage of it that makes the difference.

Besides, the assist he recorded near the end of the second half had practically given the spotlight to Higuaín.

Even thinking about it again gave Schuster goosebumps.

Soon, he arrived at the press room and took his seat with a smile.

The room was buzzing with reporters, each eager to fire off their questions.

Schuster had plenty to say but decided to keep the interview brief.

At the start of the season, it was better to keep things under wraps than to reveal too much.

Still, he accepted about three or four questions.

"Winning the first round of the Champions League is always significant. Especially at ho, where the importance can't be overstated. How did you view the match against BATE Borisov?"

It was a formal question, but one that had to be asked.

Schuster shared his honest impression.

"We played like the best club in the world."

There was no need for lengthy words.

Because it was true.

Then ca a question that slightly shifted the tone.

"Last season, the wingers were very active in scoring, but this season their role seems to have changed to more of a supporting one. Is this due to Robinho's absence?"

"You've got the order wrong. It's not that Robinho left, so we changed. We changed, so Robinho left. And frankly, I don't understand why his na is even being ntioned. This is the Bernabéu. He's no longer a Madridista."

"Is there any concern that you might face Robinho again in the Champions League down the road? Manchester City is showing serious ambition with astronomical investnt."

"If ambition alone could get you into the Champions League, there wouldn't be any teams left out. That's their business to worry about. Whether it takes 10 years or 20, even if that day does co…"

Schuster paused there.

With a warm smile and a twitch of his blond mustache, he finished.

"We are the best club in the world. And today's match proved that. We've rewarded the fans, and provided entertainnt to millions of viewers around the world. We have the best Spanish goalkeeper in goal, the finest defenders from across Europe behind him, the greatest French commander in midfield, and a Dutch world-class striker up top."

"So, that's Casillas, Cannavaro, Carlos, Zidane, and Van Nistelrooy, respectively. But aside from the keeper, the rest are all well past 30. So are even pushing 40. Doesn't that pose a real concern?"

"What's the worry? We also have the best young prospect in the world. The future is secured."

"And this top prospect, which country is he from?"

"South Korea. And he doesn't have to serve in the military."

"Ha ha ha. Congratulations on keeping the world's best young talent away from Korea's military service. But under current regulations, Ho-young can't sign a formal contract with Real Madrid for another three years. Can you also fend off Premier League clubs next year, where he can legally sign?"

"He has no reason to leave Madrid."

Schuster was confident.

As long as the club's leadership didn't do anything foolish.

That match beca a hot topic for days.

From the match itself to post-ga interviews, everything was top class.

Particularly, the dia lavished praise on the ga. In one standout article, Marca's renowned columnist La Saeta Rubia analyzed Ho-young's journey in detail, even suggesting he could win the Golden Boy award.

[Marca]

[By: La Saeta Rubia]

…The list of 25 nominees for the 2008 Golden Boy Award, which will be announced at the end of December, has been released.

Organized by Italian dia outlet Tuttosport, the award is given to the most outstanding young player in Europe, selected by journalists from various countries.

Until June this year, Manchester United's Anderson and Atlético Madrid's Sergio Agüero were the leading candidates.

If Brazil had won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Anderson might have had a strong chance. But that dal went to Ho-young.

anwhile, last year's winner Agüero is now a FIFA Player of the Year nominee, so a back-to-back Golden Boy win seems unlikely.

Other strong Argentine prospects like Ángel Di María, Pablo Piatti, and Franco Di Santo are also on the list.

It remains to be seen how things unfold, but if Ho-young maintains consistent performances, I believe his chances of winning are very high.

The Golden Boy.

It wasn't as prestigious as the Ballon d'Or, having only been established five years ago.

However, the voting rights were held by reputable European outlets like Marca and The Tis, giving the award considerable credibility.

If Ho-young were to win, he would follow in the footsteps of Van der Vaart, Rooney, ssi, Fàbregas, and Agüero.

As he read through the article, Ho-young couldn't help but feel a thrill just thinking about it.

The award itself was significant, but more than anything, it would unlock ssi's special condition.

'I'm getting ssi's potential. No matter what.'

Everything was going smoothly.

If there was a problem, it was that school had started again, making things busier.

At Castilla, matches were once a week, but now with the first team involved in multiple competitions, the schedule was packed.

Especially in September, with matches every three days, there were no days off from training.

Ho-young still had to attend school in the mornings, leaving little ti to spend with his teammates.

The school did allow him to skip as many classes as possible, but he still had to et the minimum attendance required by the education departnt.

Fortunately, this was his final year of school.

Fourth year of middle school.

Now the most senior student, Ho-young realized school life could be both comfortable and dynamic.

It wasn't an exaggeration.

Back when he was still with Castilla, he was already the most famous student at school. But after debuting with the first team, his popularity skyrocketed.

The day after he scored two goals in his La Liga debut, the school went wild.

And the day after his Champions League debut, the hallways were packed.

Every student wanted his autograph.

Especially the first-year students, who sward his classroom every break just to catch a glimpse of him.

It was like a scene straight out of Boys Over Flowers, minus the sports car.

He felt good, of course, but also slightly annoyed on a human level.

Still, Ho-young welcod them all with a friendly smile.

Each and every one of them was a valuable fan.

That was reason enough.

There were a few classmates who were envious or jealous of Ho-young, but nobody dared pick a fight with him.

There were no issues with school life, allowing Ho-young to focus fully on football.

The next day.

Returning to Valdebebas, Ho-young threw himself into training again.

To manage his condition, he only participated in moderate weight training and team drills, skipping individual sessions.

It was per club instructions.

'Rest is just as important as training.'

While most professional training routines were focused on optimizing stamina, Ho-young, still growing, was following a schedule designed to support physical developnt.

There was so frustration, especially as many of his A-grade talents were on the verge of becoming S-grade.

But overtraining could affect his performance in matches.

Now that he was a first-team player, condition managent had to be the priority.

Fifteen to twenty-five hours a week was more than enough.

'The stage is what really matters. As fast as my talents are growing, I need to build match sharpness and skills too. Including versatility.'

After the last match, he had once again realized the importance of versatility.

Honestly, Real Madrid had no shortage of talents worth acquiring.

The issue was the amount of ti required to absorb them.

However, now that his versatility had grown, that frustration had eased a little.

This was the perfect ti to accelerate his growth.

And his next goal was clear.

'Carlos's spinning kick.'

That was Ho-young's current top priority.

It was a unique talent, unlike anything else in world football.

A shot impossible without incredible leg strength, but if he could gain Carlos's kick sense, it would help him in many ways.

More importantly, it would open the door to acquiring Explosive Kicking Power.

Only one condition remained.

'I just need to score a free kick goal while playing alongside him.'

The opportunity would co.

And because he didn't know when it would co, he had to be prepared in advance.

'Let's go.'

If he could beco a relentless training machine like Ronaldo, and gain talents beyond even ssi's, he could beco the greatest player of all ti.

A truly one-of-a-kind footballer.

That was his ultimate goal, and his driving force to keep pushing forward.

And so, as always, Ho-young threw himself into training.

(To be continued.)

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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.

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