All Football Abilities Are Mine! Chapter 273 - 274: Farewell and Meeting (2)

After the announcent of Ho-young's transfer, Manchester went into chaos.

The streets were filled day and night with waves of people welcoming him, and Manchester City supporters, the Citizens, gathered in pubs near the stadium and held parties all night long.

With the Christmas holidays overlapping, many shops had originally planned to close, but with hundreds of thousands pouring into the streets every day, they had no choice but to stay open.

Just the news of Ho-young's arrival was revitalizing the local economy.

That was the level of influence he now held in the football world.

Various hastily organized events continued until the new year arrived.

For them, football was life itself.

There was even a saying that if you grew up in Manchester, your only dreams were to beco a footballer or a rock star.

So when Ho-young was coming, it was only natural that the city erupted.

On Manchester City's largest fan site, Citizens, the administrator personally posted an announcent to rally everyone.

[January 1, 2011, Manchester Airport. 880,000 Citizens, it's ti to show your passion. Welco the legend!]

└We are City!

└Super City!

└Mansour!

└Ho-young!

And on the morning of January 1.

Manchester City's leadership had already arrived at the airport before Ho-young to prepare for his reception.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of Manchester City and a key figure from the UAE, along with other top executives, ca to the airport, creating an unusually grand welco ceremony.

On top of that, hundreds of thousands of people flooded Manchester Airport, turning it into a sea of people.

Many had stayed up all night after the New Year's countdown at City Hall Square and ca straight to the airport.

An unprecedented situation.

The entire airport was nearly paralyzed.

This was Manchester Airport, the largest in the northern region.

Fortunately, the mayor had deployed around a thousand security personnel, allowing the welco event to proceed without major issues.

The city also provided full support for the event.

So Manchester United fans expressed dissatisfaction, but the mayor had no choice.

He had received a request from Mansour, a VIP who could influence the local economy.

And Ho-young was Mansour's VIP.

At the city level, it was an event that had to be supported as much as possible.

So at 8 a.m.

The mont Ho-young stepped out of the arrival gate, his eyes widened.

As soon as the automatic doors opened, the celebration began.

Flash!

Click!

"Waaaaaaaaaa!"

"Young! Young! Young! Young!"

Everywhere he looked, there were people.

The flashes and deafening cheers were overwhelming.

"Wow…"

This was not even a permanent transfer.

Officially, he was only staying for six months.

Yet they welcod him as if he were family.

But it was still too early to be surprised.

As he regained his senses, he noticed countless banners waving everywhere.

One stood out in particular.

[ssiah, Welco To MAN CITY!]

ssiah.

They truly seed to see him as a savior.

Goosebumps rose on his arms.

It was not because of the cold 3-degree weather.

Then he saw the people walking toward him through the long corridor.

'Mansour.'

The owner of Manchester City, Mansour, and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak approached him personally.

"Ho-young."

"Just call Al Mubarak."

Ho-young shook hands with them one by one.

At the end, Mansour smiled warmly.

"Welco to Manchester."

He thought he would feel less nervous since this was their second eting.

But seeing him here was completely different.

Manchester.

This was practically his city.

The authority he carried here was overwhelming.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

Ho-young moved forward under thunderous cheers, guided by security.

Then he noticed sothing else.

A red carpet had been laid out on the ground.

'…I should have worn a suit.'

Even Lucci beside him looked surprised, so it was clearly a surprise prepared by Manchester City.

A truly grand welco.

There was no ti to feel happy.

He was simply overwheld.

Still, he could not keep a stiff expression.

Ho-young smiled brightly and waved.

Then, as he stepped out of the airport.

Dum dum dum.

Tap.

'What now?'

He heard instrunts nearby.

"…!"

He had not expected this.

Looking ahead, he saw a rock band performing in front of the shopping center across from the airport.

With microphones and amps fully set up, they were playing on a proper stage.

A soft mix of bass, drums, guitar, and whistling filled the air, followed by a smooth voice.

Blue moon

You saw standing alone

Without a dream in my heart

Blue moon

You knew just what I was there for

Manchester City's official anthem, Blue Moon.

And the ones singing were none other than Oasis, the iconic Britpop band of the 90s.

"…."

He was speechless.

Magnificent.

There was no better word.

The Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, who had disbanded the previous year after their feud, were now standing together, holding microphones and welcoming Ho-young.

It was unbelievable.

As the song echoed, people waved Manchester City flags and sang along.

Tens of thousands raised their scarves above their heads in unison.

Above them, several helicopters fild the scene live.

Seeing all this, Ho-young let out a small laugh in disbelief.

People he had never t were welcoming him like this.

Was this really okay?

Mansour smiled.

"Enjoy this mont. Today, you are the star of Manchester."

Right then.

"One, two, one, two, three, four!"

Hundreds of thousands of voices blended together as drums and guitars roared.

The soft lody turned into powerful rock.

Blue moon!

Now I'm no longer alone

Without a dream in my heart

Without a love of my own

And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold

In the distance, the two brothers pointed toward him as they sang.

It felt like a massive concert.

The crowd sang along.

Their passion was incredible.

The cold no longer mattered.

Ho-young smiled brightly and raised both arms, waving.

An unforgettable morning had begun.

After the successful welco ceremony.

Ho-young rode in a Jaguar, Manchester City's official sponsor, and headed to the Etihad Stadium.

Even then, there were more surprises.

The car was gold, and other vehicles escorted it.

It felt like he was a head of state.

Only then did everything truly sink in.

How grateful he felt.

But earlier, he had been too overwheld to properly thank them.

Fortunately, he got the chance soon after.

At the dia Zone, where the official press conference would be held before his unveiling.

Ho-young sat beside Mansour at a sky-blue desk.

The atmosphere was still heated from the morning.

"Today's welco was unprecedented. Even as a Manchester local, I'm amazed. How do you feel, Ho-young?"

"I have no words. It was incredible. One of the best experiences of my life. I want to thank everyone who ca to welco ."

He continued the interview calmly.

Since it was a joyful day, most avoided tricky questions, but one ca.

"There has been a lot of discussion about your move to Manchester City. So say you ca to secure a professional contract. Do you have anything to say about that?"

"I understand those opinions. But regardless of the process, what matters most is the situation I'm in now. I will focus on the present."

"Next question from Daniel Taylor of The Guardian. Manchester City is currently fourth in the Premier League with 9 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses. They are 13 points behind Manchester United. What do you think of the situation?"

"I'm optimistic. Manchester City has developed a lot in just two years. They've reached fourth place and advanced to the Europa League Round of 16. At this rate, they can qualify for the Champions League next year. I want to contribute to that."

"Thank you."

Finally, Ho-young gave his closing remarks.

"From the first day, I have received more love than I deserve."

It was sincere.

Manchester City had around two million fans worldwide, with about 880,000 in the UK.

Compared to Real Madrid's estimated 200 million fans, it was a huge difference.

But their passion was just as strong.

Ho-young wanted to give sothing back.

"I just want to repay the fans who welcod so warmly."

"How?"

"Winning. That's all."

With that, the grand welco, the confident interview, and the official unveiling all ca to an end.

At that mont, Ho-young officially beca a mber of Manchester City.

(To be continued.)