READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 179
– Cheolmo: Hah…
– Cheolmo: Why is everyone so quiet?
– Cheolmo: Speak up like usual.
– Gyeouri: If you tease me now, I feel like I’ll get hit.
– Cheolmo: You know it well.
– Gyeouri: Phew… I avoided the trap.
– Cheolmo: Jinho.
– Ho-woo: Yes.
– Cheolmo: Don’t you want to come to Chelsea?
– Ho-woo: I have no desire to join a lousy team that can’t even make it to the Champions League.
– Father-in-law: ???
– Chairman Hwang Geum-soon: Hahaha!
– Ho-woo: I didn’t send that.
– Gyeouri: It must have been Haeun!
– Cheolmo: Han Gyeouri, time to dash to your room.
– Gyeouri: Roger that! T_T
– Father-in-law: Tsk tsk. Gyeouri, that’s a weak excuse.
– Chairman Hwang Geum-soon: Who’s falling for that? LOL
***
[Chelsea suffers a shocking defeat at home on Stamford Bridge.]
[Son Jinho scores his 9th and 10th goals in the Premier League!]
[Son Jinho achieves 10 goals in three consecutive seasons since turning pro.]
[Mourinho leaves the interview room with a dejected expression, ‘Damn it, football’s god.’]
└ Honestly, he was really unlucky;;
└ For real, if you concede 3 goals like that, your mentality would break.
└ If it were me, I would have smashed a shotgun on the desk, for real LOL
└ From now on, don’t call Football Online a trash game. Reality is even worse.
└ For real, LOL
└ ???: Trash game, my ass. Bam! Bam! Bam!
└ Nexdon: That’s historical accuracy, my dear customer.
└ ???: Son Jinho, nerf him, you bastards! How can a goal go in after hitting a defender? Bam! Bam! Bam!
└ Nexdon: That’s historical accuracy, valued customer.
[ Liverpool climbs back to 4th place in the league, regaining Champions League qualification.]
[Chelsea drops to 5th place after losing to Man U, signaling a furious winter transfer market.]
***
The winter transfer window is already halfway through, and only 10 days are left.
[Nemanja Matic transfers to Chelsea for €25 million.]
European clubs are frantically searching player markets in a bid to strengthen their squads.
[At least give us Goetze! Toni Kroos demands a pay rise from the club.]
[Toni Kroos, conflicts with Bayern Munich?]
The one who caught their eye was Toni Kroos, who expressed dissatisfaction with his salary.
[Manchester United approaches Toni Kroos amid stalled contract negotiations.]
[Chelsea shows interest in signing Toni Kroos.]
[Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola says, ‘Toni Kroos? A player with great potential. I’d love to work with him at City.’]
[Real Madrid enters the race to sign Toni Kroos.]
In an instant, Toni Kroos becomes the hottest commodity in the market.
But Kroos still shows loyalty to the club.
[Toni Kroos expresses loyalty, saying, “My first priority is to renew my contract with Bayern Munich.”]
└ Asking for a raise but calling that loyalty?
└ Hey, Kroos is reportedly earning half of Goetze’s salary.
└ ??? Half of Goetze’s? Damn, LOL loyalty acknowledged;;
└ Isn’t Goetze overshadowing him and coming off the bench?
└ Toni Kroos is basically a starter. Why is the pay structure like this?
└ Goetze’s salary is overly inflated.
└ Seems like they’re being reckless to cover for Hoeneß’s tax evasion.
Jupp Heynckes strongly demanded the club renew Toni Kroos’ contract.
[Heynckes, wanting to renew Toni Kroos, states, “Toni is Bayern Munich’s future.”]
But the Bayern Munich board was inexplicably negative about renewing Kroos and acted as if they were dragging their feet.
[Shocking internal recordings from Bayern Munich revealed: “That guy will never be world-class. He should be grateful just to be playing for Bayern Munich.”]
Moreover, a private conversation got leaked, putting Kroos and Bayern’s relationship in an irreversible situation.
***
– Cheolmo: Jinho.
– Ho-woo: Yes.
– Cheolmo: Can Toni Kroos come to Chelsea?
– Cheolmo: That guy kicks the ball pretty well.
– Gyeouri: Mom, LOL
– Gyeouri: Why would Kroos go to Chelsea?
– Gyeouri: When there’s invincible Hwang Yoo?! LOL
– Cheolmo: (New tape released, “Not signing Son Jinho was the biggest mistake, not Toni Kroos.”)
– Gyeouri: No way; why is that old man throwing crap at our recruitment?
***
Anything can happen in the transfer market.
[Heynckes, unable to comprehend the club’s decision…]
[Toni Kroos: “I will leave Bayern Munich and prove I can become a world-class player.”]
[Bayern Munich: “Toni Kroos is a money-oriented player. He lacks respect for the club.”]
As Bayern Munich and Toni Kroos crossed the point of no return.
[Manchester United fails to sign Nicolas Otamendi.]
Manchester United gave up on signing Nicolas Otamendi.
With the acquisition of Virgil van Dijk, Manchester United’s defensive line regained stability, while Phil Jones and Evans, feeling threatened, started to rise.
And above all, the fact that the player himself preferred Spain over England, combined with the outrageous transfer fee demanded by Porto, was a huge factor.
[Juan Mata bids farewell to Chelsea fans after leaving.]
Meanwhile, after losing his place at Chelsea, Juan Mata confirmed his transfer to Arsenal.
In an alternate history, he might have joined Manchester United, but currently, United’s forward lineup is overflowing.
Juan Mata chose to head to Arsenal among the offers from Tottenham and Arsenal.
[(Official) Juan Mata transfers to Arsenal for £30 million (5.8 billion).]
The sudden transfer of Juan Mata to Arsenal shocked Premier League football fans.
– Chairman Hwang Geum-soon: …!! Our team is spending money?!
It was quite rare to see Arsenal splashing cash in the winter transfer window.
[Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy says, “We offered a higher amount than Arsenal, so I can’t understand why he went there.”]
└ Tottenham, LOL
└ Those guys’ proposals didn’t make sense from the start, did they?
└ For real, LOL When Chelsea was making a fuss over signing Modric, they wouldn’t send him here even if we killed their London rival, and now they’re making offers for Juan Mata. What gall, LOL
Amidst this somewhat chaotic atmosphere, news broke that Gi-hyun Choi had moved to the key position of Strengthening Committee Chairman, which is essential to the Football Association.
“Congratulations on the promotion.”
I immediately contacted Gi-hyun Choi to send my congratulations.
– Hehe, thanks Jinho. I’ll take care of all the maggots in the association, so just show up later.
Then, Gi-hyun Choi brought up something unclear.
“Um… I’m not really thinking of returning to the national team.”
My reply left Gi-hyun Choi speechless for a moment.
It seemed he thought I still had lingering feelings for the national team.
Well, it is true that I felt some attachment the last time I spoke with the current association president.
After all, it’s the country where I was born.
It would be a lie to say I didn’t feel patriotism.
‘Hmm. Is it because I didn’t serve in the military?’
Maybe that’s it.
Friends who couldn’t enlist due to exemption or as a regular soldier yelled all sorts of curses at why they had to go.
– …You’re not interested in the national team? Why?!
Upon hearing Gi-hyun Choi’s panicked voice with that question, I fell into thought.
My abandonment of returning to the national team was greatly influenced by the association president’s half-hearted reforms.
Despite sweeping away internal dissenters through interviews with the press, the president did not actively pursue reforms contrary to his words.
Well, I could somewhat understand that.
After raising the Big Ear with Manchester United, perhaps my statements about returning to the national team would have affected things.
At that time, United was objectively underpowered to aim for the Champions League title.
It seems that the president judged he wouldn’t manage to bring me back during his term.
If I were to return after he left after his term, that would be like serving someone a plate of feces.
From the standpoint of a president wanting to claim some achievements, it would be understandable that his interest in reforms would vanish.
‘Hmm. But is it too much of an excuse to blame the president?’
Well, to be more honest, the ability to rest during A-Match periods was surprisingly sweet.
Having come to the UK, I’ve felt that the Premier League schedule is excessively grueling.
If I hadn’t rested during the A-Match period, would my knee have fallen apart by now?
For these reasons, I currently had no thoughts of playing for the national team.
Maybe after raising the Big Ear with United, but…
Nevertheless, I couldn’t share this mindset with Gi-hyun Choi; I just smiled and brushed it off.
– …Soon to be sacrificed? It’s me.
Gi-hyun Choi’s gruff voice.
*Sigh. Why didn’t I just ask before taking the position?*
I let out a small sigh at Gi-hyun Choi’s mumbling.
Rational suspicion arose that his innate desire for honor prompted him to instinctively say yes when the offer came.
But still, it felt a bit touching, so I conveyed my comforting words.
“Well… I’ll ask Mino to set something up for you, so come by anytime.”
And after that day, Gi-hyun Choi began rampaging.
[Choi Gi-hyun sharpening his knives? When asked by a journalist whether he could bring Son Jinho back to the national team… “Before bringing anyone back, a sincere apology to the victims and punishment of those responsible is a must, followed by reforming the association’s system to prevent a second Son Jinho incident.”]
Wasn’t the best defense the best offense?
[“Is ‘Soccerpia’ sharpening its public knives? A specific cartel is trying to privatize the Football Association. National team football is not for any specific group but for all the citizens.”]
Awakened, Gi-hyun Choi showcased a relentlessly aggressive style, mercilessly firing at the football association.
[Unleashed Gi-hyun Choi? He lashes out at the association elders. “If you’re just going to flaunt your authority, then don’t take up space and step aside.”]
└ Wow, Gi-hyun Choi for parliament, LOL
└ Damn, it’s like I drank soda, my heart’s all clear like that, LOL
***
While Choi Gi-hyun, who received job security from Son Jinho, was publicly charging into the Football Association.
Son Jinho’s Ballon d’Or acceptance interview was released to the world.
[(SBK) Exclusive Interview with the Youngest Ballon d’Or Winner, Son Jinho.]
Q. Did you expect to win the Ballon d’Or?
A. I totally didn’t. But I had my hopes.
Q. Where are you keeping the Ballon d’Or?
A. I’ve bought a display case to keep it in.
Q. I saw Ronaldo congratulating you on winning the Ballon d’Or.
A. That was all just image-making. That day, Ronaldo sent me a message over 5700 characters saying I had robbed the Ballon d’Or.
Q. What about your relationship with Chairman Choi Gi-hyun?
A. He was my high school coach and helped me during my studies in Germany.
Q. What about Chairman Choi Gi-hyun’s abilities?
A. He’s a master of administrative duties. I saw a mountain of paperwork vanish in an instant. Since he learned about promising youth policies and football administration in Germany, I believe he can develop Korean football in a good direction.
Q. Do you have any goals for the future?
A. To lift the Big Ear trophy with Manchester United.
Q. Lastly, any words for football fans?
A. Thank you for your support. I’ll do my best in the preseason matches.
└ Judging by the way the question got cut off and switched topics, it seems like the journalist was subtly trying to tease out a comeback to the national team.
└ So, did he not answer?
└ Does it seem like he’s disinterested in a national team return?
└ Would you want to come back if you were in his shoes?
└ Be satisfied with not being naturalized.
└ Personally, I’d prefer him to keep winning Ballon d’Ors rather than returning to the national team.
└ For real, the Ballon d’Or hype is real.
└ If Manchester United goes invincible this time, will it be back-to-back Ballons?
└ Ronaldo, Van Persie are sure to split the votes.
└ (Comment deleted by the admin.)
└ (Comment deleted by the admin.)
└ What’s going on up there?
└ Someone criticized Son Jinho. Just ignore it.
└ Wow. The “Ho-gi guy” press is finally crushing it;;
└ Yep, you too, soon to be deleted comment.
└ What’s with “Ho-gi guy”?
└ Son Jinho ditched the national team, yet still following the fans, so they call Son Jinho fans “Ho-gi guy.”