Team 2's lone striker, Fran, wore an expression so exaggerated it could have come straight out of a cartoon.
My presence completely vanished...
It was only then that Fran realized something.
He was the one who couldn't do anything without tactics.
All of this happened because he refused to set up any sort of tactical structure.
Positional collapse.
Ho-young had broken free from positional constraints and was running wild. Because of that, Fran had been reduced to a background prop.
And he had ended up showing that exact image to President Perez.
It's over. I'm finished. I've been branded as a guy who can't do anything.
Despite his team scoring the first goal, Fran hung his head in self-blame.
On the other hand, there was one player on Team 1 who wasn't too upset about conceding.
My God.
It was Marcos, a fan of Ho-young.
Though he had made a fatal mistake as a footballer, what he felt wasn't regret or anger. It was something else.
Shock.
Today, Ho-young had only just begun learning what's considered the fundamentals of Spanish youth football.
But he displayed his own style and skill as if it didn't matter at all.
Yeah, that's the real Ho-young!
Marcos was born into a footballing family.
His grandfather, Marcos Alonso Imaz, had played for Real Madrid. His father, Marcos Alonso Peña, had played for Barcelona.
Now, skipping a generation, Marcos the boy was learning football at Real Madrid.
He had grown up being called a football prodigy, thanks to his inherited bloodline. But at some point, his development had stagnated, and he began to lose interest in the game.
Then he saw Ho-young on TV.
The 2005 U17 Peru World Cup.
Watching Ho-young perform brilliantly on that stage had reignited his passion.
And today, finally, he met him.
At first, he had been disappointed. But now, not at all.
Marcos's eyes sparkled brightly.
I want to play with him.
At the same time, his determination flared.
I'm going to stop him.
He wasn't the only one with that thought.
The other Team 1 players also began to show strong determination.
To stop Ho-young.
To make their presence felt by shutting him down.
About ten minutes later, Team 1 finally got a chance.
It started with Marcos making a run down the left flank.
"Coming through!"
Thud!
Despite his solid build, he was impressively fast.
That speed came from well-trained muscles built through sweat and effort.
I'm here.
Marcos suddenly stopped.
He kept the ball close at his feet and surveyed the field ahead.
His team's attacking midfielder and striker were pulling apart the opposing defense, creating space.
No matter where he sent the ball, it would be dangerous.
Outside the penalty area looks most threatening.
Observation. Decision-making.
Marcos completed both in an instant, unusually fast for a youth player.
Now it was time for execution.
He was planning to curl in a cross with his left foot.
His crosses were so accurate that even the strict Juvenil B technical coach acknowledged their quality.
So he didn't hesitate. He swung his left foot confidently.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Damn.
Ho-young, who had been up front just moments ago, had somehow made it all the way back to pressure Marcos.
Marcos couldn't believe it.
Just a second ago, Ho-young had been on the other side. How had he closed the distance so quickly?
Thrown off, Marcos missed the timing for his cross and instead passed the ball to the central midfielder on the right.
If he had attempted the cross, it likely would have been blocked by Ho-young and gone out of bounds.
So he chose to pull back and wait for the next opportunity.
It seemed like the smart, conventional choice.
But when you consider Ho-young's specialties, it was an incredibly poor decision.
"...Ah!"
Marcos realized too late that he had made a mistake.
But by then, the situation had already spiraled out of control.
Whoosh.
Before Marcos could even fully turn his head, Ho-young's legs were already reaching for the ball.
A sliding tackle, intercepting the ball that had been sent to the right.
Using his sharp instincts and reflexes, he executed a clean interception.
Tap!
The ball struck Ho-young's toe and popped up high into the air, directionless.
This was Marcos's chance to recover.
That ball is mine.
Marcos stood at around 180 cm.
Ho-young immediately got back up to contest the ball, but this time, Marcos was confident.
But things didn't go his way.
"Ugh."
Ho-young jumped high and used his shoulder to strongly bump into Marcos mid-air.
It wasn't an attempt to win the aerial duel.
Rather than going for the ball, Ho-young had clearly intended to disrupt Marcos and prevent him from controlling it.
Whether it was instinctive or the result of high football IQ, Marcos couldn't tell.
But one thing was clear.
He's insane.
It wasn't admiration, but a sense of reverence.
In the end, no one was able to claim the ball. It dropped to the ground and was cleared far away by a Team 2 defender.
All of that had happened in less than five seconds.
Marcos felt his scalp tingle.
For a moment, he wondered if he was facing a beast, not a human.
What he saw in Ho-young just now reminded him of a lion hunting gazelles in the savannah.
Marcos, who had already admired Ho-young before, couldn't just let this moment pass.
To him, it wasn't just defending. It was art.
"Ha! That was amazing."
He meant it sincerely.
Was this how players who faced Maradona 30 years ago had felt?
Top players from around the world once said this about Maradona.
That even if they played for a million years, they would never be able to reach his level.
And those words struck Marcos to the bone now.
No. Even in a million years, I couldn't do that.
From that moment, Marcos's respect for Ho-young soared to new heights.
And it wasn't over yet.
The ball, now back with Team 2, found its way to Ho-young's feet once more.
Thud!
He received the pass about 40 meters from the goal.
Without even hesitating for 0.1 seconds, he charged forward.
Coming in to block his path at full speed was Team 1's centre-back, Moha.
Ho-young's gaze sharpened instantly.
His talent surfaced again.
"...!"
Marseille Turn.
Like all dribbling moves, the Marseille Turn wasn't meant to be used at just any time.
Its true effectiveness comes when you have your back to a defender or when trying to break the balance of a tracking opponent.
And this was the perfect moment.
Ho-young's fluid movement completely disrupted Moha's balance.
"Argh!"
That was one defender down.
Next was Joaquin, the last defender sticking close.
Ho-young's eyes flicked slightly to the right, and his hair whipped back.
Smack!
An explosive burst forward.
Unless you were a track athlete, you couldn't keep up with that speed.
Joaquin was left helpless.
And finally.
One more.
Inside the penalty box, it was just Ho-young and the goalkeeper, Dario.
Dario lowered his body to center his weight.
But in just 0.5 seconds, Ho-young took a short step and struck the ball with a precise and quick kick.
Splash!
Once again, his calm and clinical finishing was flawless.
A brace.
And then.
"Sui!"
His first goal celebration in Spain.
"Heh heh."
Laughter erupted from the stands.
It was Perez, observing the Juvenil match before Real Madrid's New Year event.
"This is the best signing of the winter window."
When Perez recruited players, he always considered two things the most: how good they looked in the white shirt and how much that would boost jersey sales.
Those were the reasons he quickly signed Ho-young.
But now he realized Ho-young's ability far surpassed his looks.
Of course, he already knew Ho-young was talented.
Antonio's reports had consistently praised him, and Perez had seen plenty of evidence of his brilliance.
But this level of flexibility and explosiveness?
It's hard to believe this is his first day of training.
Unbelievable, but it was real.
"Heh heh."
Perez laughed so much he had to adjust his slightly crooked glasses.
"What an incredible kid."
"Hahaha. I agree."
Michel nodded while keeping his eyes locked on the field.
The score was now 3-0.
The match was all but over in Team 2's favor, but no one could take their eyes off the field.
They didn't want to miss a second of Ho-young's performance.
Thankfully, another staff member was recording the match.
It would be perfect material for youth marketing.
As they watched in awe, the coach's whistle rang out across the pitch.
It was just a practice match, but it ended far too one-sidedly.
"Proving his worth with a hat-trick in his very first training match."
A fantastic start to writing a new chapter in Real Madrid's history.
Perez suddenly recalled something.
"Francisco said something once."
"You mean the man who discovered Maradona?"
Perez nodded and continued as he recalled the old memory.
"When Maradona came for a tryout, he was just eight years old, but he played better than the adults. That's why they immediately moved to sign him. I feel the same way right now."
"I feel the same. Ho-young's talent was already proven at the U17 World Cup. The only question is whether he can maintain it in the professional world."
"He can."
"You think so?"
"He's good-looking, isn't he? Good-looking players always live up to their face. People play the way they look."
With that, Perez stood up, as if he had seen enough.
"You're leaving already?"
"The event's about to start. Ah, by the way, who do you think would make a good tutor for Ho-young?"
"I'd need to know what kind of player you want him to become first."
"I want him to become the kind of player who's never existed in history."
"In that case, maybe we should assign every first-team player to mentor him one by one."
"Heh heh. You're joking."
Perez chuckled and shrugged.
"Alright then. First-team players are attending today's event. Who should I ask first?"
"How about someone close to retirement? Like Zidane."
"Nonsense. I'm not letting go of Zidane. He's still going strong. He's got at least three more years in him. I can still sell a million more shirts."
Half-joking, half-serious, Perez left the training ground with a smile.
In his mind, a grand plan was already forming.
Real Madrid, with 138 million football fans worldwide.
The second most popular club in Asia after Manchester United.
And now, they had an Asian player, Ho-young.
Mix those three together, and it could create a picture no one had ever painted before.
That's why Ho-young's development, and the tutoring that would support it, were of utmost importance.
Florentino Perez quickened his pace.
(To be continued.)