The match against Real Sociedad stirred quite a reaction back in Korea.
The main point of contention was the tackle by Kovacevic on Ho-young. A screenshot of the incident circulated online, igniting a heated debate.
Public backlash quickly formed against referee Ángel, who had only given a yellow card despite the high challenge.
On the Korean petition site Agorang, a signature campaign was launched.
[Agorang Petition: Current Signatures – 48,512]
[According to the FIFA official website, if over 1 million people sign within 48 hours, punishment can be enforced. Please sign. We must put a stop to reckless challenges that could ruin the future of a promising youth.]
└I signed!
└Me too. That should've at least been a red card. It could've ended the career of one of the world's top prospects.
└Ho-young's nutcracker shot, LOL.
└Trying to take out the future Zidane? Tsk tsk.
└But can FIFA even punish him over something like this...?
└Apparently it's a FIFA regulation.
└Wait, really? FIFA has rules like that?
└Idiots, LOL. That ref's part of the Spanish Football Federation.
└You clueless? FIFA is the top dog in football.
└Signing for the sake of a cleaner football world ^_^
└WooHooHyung will always support our Ho-young.
└WooHooHyung will always support our Ho-young 2!
This was during the peak of the Agorang craze.
Any social controversy would usually end up on that site, and this incident was no exception.
People accused Ángel's yellow card decision of being not just a mistake, but a sign of corruption, calling for his punishment and resignation.
It was partly driven by blind patriotism and emotional rhetoric.
In truth, it wasn't something FIFA could directly intervene in, nor did FIFA have any such rule.
In fact, most locals agreed that Ángel's call had been fair.
What was amusing, though, was that some Korean football fans went as far as leaving complaints on the official website of the Spanish Tourism Board.
Still, it was better than what happened in China.
At one point, some Chinese fans had staged street protests asking to be included in the World Cup after being eliminated in the Asian qualifiers.
So in a way, these kinds of incidents weren't unique to Korea.
And they usually fizzled out before becoming global news.
But the incident with Kovacevic did directly impact a particular organization.
At that time, in Zaragoza, Spain.
Adidas Spain, which employed over 300 staff from 10 different nationalities, was dealing with a dilemma.
Having recently received the "Best Employer in Spain" award, the company was riding a wave of customer goodwill. But some new concerns had emerged within their sponsorship division.
The first issue involved Kovacevic, whose public image had taken a severe hit.
Rancho, the head of sponsorship from India, made the decision.
"No renewal."
Adidas had a 6-year, €2.4 million contract with Kovacevic, which was set to expire that year. And they had decided not to extend it.
The reasons were clear: relegation to the second division, declining popularity, constant scandals, and his nearing retirement.
Once a key player for a La Liga runner-up, Kovacevic had become a liability in just a year or two.
There was simply no reason to extend the deal.
It wasn't as if he had committed a crime, so they didn't terminate the contract immediately. But the decline in public image due to media backlash acted as the final trigger.
Adidas dealt with hundreds of athletes. This kind of thing was routine, and there was no reason to drag it out messily.
Cutting off rotten limbs was always the right move.
The next agenda was about a personal sponsorship deal.
A brand planner brought up the topic.
"You mean the individual contract?"
The potential signee was Ho-young, of Real Madrid Castilla.
Typically, player agents initiate sponsorship deals, but sometimes companies reach out to the player directly.
In most cases, young prospects are covered under team-wide deals. But for players with already established potential or recognition, individual deals are offered from an early stage.
Globally, this was rare. Players like Carlos Vela, Giovani dos Santos, Bojan, and Giovinco were among the few.
Though Ho-young was still very young, Adidas believed now was the right time.
After all, he was already playing in the Segunda División.
Rancho shared his thoughts.
"No one can say for sure who will become the next Beckham or Figo. But what's certain is that Ho-young has already proven his value multiple times. He's not just a prospect anymore."
Since Adidas already had a sponsorship deal with Real Madrid, they had priority negotiation rights with its players, so there was no need to rush.
But they couldn't afford to delay either.
If Ho-young debuted in La Liga next year wearing Nike boots, that would be a PR disaster.
So now was the right time.
At the end of September, Lucci arrived at the Castilla training ground in Valdebebas with good news.
"I just came from a meeting with Adidas."
Ho-young, in the middle of personal training, made time to speak with him.
"The boot deal you mentioned before?"
"Yes. The offer looks good. Take a look and let me know what you think."
Currently, Ho-young was being supplied with Adidas gear through the club, wearing the F50 series.
Signing directly with Adidas would only make things simpler.
Wiping the sweat running down his face, Ho-young opened the contract.
His lips curled slightly.
"Oh, it's an individual contract?"
"Yes. Normally youth players are under team or national team deals, but you're already attracting attention as a pro player."
Sportswear companies aren't charities.
They don't throw money at unknown youth players who don't even appear on TV.
That's why there are team contracts, usually providing €2,000–5,000 worth of equipment per year as a kind of bait, with the hope the player will sign with them when turning pro.
But for Ho-young, who was already in the Segunda and making headlines, a personal deal made much more sense.
The contract was full of various options.
1. If the player debuts in La Liga with Real Madrid within 2 years, the sponsorship fee increases by 200% (paid in full for the remaining contract period).
2. If he becomes the youngest player to debut in La Liga, a bonus of €100,000 is paid.
3. If selected for the U20 national team and plays in an official match before turning 18, a €10,000 bonus is paid.
4. If he plays in an Olympic match before turning 18, a €20,000 bonus is paid.
5. Additional performance bonuses based on individual and team achievements, as outlined below.
There were more, but the most important detail was the contract fee.
"A two-year deal for €200,000, so €100,000 per year."
Roughly 140 million won.
About 60% of the annual salary Ho-young currently received from Real Madrid.
Typically, a promising 18-year-old who makes a few impressive appearances for a top-tier club might get a five-year deal worth around 2.5 billion won.
So by comparison, this offer wasn't bad at all.
The short contract period was also a plus.
"So I'll be wearing only Adidas gear for the next two years."
For the next two years, he would be Adidas' property.
And that didn't just apply to football boots.
Backpacks, gloves, caps, sneakers—any basic apparel had to be Adidas.
Exceptions were sunglasses, non-football sports gear, headphones, personal care and hygiene products, watches, and other electronic accessories.
"Even outside of matches, you need to stick to Adidas."
"Guess I'll have to start clearing out my Nike stuff at home."
"Haha. It's better to throw them away. If a paparazzi snaps a picture of you walking out in Nike flip-flops, it could be a problem. They often use those to shake down athletes. It usually doesn't lead to a breach of contract, but it still annoys the sponsors."
One of the reasons companies sponsor athletes is because fans care about their lives off the pitch.
And Ho-young, despite being in the Segunda, was already attracting a good deal of media attention.
So he had to be extra cautious going forward.
Ho-young asked:
"Isn't this a violation of labor laws? That's quite a large amount."
"This isn't considered labor. There's no obligation to provide labor under fixed times or locations, and it's not compensation for services. So it's not categorized as labor in legal terms. If there were any issues, I wouldn't have brought the contract in the first place."
"Got it."
Having a capable agent really did help with peace of mind.
Some players suffer because they picked the wrong agent, but that didn't apply to Ho-young.
"A sponsorship deal, huh."
Ho-young's eyes gently curved.
Who would have thought he'd land a sponsorship deal this suddenly?
And if this led to commercial deals in the future...
Just imagining it made him feel good.
The fatigue from a full morning of training vanished like a lie.
Spain's 50% tax rate was a bit painful, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before he'd be sitting on a mountain of cash.
Not that he played football for money, but hey, better to have more than less.
Ho-young made his decision.
"Alright. Let's do it."
The contract signing with Adidas took place just two days later.
After a short signing ceremony and photo shoot, he gave an interview to Marca, and that very evening, an article was published on their website.
[Adidas Signs Partnership with Real Madrid Prospect Ho-young. Specifics of the deal remain undisclosed, but sources say it ranks among the top for Segunda Division players. This appears to be a strategic move targeting the Asian market, anticipating Ho-young's La Liga debut. Currently, he ranks joint third in the league's scoring chart...]
Below the article was a photo of Ho-young beaming while holding the official Champions League ball.
The interview was also posted, sharing a more personal side of Ho-young.
[Journalist: Thank you for the great answers. Any final words you'd like to share?]
[Ho-young: I didn't get to say this properly last time, but I'd like to thank everyone who's helped me—Ballack, Desailly, Coach Cha Bum-kun, Coach Carlos, and many others. I really want to compete on a bigger stage against even better players. That's what drives me to keep working hard. (laughs)]
As September came to a close, another big football story made headlines.
Toni Kroos, Golden Ball winner of the U17 World Cup and a Bayern Munich prospect, made his Bundesliga debut, scoring 1 goal and assisting 2 more.
He was only 17.
It was the day he broke the club's youngest debutant and youngest goalscorer records.
At that same moment.
Ho-young of Castilla was awarded the Segunda Division Player of the Month for August.
He became the youngest ever recipient of the award.
As the pace of world football quickened, autumn was also racing by in Madrid.
(To be continued.)
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