Stadio Olimpico.
A multi-purpose stadium located in Rome, Italy, primarily known as the shared home ground of SS Lazio and AS Roma.
And today, it was set to host the final of the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League.
All 62,000 available seats had long been sold out.
As the evening deepened and the crowd filled in, the stands split neatly into two.
On one side, a card section spelled out "MUFC," while on the other, the emblem of Real Madrid was formed.
At exactly 8 PM, the Rustavi Ensemble took the stage for a celebratory performance.
Following that, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli heightened the tension by singing the soundtrack of the movie Gladiator.
It felt like standing in the Colosseum.
When the Champions League anthem began and the players emerged from the tunnel, they were left speechless by the breathtaking sight.
Ho-young, who was the tenth to walk out for his team, was overwhelmed by the grand scale and couldn't say a word.
Just being on this stage was enough to feel the pressure.
That pressure reached its peak when he shook hands with Park Ji-sung.
"Nice to meet you. Let's have a good game."
"I'll do my best."
An idol.
The encounter was brief but intense.
But that wasn't the end.
Manchester United's number 7.
Ho-young's eternal idol, now turned fierce rival, the one-of-a-kind footballer.
"Good to see you."
"Nice to meet you."
Cristiano Ronaldo.
[Cristiano Ronaldo]
[Possessed Talents: Transcendent Crack (T), No-Spin Shot of the Transcendent Crack (SU), Astonishing Dribbling (SS+3), Artistic Ball Control (SS+2), Indomitable Fighting Spirit (SS), Peerless Individual Skills (SS-), Phenomenal Finishing Ability (S+3), Jaw-Dropping Pace (S+2), (More...), Fantastic Positioning (A+3), Superb Heading (A+2), (More...)]
(If conditions are met, one talent can be acquired.)
(If a Title-grade (T) talent is acquired, part of its sensory perception can be absorbed. However, this can only be done after turning 18.)
(For talents S grade or higher, hidden conditions must be fulfilled.)
(Condition 1: Start the match)
(Condition 2: Score more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo)
(Condition 3: Play full 90 minutes)
(Condition 4: Successfully dribble past Manchester United three times)
(Condition 5: Record more than 9km of activity)
(Hidden Condition: Unlocked upon acquiring at least one talent)
(Special Condition
(If
The match began immediately.
Tweet!
[The long-awaited Champions League Final has kicked off! Manchester United on the left side takes the opening kickoff. Right away, they shift into a 4-3-3 formation.]
[As expected of the mind-game master, Manager Alex Ferguson. He had mainly used a 4-4-2 until the semifinals, but in the final, he's pulled out a 4-3-3 from the get-go.]
With a front three of Park Ji-sung, Ronaldo, and Rooney, and Anderson, Carrick, and Giggs in midfield, United came out with an aggressive setup.
Their back line consisted of Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, and Evra.
And of course, van der Sar guarded the net.
Seeing this, Schuster held his head in frustration.
Real Madrid had prepared to face a 4-4-2. This was a nightmare.
[Real Madrid also came out in a 4-3-3 formation. Raul, van Nistelrooy, and Ho-young are leading the line, presenting a fearsome attacking threat.]
[But the game isn't going their way. Ten minutes in, and they've yet to produce an effective attack.]
United's back four, composed of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and Patrice Evra, certainly lived up to their reputation as the world's best.
If Liverpool's defense was about cohesion, United's defense had both cohesion and individual brilliance at the highest level.
Whenever Ho-young tried to break through, Gary Neville would first close the space to buy time.
During that moment, Michael Carrick would rush in to dispossess him.
But that approach had its limits.
Ho-young, having absorbed strength from Adriano, initiated a physical duel with Carrick.
And in the end, it was Carrick who bounced off.
"Bloody hell!"
He was considered one of the top defensive midfielders in the world.
At 27, he had plenty of experience too.
But stopping Ho-young on his own was overwhelming.
Rio Ferdinand's renowned pace helped with the coverage, but Carrick still couldn't believe his eyes.
Wasn't this opponent still a teenager whose muscle growth wasn't even complete?
'The gaffer was right.'
Ferguson's words during training over the past few weeks resurfaced.
–Ho-young is a player who evolves every match.
That statement couldn't have been more true.
Ho-young was clearly more developed than when Carrick had seen him on video before.
Now he understood why the training intensity had been so brutal.
'All I can do is buy time.'
Displaying excellent football intelligence, Carrick made a quick decision.
As Ferguson had instructed, the focus shouldn't be on stopping Ho-young directly but rather on preventing goals.
[Manchester United's defense seems visibly shaken. That shows how sharp Ho-young's breakthrough was.]
[And Ferguson is already yelling from the touchline.]
[That's just his style.]
From that moment, United's playing style began to shift.
Park Ji-sung, originally the right winger, switched places with Wayne Rooney and moved to the left. Dropping deeper, he actively joined in defending against Ho-young.
[This further fortifies United's midfield. Attacks are left to Ronaldo and Rooney, while the overall balance now leans toward defense.]
This was Ferguson's second strategy.
United, who had been focusing on the flanks, now shifted to long-ball counterattacks, continuously exploiting the space behind Real Madrid's back line.
Whenever Ho-young had the ball, Park Ji-sung and Carrick would pounce immediately. If he broke through, Ferdinand and Neville would respond with well-coordinated defending.
And if that still didn't work, Park Ji-sung would persistently track him down like a shadow.
[The pressure on Ho-young is increasing rapidly.]
[He's having a hard time even receiving passes now. There's just no space.]
Ho-young was isolated.
But Real Madrid didn't only have Ho-young.
In midfield, Zidane was still orchestrating a formidable build-up, while Raul and van Nistelrooy created space with their constant movement up front.
When two or three midfielders swarmed Ho-young, it left gaps elsewhere, and Madrid capitalized with strong attacks.
That forced United to ease the pressure on Ho-young.
[Ho-young exploits a moment of space and aims for a forward pass! A cross up the center! Van Nistelrooy is charging in!]
[Van Nistelrooy! He jumps for the header!]
[Ah, that's unfortunate!]
It wasn't van Nistelrooy who got the header, but Nemanja Vidic.
He displayed the kind of aerial dominance that justified his reputation.
[You can sense United's desperation for a second straight Champions League title. Remarkable.]
[Real Madrid is no different. Especially van Nistelrooy, who seems fired up against the club that let him go. It's a shame. Still, he and Vidic share a moment of mutual respect.]
The match went back and forth with no side clearly dominating.
But nearing the end of the first half, Madrid's midfield began to show signs of fatigue.
It was a serious problem.
Schuster had fielded both Sneijder and Zidane in midfield to enhance ball distribution, but it compromised their defensive solidity.
As time passed, that weakness became more pronounced.
Finally, in the 42nd minute, after a tense stalemate, the deadlock was broken.
The opening goal came from Ronaldo's header, connecting with Evra's cross.
[A high ball to the far post! Ronaldo gets his head on it!]
Thud!
Casillas made a miraculous save, but the rebound fell to Wayne Rooney.
A goal conceded by Real Madrid.
[Goal! Manchester United scores in the 43rd minute of the first half!]
And it didn't end there.
Just four minutes later, from a corner kick, Vidic scored a header to double the lead.
[Real Madrid has a lot to sort out during halftime.]
[They'll need to come up with a plan to dismantle United's web-like defense.]
Halftime proceeded similarly for both teams.
Schuster gave a brief but firm tactical talk to engrain key adjustments, then entrusted the final three minutes to captain Raul.
Meanwhile, in the away team's dressing room, Ferguson's commanding voice echoed.
"If you give everything and still lose, I'll take responsibility. But if you lose after slacking off and failing your duties, all of us will pay the price. I promise that on my life as a manager. No one gets to wear the United shirt forever."
He then called one player aside.
It was Michael Carrick.
"You, lad, seem to be terribly mistaken. Today might be your only chance. Why aren't you giving everything?"
"...I'm sorry."
"I'm not scaring you for an apology. Right now, sorry is enough. But if we lose, we all pay. Think of our hundreds of millions of fans. And you, doesn't that make you angry?"
"What do you mean...?"
Ferguson lowered his voice.
"You haven't heard? There was an unofficial media interview with Ho-young recently. Your name came up."
"What did he say?"
"When asked about you, Ho-young reportedly said, 'Who's Michael Carrick?' That's what I heard. I was fuming when I heard it."
"Is that true?"
Carrick scowled.
Ferguson continued.
"We can check after the match."
"That little bastard."
"Listen, Michael. You're the pride of this team. If you go down, we all go down. Stay focused till the end, even if you collapse."
"Understood."
Clenching his teeth, Carrick began preparing to re-enter.
Ferguson then called over Vidic and Park Ji-sung, motivating them in a similar fashion. That continued until the end of halftime.
This was the biggest difference between the two sides.
As the second half began, both teams' anthems filled the stadium.
Kick-off resumed right as "Glory Glory Man United" finished playing.
Tweet!
[The second half begins. Looks like both sides have made some changes.]
[That's right. United has tightened the lines between defense and midfield, focusing on counterattacks. On the other hand, Madrid made significant changes through substitutions.]
Schuster subbed off van Nistelrooy for Higuaín up front.
He also replaced Zidane with Van der Vaart in an attempt to shift the momentum.
Ho-young, now dropped into the second line, took over the playmaking role.
But despite these changes, Madrid struggled to find their rhythm.
[Another crisis for Real Madrid. They're failing to break out from midfield.]
[United isn't allowing Madrid any playmaking or build-up. Carrick and Park Ji-sung are pouring their hearts into the game. It's even more intense than the first half.]
Ho-young tried several tactical tweaks as he read the flow of the match, but Ferguson wasn't one to be outsmarted.
When Madrid changed tactics, United adapted right back, maintaining the balance.
Like scissors beating paper, rock beating scissors, it was a constant mind game.
It sounded simple, but only a team with elite organization could pull it off.
At times, Ho-young and Raul's switching plays produced threatening movements, but the scoreline remained unchanged.
As the match reached the 80th minute.
Even though it would've been easy to give up, Madrid kept fighting with belief.
That belief finally bore fruit.
Ho-young, who had dropped deep to receive the ball, initiated the build-up and created one decisive opportunity.
Carrick closed him down but was spun off with a Marseille Turn. Park Ji-sung came in, but Ho-young shoved him aside in a physical battle.
Then.
"Hup!"
Boom!
Before Ferdinand could even reach him, Ho-young fired a right-footed shot.
It was over 24 meters from the goal, but distance meant nothing against his mid-range power.
It was that strong.
Rip!
[Goaaaaaaal!]
[A thunderous mid-range strike from Ho-young! That's his 9th goal of the tournament!]
His mid-range shot had grown even more powerful.
That was because he had recently absorbed Sneijder's Devastating Mid-Range Shot (S-).
Although it hadn't yet fully merged with his Cannon Shooter's Mid-Range Shot (U), the increase in power was undeniable.
If given the chance, he felt he could score at any moment.
But chances didn't come often.
Most importantly, time was running out.
[Ah, time is almost up. It looks like Real Madrid will have to bow out.]
[It's practically impossible to overturn this now. They have neither time nor energy.]
And so, finally.
Tweet!
The match ended.
Manchester United had achieved back-to-back Champions League titles.
Cheers and groans filled the pitch.
"Phew…"
Ho-young let out a deep sigh and blinked his eyes.
As if to console him, a reward was granted right after the final whistle.
[No-Spin Shot of the Transcendent Crack (SU)]
[Potential (SS+)]
Cristiano Ronaldo's talent.
And his potential.
A reward for becoming the youngest-ever Champions League Golden Boot winner.
But that alone wasn't enough to comfort Ho-young.
His chest felt like it was being ripped apart.
Even though wins and losses are part of the game, this was the one match he didn't want to lose.
Eventually, tears welled up.
But only for a moment.
"Don't cry. You were always the best. I'll admit that."
It was Zidane, who had come up beside him and gave him a thumbs up.
Ho-young wiped his tears as he looked up at the Roman night sky.
Then, glancing at the distant figure of Ronaldo, who also seemed regretful, he made a silent vow.
Next time they met, no matter what, he would not lose.
And that dawn.
Back in Madrid, Ho-young used Ronaldo's potential to merge his ball control-related talents into one.
A transformation had begun, one that could surpass the limits of human ability.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)