The Korea Football Association went through many changes after its former president, voluntarily stepped down.
First, until the election for the next president began, Cho Jun-hyung, the president before the previous one, took over as acting president and tried to refresh the atmosphere.
Of course, things did not go as intended.
After Ho-young's retirement announcement, the naturalization controversy erupted as well, and public anger toward the association rose exponentially.
Still, as time passed, the heated public opinion seemed to gradually calm down.
If they could somehow persuade Ho-young, stop the naturalization, bring him back to the national team, and then achieve good results at the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Asian Games, they would be able to put all the controversy to rest.
On top of that, public opinion improved slightly when former president Cho Jun-hyung was elected as the next president.
Originally, Jung Hyun-mong, chairman of the Korean Society of Sports Science and a member of the Jung family, had been recommended as the next president, but they eventually changed direction in the face of fierce public criticism.
Cho Jun-hyung was a man who had worked in many ways for the convenience of footballers and the development of youth football.
Of course, he had been caught up in several minor corruption allegations during his term, but it was an undeniable fact that he had led the Korea Football Association well.
Perhaps because of that, public opinion of him was fairly good.
And so, by expressing a strong will to abolish the old bad practices and reorganize the football association, he was able to seize football's top seat once again.
The fact that he personally arrived in Manchester was on the morning of the 23rd.
"We've finally arrived."
Urgency showed clearly on the face of Korea Football Association president Cho Jun-hyung as he hurried into Manchester.
That was only natural, since the trip to Manchester had been planned and carried out within a single night.
Before word even spread that the Royal Spanish Football Federation was setting out, the Korea Football Association, having anticipated the situation, had moved first.
Thanks to that, they were able to arrive in Manchester before the Spanish delegation.
In truth, they had been trying to contact Ho-young steadily for months already.
But Ho-young had firmly refused every time, so they had not been able to meet him until now. This time, for some reason, they had finally managed to arrange an appointment.
'They say the moment you think it's too late is the fastest time.'
Cho Jun-hyung was keeping that possibility in mind.
Outwardly, Ho-young's heart seemed to have already turned away, but that did not mean he had already completed the naturalization process.
The FIFA naturalization rules had only just been revised.
Even if he applied as quickly as possible, the review process would still take quite a lot of time.
There was still time.
So today, right now, they had to stake everything on turning Ho-young's heart back.
"Hmm."
Cho Jun-hyung felt a heavy weight on both shoulders.
He knew just how much effort had gone into making today's meeting happen.
"No matter what, this has to succeed. The fate of the association depends on it."
"We'll do our best."
"Doing our best won't be enough. If this goes wrong, all our heads will roll."
The top priority was cleaning up the mess left behind by Jung Hyun-sung and Jung Hyun-gyu.
First, they had to erase the negative image Ho-young had of Korean football.
"Keep your heads straight. The person we're dealing with is not just some 18-year-old kid."
"Yes. As we saw from the previous incident, we understand that he is a very shrewd player."
The aides who had come with Cho Jun-hyung had thoroughly investigated Ho-young.
Everything from family details and daily habits to all kinds of scandals and rumors.
Because they knew well that he was not someone they could sweet-talk into agreement.
But Cho Jun-hyung's thoughts were completely different.
"No. More important than that is the attitude with which we deal with Ho-young."
"What do you mean by that?"
"An unprecedented footballer. The god of football, revered by footballers and fans all around the world. That is the Ho-young we are dealing with. The moment we think we're the ones in control, everything falls apart. Make sure you remember that."
"Understood."
"Yes..."
Even as Cho Jun-hyung said those words, he still could not quite believe himself for saying them.
'To think the world would come to this.'
The world had changed.
Blatter, who had seemed as though he would never fall, had fallen, and with the Middle East taking control of FIFA, capital-driven football had begun in earnest.
And in that process, Ho-young's selection for the Spain national team had become possible.
'This is the last chance.'
If they were careless, they would end up losing Ho-young.
That was why they had to settle this, even if it cost them everything.
The meeting with Ho-young took place two hours later, in the lounge of a hotel under strict security.
"Have you been well?"
"Yes. You must have had a hard time coming all this way."
"It's good to see you, Ho-young."
"It's good to see you too."
The aides all bowed their heads at once.
They had arrived a full two hours before the appointment time and carefully reviewed their materials.
All kinds of material meant to stir patriotism, along with benefits beyond imagination.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say that they had put everything the Korea Football Association could offer on the table.
Moreover, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was also backing them and was prepared to offer Ho-young favorable conditions for living in Korea.
So they had at least some confidence that they could change Ho-young's mind.
What they did not know was that there would be one enormous problem.
"You must have had a difficult journey. Have a cup of tea before you head back."
"...?!"
A single sentence that made everyone doubt their ears.
After adding that one remark, Ho-young closed his mouth.
"I have nothing more to say than that."
That was all.
Without even listening to the terms the football association had prepared, he rejected them outright.
The delegation, who had no choice but to be shocked, was left speechless.
It was only after quite a while that President Cho Jun-hyung opened his mouth.
"But at least hear the conditions..."
"No. I'm not interested."
Despite the president's earnest request, Ho-young did not bend.
"I will naturalize as a Spaniard."
Once his heart had turned away, it did not waver again.
Sweat ran down Cho Jun-hyung's back.
"What are you basing that on? You haven't even heard the details of the conditions offered by Spain. Isn't it far too hasty to make a decision already?"
"I've already heard all of Spain's conditions. Just two hours ago."
"...What do you mean by that? As far as I know, the appointment with the Royal Spanish Football Federation is scheduled for this afternoon."
"The delegation from the Royal Spanish Football Federation is due to arrive this afternoon, but before that, others from Spain came to see me. This very morning."
"That's impossible..."
Cho Jun-hyung and the aides could not believe what they were hearing.
They had never heard any information like that.
Then Ho-young scratched exactly where they itched.
"They came in secret."
"Who, exactly?"
"The Spanish royal household, apparently."
"Hah!"
At dawn that very day.
After learning that the Korea Football Association was heading to Manchester, King Juan Carlos of Spain had secretly sent a royal aide to Manchester.
That was how important Ho-young's naturalization was being treated.
And it was not a matter limited only to sport.
That was only natural, because Ho-young's naturalization as a Spaniard was directly linked to winning the Euros and the World Cup.
In other words, Ho-young's naturalization was a matter that would benefit Spain's national interest.
And it did not stop there.
"Manager Del Bosque came as well."
Spain national team manager Del Bosque.
The moment he heard the news, he got out of bed and boarded a flight to Manchester.
"He told me many things. What role I would take in the Spain national team going forward, what kind of football we would play, and talk about the Euros and the World Cup, all matters related to football."
That was what Ho-young had truly wanted.
Was it not basic to talk to a footballer about football?
"Ah..."
At those words, Cho Jun-hyung felt the back of his head go numb.
He had only thought about keeping Ho-young tied to the Korea Football Association, and had barely even considered bringing up football itself.
The complacent belief that Ho-young would never abandon his homeland, and that baseless confidence.
That was the problem.
"So I promised that I would naturalize as a Spaniard."
"...!!"
At first, it was shock.
Then, in an instant, that emotion turned into anger.
"If that was your plan, then why did you call us here!"
"Didn't you insist on coming even though I said no? You said it was fine if I rejected the offer, and that you'd just like to have one cup of tea with me."
"...!!"
Cho Jun-hyung was left speechless by Ho-young's blunt truth.
And in the end, his anger turned into a threat.
"Do you really think you'll still be able to live normally in Korea after this?"
His attitude toward Ho-young was no longer that of the weaker side, but of the stronger one.
But Ho-young did not yield in the slightest.
"I never said I would live in Korea."
"Then where?"
"Is Korea the only place in the world to live?"
"...Fine, it doesn't matter where you live. But even if you naturalize as a Spaniard, do you really think they will truly see you as one of their own?"
"That depends on what I do."
"Haa..."
Having lost his composure, Cho Jun-hyung just kept speaking recklessly.
Even so, none of it worked, and in the end he pulled out his final card.
"You should think of the debt you owe the country that raised you. Are you going to throw that away in an instant? It's only a matter of time before you're called a traitor."
"The ones who raised me were my parents. And aren't the real traitors the people who deceived and mocked Korean football fans, namely you?"
That was the end of the conversation.
Anything more would only be a waste of time.
He had accepted this final meeting out of courtesy, but there would not be another one now.
Ho-young rose from his seat at once.
He had no lingering attachment.
From now on, he would wear the red shirt marked with the Spanish royal crest.
And the very next day, a shocking article appeared in huge headlines.
[Official: Ho-young submits application for special naturalization to Spain]
At present, Ho-young could not acquire Spanish citizenship because he had not yet lived in Spain for eight years.
However, there was something called special naturalization that eased those conditions, and that was what Ho-young had applied for.
There were several conditions for special naturalization.
1. In cases where the person has contributed to Spain's national interest in areas such as security, society, economy, or education
2. In cases where the person possesses outstanding ability in a specific field such as science, economics, culture, or sports and is recognized as likely to contribute to Spain's national interest
3. In cases where the Minister of Justice recognizes merit
4. In cases where the King recognizes merit
In Ho-young's case, he met conditions 2 and 4, so there was nothing to worry about.
And as expected, the entire process moved forward at lightning speed.
[Official: Ho-young's special naturalization application granted final approval... from today, a citizen of Spain]
After many twists and turns, Ho-young became a citizen of Spain.
His application for national team selection was filed that very same day.
[Ho-young officially applies to FIFA for permission to be selected for the Spain national team]
The review of Ho-young's eligibility began the very next day.
The process, which had seemed as though it would be long, did not take very long at all.
Under FIFA regulations, in order to play for a national team other than one's country of origin, there had to be a record of five consecutive years of residence, and it was common knowledge that Ho-young had lived in Madrid for more than five years.
All the other conditions had already been verified as well.
Besides, was this not a matter that FIFA president Bin Hammam was personally paying special attention to?
It did not take long for the result to come out.
[Ho-young selected for the Spain national team... first naturalized footballer after FIFA nationality rule revision]
March 15, 2012.
It was one week before the friendly between Spain and the Netherlands.
(To be continued.)