As soon as Ho-young stepped onto the training ground, the players started gathering around one by one.
This was the Spain national team, filled with world-class players.
Yet they had forgotten their duty as footballers and had somehow become fans of Ho-young.
Some were emotional just from exchanging greetings with him.
This time, a lot of reserve players had been called up, so there were quite a few lesser-known players too.
Moreover, since most of them belonged to La Liga clubs, the majority normally had no chance to meet Ho-young.
In other words, simply being able to meet Ho-young was thrilling for them.
But not everyone was like that.
There were also players here and there talking badly about Ho-young.
"Damn it. Him and us on the same national team? I can't accept it."
"Exactly. Fine, his career is great, but then how are we supposed to feel any pride in our nation? Spain is going to lose its unique identity because of Ho-young."
Wariness and mockery aimed at Ho-young.
In other words, hazing.
That was inevitable anywhere a lot of people gathered.
And the Spain national team was particularly bad for that.
For example, the conflict between the Catalonia and Basque regions was so severe that proper team unity had never really been achieved.
On top of that, there were also the influential Madrid-born players mixed in, so if the squad was not properly controlled, it was easy for the team to split apart.
At least after 2008, when Del Bosque took charge, the unity within the team had improved, but that did not mean the conflict had disappeared entirely.
Barcelona and Real Madrid players were often actually close in real life, but among those who were not, the conflict could be very severe.
Gerard Piqué in particular often clashed with some Real Madrid players whenever he got the chance.
That sometimes happened not only on the training ground, but even during matches.
Cliques.
That was what was affecting Ho-young now as well.
Piqué and Fàbregas, known to be close friends, were the ringleaders.
"Hmm. I really don't know what the manager is thinking. This isn't club football, it's the national team. It doesn't matter whether that guy scores 40 goals or 100 in the league."
"Piqué, you're absolutely right. What matters to us is identity."
That was why they opposed Ho-young being in the national team.
But in truth, the real reason was something else.
Personal resentment.
Piqué and Fàbregas both had far too much history of being on the receiving end against Ho-young.
On top of that, there was the fact that Ho-young had brutally torn Barcelona apart while playing for Real Madrid.
The emotional rift ran so deep that they kept criticizing Ho-young even while doing warm-up drills.
"Tch. Even his face looks different, doesn't it? How is that supposed to be the same face as ours?"
"Exactly. You're right a hundred times over, Piqué."
And just as Piqué and Fàbregas were gleefully talking behind Ho-young's back.
"Sure, of course it's a different face. Young is handsome, and you, Piqué, look like an alpaca. Naturally you're a completely different species."
"!"
He might have been a newcomer, but Ho-young already had a reliable ally.
Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid's key defender and Spain's right-back.
"If you're jealous, just say you're jealous. Don't cowardly talk about people behind their backs. You're not kids anymore, so how long are you going to keep acting like this?"
Ramos snapped at them.
And the first to react, as expected, was Piqué.
"Hey, Ramos. Did I say anything wrong?"
"Didn't sound like you said anything right."
"You bastard."
"Piqué, calm down."
When Piqué was left speechless, Fàbregas, who had been quiet beside him, stepped in.
His gaze turned toward Ramos.
"Ramos, you're making a mistake. You don't actually think that guy Ho-young is really Spanish like us, do you?"
"Seems like everyone except a few of you thinks so. And do you even know how many naturalized people there are in Spain? Why are you only so strict with Young?"
"No, that's one thing and this is another. This is the national team. I absolutely can't accept it."
"Ah, then go complain to the King."
"What?"
"Or go complain to the manager. Stop acting pathetic and doing this behind people's backs."
"You insane bastard!"
In an instant, Fàbregas lost his temper and reached for Ramos by the collar.
But the one who ended up grabbed by the collar was Fàbregas.
"Hey."
At some point Casillas had appeared and grabbed Fàbregas by the collar with his goalkeeper glove.
"Shut your mouth."
He was the most reliable support Ho-young had here.
Then Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso joined in too, and the tide turned completely.
"Tsk, tsk. Damn Madrid bastards."
"That's why your team is in the state it's in."
Real Madrid, facing the danger of ending the season trophyless.
Piqué and Fàbregas mocked Real Madrid's current situation and left their spot.
Ho-young stepped forward and filled the space they had left behind.
"Ramos, thank you."
"No need to thank me for something like this. Next time I'll smash them to pieces. Dirty Catalan bastards."
"Haha, it's fine. From now on, I'll deal with it."
"How?"
"With football."
"Haha. That is the answer. But it won't be easy."
Resolving conflict through football.
It was the simplest solution, and the hardest.
"Right, that's your specialty. Handle it yourself. But if anything happens, tell me straight away."
"Thank you."
"Haha. No need for that. By the way, when did that kid carrying a math textbook around grow up this much?"
"I was always 1 centimeter taller than you."
"Ahem. Even so, there was a time when our faces were more or less on the same level. I can't even say that now."
"Why not?"
"Does England do something different to you? You're way better-looking than before. I heard you're getting loads of advertising offers too. If you can't handle them all, throw a few my way."
"Ah, contact Mr. Lucci about that."
"You damn brat."
"Hahaha."
And so, Ramos became a strong pillar of support for Ho-young.
And Ho-young.
'Tomorrow, I settle it.'
The match against the Netherlands.
He had no intention of missing the chance to put every controversy to rest.
The next afternoon.
Some 50,000 spectators filled the Vicente Calderón Stadium, Atlético Madrid's home ground.
Then, as soon as the starting lineup was announced, a thunderous roar poured down.
It was the moment Ho-young's face and name appeared prominently on the giant screen.
"Wooooooooo!!"
An incredible reaction.
This was exactly how Spain's football fans felt about Ho-young.
In that sense, this match was more important than ever.
Spain had been drawn in a group with the Czech Republic, Portugal, and Italy for this Euros, so they had to sharpen their chemistry in friendlies before the tournament began.
The key was Ho-young's adaptation.
["Spain have come out in a 4-3-3 formation. Casillas is in goal, Jordi Alba and Arbeloa are the full-backs on the left and right, and Ramos and Piqué are the center-backs."]
["The balance between the Barcelona and Real Madrid players is well distributed."]
["That's right. It's probably meant to balance the chemistry and structure on both flanks. You can really see Del Bosque's 고민 here."]
In midfield, Javi Martínez, Santi Cazorla, and Fàbregas started, while the front three were Pedro, Ho-young, and Mata.
And on the bench were Xavi Hernández, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Llorente, David Villa, and others.
["A lot of technicians are starting. Spain seem intent on using the tiki-taka style they are most confident in."]
["Exactly. It looks like they intend to break down the Netherlands' strong physical game through fast, simple passing in repetition."]
Meanwhile, the Netherlands came out in a 3-5-2 and aimed to counter tiki-taka directly.
It was almost identical to the tactic Real Madrid had used four years earlier when Ho-young had destroyed Pep's Barcelona.
With van Persie and Huntelaar as the front two, and van der Vaart, Sneijder, and Nigel de Jong in midfield, they were clearly determined not to expose any weakness in front of goal or out wide.
In other words, through a defensive shape close to a five-back and quick counters, they intended to concede midfield to Spain while dominating the penalty area.
It was the perfect tactic against a side like Spain that dominated possession.
["The Netherlands have come thoroughly prepared."]
["Naturally. Spain have Ho-young now, don't they? It means they want to reduce the chance of getting thrashed as much as possible. They can't afford to lose momentum before Euro 2012 has even begun."]
The Netherlands had come with their strongest possible lineup.
Spain had fielded a proper blend of first-team and reserve players.
As the players of both teams came out side by side, the stadium shook as though it might be lifted off the ground.
The camera zoomed in exclusively on Ho-young's face, with the number 20 on his back.
["It really is an emotional moment. It might be the greatest moment in football history. Who could have imagined the day would come when an Asian player would wear the Spain national team shirt?"]
["Exactly. And the man at the center of it is Ho-young. Spain's strength has increased enormously because of him."]
["Yes, but the most important thing is how well Ho-young fits the team's identity and how quickly he can adapt. In particular, they will have to deal with the disharmony that may come from differences in culture, race, language, place of origin, and so on."]
Team identity and adaptation.
That was why some people viewed Ho-young's Spain debut negatively.
But Ho-young himself proved that all of it was needless worry.
It took only 3 minutes of the first half.
["Santi Cazorla wins the ball back, and it goes forward."]
["Ho-young drops deep to receive it!"]
Playing the role of a false nine, Ho-young quickly dropped into midfield to collect the ball.
And then.
["Ho-young! With unbelievable dribbling, he leaves Sneijder and van der Vaart behind in an instant!"]
Transcendent dribbling.
As Ho-young drove forward while spinning the ball so dynamically it looked as though his ankle might snap, van der Vaart and Sneijder lost sight of him and let their marks go.
But the Netherlands were not so easy to tear apart.
["Nigel de Jong steps up!!"]
Nigel de Jong, the Netherlands' defensive midfielder.
Though not tall, he had a strong mentality and was excellent in physical duels. Before the match, he had analyzed Ho-young in detail with the team coach.
'Statistically, from this angle, he shoots to the right overwhelmingly often.'
On top of that, he had shared the same dressing room as Ho-young at Manchester City, so he knew Ho-young's usual playing style very well.
Therefore, if he just shut off the right angle the moment Ho-young shot, he would have a chance.
However, that effort turned to nothing in an instant.
Transcendent mentality.
As though he had read de Jong's thoughts, Ho-young instantly opened the angle on the opposite side.
Then instead of shooting with his right foot, he struck it hard with his left.
'Wizard of the Left Foot (T)' that he had coveted from Ryan Giggs.
'Middle Striker (T)' that he had coveted from Frank Lampard.
It was the moment a very delicate yet heavy sensation settled into Ho-young's left foot.
Boom!
And on top of that, transcendent finishing ability.
Even from a distance of 30 meters, the net shook as though it were about to tear apart.
Whoosh!
["Gooooooal! It's in!"]
["As expected, Ho-young!! The moment he gets a chance, he turns it into a goal!!!"]
"Hoo!"
A debut goal.
His first goal as a Spain international sent a thrilling sensation through Ho-young.
And that was not all.
"Waaaaaaaah!!"
"Young is God!"
"Of football!"
The 50,000 Spanish spectators crying out at the top of their lungs.
It was truly ironic.
Ho-young, who had once pushed Spain to the brink in the World Cup semi-final, was now wearing the Spain national team shirt and receiving their cheers.
Wearing the Spain shirt alone was thrilling enough, but to receive the roar of the people as well made his head spin with excitement.
So.
'Let's really have some fun today.'
Ho-young ran again.
Team identity?
Adaptation?
Things like that could not leave even a scratch on overwhelming ability.
Cliques, division, collapse of team chemistry, and all the rest.
He intended to show the kind of football that would silence every controversy in an instant.
(To be continued.)