A moment later, a youthful-looking gentleman in his forties entered the president's office.
It was Bruno, the general stadium operations manager at the Santiago Bernabéu.
For him, this was only the second time he had been called in for a private meeting with the president.
That made sense, since he was still a newcomer in the role.
The previous manager had retired after 12 years, and Bruno had only recently been promoted to the position.
Perhaps because of that, he looked visibly tense.
On top of that, he knew very well that Calderón's situation had not been good lately, which only added to the pressure.
"Sit. The tea is black."
"Thank you."
Bruno took small sips of the black tea and sank into thought.
He was dying to know why Calderón had called him in.
But at the same time, he felt like he already knew.
With the most important match of the season just ahead, the reason the president had summoned him personally this early in the morning was obvious.
"He probably wants me to make sure the match conditions are in our favor. Adjust the grass length or its condition, something like that... Or maybe rework the ticket allocation."
No matter how much he thought about it, those seemed like the only possible reasons.
In fact, the ticket allocation for the upcoming match against Manchester City had already been adjusted.
Ticket sales were set to open tomorrow on the official website, exactly one week before match day, and out of more than 80,000 seats, only 2,000 had been allocated to the away supporters.
But if they were willing to take the criticism, they could cut that number even further.
For example, Barcelona had once allowed only 447 away supporters in a stadium of 98,747 seats.
Since fan support can have a significant effect on a match, it was a method that was sometimes used.
It was cowardly, but if it meant winning, there was nothing they would not do.
As expected, Bruno had been right.
Calderón brought it up.
"Make it 500 seats for the away section."
"Understood."
He meant to fill the Santiago Bernabéu with nothing but the roar of the Madridistas.
And that was not all.
"Set the grass length to the maximum."
"You mean 30 millimeters?"
Most professional leagues around the world do not have detailed regulations regarding grass length.
Usually, it is left to the home team.
In La Liga, there is only a rule stating that the pitch must provide optimal conditions for playing the match, but there are no specific measurements.
However, international competitions organized by FIFA or the continental federations do have clear regulations.
For example, in the World Cup, the grass length must be kept between 22 and 25 millimeters.
Because they place absolute importance on both the home and away teams playing under the same conditions.
The UEFA Champions League is no different.
In the Champions League, the grass length is limited to a maximum of 30 millimeters.
It might seem like just a difference of a few millimeters, but in reality, grass length has a considerable impact on a match.
For example, during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, Hiddink asked an official from the organizing committee to secretly cut the grass to 20 millimeters without the match commissioner's knowledge.
As a result, South Korea was able to overwhelm Poland 2-0 with a high-speed game.
As that example showed, shorter grass usually favors a fast, short-passing style, and Manchester City's style of play was the same.
That was why Calderón wanted the grass length set to the maximum.
It would be especially effective against Ho-young, Gareth Bale, and Eden Hazard, who were all specialized in high-speed play.
But then,
"That alone is not enough. Make it as long as possible without it being noticeable."
The maximum was not enough to satisfy Calderón.
But by regulation, 30 millimeters was the limit.
There was only one way to go beyond that.
"You mean by breaking the rules?"
If they bent that rule slightly, the club would receive a fine and an appropriate penalty.
If they broke it seriously, they could face measures close to a replay, but a slight violation would not bring a major punishment.
And above all, if they were not caught, that was all that mattered.
"But Manchester City's manager is Guardiola. Would a perfectionist like him really fail to notice?"
Guardiola was known as a meticulous manager who inspected the pitch himself before kickoff.
He was even the kind of man who argued that grass length should be standardized at 15 millimeters, so there was no need to say more.
And yet they were going to try this against him?
It was clearly reckless.
Especially on a stage as big as the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
But Calderón did not back down.
"Do I have to explain even that to you?"
"Ah, understood. I will take care of it."
In that case, the only option was to trim the grass in a way that would not make it obvious.
Of course, there would be side effects, but if Real Madrid's players were given adaptation training, they should still be able to gain some advantage.
"Don't worry. I will do everything I can to make sure our team has the edge."
"Not yet."
"Pardon?"
Contrary to expectation, President Calderón's demands did not end there.
"The away dressing room needs work."
"What kind of...?"
"Make sure the kit man understands clearly."
A stadium operations manager is usually in charge of overseeing everything related to the stadium and match preparation.
And under him is the kit manager, or kit man, whose job is to create an environment that allows the players to focus entirely on the match.
In other words, he supports the matchday setup.
The kit manager is the one with the authority to enter both the home and away dressing rooms.
Of course, he cannot go in right before the match or at half-time, but until then, he is allowed to enter freely.
In other words, Calderón intended to alter the away dressing room in order to tilt the match in their favor.
But with only a few days left before the match, it was impossible to carry out work such as changing the slope of the room or narrowing it.
That was why Bruno found it strange.
Then Calderón spoke.
"You have to know your enemy to beat them."
A secret plan.
Lowering his voice, Calderón continued.
He was determined to win the match by any means necessary.
He was already being criticized for being compared to Manchester City, and if Ho-young were to shine at the Bernabéu, that would be the end of it.
He was at the edge of a cliff.
If he did not want to be pushed off, then he had to push the other side first.
"But... if manager Pellegrini finds out, there will be chaos."
Real Madrid manager Pellegrini was the kind of man who believed that keeping your word was more important than football itself, and he was famous for his calm personality.
If he found out about this, he would clearly oppose it.
"That is why I called you here alone. This must be done carefully and quietly. We cannot stop Ho-young through ability or tactics anyway, so if we are doing this, we might as well see it through to the end. The manager will understand later."
"But..."
"What else can we do? This is not some children's ball game. There are tens and hundreds of millions of euros on the line. If this is going to end one way or another, it is better to try something before going down. Isn't that right?"
"That may be true, but..."
An unavoidable choice.
Even so, Bruno continued to hesitate until the very end.
But only for a moment.
"I hope you have not forgotten who put you in that position."
"Ah... of course not. I will not disappoint you."
"Good. That's more like it."
Ramón Calderón.
He had nothing left to lose.
Now that Ho-young had gone from benefactor to enemy in his eyes, he was simply someone who had to be brought down.
If Ho-young put in a poor performance during the match, support from the socios would recover to some extent.
Calderón was convinced of that.
"Ho-young. You will see with your own eyes what kind of vicious place the Bernabéu has become after you turned your back on it."
A cornered man is dangerous.
Wanting to show that clearly, Calderón put everything on the line.
Three days before the match.
Etihad Campus was soaked with the sweat of the Manchester City players.
Meanwhile, whenever he had time, Ho-young continued studying individual skills with Ronaldinho, and with David Silva and Patrick Vieira joining in, the process was becoming more and more advanced.
Ronaldinho's creativity.
David Silva's football intelligence.
Patrick Vieira's defensive experience.
And on top of that, Ho-young's footballing ability, which made the impossible possible, was coming together to create a unique set of individual skills unlike anything seen before.
Through that process, Ho-young was able to realize and learn many things.
Today was no different.
Vieira spoke first.
"Do you know what annoys me the most when I'm defending?"
"When someone dribbles past you?"
"No, intelligent spatial pressure from the attacker."
"It is especially infuriating for fighter-type defenders. You need to move around freely and break up the opponent's space, but if you start to feel trapped instead, it shakes your mentality. And that naturally affects how you manage the distance between yourself and the attacker."
All defenders are the same in that they have to stop the attacker, but the pressure they feel during a match differs depending on their style of play.
"Then it might be worth studying that kind of individual skill too."
"Exactly. That's what I mean."
For Ho-young, it was an extremely valuable lesson.
And there was also one precious thing he could gain only from Vieira.
That was [Black Octopus (T)].
As long as he fulfilled the condition, "Win the Champions League with Patrick Vieira," he would be able to covet it immediately.
"This time, I will definitely lift the Big Ears trophy!"
Patrick Vieira had missed his chance to win it because of Ho-young.
Ironically, he might now be able to fulfill that wish together with Ho-young.
And there was one more.
"At last, I can beat Real Madrid at the Bernabéu."
It was David Silva.
"October 24, 2005. That was the last time Valencia beat Real Madrid away from home."
But at the time, he had been out on loan at another club, so he had not even experienced that.
In other words, he had never won at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Despite facing Real Madrid for a full eight years.
That was why he was actively helping Ho-young, so that he could finally fulfill that wish.
"La Pelopina turn is a skill that works well for escaping pressure, but with your level of physical ability, I think it would be worth evolving it and using it for a different purpose. From what I can see, your body balance is perfectly suited to turn techniques."
"Thank you."
Valuable advice.
And it was the same with Ronaldinho.
"Enjoy it. Football is not completed just because you try to make it. It is only completed when you become one with the ball. Inspiration is the most important thing."
"Thank you for the advice."
In terms of footballing ability, Ho-young was clearly the best among them, but he still had a great deal to learn.
Especially from Ronaldinho, whose creativity was exceptional, there was much he could gain.
"[Alien (T)]. Barcelona has to reach the final, then I will be able to covet it."
He had to face Barcelona in the final to fulfill Hidden Condition 3.
"If I get that far, I can pretty much say I am almost done with my teammates' talents."
Black Octopus, Merlin, Alien.
Every one of them had a bizarre title, but there was no doubt that what lay inside them were exceptional talents.
And so, as the players nurtured their individual dreams and prepared for the match, time passed quickly and before long the day of the showdown arrived.
But when they came to the stadium that day, an unexpected problem arose.
April 23, Santiago Bernabéu.
"What is wrong with the pitch?"
"It feels far too heavy."
Three hours before kickoff, Guardiola and the assistant manager came onto the pitch and clicked their tongues.
"If we knock it past someone and try to run, we will go down after just a few steps."
"I'll call the stadium operations manager right away."
"Do that."
Guardiola gave a brief nod of approval.
But then, a moment later,
"Wait."
Guardiola, who had been stroking his chin in thought, hurriedly changed his mind.
"Do not tell anyone about this. Gather the players in the dressing room immediately."
At that moment, a perverse smile spread across his lips.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)