May 10.
After the suffocating Premier League schedule finally came to an end, the players were granted a break like sweet rain after a drought.
This season had ended earlier than usual, because of Euro 2012 and the Olympic schedule.
But because of that, some players were already swamped preparing for Euro 2012 or the London Olympics.
Quite a few players would take part in Euro 2012 from June to July, then also participate in the London Olympics from July to August.
For that reason, quite a few players could not rest, while others could not rest for a different reason.
Those were the Manchester City players.
"Hup, huff!"
"Hah... huah!"
Etihad Campus.
They should have been exhausted, but the players continued preparing for the match with one heart and one mind.
After all, once the Champions League final nine days later was over, that was the end.
They were physically drained after reaching the final in every competition, but now that they had come this far, they could not afford to slack off halfway through.
The fortunate thing was that, despite playing so many matches, there were not that many injuries.
The players' determination to win the Champions League was immense.
"To think that the Big Ears I lost because of Young, I might lift again because of Young."
"Patrick, we have not won it yet."
"Hahaha. I know. But second place does not suit you. We are definitely lifting the Big Ears."
Patrick Vieira, desperate to win the Champions League, was full of anticipation.
He had already won the Euros, the World Cup, and the Confederations Cup, so if he added the Champions League, he could become one of the greatest legends.
On the other hand, there were players who had already experienced winning the Champions League.
"Listen, everyone. There is only one thing you need to remember in a Champions League final. Do not let the stage overwhelm you. If you are careful about that, you will be able to show your full level freely."
"I agree..."
That was the advice of Ronaldinho and Iniesta.
Iniesta was usually a man of very few words, but this time he gave the players generous advice.
That was only natural, because most of them were experiencing a Champions League final for the first time.
"This is my first final."
"I never dreamed I would experience a Champions League final."
"This is my first Champions League at all."
There were even a few players who had arrived in the competition and immediately found themselves challenging for the title.
"You lucky bastards, you got on the right train. I played 20 years and never won it once."
Vieira was right.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say they had used up a lifetime of luck.
The Champions League was a competition with enough prestige to be the dream of an entire career for an individual player.
"That means the Barcelona lads are probably sweating blood in training right now too. They have the chance for the treble."
"They definitely are. Barcelona usually base their final training block on eight days. Right now, they are probably in the middle of fine-tuning their tactics."
Iniesta, who had been at Barcelona until last year, knew exactly how the other side would be operating.
But even if he had not, preparing for the match was easier because Guardiola, who had once managed Barcelona, was here.
And then, at 9:50 in the morning.
Once the basic training was over, Guardiola gathered the players.
He was there to inform them of the final training schedule for the next nine days, which had just been completed.
Usually, Guardiola's training blocks were planned over one or two years with the players' welfare in mind, but before a big match, he sometimes came up with sessions that were utterly insane.
Because of that, the players could never relax at times like this.
Today was the same.
"I wonder how brutal the training is going to be."
"I do not know, but I bet it starts getting intense this afternoon."
Just as anxiety was setting in, Guardiola opened his mouth.
"The nine-day training schedule is ready."
At that moment, tension filled the group.
Because it was as obvious as daylight how demanding the training ahead would be.
It was always like this, but moments like these still filled them with fear.
If they failed to catch the manager's eye in the next nine days of training, they would not play.
A starting place in the Champions League final.
Everyone knew exactly how hard they had to work and how well they had to perform to become one of the chosen ones, so fear and tension spread through the group.
But today, at least at first, it was different.
"Training ends this morning. You are dismissed."
"!"
"Oh!"
"What is going on?"
Guardiola, who always pursued perfection, was giving them rest before the Champions League final?
It was hard to believe.
Even when he allowed rest, before an important match his style was usually to train brutally until three in the afternoon.
But the more surprising thing was that it did not end there.
"There is no training tomorrow either. However, I will give everyone a tactical file, and you are to read it carefully at home at least five times and memorize everything in it."
"Ohhh!"
"Of course!"
"And from the day after tomorrow, we begin special training. Assembly time is 2 a.m."
"Wow."
"The boss has lost his mind."
"So we get two whole days off?"
"More like a day and a half."
"Same thing! At this rate, it is practically a miracle."
"Boss, you are not sick or anything, are you?"
"Thank you all for your concern."
Nearly two days of rest.
The players thought it was a generous reward for the miraculous achievements they had accomplished this season.
But there was a different real reason.
Guardiola was not that kind of person.
Before an important match, whatever little human softness he had disappeared completely, and he constantly controlled himself so that reason crushed emotion.
In a word, the nickname football maniac fit him perfectly.
Which meant that if a man like that gave his players a two-day break, there had to be a reason.
"They have already played far too many matches."
The players' fatigue could not be expressed through physical condition numbers alone.
More than anything, rest was just as important as training.
Guardiola had judged that what the players needed right now was time to recover mentally.
In truth, it had not been Guardiola's opinion alone.
It was the result of accepting captain Ho-young's view that the players were mentally worn down.
To be honest, Ho-young's eye for players was no less sharp than that of a professional manager.
And besides, had listening to Ho-young ever brought any losses?
"Definitely not."
That powerful trust broke Guardiola's stubbornness, and the harmony between the two had led Manchester City to the treble.
But he was not telling them to simply do whatever they wanted.
"Do not get carried away. Going to nightclubs or leaving the city is not allowed. The reason I am giving you time is so you can clear your minds completely. Your body must stay sharp at all times."
Rest was also part of training.
They had to rest in a way that would bring their physical condition up to its peak.
Soon, the players' loud voices came together.
"Do not worry!"
"Of course. Even while resting, I will keep a football tied to my feet."
"Hazard, that is the best thing you have said in a while."
"Hahaha."
With that, the heavy atmosphere grew much brighter.
From here on, all the players had to do was rest properly and clear their minds.
"Yes, this is exactly the manager's role."
For Ho-young, who had recommended Guardiola as manager last year, it was deeply moving.
"Maybe by the end of this season, I might even be able to covet the boss's talent."
Even Ho-young himself did not yet know exactly what his future plans would be.
After the legends match, Euro 2012, and the Olympics, he still had not decided whether he would remain at Manchester City.
In truth, it was almost as if he had already achieved everything he could at Manchester City.
And if he wanted to develop even further, taking on a new challenge was one possible path.
"Once the season ends, offers are definitely going to come pouring in from everywhere."
Any big club with money would obviously try to sign Ho-young no matter the cost.
This season had completely proven his value.
In other words, the options were endless.
"Whatever happens, winning the Champions League comes first."
The opponent was FC Barcelona.
At present, they sat second in the world behind Manchester City, but to Ho-young, they were no more than a meal.
He knew them all too well, having beaten them over and over again.
"Before that, I should get some rest too."
In truth, rest was nothing special.
Receiving all kinds of treatment prepared by specialists.
Meditating while listening to classical music.
And one more thing.
"How have you been?"
"Ho-young!"
It was a leisurely phone call with Monica, something he had not had in a long time.
"Hahaha."
"Why are you laughing?"
"I do not know."
Without realizing it, a smile spread across Ho-young's face.
Just hearing her bright voice made his mind feel clear.
"You must have a lot of training before the final. It must be really hard, right?"
Monica never went into detail about the matches.
As his girlfriend and as a fan, she probably could have offered advice, but she did not want to put unnecessary pressure on him.
What she gave him was unconditional support, nothing more.
"Just hang in there a little longer. You can do it."
"Thanks. Well, for me it is what I always do. What about you, are you not having a hard time? Your final Olympic qualifying event is in eight days."
"What would be hard about it? It is something I have dreamed about for so long. I am definitely going with you. To London!"
"I will pray for you."
Going to the Olympics together as a couple.
What a romantic thing that was.
"While we are at it, how about you get naturalized in Spain too?"
"Sounds good! My paternal grandmother is Spanish, so I have always felt close to Spain. And besides, I retire early because of my job, so it would be fine."
He had said it half as a joke, but Monica responded seriously, as if she had already thought about it.
"Then how should I go about getting citizenship?"
"Hmm. If I get the chance, I will mention it to His Majesty."
"Hahaha. That is even more than I expected. But would that not create unnecessary controversy?"
"Or we could get mar..."
"Hm? Get, what?"
"Ah, never mind. Let us win the final first."
That precarious conversation ended there, somewhat helplessly.
The immediate future in front of him was still unclear, but the silhouette of his future spouse seemed to be coming into view little by little.
A few days later.
One welcome piece of news came to Ho-young.
[You can combine all talents in your possession that are deeply related to 'Ultimate Long-Range Shot' into one.]
[List of talents that can be integrated with Ultimate Long-Range Shot (W+3)]
-The Lord of the Rings' Lofted Shot (SU)
-Transcendent Crack's No-Spin Shot (SU)
-Dead Ball Specialist's Kick (SU)
-Cannon Shooter's Spin Kick (U)
-Astonishing Kicking Power (SS+)
-Three-Beat-Quick Kick (SS+)
-(More)
Since he also had the required SS-grade or higher potential, he immediately tried the fusion.
As a result, he was able to upgrade it into [Transcendent Shooting Mastery (W+3)].
The fusion time was not that long, and it progressed smoothly enough to be completed by the 19th, the day of the match.
And then.
[You transcend Transcendent Shooting Mastery (W+3).]
[Transcendent Shooting (TS+2↑)]
[It will take 30 days to fully transcend this talent. During those 30 days, you cannot transcend any other talent.]
The transcendence of the body had already been completed.
The date the transcendence of shooting began was the day before the match.
On top of that, the talents he could obtain in this match included those from Ronaldinho, Vieira, David Silva, Lionel Messi, Di María, David Villa, and others.
The opportunity to covet them was about to begin.
(To be continued.)
Check out my new books under Junkdog_787; you can also access them under my reading list in my profile.
■ Naruto: Multiverse Character Templates
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