There were quite a lot of talents gained through this tournament.
Especially after the final ended, starting with Philipp Lahm's talent, "Tactical Understanding of the Magic Dwarf (SU)," then Xavi Hernández's "Passes That Have Reached the Pinnacle (SSS-)," and even Franz Beckenbauer's "Founder's Creativity (L)."
He would be able to covet all of them before the new season began.
And after the awards ceremony had completely ended.
"Ho-young, congratulations on winning the title!"
"Thank you."
Ho-young, who had claimed both the Golden Boot and the MVP award, held a solo press conference.
He had done countless interviews throughout his football career, but this was the first time he had ever felt this nervous.
It was a different feeling.
It was only natural, since this was his first title won with the Spain national team rather than South Korea.
"Also, you have earned the honor of winning the MVP award while breaking Michel Platini's previous record. Was there anything particularly difficult for you in this tournament?"
"Nothing changes in that regard. There is no royal road in football. That is why I think I am able to grow every day."
"What do you mean by that specifically?"
"I learned teamwork and warm camaraderie. If even one person had not done his best, we could not have guaranteed this title. The experiences I gained in this tournament will surely become a great asset for me going forward."
In the interview, Ho-young gave the credit for the title to his teammates.
The reporters looked slightly disappointed by such obvious and predictable words.
So one of them added another question.
"Then if you had to pick one memorable moment?"
"All of them."
"Oh, does that mean you think you played that well?"
"Through this tournament, I gained a kind of confidence that no one else could gain. I believe I produced performances that no one else had ever managed before. And I hope every one of those moments will be remembered for a long time."
It was a confident answer that subtly declared that he was the best in the world.
Then another reporter asked,
"This can only be called a historic day. An Asian lifting the Euro trophy while wearing the Spain national team shirt, something that would have been unimaginable just a year ago."
"Yes, everything that has happened to me still feels like a dream. Starting from my naturalization, to the new opportunities that have recently been given to me."
"That is only right. You have set unprecedented records in La Liga, the Premier League, the Europa League, the UEFA Champions League, and the World Cup. Ah, though of course, Lionel Messi has already broken some of those La Liga records. So then, do you have any intention of returning to La Liga soon and breaking those records as well?"
It was a question about Ho-young's future.
Right now, several clubs were making moves for Ho-young, so public attention was focused on where he would go next.
Since Ho-young had already achieved everything at Manchester City, there was a possibility that he could leave the league for a new challenge.
But Ho-young did not speak in the end.
Instead, he ended the interview with these words.
"Please congratulate our national team, and our people who have worked hard."
One thing was certain, this tournament had been one of the greatest experiences of his life.
What Ho-young wanted right now was simply celebration.
Because that was the driving force that let him keep moving forward and keep enjoying football.
As soon as Euro 2012 came to a close, all kinds of articles about Ho-young began shaking the world.
[Ho-young, the title-winning contractor from outer space, wins all four of Europe's major competitions, the UEFA European Championship, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and UEFA Europa League... Where will he go next?]
[Italian Football Federation president Giancarlo Abete strongly supports the signing of Ho-young to revive Serie A... Separate from the club, it appears they may offer Ho-young extensive benefits... Sponsors such as Puma, Compass Bank, and TIM Telecom are also likely to provide support]
[AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri: "We will use every possible method to sign Ho-young."]
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Among the clubs currently targeting Ho-young, there were three especially strong contenders.
The first was Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich, who had gained enormous financial backing through a partnership with the Middle East and were openly making an aggressive push in the press.
The second was AC Milan of Serie A.
Having escaped the shadow of Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, they had been acquired by Middle Eastern capital and gained tremendous financial power, and they were showing strong determination to sign Ho-young.
And the last was Real Madrid, where Calderón had recently stepped down as president.
They were the strongest candidate, but they still had one major obstacle left.
Money.
With Ho-young's transfer fee now being discussed at as much as €200 million, Real Madrid, whose financial state was not exactly healthy, were in a position where even making an approach was difficult.
There was no way Manchester City would sell Ho-young for a small fee unless they had gone mad.
With things like this, Manchester City's front office entered into a meeting.
Those in attendance were chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and the rest of City's top brass.
"As of now, Bayern Munich, who have offered €200 million, are expected to add at least another €100 million to the bid."
"That is truly a hard figure to believe. To think a footballer's value would rise this far."
Al Mubarak, the man with overall responsibility for the club, could not hide his disbelief.
€300 million.
It was enough to make even him, a man opposed to Ho-young's transfer, hesitate.
'Then again, Ho-young is in a class of his own. If they have the money, of course they would want him no matter the cost.'
As the chairman of a club, he could understand Bayern Munich's position as well.
A value of €300 million was by no means excessive.
On top of that, with Middle Eastern capital beginning to pour in, transfer fee inflation was accelerating.
Sure enough, AC Milan also made it clear they would not back down, quietly showing that they were prepared to bid over €300 million as well.
"Vice president Galliani is already working on Ho-young as we speak. Of course, Ho-young has made it clear that he has no interest at all."
"That makes sense. There is no reason for him to go to Italy."
"But we still cannot know for sure. It will depend on what kind of card the Italian Football Federation prepares."
"Hmm..."
Bayern Munich and AC Milan had enormous financial power behind them.
But more than those two, Al Mubarak was more concerned about Real Madrid.
"What is Madrid's situation?"
"After President Calderón's group resigned together, Jorge Valdano returned as interim president and brought back former technical director Miguel Ángel and youth coordinator Michel. It is essentially groundwork for rebuilding Pérez's faction. If Pérez runs in this election, then the story changes again. Ho-young and Pérez are that close. And Pérez will probably make signing Ho-young one of his campaign promises."
"When exactly is the election?"
"Four weeks from now. But it is still uncertain whether Pérez will run. If Young signs a new deal with us, he probably will not. That would mean losing the card strong enough to overturn the corruption scandal."
"That makes sense. In the end, it means we do not have many ways to keep him."
Above all, what mattered most was Ho-young's own heart.
Because Mansour had instructed them that if Ho-young wanted to leave, then they should let him go for the highest possible price.
Of course, chairman Al Mubarak had no desire to let Ho-young go.
No matter how high his wages rose, simply keeping him meant they could lift trophies every year.
There was no way they could easily let go of the goose that laid golden eggs.
"In the end, all we can do is wait for Young's decision. What do you think will happen? We need to prepare too."
"Hmm..."
Faced with the difficult question, the secretary general tilted his head.
"He will probably return to Madrid, won't he? It is not as if his loyalty to City is especially high."
"I agree."
Most of them thought the same.
After all, the years Ho-young had spent at Real Madrid far outweighed anything else.
It was a deeply regrettable thing, but if it happened, they would have no choice but to accept it.
Then, a few days later, a twist occurred.
It happened during a meeting between Mansour and Ho-young.
Reception room at Etihad Stadium.
Mansour, who had come to Britain on business, stopped by Manchester during his schedule to meet Ho-young.
He wanted to hear his thoughts directly.
"Are you still thinking it over?"
"No, I have already decided. I will stay in Manchester."
"!"
An unexpected decision.
Mansour clearly looked slightly flustered, but he forced himself to remain calm and looked into Ho-young's eyes.
Judging by those clear, shining eyes, his words were obviously sincere.
"First of all, thank you."
The worry that had weighed on him, fearing Ho-young might leave, disappeared in an instant.
But there was still one thing he did not understand.
"I heard that until a few days ago you were still conflicted. May I ask what led you to make this decision?"
"It is simple. Because I love Manchester City. That is the only reason."
It was the result of several days of deep thought.
He had considered taking on a new challenge somewhere other than Real Madrid, but he had decided it still was not the right time.
'Only twenty.'
Nineteen in international age.
He still had plenty of chances ahead of him.
And there was no need to move to a new stage just to search for new talents.
If there was a talent he wanted, he could always covet it through player signings.
In that sense, Manchester City was the perfect place for Ho-young.
"Manchester City is a club that means something special to me. When Real Madrid used me, it was thanks to City that I was able to carve out a new path."
"That hits me right in the heart."
"And I still have ambition. I want to achieve that dream at City."
"That dream, I will help you with it."
Without question.
Just as he always had, Mansour promised that he would spare no support.
"Because of you, I suppose I'll have more and more reason to come to Manchester."
"Then I just need to show you the best performances possible."
"Haha. Just hearing that makes me smile."
Neither one was first, but both Mansour and Ho-young broke into bright smiles.
The two of them clasped hands once again.
['Ho-young' extends contract with Manchester City, will stay together until 2015]
└So he's staying after all. This year's Premier League is going to be an obvious drama again.
└Didn't expect that from him, but I guess he has more loyalty than I thought. I figured he'd go to another club this time.
└Culers and Tito Vilanova let out sighs of relief.
└Lionel Messi likes this post.
A few days later, news of Ho-young's contract extension became public and made headlines every day.
But even more surprising than that were the contract terms that were later revealed.
['Ho-young' £1 million weekly wage, also includes a one-year extension option]
£1 million.
In Korean won, it was over ₩1.6 billion, and in annual salary terms it came to about ₩83 billion.
And when bonuses and image rights income were added, it rose to as much as ₩150 billion.
With that, Ho-young immediately earned the honor of becoming the highest-paid athlete in the world.
And not long after that, another opportunity came, one that could allow him to enjoy the glory of being the greatest sportsman in the world.
The opening of the 2012 London Olympics, which might become an unprecedented Olympics.
(To be continued.)