A hotel room in Qinhuangdao, China, under strict security.
Director Casiraghi displayed the footage he had just obtained on the television screen and began explaining.
It was the match between South Korea and Cameroon that had ended two hours earlier.
The Italian players had returned after finishing their afternoon match and still looked exhausted, but Casiraghi, the thirty nine year old young coach, remained full of passion.
Although they had secured a 5-0 victory over Honduras in their opening match, their second group stage match against South Korea was waiting just three days later.
"South Korea is not an opponent we can take lightly."
"Hmm."
The core of Italy's attack.
Giuseppe Rossi of Villarreal in Spain's top division responded lukewarmly.
Casiraghi quickly added,
"Let me correct that. We must not take Ho-young lightly."
"I know."
The one who spoke was Italy's future, Giovinco.
More than anyone else, he agreed with the coach's words.
He was the only one there who had actually faced Ho-young before.
During the 2005 Under 17 World Cup in Peru.
Just thinking about the match where he fell for Ho-young's provocation and got sent off after a headbutt made his blood boil even in his sleep.
A nightmare.
From that day on, he had never forgotten it even once.
Whenever the memory surfaced, he would leap out of bed and run straight to the training ground.
With the resolve to surpass him, and the determination to crush him the next time they met.
And finally, that match was scheduled to take place in three days.
Giovinco added another remark.
"We have to stop him."
"That's right. That is our only objective. That will lead directly to victory. We must never treat him as a youth player. As you saw in the video just now, he is already a player beyond his age. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
All the players gathered listened carefully.
Even to them, the Ho-young in the footage was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
Marchisio lifted his sharp chin and spoke.
"Like a player from the Spanish league, he focuses on ball possession."
"That's why you will play an important role in this match."
Marchisio.
A promising talent from Juventus, one of Italy's most prestigious clubs, he was just beginning to spread his wings.
Highly versatile, he could play anywhere from forward to midfielder, and his balance between attacking and defensive ability made him ideal as a central midfielder.
He was not particularly technical, but his mentality was extremely mature for his age, and he had the strength of staying calm in any situation.
For these reasons, Casiraghi planned to assign Marchisio as Ho-young's direct counterpart.
'No matter who we put there, they will probably get beaten anyway.'
So if someone had to take the hit, it was better to choose Marchisio, who at least had strong mentality and football intelligence.
Casiraghi spoke in a serious tone.
"You cannot approach Ho-young with the idea of stopping him outright. You must prevent him from playing the football he wants. Show him the true nature of Italian football."
"So I need to dominate the midfield and make sure we do not lose possession."
"Exactly. You will take responsibility for the defensive midfielder Ki Sung-yong and clean up the space."
"Yes."
England emphasizes physical battles.
Spain emphasizes individual play.
And Italy's top division is defined by space.
It begins with space and ends with space.
In England, this is sometimes called a chess match, as Italian football is famous for fierce battles over space, leaving opponents with no room to operate.
That is why it is called the graveyard of wingers.
While physical contests are weaker than in the Premier League, Italy's tackling, defensive pressure, and spatial control are second to none.
This is why elite strikers like Henry, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo have all spoken of their reluctance toward Serie A.
Casiraghi intended to use that style to face Ho-young.
'If we play the Serie A way, we can suppress Ho-young's play to some extent, even if there are organizational risks.'
"And Silvestri."
Having finished with Marchisio, Casiraghi turned his gaze.
Silvestri replied,
"Yes."
"You support Marchisio. As you saw in the footage of Alex Song versus Ho-young, sloppy pressing has clear limits. Ho-young is a player who knows how to create variables. Always keep that in mind. If you stop him two times out of five, that is already a success."
"Understood."
"That's enough. Everyone go rest. Montolivo, stay behind."
Afterward.
Once he was alone in the room with Montolivo, Casiraghi spoke again.
"I'm going to give you an important mission. With our original plan, we cannot completely stop Ho-young."
That was because the style of Castilla Ho-young they had analyzed differed from the Ho-young playing for Korea.
So Casiraghi brought out a simple but effective card.
"Take him out."
"Pardon?"
"I'll say this clearly. At our level, there is no player who can reliably stop Ho-young. I'm not belittling you. He is simply better. So you must take him out."
"Do you mean… injure him?"
Casiraghi snapped his fingers and nodded.
"Yes. Provoke him first, then finish it carefully. Break his nose with an elbow, destroy his knee, stomp his toes. You've done it before, haven't you? If not, I can show you plenty of examples. During the 2002 World Cup, Vieri played that role very well."
Causing injury disguised as an accident.
An unsportsmanlike act, but still a tactic.
A tactic devoid of conscience.
"Is that really acceptable?"
"This is also skill. Making it look unintentional is extremely difficult. In my time, it was far worse. Especially on derby days against AC Milan. I nearly got taken out myself more than once."
"I see."
"Even if you get sent off, make sure he leaves the pitch injured. Once your suspension is lifted, I'll give you a chance to play in the semifinals or even the final."
That was why Casiraghi planned to start Montolivo, a rotation player.
A sacrifice for the greater good.
It was a tactic often used in football.
Sometimes players acted on their own, sometimes under a coach's orders.
The methods varied.
Career destroying tackles, elbow strikes, and occasionally even flying kicks.
A ruthless tactic carried out under the excuse that football is war.
Casiraghi resorted to such extremes to finish first in the group and avoid Brazil in the quarterfinals.
That was why they had to win.
That was also why the Italian national team chose accommodation outside the city.
While most athletes stayed in the Beijing Olympic Village, they chose a quiet hotel and devoted themselves entirely to preparation.
Their desire to win was stronger than ever.
Hoping their efforts would pay off, Casiraghi stayed up late, racking his brain.
Meanwhile, the South Korean national team stayed in the Beijing Olympic Village, and after securing their first victory, turned the village into a festive place.
The next day, there would be a four hour morning training session at a camp outside the city, followed by rest and massages for condition management.
However, Ho-young had an evening schedule the next day.
The Olympic opening ceremony at the Beijing National Stadium.
Normally, football teams with early matches, as well as swimmers and gymnasts, do not participate in the athletes' parade due to concerns over condition.
They usually watch the ceremony on television, bond quietly with athletes from other sports who also skip the parade, or go sightseeing.
However, sometimes athletes participate for symbolic reasons.
That was the case for Ho-young.
Because he was the youngest participant in Olympic football history.
Even so, he would only attend the one hour and forty minute parade event to protect his condition.
August 8, 2008, 8 p.m.
A grand opening ceremony was held at the Beijing Olympic Main Stadium.
The scale was truly immense.
With approximately sixty billion won invested, the ceremony was overwhelmingly lavish.
There were some issues, such as a blue screen appearing during the broadcast, but the parade proceeded smoothly.
Starting with Greece, followed by Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Turkey, and others, the athletes entered one by one. South Korea was scheduled to enter 176th.
At that time, Ho-young was waiting in the athletes' room and might have felt lonely, but he had no time for that.
Korean athletes from other sports who recognized him gathered around to greet him.
Ho-young was already a star in Korea.
He was the key player who had delivered Korea's first Olympic victory.
"Hi, Ho-young."
"Hello."
Ho-young's eyes darted around.
From C grade talent to A grade talent.
There were even S grade talents.
Not missing the opportunity, Ho-young exchanged greetings and built connections.
There were plenty of talents worth coveting.
The Olympics.
He truly felt glad he had come.
Soon after, the athletes left the waiting room and entered the long tunnel.
Not long later, they emerged into the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, next, the athletes of the Republic of Korea enter the stadium."
After the Chinese announcement and then the English one, the Korean delegation entered to warm applause.
Led by judo athlete Jang Sung-oh as the flag bearer, athletes and officials followed.
The Chinese announcer delivered prepared remarks clearly.
"The youngest Olympic medalist in history was a Greek athlete who won bronze at the age of ten. Do you know who the youngest athlete at the Beijing Olympics is?"
"It is Mouapo from Cameroon, aged twelve."
"That is correct. However, foreign media are paying even more attention to another athlete. That is Ho-young, who is entering right now."
"That's right. At just fifteen years and twenty two days old, he has set a new record as the youngest participant in Olympic football history. Since this is a team sport, it is a rare record and he is receiving tremendous attention."
As those words echoed through the stadium, Ho-young, dressed in a white suit, walked proudly with the team.
That image spread across the world.
At that moment, the estimated number of viewers exceeded several billion worldwide.
When Ho-young's face filled the screen, Korean football fans erupted.
No one was happier than Ho-young's family.
His younger sibling, now eight years old, bounced around, saying there was something new to brag about at school.
The same scene unfolded in Vitória, Recife, Brazil.
Despite it being vacation, Monica woke early and claimed her spot in front of the television, staring at Ho-young with deep dimples on her cheeks.
"He's there."
Though she had matured noticeably, her expression and actions were still innocent.
"Ho-young."
She stared at the screen as if she might jump into it, but there was no reply.
A tender feeling filled her heart.
'Ho-young, do well. Next Olympics, let's go together.'
She planned to transfer to SAK International School El Castillo around August, in time for the new school term in Spain in September.
Hoping that day would come soon, she sincerely cheered for Ho-young.
'Please don't get hurt.'
And the long awaited match against Italy was two days later, on August 10.
It would be held at the Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Center.
(To be continued.)