Even after the match ended, the heat refused to die down.
From the mix-zone to the exit, every accessible area was packed with reporters.
AC Milan's players, having suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat on the night, quietly left through the officials' passage, while in the underground press conference room, the Man of the Match Ho-young and manager Scolari began their interviews.
"In today's match, we noticed something different from usual. Especially on the first and third goals, your passes truly stood out. When did you develop your passing ability to that level?"
"I have always watched Xabi's passes and thought to myself that one day I wanted to receive them in a real match."
"And eventually he joined the team?"
"That is right. And only after receiving his passes did I truly understand what a comfortable pass feels like, and what makes a pass exceptional."
"So overall, you received a lot of help from Xabi Alonso?"
"Without a doubt."
Passing is a crucial skill for a playmaker.
Juan Román Riquelme, Zinedine Zidane.
Legendary playmakers all possessed outstanding passing ability.
Now Ho-young was reaching that level.
His short passing was not quite there yet, but his long passing was already threatening Alonso's standard.
And it would only improve further.
The reporters were not done.
"Do you remember your first goal? You even executed Cristiano Ronaldo's signature knuckleball shot. That goal made us realize just how fast a shot can be."
There was no way he could forget.
Even by his own standards, it had been an incredible strike.
He had never hit a shot that powerful before.
"I was quite surprised myself. I practice it regularly, but I did not expect it to connect so perfectly in a real match. That was also greatly influenced by Ronaldo."
Even after hearing it directly, the reporters were stunned.
"Ha ha. There is a saying that Ho-young is a player who never existed in history. After today, that feels accurate. But honestly, we are very curious. How is this possible? It is not as if you train several times more than others. What is your secret? Most players struggle to excel at even one thing, yet you continue to improve daily. There are even jokes that Valdebebas has a special underground training device built just for you."
It sounded almost like asking if he was human, but the reporter's curiosity was genuine.
Ho-young smiled lightly.
"They call it the positive effect. When you are surrounded by great teammates, it is natural to improve along with them."
"But that alone…"
"And talent."
"Excuse me?"
"I believe I have talent. And I am always grateful for that."
Talent.
At that word, the reporters nodded.
Though he was not in a position to speak so boldly about talent, this answer was the simplest way to quiet conspiracy theories.
If the player himself said so, what more could anyone argue?
"Thank you for your answer. As a football fan, I believe today will go down as a historic day. We look forward to more from you."
Another reporter raised a question.
Once again, the target was Ho-young.
"Ahem."
Scolari, sitting beside him, had long become a spectator.
He did not mind.
They had reached the Champions League semifinals thanks to Ho-young. He could hand over the spotlight gladly.
Yet.
"Hmm."
He suddenly wanted the microphone.
He had long carried the label of being a manager who thrived only in World Cups. The Champions League had always been his dream.
He had waited for this moment.
He had prepared many words about the struggles to reach this stage and the plans ahead.
Then it happened.
"Coach?"
"Yes, please."
"What was the reason the team managed such a dramatic comeback?"
"The reason we won."
Strangely, despite all his prepared remarks, something else came out.
Scolari answered without hesitation.
"He is sitting right beside me. That is an obvious question."
Real Madrid had always been strong.
But never this strong.
Raúl, Guti, and Casillas anchored the team mentally. Ho-young stood at the center. Ronaldo, Alonso, and Higuaín supported from behind.
With that structure, they were untouchable.
That was what he wanted to say.
"Of course, everyone played well. But since the Man of the Match is here, I will speak only about him. As everyone knows, having a player like him is a great fortune. He is like my respiratory system."
"Ha ha. You seem completely charmed by him."
He is exceptional and has a bright future. But above all, his greatest strength is that he is very young. From today, I will call him 'Young man.'
Scolari could not stop smiling.
After match day, articles about Ho-young spread worldwide.
[Ho-young explodes again. 3 goals and 1 assist on aggregate, sixth Champions League goal of the season]
[Four goals in the last four Champions League matches. Fifteen goals in two seasons]
[Scolari, "He is the Young-man himself." The wind of youth is blowing]
[Ho-young's shot speed measured at 182 km/h, world record]
[Alfredo Di Stéfano after watching the match, "He is my successor."]
[Maradona, "I saw the article about Di Stéfano meeting Ho-young. I would like to meet him too. Perhaps he should consider naturalizing for Argentina?"]
[Real Madrid's semifinal opponent will be Olympique Lyonnais of France. In the last five meetings, Lyon lead with 3 wins and 2 draws.]
[If Real win the Champions League, debate begins over the 2010 Ballon d'Or. Many believe Ronaldo has the edge due to potential World Cup performance.]
[The Ho-young syndrome intensifies, growing interest in his family as well.]
Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
A month earlier, Woo Hwang-sun had opened 'Woo Hwang-sun Football Class.'
It was smaller than most neighborhood tutoring centers.
He gathered preschool children and taught them on a local field.
No matter how skilled he was in amateur leagues, teaching football professionally was another matter.
In truth, it was closer to a hobby than a job.
He earned only 320,000 won a month, and after paying the coach's salary, it went into the negative.
But he was happy.
It was not about money.
The monthly fee was only 40,000 won, cheaper than most local academies or taekwondo schools.
Recently, word of mouth had begun to spread.
"Boss."
"Yes, Daehyun."
"We received three applications from Building 108."
Park Dae-hyun, the only coach, was a former semi-professional player forced to retire due to injury.
He had met Woo Hwang-sun through amateur football and was hired for his sincerity.
He even handled promotions well.
"Morning class?"
"Yes. Honestly, no one seems interested in the afternoon."
The academy functioned more as childcare during the morning than strict football training.
"Maybe you should raise the price. Watching kids all morning deserves at least minimum wage. I get a salary, but you…"
"It is fine. I do it because I like it. It is a bit of vicarious satisfaction."
Financially, there was no real problem.
The challenge was the growing number of children.
"What if we exceed thirty? Two of us cannot handle that. Should we hire another coach?"
"Boss, this is practically volunteer work. Where else is there an academy like this? Why not register officially and build it properly? Of course, it will require some initial investment."
"That is not a bad idea."
He had thought about consulting Cha Bum-kun once things settled.
The only concern was.
"Will people really come to a place like this?"
"We need a strong instructor and good marketing. Honestly, maybe we should change the academy's name."
"Why? Is my name bad?"
"Be honest. When parents see the name, they should want to enroll their kids. You do not have coaching credentials, and it is not like you are Cha Bum-kun or someone famous."
"Then should we call it Park Dae-hyun Football Class?"
"Boss, who knows my name? Just call it Messi Football Academy."
"Messi Football Academy?"
Woo Hwang-sun chuckled.
"Why Messi when we have Ho-young?"
"Boss, using names without permission gets you in trouble. Messi is foreign, less risky. Ho-young is known by every Korean."
"Ah, it is fine. Let us change it to Ho-young Football Class. We will promote properly and hire licensed coaches."
"What? We cannot because of image rights."
"We just ask him."
"And how do we do that?"
"I have not told you yet."
Smiling awkwardly, Woo Hwang-sun pulled out his phone and made an international call to Madrid.
Soon Ho-young's voice answered.
"Hey, son. Can you talk? Well, I was wondering if I could use your name… Oh, thanks. Ha ha. Looks like I will benefit from my son. Keep it up!"
Click.
He hung up.
"Permission granted. Let us change it and see how many applications come in."
"Wow."
Park Dae-hyun realized something.
He might not have joined a small neighborhood academy, but a golden workplace.
April 9.
Barcelona's training ground, Ciutat Esportiva.
The manager's office was tense.
President Laporta had just delivered a message to Guardiola.
His usual warm smile was gone.
"I can no longer protect you."
An ultimatum.
Barcelona were under heavy criticism after consecutive defeats in El Clásico.
Their elimination by Inter in the Champions League quarterfinals intensified the pressure.
There was no room left.
The upcoming La Liga Round 31 match.
For Guardiola, it had to be a win.
Anything else meant dismissal.
(To be continued.)