Chapter 295 – Opportunity (1)

295

『Asia’s first Ballon d’Or winner!!』
『Finally, the best is born in Asia』
『The star of the East, the best in the world』
『Newcastle Minjun Hong Ballon d’Or Award』

As much as the world was paying attention, the news of my Ballon d’Or award was instantly published and spread.

In addition, my acceptance speech became a hot topic,

『(BBC) The “GREAT” Mr.Almighty Minjun Hong Lyon Declaration』
『(Hankook Ilbo) Selling seven battles! Hong Min-jun, who finally won the Ballon d’Or after three challenges, an ambitious award speech!
『(Requief) Progress in Asian football! Ballon d’Or Winner Confident Announcement』
『(Mundo Deportivo) Are you drunk with the joy of winning? Arrogant remarks from an arrogant genius!』
『(New York Times) Hong Min-joon, the first ever Asian Ballon d’Or winner! A heretic with a Western mind that breaks away from the oriental stereotype

Western reactions are generally like or curiosity.

Asian modesty is widely known because the era is the era, but anyway, in Western values, confidence rather than humility is seen as a virtue, so even my arrogant declaration showed a favorable response rather than displeasure.

Of course, newspapers like Mundo Deportivo, a pro-Barcelona daily, used to try hard to downplay it, but that’s a minority opinion.

If the Western world generally accepted it as ‘Ballon d’Or winner’s confident interview!’, The Eastern world—

『(Global Times) Heaven and Earth, infants alone! Hong, the number one in the world, announces a pomu that will shake the whole world from the heart of imperialism!』
『(Nippon Zaichi) The splendid feat of Asian boys! Hong Min-joon, the pride of Asia, boldly defeated rival Jorge Garcia and stood tall as the world’s No. 1!”
『(Vietnam News) Nguyen Truong’s role model Hong Min-joon! Shining the light of Asia in the center of the West!』

It was a riot of drumming and drumming.

No, I won the Ballon d’Or, so why are people talking about it?
Korea understands it, but China is still talking nonsense about my ancestors being descendants of returning home from Shandong Province to Joseon, and Japan is preoccupied with raising a spoon, saying, “We are Asians!” What about Southeast Asia… It’s like Vietnam, somehow tying it up with a promising player in its own country.

Mmm.
Should I have a more meaningful interview as an Asian representative soon?

* * *

Stefan Nathanbrynner, who was watching the analysis video, closed his eyes and buried himself in a chair.

“… You are a monster.”

As a soccer coach, analyzing your opponents for the next match is a daily routine, so how many teams and players did you analyze when you started your coaching career?

But it’s the first time I’ve ever been so desperate.

Liverpool manager Stefan Nathan Brynner’s deep sigh made the coaches and analysts who participated in the analysis stop his mouth while watching.

Liverpool’s next opponent is Newcastle.
Just a few days ago, it was that Newcastle that produced the winner of the Ballon d’Or and the momentum rose as fast as it could.

“I’ve seen several players who were said to be excellent early on, but this is the first time I’ve seen a player with no answer like this. How have you been dealing with it all this time?”

Last season was a difficult time for Liverpool.
Didn’t you suffer the humiliation of being eliminated in the round of 16 of the Champions League because it was not enough to barely defend 4th place in the league?

For Liverpool, who had reached the final of the Champions League last season the previous year and finished runner-up, it was a sluggish performance that could not help but feel a sense of alienation.

It was a more painful season because it was a slump that occurred even though there was no change in the manager or coaching staff, and there was no noteworthy change in the squad.

As a result, the board Jin put Kang-soo, who sacked the former manager who had led the team for 5 years.

It was also because the entire team fell into mannerisms, so it was because of the judgment that reform was needed, but if you follow the source, your grades will eventually suffer.

It wasn’t just dissatisfaction with last season’s performance.
Liverpool had a ‘relatively’ successful period over the past five years, winning two Champions League runner-ups and one EPL championship.

However, compared to the two Champions League victories he achieved in his heyday less than 10 years ago, it is definitely a disappointing achievement.

It was not a lack of investment or a lack of quality of the team, but the performance that was not as good as the peak led to the judgment that the manager lacked competence.

Whether that decision is right or wrong will depend on the performance of Stefan Nathan Brynner, who took the baton this season.

The big clubs of the big leagues… Being the manager of a big club that could seriously aim to win the Champions League was a privilege granted only to a select few, very few managers, and Stefan Nathanbrynner, who barely seized the opportunity, did not want to miss this opportunity.

So, it was a season prepared with gritted teeth, such as releasing huge transfer funds to recruit the players you want, and convening the squad a week earlier than usual for pre-season training—

“Boss. Didn’t we beat the Manchester brothers too? We don’t have to be afraid of Newcastle, who also beat Manchester City. We are doing well enough.”
“You say you’re good enough….”

Stefan Nathan Brynner laughed.

“Because we did well enough, our ranking is fourth. 4th place, 4th place! 4th place!! Since when did Liverpool become a team that is satisfied with fourth place!!”

Bang!!
The coach who hit the desk stared open-eyed at his coaches.

“You will definitely win. Lander!”
“Yes, boss.”
“Our defense is excellent and seasoned. Tell Hong to give him an angle so he can shoot. But not close. I mean, open the angle so that you can aim for the far side, the far post.”
“But Boss. Hong’s shooting accuracy is league… No, it’s world-class. Because of his brash image early in his career, I think he is a player who shoots inaccurately, but his accuracy is —”
“I know, I know.”

Stefan Nathan Brynner’s voice became quieter as he stopped talking harshly.

“But there is no answer. How to stop this monster…. Pass it on to the defense. Open the far post side, but aim for the shooting and compete. If you can’t block a shot, at least mess with accuracy.”
“… If you don’t, you’re going to lose points.”
“You have to trust the defense. Aren’t they seasoned veterans?”

Unlike the gloomy analysis, the preparation process was passionate and lively.

In the middle of the season, Liverpool, which fell into a slump following last year’s league ranking, was fourth, but the momentum has risen as much as they have successfully rebounded by beating Manchester United and Manchester City in succession.

So maybe Stefan Nathan Brynner… Maybe he really thought he could beat Newcastle.

Newcastle is definitely a strong team, and in terms of recent results, it may be stronger than Liverpool, but this is only due to one player.

In other words, as the dependence on the ace is higher than any other team, if only the ace can be blocked, Newcastle’s power is half… No, it was like falling in half.

‘I must have gained momentum by winning the Ballon d’Or. But I want to prove it even more. Excited goalscorers are difficult to control. As long as our defense controls it well… There are odds… !’

Liverpool manager Stefan Nathan Brynner, who gradually gained confidence in the team’s focused play in training, predicted victory and stood on the pitch expressing confidence in an interview.

And on match day.

“Ah, what is this? My opponent is Hong Min-jun, Hong Min-jun! Ballon d’Or Winner! Giving a shooting angle to the world’s fastest, flashiest and deadliest goalscorer!! Liverpool conceding right away!!”
“Liverpool’s defense is out of their minds today. Continue to give the shooting angle. Hong Min-jun Multi-goal in 9 minutes in the first half!!”
“Liverpool’s sluggishness, which was expected to rebound, continues!! The Liverpool defense gave Hong Min-jun a hat-trick in the first half! I need to focus!!”

Bitch was killed

『Hong Min-joon flew around in his first match after winning the Ballon d’Or! 5 goals against Liverpool!!
『How far is Liverpool’s fall without wings? Falling to 5th place in the league, red light for the Champions League pass』

* * *

Newcastle went on a winning streak.
League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League.

There are goalscorers who record goals like drinking water regardless of the stage, but it is difficult to lose.
Hong Min-joon led the team with an overwhelming scoring pace, as the Olympics made his absence at the beginning of the season overshadowed.

『Hong Min-joon’s 30th goal exploded in the last game of the first half of the league!!』
『Played only 15 league games and scored 30 goals! 2 points per game pace!!』
『Hong Min-Jun’s toes became sharper after winning the Ballon d’Or! Can he surpass the league’s 50th goal for the first time ever?』

After missing 5 games in the first half and playing only 15 out of 20 league games in the first half, he accumulated an overwhelming stat of 30 goals and 8 assists, so it was already so obvious that it did not even become a topic.

There are only two things people pay attention to.
One is whether the only one in the English Premier League who has scored 40 goals in the league will also conquer the 50 goal mark.

And,

“In the League Cup and Champions League, we already have 16 goals!! Hong Min-jun, 46 goals in the first half of the season!!”
“Hong Min-joon is challenging Messi’s 2012 records for the most goals in a season and the most league goals in a season!! Can we really break Messi’s record, which was considered an immortal record?”

It was whether he could surpass the ‘immortal record’ of Lionel Messi, the current GOAT in football.