Chapter 333 – Reputed Feast (1)

333

『Choose the world’s best players! World Cup Semifinal Big Match!』
『Three consecutive Ballon d’Or winners vs the most recent Ballon d’Or winners, who is the winner?』
『Jorge Garcia, who was selected as the best player of all time in La Liga after Messi, and Hong Min-jun, who opened a new era in the EPL』

The matchup between Korea and Spain in the semifinals drew a lot of attention.
It is the World Cup match that draws the most attention, but considering that the matchup between Argentina and Germany is almost neglected, the matchup between Korea and Spain is exceptional.

This was entirely the result of the two superstars of football, Hong Min-jun and Jorge Garcia.

『The relationship between the two started from the 2032 Sydney Olympics?』
『Protagonists who fight for the top, but have a strange relationship』

Hong Min-joon, who was born in Asia and is a soccer genius born in Asia, has established himself as a truly world-class superstar with an attractive appearance that draws admiration from both the East and the West.

An Argentinian Spaniard, he is overwhelmingly popular in Central and South America, except for a few South American countries including Brazil, and is the signboard of Real Madrid, one of the most prestigious in the soccer world. Jorge Garcia, who rose to the throne.

Although England and Spain were on different stages, there were few direct clashes, but the two were regarded as soul rivals from some point on.

The comparison between Jorge, who is said to be the best player in La Liga since Messi, and Hong Min-joon, who is said to have broken all kinds of records in the EPL and opened a new era in history, is a rice cake that soccer fans cannot miss.

Furthermore,

-Oh my god! Hong and Jorge’s chemistry! I’ve been waiting so long for this day!
—In my eyes, the two of them look so good together, is it just my imagination?
—Look at the picture we took together. You can see a strange atmosphere between the two.
—Just in case anyone still doesn’t know, the two of them have been dating since 2032!

It had the effect of attracting a large number of female fans who were relatively uninterested in soccer, who accounted for half of the population.

—Hong and Jorge… It suits you so well…
—Oh, I can’t see it. Seriously, what’s wrong with the comments here?
—Girls, are you starting juice again?

If the men focused on the sparkling rivalry between the two, the women focused on the chemistry between the two… Ragien was passionately ablaze with a strange relationship close to Jorge’s one-sided unrequited love.

Not only Hong Min-joon, but also Jorge Garcia have attractive looks that are comparable to actors, so both of them are visually great.

『Jorge Garcia “Hong Min-jun is like a brother in spirit. It’s fun just to watch him play.”
“Jorge, who mentioned Hong Min-joon after a long time, said, “Hong is a man you can’t help but fall for. I want everything about him” Shocking remarks』

—Because I have been pouring out such words steadily since 2032.
Of course, the reporters’ ‘slight fabrication’ was mixed in making this relationship a ‘meme’.

Naturally, the media also paid attention to Korea and Spain, especially Hong Min-jun and Jorge Garcia.

“Hong is treated as Jorge’s rival, but in fact, his career is poor because he is Jorge’s rival. Just looking at the Ballon d’Or right now doesn’t it?”
“Red? Of course he’s a good player. He’s a very good player. But he’s a self-righteous player. He is a player who only plays for his own record, his own stats. Compared to Jorge, who is also perfect as a team player? Ha, fine.”
“Korea should not be ignored, but there is no need to overreact. A confrontation between Hong and Jorge? Hmm… Will it be a showdown? Korea… Not bad… To Spain at the peak of the Golden Age?”

In particular, the Spanish press was critical of giving too much meaning.
Emphasizing the ‘Golden Generation’ that reappeared after the golden age when the Spanish Armada ruled the world.

* * *

“Aren’t there any idiots here who believe in the press’s fuss?”

Spain national team coach Javier Votto scanned the players’ expressions.
Beyond the determined expressions of Jorge Garcia, Rodrygo, and Raul, the protagonists of the golden generation, when they reached the edge of the seat—

“Fernando. Loosen up your face I’m all scared.”
“… It caused me concern. Sorry.”

Laughter bursts out at the sight of Fernando sitting with an expression of desperation beyond marriage.

“Hong may have a lot of feelings, but keep your personal feelings aside. We have to come together as one team, one country.”

As a native of Barcelona, ​​some players, including Fernando, nodded, as the sense of belonging to Catalonia is stronger than the sense of belonging to the country of Spain.

It is still a region with a strong will for independence, but there is no player who does not know the pride as a national team player.

At least on the World Cup stage, coach Javier knew better that he would do his best with a sense of belonging to Spain.

“Korea is strong. The media shouts that all but Hong are pathetic, but no. To be clear, Korea is dangerous.”

A heavy feeling of heaviness wrapped around the players.
As Javier Votto gestured towards the coach, the prepared video started playing.

“Then, I will start analyzing the Korean War from now on. Stay focused. This opponent… Maybe the hardest, most difficult thing we will meet in this World Cup… It might be the strongest opponent.”

While the Spanish national team was busy analyzing the video, the Korean national team was also busy preparing for the match against Spain.

“As everyone knows, our opponent is the Invincible Armada of Spain. It’s not the Spain of the past, where only the name was high and there was no substance.”

Spain is famous for its poor performance in the World Cup compared to its name.
Even though there are teams that are considered the best in Europe, such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​the best result before 2010 was 4th place in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, which is well over half a century in the past.

After that, there were many cases where I was even eliminated in the European preliminary rounds and couldn’t even advance to the World Cup finals, and even if I did, it was only in the quarterfinals.

The brilliant nickname of the ‘invincible armada’ was nothing more than a faded glory.

It was from 2008 Euro that Spain began to pay for its name.
Starting with the 2008 Euro Championship, they won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2012 Euro Championship, demonstrating the splendor of a truly invincible armada.

However, after that, it returned to a disappointing figure, but the faded Invincible Armada regained its majesty only when the current golden generation emerged in earnest.

“As everyone knows, the main axis of Spain is this triangular formation.”

The 4-3-3 formation that represents the Spanish national team comes to mind, and coach Park Ki-young’s laser point draws a circle among the three leading players.

“Raul Lopez de Ayala in the front line. He is the main striker of AT Madrid and is good at link play. Although he is not tall, he has a good sergeant jump and his RBI is quite high. But what scares him most is that he’s good at psychological warfare. He penetrates the psychology of the defense, penetrates gaps well, and creates open chances in an instant. Also, like a Spanish person, he is quite good at linking.”

A brief explanation of each of the Spanish national team players followed.

“Hodrigo. One of the three representatives of Spain’s golden generation and—”
“Antonio Gonzalez. He’s the heart of the midfield. A left-footed specialist—”
“Fernando. He’s good at passing, like he’s from Barcelona—”

And last.
The players gulp their saliva.

“Finally, this player. Jorge Garcia, the protagonist of three consecutive Ballon d’Or. What… Everyone knows it even if he doesn’t say it. Is not it?”
“I know. It’s a problem I know too well… But, director. How do I stop this?”

Park Ki-young laughed empty-handedly at Seol Yo-han’s question, who took over the captain’s armband in place of Choi Moon-tae, who was injured.

“Keep an eye out for it.”
“… Yes?”
“The conditions are the same. There’s one guy the opponent can’t block here either.”

Everyone’s eyes were turned to one side, and there was a player who smiled arrogantly at his gaze.

* * *

The venue for the World Cup semi-final match between Korea and Spain was a UEFA category 4, so-called top, four-star stadium located in Madrid Chamartín Paseo de la Castellana.

The most prestigious UEFA Champions League final among European club competitions has been held six times, including the European Nations Cup final, which is called the World Cup in Europe, and the World Cup final, a festival around the world.

However, what makes the stadium more famous than these is the fact that it is the home stadium of Real Madrid, one of the best soccer clubs.

This was the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.

“The semi-final match between Germany and Argentina held on opposite sides was a thrilling match, right?”
“That’s right. The match ended with Argentina’s victory, but Germany’s fierce counterattack led to a very sparkly match. Isn’t the famous match scheduled for today as well?”
“This is the Santiago Bernabéu, where the Korea vs. Spain and Spain vs. Korea matches will be held. The match will start soon. Ah, Minjun Hong and Jorge say hello.”
“Aren’t both players famous for their outstanding looks? Also, Jorge is famous for frequently mentioning Hong Min-jun, right?”
“The moment I speak, the game begins!!”