LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 260
Two days after the England National Team returned to the UK.
A parade celebrating the England team’s Euro victory took place in Trafalgar Square, London.
Thanks to it being declared a temporary holiday, the square was filled not only with London citizens but also with people from all over mainland Britain.
Among them were Korean residents in the UK, as well as tourists who had flocked to see the parade.
The sheer number of people crowding Trafalgar Square prompted a full deployment of police forces to maintain order.
“Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the Football!”
As the captain, Son Jinho, lifted the trophy, the loudest cheers erupted.
After completing the ceremony, Son Jinho passed the trophy to the vice-captain Wayne Rooney, and it was then relayed to the youngest member of the team, Marcus Rashford.
The England players, having finished the trophy ceremony, danced joyfully in celebration of their victory, and the fervor of the victory parade continued for a while.
*
After the celebration event for England’s historic first Euro victory concluded.
As the England National Team players were about to embark on their well-deserved vacation, Coach Roy Hodgson began to seriously contemplate his future.
“Shouldn’t I step down from the national team coach position?”
Media outlets were already discussing his potential resignation.
Of course, while some media criticized the victory as being covered by the players’ talent rather than tactics,
regardless, a victory is a victory, and there was far more praise for recognizing Son Jinho’s foresight in appointing him as captain than there was for tactical criticism.
Thus, Roy Hodgson’s dilemma deepened.
The FA had agreed to extend his contract until the 2018 Russia World Cup if he managed to reach the semi-finals of the Euro tournament…
But he had no confidence in achieving results at the World Cup.
The humiliation he suffered from being eliminated in the group stage at the Brazil World Cup was still fresh in his mind and remained a trauma.
If Italy hadn’t been eliminated alongside them in a friendly manner, he might have faced an even greater embarrassment.
Perhaps even now, he would have been subjected to ridicule as a stain on European football.
In any case, with the Euro victory, the public’s expectations had already soared sky-high.
[England National Team wins Euro! Spain is shocked, France is aghast, Germany kneels!]
[England emerges as a strong contender for the Russia World Cup.]
To satisfy the British populace, it was essential to at least reach the semi-finals, which turned the title of Euro Champion into a burden for Roy Hodgson.
“If I resign now, I’m a hero, but if I resign later, I might be seen as a traitor.”
After pondering this, Coach Roy Hodgson made a swift decision.
He decided to resign from the national team coaching position while the applause was still loud.
*
[England National Team Coach Roy Hodgson announces resignation.]
[Coach Roy Hodgson states, “Having won the Euro title, I now wish to manage a club team.”]
[FA attempted to persuade him, but Hodgson’s resolve was firm….]
[Coach Roy Hodgson, who preferred club football, accepts an offer from Saudi Arabia.]
[British media erupts in condemnation towards Hodgson for reversing his stance.]
[Roy Hodgson explains in an interview, “The money was just too good to refuse.”]
[FA appoints ‘fat’ Sam Allardyce as the new national team coach.]
*
[Christiano Ronaldo shares training footage on social media…]
While England was immersed in a festive atmosphere, Portugal’s ace Christiano Ronaldo, who had finished as the runner-up, went to the training ground daily, posting footage of his training on social media.
Countless fans, cheering on Ronaldo’s dedication, flooded the comment section.
– CR7: I will be the next Ballon d’Or winner after Son Jinho; I’ll raise the Big Ear after shining in the Champions League!
– JH10: Chris, you do know we’re on the same team, right?
Watching the comments from his supporters, Ronaldo’s determination for the Ballon d’Or only intensified.
*
Since the Euro victory, the perception of me among the British has changed quite a bit.
From being a player loved by Manchester United fans to now being a player celebrated by the English people.
“Jinho, can I get your autograph?”
“Are you a Manchester United fan?”
“No, I’m a Liverpool fan.”
Ah. For reference, as you might have guessed from the address, the knight appointment and medal award ceremony have yet to take place.
Both ceremonies traditionally occur on New Year’s and the Queen’s birthday.
Well, given the current atmosphere, it was certain that the players would be awarded their fourth-level honors and Coach Roy Hodgson would be knighted.
‘The problem is me.’
I could either receive a first or second-level medal and get knighted immediately, or receive a third-level medal and later be knighted.
Although it was a minority opinion, there were those who felt that being knighted immediately was a bit premature.
‘Surely, as captain, I wouldn’t just get the same 4th-level honor as other players, right?’
Well, I guess I’d find out in due time.
Anyway, what I liked most about my changed everyday life was how much faster the administrative process became.
After the delays caused by the British civil servants’ slow handling of affairs, the approval for the club’s remodeling was swiftly granted.
It seemed that my interview, where I expressed frustration about the slow administrative approvals following the Euro win, had borne fruit.
After that interview, those obstructing the plans for New Trafford, insisting that no stadium should be more impressive than Wembley Stadium, quickly shifted their stance and joined in support.
The New Trafford project that had been delayed by administrative procedures began to gain momentum.
By the start of the 16/17 season, I might be able to break ground on part of the project.
Even while the players went on vacation,
I showed up at the club to handle matters for the owner.
Since a major tournament like the Euro had taken place, a chain reaction in the transfer market had occurred.
The values of players who performed well in the Euro skyrocketed, and countless transfer rumors abounded.
[Is Kevin De Bruyne headed to the EPL?]
Among these, the most attention-grabbing was Kevin De Bruyne, who had shone as a star for Dortmund and the Belgium national team.
While I had been the MVP at the Euro, unfortunately, ever since I became the owner of Manchester United, I hadn’t received a single transfer offer.
‘Honestly, even though it’s disheartening not to have any transfer rumors…’
Anyway, transfer rumors about Kevin De Bruyne flooded in, and Manchester United sent an offer to acquire him, but Kevin’s heart was already set on Manchester City.
He was a player so eager about football that he even acquired his UEFA A coaching license while going through the season.
Frankly, in terms of tactical ability, Pep Guardiola was definitely superior to Carlo Ancelotti.
Even if Jurgen Klopp had been the coach of Manchester United instead of Ancelotti, Kevin would have still chosen Manchester City.
After all, Kevin had already experienced Klopp’s football sufficiently.
– Ho-woo: Kevin should have respected me!!
I jokingly encouraged Kevin De Bruyne with comments about his prospects.
Of course, just because I cheered him on didn’t mean I’d rescind my offer.
I needed to drive up Kevin De Bruyne’s value as much as possible to negatively impact the finances of competing teams.
While Manchester City’s eyes were on acquiring Kevin De Bruyne,
we focused on Villarreal’s promising Rodrigo Hernandez.
Later, that same Rodrigo would shine at Manchester City.
Though it felt like we were missing significant players from Manchester City, there was nothing that could be done.
After all, Manchester City had dominated the Premier League, making continual monitoring necessary.
Despite having already missed out on Ilkay Gündoğan and Kyle Walker, it was scary that there were still players left to miss out on.
This felt worlds apart from Liverpool, which collapsed after missing out on Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mané.
Anyway, it was high time to make an aggressive attempt to acquire a replacement for Sami Khedira, who had entered his thirties.
[Promising Villarreal star Rodrigo signs with Manchester United.]
└ Jinho, you bastard! You call this signing just a prospect!
└ Jinho! You said you’d create a club we’ve never experienced!
We successfully acquired Rodrigo for 10 million euros (about 13 billion won). Although Manchester City tried to hijack the deal at the last moment, making it a rather pricey acquisition for a backup who had only seen some first-team action, well, given Rodrigo’s potential, it was a bargain.
After transferring, Rodrigo still displayed some raw skills in his first training session, but as time went on, he began to manifest his potential, putting a warm smile on Carlo Ancelotti’s face.
*
While Son Jinho was gradually siphoning off future key players for Manchester City,
Pep Guardiola gloomily murmured as he watched Son Jinho, smiling as he lifted the Euro trophy at the Stade de France.
“Surely, he won’t join Manchester City…”
Ferran Soriano reacted to Guardiola’s muttering.
“If Manchester United goes bankrupt, it might be possible.”
Pep Guardiola burst into laughter at Ferran Soriano’s comment.
The thought of ‘that’ Manchester United going bankrupt didn’t register with him.
“Even without him, don’t we already have everything ready to dominate the league?”
Feeling that Pep’s mood had lightened, Ferran Soriano continued.
“Right. We’ve already made all the preparations.”
Pep quietly nodded.
In the past three years,
even though Manchester City hadn’t lifted any trophies, Pep Guardiola’s tactical philosophy had successfully taken root in the first team and throughout Manchester City.
While there were some obstacles in acquiring the necessary players,
still, Manchester City had completed their preparations to dominate the Premier League.
Thus, the giant sleeping began to stretch and rise.
*
As the 16/17 season kicked off.
[Manchester City begins the season with a 9-game winning streak.]
With the Manchester brothers racing friendly neck-and-neck at the top of the league, time flew by quickly.
As the national team prepared for a friendly match in November 2016, Sam Allardyce resigned over corruption issues related to a third party.
[FA appoints Gareth Southgate as interim manager.]
Gareth Southgate stepped into the interim position and successfully led his debut match.
[Gareth Southgate: “Jinho is a fantastic player.”]
[FA officially appoints Gareth Southgate as head coach.]
The man who had led England football’s golden era in history, Gareth Southgate, was officially promoted to the England A National Team coach.
As he commanded his team, Manchester City surged to the top of the league.
On December 12, 2016,
the 2016 Ballon d’Or ceremony was held in France.
Christiano Ronaldo, just before the voting closed, scored a hat-trick in the Champions League, giving it his all,
but, unsurprisingly, the Ballon d’Or award went to Son Jinho, who had emerged victorious in the Euro.
[‘Professional No Show’ Christiano Ronaldo announces he won’t attend the 2016 Ballon d’Or ceremony?]
After rumors swirled that Son Jinho was likely to win the Ballon d’Or, Christiano Ronaldo declared he would not attend the ceremony.
– Ho-woo: If you don’t attend, you’ll be fined.
– Professional No Show: Son Jinho, are you ordering me to act against my free will? This is an unjust act, and I condemn the evil club owner Son Jinho for coercing a player’s free will.
– Ho-woo: (Ronaldo’s contract clearly states attendance at award ceremonies, including the Ballon d’Or.jpg)
– Professional No Show: …Actually, I always wanted to attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Eventually, unable to resist his dear friend Son Jinho’s persuasion, he had to attend.
“Third Ballon d’Or! Ho-woo-woo-woo-woo-woo!”
He had to endure the live broadcast of Son Jinho’s crazed celebration at the awards ceremony.
*
Manchester City continued to dominate the league standings.
Throughout this time, as if to relieve the sorrow of not winning, Manchester City gathered overwhelming points.
Time sped by, and soon the last match of the 16/17 season came to a close.
[Manchester City reclaims the Premier League throne after 5 years.]
[Manchester United finishes as runners-up, just 2 points behind.]
Manchester City claimed the Premier League title.
[Manchester City suffers a shocking defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.]
Of course, despite their strong league performance, they fell short in the Champions League, getting knocked out in the quarter-finals.
‘Is Pep’s baldness going to be the undoing?’
On the other hand, Manchester United, having ceded the league title to City, clinched the Champions League title.
By lifting their fifth Champions League trophy, they also earned the right to wear the UEFA Badge of Honor and were granted the actual Big Ear on a permanent basis.
The club’s value soared once again, with shares listed on the NASDAQ skyrocketing, adding momentum to the New Trafford project.
Manchester United’s manager Carlo Ancelotti redeemed himself after his failures at Real Madrid.
“Jinho, I hope those arrogant bastards want me as their manager and are going crazy with desire.”
After sneeringly rejecting an offer from Real Madrid, he extended his contract for another year.
*
[Manchester United confirms North America pre-season tour.]
With Son Jinho’s third Ballon d’Or win and fifth Champions League victory boosting its recognition, Manchester United turned its direction from the Asian tour to North America for the upcoming pre-season.
Manchester United’s foray into the North American market proved to be quite successful.
Currently, Manchester United boasted stars like Ronaldo and Son Jinho.
In any case, Manchester United completed a successful pre-season tour.
Time flowed swiftly. The 17/18 season began.
During this period, the final qualifiers for the World Cup were taking place, turning public attention towards international matches.
[Italy fails to qualify for the World Cup after losing to Sweden.]
By the end of the international matches in November 2017, which concluded the World Cup qualifiers, the final teams for the tournament were determined.
The world’s gaze turned toward the World Cup draw.
*
On December 1, 2017, Friday at 3 PM.
The draw for the 2018 Russia World Cup was held at the Kremlin in Moscow.
The heads of associations and coaches of participating countries gathered, and
Korea was similarly represented by its coach and Choi Gi-hyun, the president of the Football Association.
Choi Gi-hyun interacted with the football figures who approached him.
If it were an ordinary scenario, they might not pay much attention to the president of the Asian Football Association, often considered a football backwater.
However, Choi Gi-hyun was a bit special. After all, he was somewhat of a notable figure in football for having discovered Son Jinho.
In fact, even before he was elected president of the Football Association, he had received scout offers from several top leagues in Europe, including the Premier League.
While Choi Gi-hyun was chatting with football figures,
“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about Jinho.”
The interim coach of England, Gareth Southgate, greeted Choi Gi-hyun.
“Yes, the man who discovered the football emperor, Son Jinho? It’s me.”
With a bright smile, Choi Gi-hyun confidently introduced himself.
Surely, the modern society is the era of self-promotion.