Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

163 – Breakthrough, Again

163

Most players’ physical condition deteriorates as the season comes to an end.

This is a very natural phenomenon. No matter how hard they train and manage themselves, a player’s body is not made of steel. The more they use it, the more it wears out. Their knees and stamina are no exception.

But sometimes, there are players who become even more energetic towards the end of the season.

This season, Joo Ji-tae was one of them.

[¡Ay, no! No puede ser posible!!]

[Goool~~!!!! Increíble JU!!]

The Spanish commentators, who were broadcasting the game, jumped up from their seats, shouting and celebrating Joo Ji-tae’s goal-scoring ceremony.

[The record has been broken!! Joo Ji-tae has finally done it!!]

[This is unbelievable. Look at this lovely player!! The lovely Barcelona defender has broken the record for most goals scored by a defender in a single season, previously held by Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos!!]

La Liga, Round 32.

Joo Ji-tae, who had been on a streak of consecutive goals since the match against Manchester City, finally achieved a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid, scoring a field goal, a free-kick goal, and a penalty kick, and broke the record for most goals scored by a defender in a single season, previously held by Sergio Ramos, by two goals.

[The record of 10 goals set by Hetafe’s Marinao Pernia 15 years ago, and broken by Sergio Ramos 15 years later, has been broken again by Barcelona’s Joo Ji-tae!!]

[This is his 21st goal this season! With 10 assists, his total attack points have exceeded 30. You won’t believe it! This player is not a striker, not even a midfielder, but a center-back!!]

[A center-back with 31 attack points in a season is an unbelievable record. The previous record for most attack points by a defender was 17, set by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 19/20 season, with 4 goals and 13 assists. Joo Ji-tae has almost doubled that record!!]

[The fact that he’s only 20 years old makes it even more terrifying. Is he an oriental mystery?]

The 21st century is an era of globalization.

Joo Ji-tae’s record spread quickly to the Korean community.

—Joo Ji-tae scored another goal at the end of the game 😲

—This guy should just become a striker, haha

—Wow, Joo Ji-tae did it again today

—I apologize for my lack of faith earlier. I thought he might concede a goal, but he didn’t 😊

—Joo Ji-tae is the best output of Korean football, lol. Agree? Agree and give me a like, lol

—Do you guys have a problem where you pee a lot these days? I have to change my underwear five times a day, is that normal?

—Joo Ji-tae is insane!

—Ang Joo Ji-tae, Ang Joo Ji-tae, Ang Joo Ji-tae!

—Mom, I want to become Joo Ji-tae’s fan, Mom, I want to become Joo Ji-tae’s fan, Mom, I want to become Joo Ji-tae’s fan!

It’s not surprising that Joo Ji-tae is a Korean national team player. He’s not just a national team player, but a player who represents Korea.

Of course, it’s not just Barcelona fans who are thrilled by Joo Ji-tae’s performance.

In Korean professional football, the national team is more passionate than the league itself, and the popularity of a player who does well in the European league is unimaginable.

Especially among Korean fans who die for recognition from Western countries, Joo Ji-tae’s popularity is bound to be immense.

In fact, if a player can defend, build up, dribble, and score goals, who can dislike them? Is there such a player in the world?

[The highly anticipated La Liga Round 32 match against Atletico Madrid ended with a 3:1 victory for Barcelona.]

[Atlético’s start wasn’t bad, but Joo Ji-tae’s mistake led to the opponent’s first goal, making it a difficult game. It was unlike Joo Ji-tae to make an error, and it was even more concerning since he was in bad condition. However, Joo Ji-tae made up for his mistake.]

[With this win, Barcelona now has 83 points with six games left. Real Madrid, who is closely trailing behind, also won, maintaining a five-point gap.]

[It seems like the championship this season will be decided in the next game.]

[That’s right. The next game, the 33rd round of the league, is between Barcelona and Real Madrid, who are currently in first and second place. Before that, there’s the Champions League semifinal. Barcelona will face Dortmund, and Real Madrid will face PSG.]

[Oh, the coaches of both teams must be having a headache. They can’t afford to lose in either the Champions League or El Clásico. It’s going to be tough to decide on the lineup with such important games coming up.]

* * *

Scoring a goal changed the world.

…was an exaggeration, but breaking Sergio Ramos and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s records and achieving the most goals and attack points as a defender in a single season was crazy.

The analysis of Joo Ji-tae, the new style center-back, the genius player who gained tactical freedom, was all over the broadcast, and it was familiar…

—We’re living in the Joo Ji-tae era, Joomen

—I pray for Joomen

—I testify that I changed my underwear 10 times while watching the YouTube highlights, Joomen

—Is God Joo Ji-tae?

—What’s with the community atmosphere? Are you all crazy? It smells like a scam;

—Joomen is going up again today

—It’s just… God, Joo Ji-tae means God, Joomen

The community’s excitement was always new and refreshing.

Joo Ji-tae was browsing through his minor gallery, smiling.

—Panty thief, that guy changed his nickname again?

—He’s always writing weird posts; I guess he has nothing better to do

—He’s like a unemployed bum

—It’s okay, Mom believes in our Panty thief! Fighting, son!

The familiar nicknames made it seem like the ‘1st team elite members’ had gathered.

“What are you looking at?”

“What?”

“You’re laughing alone, looking at something fun. Let me see.”

Miguel Gómez, sitting next to Joo Ji-tae on the plane, peeked at his phone, and Joo Ji-tae instinctively covered the screen.

“Want to see?”

“Where…?”

Miguel Gómez’s face changed from excitement to disappointment as he took the phone.

“There’s only Korean… and it’s all text. What’s this?”

His disappointed expression turned into surprise as he operated the phone.

“Huh!”

Joo Ji-tae had handed over the phone, but he felt uneasy and watched as Miguel Gómez’s eyes widened.

The community post was titled “[Everyone, let’s see Joomen’s amazing photo today!]” and was filled with a photo of Joo Ji-tae showing off his physique, wearing only underwear.

“…….”

“…….”

After an awkward silence, Joo Ji-tae finally spoke up.

“…Ad.”

“…Yeah. That’s right.”

The silence fell again, but fortunately, it didn’t last long.

The plane had arrived at its destination.

The destination was Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, located in the southern part of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain – the second-largest international airport in Spain and the home of Barcelona.

After finishing the match against Madrid, the Barcelona players had to get on the plane immediately to prepare for the next game, without even taking a break.

Champions League semifinal, first leg.

The mighty German team, Dortmund, was just around the corner.

As Barcelona prepared to face Dortmund, Dortmund was also preparing to face Barcelona.

“It seems like they’ve gotten stronger than before.”

“It’s not just that they seem stronger, they have actually gotten stronger. The data doesn’t lie. Their overall performance indicators have improved significantly, coach.”

Dortmund’s coach, Fabian Borneman, reviewed the report handed over by the data analyst.

The detailed indicators were added, but it was already familiar content.

“Miguel Gomez has revived and their game performance has improved.”

“That’s right. Miguel Gomez’s off-the-ball ability and passing ability, as well as his chemistry with Juzia, are the key to Barcelona’s improved performance. The key point of this game is the three-line blockade. We need to disrupt Barcelona’s build-up with strong pressure.”

As a 40-year-old young coach, Fabian Borneman was a scientific methodologist and data enthusiast who often devised strategies based on analysis team meetings.

This time was no exception.

“Three-line blockade… it’s going to be a tough game.”

“Analysis is difficult, but analyzed players are not difficult. We’ve finished analyzing Juzia and Miguel Gomez. We can prepare by categorizing their patterns into a few types.”

“Like usual?”

“Yes, like usual.”

“Okay, let’s add one more thing.”