Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

174 – vs GOAT

174

As the referee’s whistle blew, the tension was finally released.

The first thought that came to mind was the sense of accomplishment.

We did it, we finally won.

And the next thought was what to say in the interview.

Having led the team to victory with a legendary performance, the interview had to be legendary too. What words would leave a lasting impression?

Well, the interview could wait.

Joo Jitae spread his arms wide to greet his approaching teammates, beaming with a happy smile.

“That’s right. I’m Korea’s Joo Jitae— Haha!”

…Wait, what was this?

“Joo!! You crazy b*stard!!”

“Champions! We’re the Champions League winners!!!”

“This damn Asian!! Asia is the best!! Mom, marry an Asian man in your next life!!!”

As Joo Jitae stumbled backwards, overwhelmed by the rough congratulations, he suddenly stopped. Not by his own will, but by external force.

“Hey, stop it, you guys. Stop it— Ahh?”

“One, two—”

“Who’s first? Who threw it first? Joo dropped it!!”

“Ahh, you b*stards!!”

“What’s Joo saying?”

“I don’t know, it’s too loud and I can’t hear.”

“Korea’s national team, yeah, it’s that great. Let’s do it again. This time, we’ll do it right. One, two, three— yeah!”

“Stop it! Stop saying that, you’re driving me crazy!!”

Super Copa de España winner.

Copa del Rey winner.

La Liga’s all-time highest points winner.

And Champions League winner.

In the 34/35 season, Barcelona achieved a quadruple.

Additionally, they won all three El Clásico matches.

* * *

“Barcelona, who caught Real Madrid and achieved a quadruple!”

“Breaking the 100-point mark in La Liga and setting a new record for the most points!”

“This is the season of Joo Ji-tae, by Joo Ji-tae, and for Joo Ji-tae.”

“Former 1860 Munich coach, Willem van Roodeveen, said, ‘We are living in the era of Joo Ji-tae.'”

“La Liga’s best rookie! Joo Ji-tae sweeps away all the awards!”

“Even the Spanish media, MARCA, acknowledges Joo Ji-tae’s performance! He was selected as the La Liga MVP, Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano.”

“Following MARCA, Joo Ji-tae also won the Don Balón Best Foreign Player award, effectively making him the La Liga MVP.”

“Joo Ji-tae is the true position destroyer! He showed us more than just a center-back, and brought amazement to the football world.”

“The man who dominates El Clásico, Joo! He recorded a 100% win rate against Real Madrid, earning him the title of Real Madrid killer.”

As expected, Barcelona’s and Joo Ji-tae’s achievements spread rapidly around the world, matching their global reputation.

From being a youth player in Korea to becoming a star in the Bundesliga, and eventually winning the league’s best player award in his first season, Joo Ji-tae quickly rose to become a world-class prospect.

After that, he moved to 1860 Munich, where he led the team to a Bundesliga title, defeating their regional rival, Bayern Munich. His impressive performance in the Champions League solidified his position as a top prospect. His next destination was Barcelona.

In the mid-2020s, Barcelona, one of the top clubs in the football world, was struggling, but Joo Ji-tae’s transfer to the team seemed like a great opportunity for him.

However, it was Joo Ji-tae who gave himself the opportunity.

From his first season, he demonstrated exceptional leadership and overwhelming skills, quickly becoming a leader in the locker room and leading Barcelona to a quadruple.

Naturally, Koreans were overflowing with national pride, and the international reaction was immense.

Korean internet users gathered global reactions to Joo Ji-tae, and it wasn’t difficult.

Because the world was already crazy about Joo Ji-tae!

Especially at the center of it all was the Spanish local media.

When the season ends and all the games are over, players get a sweet break.

While some players may not have a sweet break, they’ve finished a long nine-month journey, and they need time to rest physically and mentally.

However, this is only applicable to the players.

Passionate football fans don’t calm down just because there are no games; the football world is always busy. In fact, some people might be even busier during the off-season.

For example, club officials, board members, coaches, scouts, and analysts have to prepare for the new season, deciding on the team’s direction and budget for the transfer market.

They have to handle everything from player contracts to team composition and tactics, as well as training plans.

However, it’s the media that gets really busy during this time.

During the season, they can just broadcast games and post-game analysis programs, but when the season ends, they run out of content to broadcast.

What can they broadcast without games?

However, this is when the media gets really active.

Journalists have to come up with all sorts of sensational headlines to increase views and sales, while broadcasters have to create re-runs and analysis of the hottest games of the season. It’s exactly what’s happening now.

“If I had to choose the best player of the season, I’d definitely pick this player.”

“This Korean player in Barcelona has shown an incredible performance, making this season his own and leaving a deep impression on the football world.”

Among the numerous season review broadcasts, the one that received the most attention was the review broadcast on TeleDeporte, a sports channel of Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, where former coaches and players participated as guests.

It was a special episode featuring Joo Ji-tae.

“As many of you may have expected, his performance was extraordinary, wasn’t it? He showed a fierce rivalry, and even Fernando Alvarez, who is considered the best striker after Messi, couldn’t compare to him.”

“In fact, he made this season his own and dominated the football world.”

As the famous MC continued, former coaches explained Joo Ji-tae’s exceptional skills and usefulness from a tactical perspective, while players who had faced him shared their experiences of feeling pressured and overwhelmed.

One of the most notable comments came from Alfredo Cantoro, a former coach of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.

“I dare to say that, in terms of influence on the pitch, Joo Ji-tae is better than Messi.”

“Just a moment, I disagree. That’s an exaggeration. While Joo Ji-tae’s performance this season was incredible, it’s not right to compare him to Messi.”

The debate erupted immediately.

However, Alfredo Cantoro remained firm.

“Of course, there may be people who disagree, but I’m confident in my opinion. It’s not that Messi isn’t great; he’s incredibly talented. However, Messi’s influence is limited to attacking situations, and even then, only when he has the ball. He’s a specialist in that area. But what about other situations? In transition situations, Messi is powerless. Especially when defending, Messi is even more helpless. On the other hand, Joo Ji-tae shows overwhelming presence in all situations, including defense and offense.”

The conclusion of the monologue was backed up by objective data.

“Look at this beautiful data!”

The screen displayed various pass-related indicators, including Passes Completed, Passes Attempted, Pass Completion %, Total Passing Distance, Progressive Passing Distance, and more.

“This season’s data for Joo Ji-tae is incredible. Per 90 minutes, his pass count, success rate, and progressive pass rate are all impressive. And he’s a center-back!”

The next data to emerge was related to dribbling.

It included basic indicators such as Touches, as well as detailed indicators categorized by location, such as Def Pen, Def 3rd, Mid 3rd, Att 3rd, Att Pen, and Live-Ball.

Other indicators, such as Take-Ons Attempted, Successful Take-ons, Successful Take-on %, dribbling distance, and attacking dribbling distance, were also presented.

“Especially SCA, or Shot-Creating Actions, shows over 2 per 90 minutes! He creates more than 2 shooting chances per game through dribbling! Of course, it may be lacking compared to Messi, but he’s a center-back! It’s natural to be a bit lacking compared to a striker like Messi. Then, what about his defensive indicators? Who doesn’t know how exceptional Joo Ji-tae’s defensive indicators are? This season, he has the highest tackle and interception success rates, and he’s the defender who allows the fewest dribble breakthroughs. This is Joo Ji-tae’s heatmap this season. Does it look like an ordinary center-back?”

Alfredo Cantoro’s excited announcement continued until the heatmap of Joo Ji-tae’s season was revealed, and after the broadcast, Spain, no, the entire world, was embroiled in controversy.

—Comparing him to Messi is pointless;

—Honestly, isn’t Joo Ji-tae better? Messi is only scary when he has the ball, but Joo Ji-tae is terrifying just by being on the pitch.

This sparked the Messi vs. Joo Ji-tae debate.

Meanwhile, the transfer market opened.