At first, Casemiro and Douglas were wary, but they quickly changed their attitude.
"Looks like our team might finally climb the league standings."
"Maybe. It's possible."
"Really? He's that good at football?"
"Yeah... he just plays however he wants, but somehow he scores. It's weird."
When Douglas said that, the reactions of the boys were mixed.
Some were concerned about the competition for starting spots, while others welcomed Ho-young since the team's current performance was poor.
'We're in 7th place in the state league, right?'
The São Paulo state U13 league, filled with Brazil's traditional powerhouses.
The U13 competition was structured solely around the state league, and São Paulo FC, who had won the title seven times, was now struggling badly.
The main reason for the slump was the lack of a reliable striker.
That was why Carlos, the manager of the U13s, needed a lifeline, and that lifeline was Ho-young.
Otherwise, there would have been no reason to bring in a younger player like him into the U13 squad.
Fortunately, Ho-young had grown over 10 cm in the past four months.
'He's probably around 145 cm now.'
He could check his height later at the gym. For now, it was time to prepare for training.
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8 a.m.
Coach Carlos gathered the coaches and players together.
It was a session to revise the training routine following the arrival of a new player.
Ho-young attended the briefing with excitement.
'What will we do? Tactical training? Team coordination drills?'
His curiosity was bursting.
He had been wondering for days what kind of training Brazil, the home of samba football, would offer.
Just then, Carlos spoke.
"After warm-ups, run only the fundamentals until the afternoon."
"Understood."
After stretching and injury-prevention drills, the first training session began, but it didn't go the way Ho-young had imagined.
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It was just basic drills in sync with the whistle.
Carlos believed that if the fundamentals weren't perfect, then tactical training had no value.
'Nothing particularly special.'
There was no shortcut in football.
The belief that fundamental skills determine a player's future seemed to hold true.
'Still, this place has a different feel to it.'
The training style emphasized freedom, with players left to explore on their own without excessive pressure.
That was the Brazilian way of teaching.
But it wasn't just free-form neglect.
There were diverse drills in place: technique in tight spaces, precision football, partner-based drills, and small-team sessions.
Honestly, it felt more like play than training.
'It's more fun than I expected…'
Ho-young was enjoying it too.
The problem was that he couldn't keep up.
"Phew. This is tough."
It was a level beyond the fundamentals he had learned so far.
Since it was his first time, he kept making mistakes, and the kids couldn't stop laughing at him.
"Hey, look at that pass!"
"Haha!"
He was confident in the basic passing drills, having done them countless times at the academy, but passes under specific scenarios felt very unfamiliar.
'The more I learn, the harder it gets. What kind of nonsense is this…'
Unfortunately, even with a talent like [Football Prodigy], he couldn't master everything in a day.
He definitely needed extra coaching.
"Ho-young, you can't just kick the ball for a pass. You need to keep your body centered and maintain the right posture. Even when you're off balance, you still need to deliver the ball properly. But when you feel rushed or the space tightens, your balance leans back. That makes your passes unstable, and you can't play the ball at the right time."
"When is the right time?"
"When the receiver is in a safe position to get the ball."
"Hmm. How do I know when that is?"
"You won't get it just by hearing it. That's why you need to train."
"Ah, okay."
He answered, but still didn't fully understand.
The only reason he could keep up at all was because of his [Football Prodigy] talent. Without that, he wouldn't have made it this far.
As always, there was only one answer.
'Practice is the only way!'
At 1 p.m., after morning training, Carlos stroked his beard while reviewing the coaches' reports.
"His fundamentals are quite lacking compared to his clear strengths."
It was an honest assessment of Ho-young.
The head coach added.
"The biggest issue is stamina. Compared to others his age, he's excellent, but it's not enough to handle a full league season. Honestly, I'm thinking we should move him down to U11."
"No. The level there is too low. We should support him so he can endure here without overexerting himself. Fun sparks interest, but challenges fuel growth."
Even Diego Maradona, small as he was, debuted in the pro league at 16.
He was able to grow because he trained early with top-level players.
That's why Carlos had no intention of going easy on Ho-young.
"He's only been playing football for six months. Not six years, six months."
"Yes. Considering that, he's doing really well. He's definitely talented."
"Of course."
If anyone would recognize that, it would be Carlos, the renowned youth development specialist.
"All he needs is time. If he has what it takes, he'll follow through."
No matter what, learning and mastering something took a minimum amount of time.
What Ho-young needed was effort and time.
From that day on, Ho-young poured himself into training.
He focused so intensely he lost track of time.
His dream of becoming the world's best footballer made it possible.
And because he was a returnee, he knew that if he didn't do it now, that dream would never come true.
So he gave it his all.
And with several talented kids on the U13 team, his growth accelerated.
Just Casemiro alone could offer [Reliable Ball Stopping (C)] if the right conditions were met, and Douglas had [Football Prodigy (B+)] as well.
And for the past few days, Ho-young had been eyeing one particular player.
[Douglas Costa]
[Possessed Talents: Football Prodigy (B+), Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A), Inconsistent Genius (C+)]
(You can obtain one talent by meeting the required conditions.)
(Condition 1: Train together on the same team for over 120 minutes.)
(Condition 2: Score 20 goals during team training from Douglas Costa's assists.)
He had already taken [Legs Faster than a Lamborghini] and upgraded it to A+, and he had no desire for [Inconsistent Genius].
That left only [Football Prodigy (B+)].
But what would happen if he selected a talent he already possessed?
'Let's find out!'
Today was one of the team training days held three times a week.
But even before it started, a small clash broke out.
"Hey, that's my spot. You go down and play shadow striker."
Douglas was insisting on taking the striker role.
"Nope."
Ho-young shook his head.
He needed to be the main striker to score goals off Douglas's assists.
"You move. I'll score the goals."
"Come on, you're slow. But since you're fast at bursting runs, you should stay slightly deeper and disrupt their defense. How's that sound?"
"Hey, who are you calling slow?"
"Don't you remember last year? During that Shoot Dori thing, I was way faster than you in a straight run."
Douglas remembered it clearly.
Ho-young was quick on the ball, but in a pure sprint, he was clearly slower.
Then Ho-young responded.
"That was a long time ago. Want to race now?"
"Pfft! My mom always says, know your place."
"Oh yeah? I'll show you exactly what that means."
And so, they decided on a 50-meter race during the break.
The result was unexpected.
"Ha…"
Douglas had barely beaten Ho-young, and he was feeling frustrated.
He couldn't understand what had happened.
'What the hell? When did he get this fast?'
Just four months ago, this wasn't the case.
'He's almost as fast as me now.'
Douglas couldn't even imagine the truth.
That Ho-young had stolen his talent and upgraded it.
If their physical conditions had been equal, Ho-young would've won that race.
"Damn it!"
Once again, Douglas kicked the turf in frustration.
Then he said.
"Fine. You take the front. I'll support you from behind."
A clean surrender.
With their speed nearly identical, it made sense to give the spot to Ho-young, who had better finishing ability.
"You should've said that from the start. Just pass it to me. I'll put it in the net."
From that day on, whenever there was team training, Ho-young consistently scored goals off Douglas's assists.
It took three more weeks for Ho-young to reach 20 total training goals.
[Select the talent you wish to obtain.]
- Football Prodigy (B+)
- Inconsistent Genius (C+)
'Whew. I'm nervous.'
It was a strange feeling.
Not knowing what would happen made him both excited and anxious, but he chose the first option.
Then.
"Oh? Ohhh?"
[Football Prodigy (B+2)↑]
[It will take 7 days to fully acquire the talent. During this time, no other talent can be acquired.]
He succeeded in upgrading the talent!
(To be continued.)