Pato's eyes wavered as he looked at Ho-young.
'Was it just a coincidence?'
That's what he thought at first.
But the same tactic failed again.
Whenever it seemed like the ball might connect, it was cut off at the waist. If they somehow forced it past midfield, it was intercepted in the second line.
'He's definitely changed.'
The shift was noticeable right after the second half began.
It was something that happened often in a footballer's career.
'Tch. What a nuisance.'
Pato spotted a growing headache.
A boy persistently moving between him and Didi while maintaining zonal defense.
It was Ho-young.
He was cutting off Didi's ball distribution, gaining the upper hand in the midfield battle.
Despite his young age, he was tall and decently muscular, but what stood out the most was his defensive ability.
Perhaps due to his proficiency in distributing the ball, Ho-young could read Didi's passing timing like a hawk.
He was dissecting it.
Like a gambler who understands the psychology of another gambler, Ho-young anticipated the exact moments when his opponents would attempt technical moves.
Because of this, Pato's touches on the ball had drastically decreased.
He couldn't just let things continue like this.
'I'll have to do as the coach said.'
"Didi!"
As Pato shifted slightly to the right and gave a signal, Didi pushed forward to line up on his left.
They were switching from a single striker to a two-top formation, aiming to relieve Pato's burden and pursue a more structured team play rather than relying on luck.
If they kept losing possession like this, they would likely concede through a wide attack exploiting the space behind.
But then.
"Hm?"
His eyes met Ho-young's, who had been closely observing Corinthians' tactical change.
A smirk twisted up the corner of Pato's lips.
'He looks like he's about 150 centimeters tall.'
It wasn't surprising that a young boy from the East seemed laughable to him.
After all, he was one of Brazil's top prospects.
Alexandre Pato.
'There were a few of those Asian kids before.'
Asian players who had a brief spark in Brazil for a year or two but lost their form after a certain age.
There had been more than a few, so he assumed Ho-young was one of them too.
He underestimated him.
Almost by habit, he raised both index fingers and slightly pulled the corners of his eyes sideways.
Taking advantage of the moment the referee had his back turned.
"What a damn lunatic."
It had been a while since Ho-young muttered something in Korean.
Well, smiling while someone mocked his ethnicity so openly would have been odd.
That incident before his regression came to mind.
Back when Pato played a match in China, he performed that same slanted-eye gesture during a goal celebration. That label of racism had followed him until retirement.
'Old habits die hard.'
Tsk.
He clicked his tongue once and left it at that.
He didn't have the luxury to waste energy on things like that now.
Ho-young focused back on the game.
As Corinthians began their possession-based play, São Paulo FC also adapted.
They started conserving energy by loosening their midfield and giving up possession.
Just once.
They aimed to strike on the counter.
It was a style of play that prioritized pragmatism.
The game flow changed dramatically.
15 minutes into the second half.
"Hey!"
Receiving a pass, Pato nutmegged a midfielder.
The classic Brazilian move, the 'caneta'.
As soon as he bypassed the midfielder, Pato accelerated.
He showed signs of fatigue, but his specialty was intact.
Explosive acceleration.
The same situation as the first half repeated itself.
The space behind was blown wide open.
"Stop him! Stop him!!"
Ho-young shouted at the top of his lungs.
Judging he couldn't catch up, Casemiro went in for a bold sliding tackle from the side.
"…Kgh!"
Tap.
He just barely touched the ball, but Pato regained balance and kept going.
Only the goalkeeper stood ahead.
A perfect one-on-one chance.
'Right side…!'
Just like before, Pato read the goalkeeper's direction and swung his leg.
He aimed for a calm inside-foot shot.
But then.
Swoosh!
"Whoa! What the?!"
A foot came flying in from the diagonal behind and blocked the shot.
The ball soared high into the air.
"Damn it!"
Despite his young age, Pato was already infamous for his foul mouth. He turned his head.
The one who had chased him down like mad from a diagonal line and blocked the shot was none other than Ho-young.
'That little punk. When did he catch up?'
It was Ho-young's super save.
Then.
"Move! Go!!"
Ho-young controlled the ball that had risen into the sky and shouted as he did.
No matter how high your pass completion rate or shot attempts are, it's meaningless if you can't score.
Football, in the end, is decided by goals.
That's why São Paulo FC abandoned possession and went all in on pragmatism.
A strategy of sacrificing the flesh to take the bone.
A counterattack.
With every player participating in the offense.
Tap.
Among them, Ho-young's sprint was extraordinary.
One, two.
He swiftly dribbled past defenders and glanced toward the flank.
'High risk of getting intercepted.'
Then what about Douglas up front?
'Doesn't look good either.'
Corinthians' defenders, known for their strong defensive skills, were quickly falling into position.
Still, if he had to make a choice, distributing the ball wide and building a combination play would be the standard move.
That was the typical play.
But Ho-young's gaze turned straight ahead.
Thud.
Just like Pato did earlier, he slipped the ball through the legs of a defender.
"Guh!"
The center opened wide.
Over 20 meters to the goal.
But he had confidence.
The sensation ingrained into his instep from countless hours of practice in training was still there.
He took six precise steps.
Then struck the ball with full force.
He hit the exact center of the underside of the ball.
Boom!
The shot, loaded with power, curled toward the right side of the goal, aiming for the far side of the net.
A stunning mid-range shot.
And then.
Wham!
The net trembled violently, as if it might tear apart.
It felt like his heart had stopped.
"Raaah!"
Uncontainable joy surged through his whole body.
In the midst of that, he saw Pato's dumbfounded expression.
Ho-young's feet naturally moved in that direction.
It wasn't planned, just instinct.
Running toward him, Ho-young spread his arms wide.
Then roared.
"Suiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
It was Ho-young's way of fighting back against racial mockery—with skill.
Tweet!
After the restart, Pato tried to launch another attack while suppressing his anger, but the door, once closed, didn't open again.
Around the 75th minute, he succeeded in breaking through once more, but Casemiro stopped him with a back tackle, preventing the goal.
The result was a red card.
It was an unsportsmanlike act, but if it was a tactic, then it was a tactic.
Time was short, but Casemiro walked off, trusting his teammates.
Five minutes remained until full-time.
As expected, Corinthians launched a fierce wave of attacks.
But they couldn't fully commit to offense, because São Paulo FC's momentum was sky-high.
Ball distribution starting from Ho-young turned the match into a mud fight, with intense battles erupting everywhere.
It was the final match of the season, so both teams were burning through every last bit of energy.
There wasn't a single player on the pitch who didn't want it desperately.
But the ball is round, and fate always tilts one way.
That opportunity stemmed from São Paulo FC's Ho-young.
In the 78th minute.
Ho-young delivered a long through pass down the left side, exploiting the space behind the defense.
"Here! Back to me!!"
After yelling, he surged forward to receive the return pass.
There was no going back.
If this attack failed, it was over.
Their last chance.
He glanced up.
He spotted Douglas, darting around the penalty box looking for space.
At that moment, Ho-young took off.
He knocked the ball wide to the right, suddenly increasing the tempo.
It was the kind of move that defenders couldn't stop even if they knew it was coming.
Cutting inside to the right, he created a perfect shooting angle.
About 45 degrees.
Three defenders rushed him, but the ball had already left Ho-young's foot.
'Please!'
From 22 meters out.
A delicate mid-range curling shot with his instep curved toward the far post.
Clang!
The sound rang out across the field.
"Ah!!"
Damn it.
His best shot had hit the inside of the post and bounced out.
But it wasn't over.
"Aaaarghhh!"
The ball didn't go out and instead fell at the feet of Douglas, who had been lurking like a hyena in front of goal.
He had been waiting for that moment.
Tap.
The ball rolled into the net off Douglas' foot.
Precisely at 79 minutes and 12 seconds.
A goal scored with one minute left in regulation.
"Dougieeee!"
"Uwoooooooooh!!"
It was the go-ahead goal.
By the 81st minute.
As the two minutes of added time were nearly over, Corinthians' coach even sent up the goalkeeper to try one last attack, but it yielded nothing.
Eventually, the match ended.
Tweet—
The victors, after a hard-fought battle, were none other than São Paulo FC.
As the final whistle echoed across the pitch, Ho-young let out a roar.
He was exhausted, but strangely, energy surged through him.
Even though it was just a youth tournament, it was the first official trophy to be recorded in his career.
It was only natural to feel overwhelmed with joy.
It wasn't until he hugged his teammates and lifted the gold-plated trophy that it all felt real.
Ho-young had joined mid-season, but it was undeniable that he had contributed more than anyone to their victory.
Who would've imagined that a boy from the East would accomplish something like this?
All that remained was the Golden Ball award.
He was nervous, but for now, he chose to enjoy this moment.
The final moment of being eleven, which would never come again.
That afternoon, he called home to share the good news and even had a rare phone call with Director Cha Bum-kun.
Cha congratulated him and said he wanted to discuss an important matter as soon as he returned to Korea in November.
Apparently, there was a project he wanted to propose.
After saying he understood, Ho-young ended the call and joined the U13 championship celebration party.
At the same time.
In Vitória, the Technical Committee of the São Paulo Youth Football Federation held a meeting.
The agenda was the selection of the Golden Ball and Best XI for the recently concluded U13 league.
The selection process was as follows:
1. Objective score based on this season's stats
2. Subjective score submitted by each of the three committee members
The final award winners were determined by combining those scores.
The leading candidates were SC Corinthians' Alexandre Pato and São Paulo FC's Ho-young.
Pato's season stats were 15 games, 10 wins, 2 draws, 3 losses, with 19 goals and 8 assists.
Ho-young had 10 games, 10 wins, 16 goals, and 4 assists. While Pato had more total contributions, the championship belonged to Ho-young.
Usually, the Golden Ball is awarded to a player from the championship team, and since their records weren't drastically different, there was no need to argue who was superior.
Still, the idea of an Asian player winning the Golden Ball was unprecedented, so it had to be handled carefully.
"Either way, this has been a phenomenal year."
"Absolutely. In the first division, an Asian player lifted the trophy, and in the second division, a boy born in '92 scored 40 goals."
"You mean that Neymar kid? I heard Santos FC already signed him. Next year's first division is going to be something else."
The unusually chatty committee members exchanged a few more words.
And finally, they wrapped up the meeting while reviewing the award results.
"Yes. Let's go with this. Even though Ho-young isn't Brazilian, I hope this trophy helps him grow. It could also serve as motivation for our homegrown talents."
The final results were delivered the next day at the awards ceremony held at Estádio do Pacaembu in São Paulo.
The Top Scorer award went to SC Corinthians' Alexandre Pato.
The Best Forward award went to São Paulo FC's Ho-young.
And finally.
"Congratulations, Ho-young."
"Thank you."
Ho-young received the Golden Ball trophy, along with prize money of 5,000 reals (about 3.1 million won).
Since youth leagues don't earn broadcasting revenue, the prize money wasn't huge.
But the real reward still awaited.
[Select the talent you wish to obtain.]
- Football Genius (A-)
- Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A+)
- Delicate Ball Touch (B)
- Flashy Individual Skills (B-),
- Composed Finishing Ability (C+3)
Ho-young's heart was already leaning toward one.
'Genius... Let's do this!'
Would he truly become one?
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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