The final match.
And for Mancini, it might be the last as well.
Mancini was the manager who had fulfilled Manchester City's long-held wish by winning 2 trophies, but the club's board did not acknowledge it as his achievement.
Ho-young's performances had been so outstanding that everything else had been buried under them.
That was something the coaching staff, club officials, and even the kit man who came to the training ground all knew very well.
Because of that, Mancini's position at City was narrower than expected.
Rumors were already circulating that the board was looking for another manager, and those rumors were not wrong at all.
So for Mancini, this was a very meaningful match.
A treble.
"We end it today. If we win, we can enjoy the best holiday of our lives. If not, we'll spend the summer in pain. The choice is yours."
"Understood."
"Yes."
That was the end of it.
Mancini seemed to have said everything he wanted to say, and left the dressing room without lingering.
He decided to leave the rest of the time to the players.
It was then.
"Young, say a word."
All eyes turned to Ho-young.
If Mancini was the team's manager, then Ho-young was the manager on the pitch.
From now on, it was his time.
"As a lot of the media have said, today's match may end up being my last. But that cannot affect us. We have to do what we always do."
Everyone listened closely to his words.
In truth, Ho-young was captain in all but name.
There was no need to mention his ability, and he had plenty of big-match experience as well, so every player followed him.
There were also many players who saw him as their role model.
Even Adebayor had his ears pricked up so he would not miss a single word.
It was then that Ho-young spoke again.
"Joe Hart, Kolarov, Kompany, Boateng, Wayne Bridge, Barry, Touré, Silva, Milner, Tevez."
Ho-young raised his head and looked at each of the starting players in turn.
Then he continued.
"We are not a team that needs to be intimidated by anyone. We have no reason to be afraid. We beat Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and United, so what is there to fear? The ones who should be afraid are not us, but Juventus. We will win. We are the champions of England."
He was not telling them to be arrogant.
He was talking about the desire to win.
He was telling them to strengthen their winning mentality.
And then.
"Let's give everything until the end."
Rustle.
As soon as Ho-young finished speaking, the players put their arms around each other's shoulders and shouted at the top of their lungs.
"We are!"
"City!"
"We are!"
"City!"
The players began to walk out only after that solemn cry had echoed through the dressing room.
[Ladies and gentlemen, at last, the players of both teams are entering the pitch!]
At the booming voice of the stadium announcer, Juventus, in white kits, and Manchester City, in sky blue, walked out side by side.
The stadium was already blazing hot.
Around 150 teenagers who dreamed of becoming footballers came onto the pitch and waved giant banners, while supporters from both sides lit flares in the stands and made the atmosphere even more feverish.
It was right then that the Europa League anthem began to play.
"Hoo."
Ho-young calmed his heart.
The Champions League anthem, with its sacred and grand feeling, always stirred his emotions, but the Europa League anthem was light and refreshing, so it felt as if it cleared his mind.
As the song came to an end, the players were given time to shake hands with the opposition under the hot applause of the crowd.
The first player who caught Ho-young's eye was Alessandro Del Piero, wearing the yellow captain's armband.
[Alessandro Del Piero]
[Possessed Talents: Fantasista (T), Fantasista's Kick Accuracy (SU), Astonishing Dribbling (SS), Peerless Playmaking (SS-), Overwhelming Free Kick (S+3), Superb Passing (S+3), (More...)]
(You can acquire one talent if the conditions are met.)
(If you acquire a T-grade title, you can gain part of its senses. However, you must be over 18 years old to acquire it.)
(Talents of S grade or higher can only be acquired after achieving the hidden conditions.)
(Condition 1: Win the Europa League)
(Condition 2: Win the Europa League top scorer award)
(Condition 3: Be selected as the best player in the Europa League)
(Condition 4: Score at least one goal each from a free kick and a corner kick in this match)
(Hidden condition: Opens when you acquire at least 1 talent)
The Fantasista who followed Roberto Baggio.
A Juventus legend who had worn the captain's armband ever since 2001.
He might not have been a one-club man, but he had still spent nearly 20 years with the club, and thankfully, his talent could still be acquired.
That was because the earlier condition of doing something as a Juventus player had changed.
The talent he could acquire was kick accuracy.
He was every bit as versatile as Michael Ballack or Gerrard, but among all of it, his ability with the ball off his foot was truly exceptional.
There was an area known as the Del Piero Zone, named because if he struck from there, the goalkeeper could do nothing but watch it go in.
That was exactly what City had to watch out for today.
He was 36, but not someone to underestimate, considering that he had still scored 9 league goals this season.
And with retirement awaiting him next year, Ho-young had to acquire his talent in this match no matter what.
"I look forward to it."
"Likewise."
After the two aces shook hands, the players took their places on the pitch.
The team kicking off from the left was Manchester City.
[Yes, the match is about to begin. Commentator, how do you see this one going? Ten out of ten people are predicting a Manchester City win. Do you think Juventus, who are being called one of the worst Juventus sides in history, have any chance of winning?]
[Of course, I can't say they have none. In football, nobody knows for sure. No matter how much Juventus have declined, they are still a team with one big punch left in them. Of course, the odds of Juventus winning are low.]
Things had become so bad that Juventus had even picked up the mocking nickname Youngventus in Korea.
Just reaching the final was close to a miracle for them, and there was a reason for that, because their age profile and organization were not good.
[The attack has its problems too, but especially in defense they have the fatal weakness of lacking pace. Take Bonucci, for example, the centre-back. He tends to struggle against quick forwards. In my view, Manchester City will probably put David Silva in charge of playmaking and have Ho-young push up unpredictably to play as a second striker. City have shown that shape several times during the season.]
[So what you're saying is, they will try to use quick passing and pace.]
[Exactly. Once the match begins, they'll likely build from the back steadily and then...]
It was a prediction worthy of an expert commentator.
But it took less than 5 seconds for that prediction to be completely wrong.
It was the moment the referee's whistle blew to start the match.
[Uh, uh... he hit it...?!]
[Shuuuut!!]
Bang!
"Oooooooo!"
In an instant, tens of thousands of spectators rose to their feet in a thunderous roar.
What happened right off the kick-off.
Without even making a pass, Ho-young had hit a shot straight from the halfway line.
It was an ultra long-range effort from about 60 meters.
Only Gianluigi Buffon had managed to react with a miraculous save. Otherwise, it would have gone straight in.
[Three seconds into the first half, Manchester City have a corner kick!]
[My goodness. What on earth was that?]
[If the area around the left corner of the penalty box is Del Piero Zone, then Ho-young Zone seems to exist everywhere. That is why Ferguson said in an interview not long ago that every place Ho-young stands becomes a danger zone.]
[Exactly. It's still astonishing even on the replay. We were close to witnessing a moment for the ages. If it weren't for a veteran goalkeeper like Buffon, that would have gone in.]
Gianluigi Buffon.
"Bloody hell!"
He spat out curses as he tried to calm his pounding heart.
Even for a goalkeeper in his 17th year as a professional, it was a shot that could not help but shock him.
"What kind of lunatic is that?"
He had seen plenty of strange players, but this was the first time he had seen one like that.
That was not a stunt. It was pure ability.
How is his shot so heavy?
In particular, the quality of the shot had been beyond imagination.
He even felt that it was far above the ability of Del Piero, one of the finest kickers in Italy.
But the danger was not over yet.
[Manchester City's corner. Kolarov goes over to take it.]
[The corner comes in!]
Three seconds into the first half.
As the corner swung into the penalty area, the players moved in perfect unison.
Among them, one player moved especially aggressively.
"Get off!"
Giorgio Chiellini.
His eyes were fixed fiercely on Ho-young.
Just remembering the humiliation of being beaten by Ho-young's right-angle dribble in the past was enough to make his teeth grind in his sleep.
But now, he was fairly confident he could win.
After all, he was one of the best physical defenders in Italy.
So he threw himself at Ho-young without hesitation.
And then.
"...!!"
Something was wrong.
He was sure he had driven his forearm into Ho-young's back, but the one who got pushed away was himself.
It made no sense, but it felt as though Ho-young's muscles had come alive and absorbed the impact.
On top of that, he was not losing the physical battle either.
It was the effect of Bad Boy's Physical Battle (SU), acquired from Rooney.
It proved useful in the air as well.
Bang!
"Ghk."
The Ho-young he was facing again after so long had changed too much.
He was simply a monster.
If there were such a thing as an artificial intelligence biomechanical machine, it might feel like this.
Before, he had been humiliated at his feet by dribbling. Now it was above his head.
Thud!
In the end, Chiellini even lost the header to Ho-young.
And Ho-young was not the kind of fool who would waste that chance.
Swish!
"Hooo!"
After scoring with a bullet header, Ho-young ran toward the stands and leapt into the air.
"Woooooooo!"
"Young! Young! Young!"
A giant shirt that had been prepared by the supporters to commemorate what might be Ho-young's final match covered the supporters' section.
[Ah, now I think we can say it. Football is unpredictable, but today this match feels clear. Manchester City have won this. Their momentum is simply impossible to stop.]
This time, that prediction was correct.
Just 5 minutes after the opener, in the 6th minute of the first half.
Ho-young won an 18-meter free kick after a foul by Marchisio and converted it himself.
"Hooo!!"
2-0.
A final that should have been thrilling was unfolding without even a shred of tension.
The Juventus players had long since lost all confidence.
Even Buffon, who had failed to react once again, was seriously considering retirement, while left winger Sebastian Giovinco hung his head low.
The match was as good as over.
The moment Ho-young had been waiting and waiting for was now right in front of him.
(To be continued.)