Subbed on at the 57th minute. Distance covered: 3.829 km.
Four dribble breakthroughs. Three shots.
Two goals.
With such dazzling stats, Ho-young officially announced his arrival.
Today, he truly became a Real Madrid player.
From this moment on, he was one of the Blancos.
"Congratulations, Ho-young. As a longtime fan of Real Madrid, this is such a joyous day for me."
"Thank you."
"Could you share your thoughts on making your debut today?"
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
The question came from Isabel, a hardcore Real Madrid fan and a rookie reporter.
Ho-young, cheeks flushed red, smiled with dimples and parted his lips.
"You want to hear how it feels to become part of the greatest club in the world? If you were in my shoes, how do you think you'd feel?"
"Pardon?"
Ho-young threw the question back, catching the reporter off guard. But she quickly responded.
"Hmm… I'm not sure I can even imagine."
"That's exactly how I feel right now."
"Hahaha. So, you're saying it feels incredible."
"There's no need to even say it. It feels so real, and at the same time, I wonder if this is all just a dream."
"Oh wow."
As Ho-young answered in fluent Spanish, Isabel stared at him like he had the whole world.
"Is something wrong?"
"Oh, haha. Your cheeks are a bit red. I can still feel the heat of the match, I guess."
"Your cheeks are a little red too, reporter."
"Oh dear, are they? It must be the heat in the stadium. The weather's quite hot today."
Isabel tried to brush it off with an excuse, but the cameramen were already chuckling, clearly having picked up on it.
And no wonder. A blush had crept up onto Isabel's bronzed skin.
Biologically speaking, it's natural for women to be drawn to handsome men.
And recently, Ho-young's looks had upgraded again.
His sculpted features had been enhanced two levels, and his face had been gradually changing.
If he had previously had the bright and intelligent look of a youthful Kaká, then two weeks ago his jawline had started to sharpen, and now even the bridge of his nose had become more defined.
To top it off, he now had the deep, soulful eyes of Marchisio.
Ho-young was gradually becoming a fully-formed, flawless handsome man.
And for Isabel, who was in her mid-20s, he was just her type.
Momentarily forgetting her role, she fanned herself and moved on to the next question.
"You showed great chemistry with your teammates today. Especially that monster sprint at the end. That was probably the highlight of the match. Is this the kind of play you usually enjoy?"
"I enjoy it a lot."
"…Sorry?"
"I said I like it."
"Ah… Thank you for the answer."
The team had won, the weather was hot, shirtless players were celebrating around her, and right in front of her stood the world's most promising football talent.
Isabel couldn't think straight.
Was it just because Ho-young was good-looking?
That wasn't all.
Was it the way his chest muscles and strong thighs stood out through his soaked kit?
That played a part.
But more than anything, there was another reason.
Woo Ho-young.
The player who had already broken several youngest-ever records as a Real Madrid player.
As a die-hard fan, there was no way she couldn't be thrilled.
He was like a prince on a white horse.
A mix of fan admiration and womanly affection had created this little moment of chaos.
Still, Isabel regained her composure and held out the mic again.
"Lastly, would you like to say a few words to the fans who cheered you on today?"
"Yes. It took me three years to go from Juvenil to here. I want to dedicate this moment to my teammates, staff, fans, and my parents who supported me all this way. It's the best night of my life. Everyone, enjoy this moment."
It truly was a thrilling night.
That night.
As soon as the match ended, articles flooded the internet like a tidal wave.
Real Madrid's home game today was the talk of the town.
Man of the Match went to Argén Robben, who played the full 90 minutes with 1 goal and 2 assists, but Ho-young, despite being a substitute, received exceptionally high ratings and was praised across numerous sports media outlets.
The response was explosive.
The football site 'Laligamania', the most famous La Liga fan community in Spain, was about to crash.
The fans who had been debating Ho-young's debut for days were now going wild.
Especially furious were the Barcelona fans, known as 'Culés'.
Just days ago, they had mocked Ho-young, calling him "a player only fit for the Segunda División," but now, they were nowhere to be seen, as if they had all deleted their accounts.
On the other hand, the Real Madrid fans, 'Madridistas', emboldened by the performance, took over more than 90% of the discussion boards, continuously posting praise for Ho-young.
> [I'm not a Madridista. I've been a pure La Liga fan for 18 years, and I just want to briefly share my thoughts on Ho-young's debut.
What do you think is the best debut in football history?
Maybe Wayne Rooney's debut for Manchester United at age 18, where he scored a hat trick?
I'd say tonight's match was just as brilliant.
Even though the match was already leaning in Madrid's favor before Ho-young came on, the moment he entered, it felt like a whole new game. Like watching two Zidanes playing together.
I just want to say thank you to Ho-young for showing us such football.
From today on, I'm sure countless fans will become Ho-young supporters. I already ordered his jersey online. You all should get one too. It'll be sold out soon.]
└ Totally. His performance was amazing. But the jersey's already sold out…
└ It was even more impactful than Robinho's debut. The kid has a bright future.
└ Typical Merengue clowns hyping things up over a single match :P
└ Cule spotted.
└ Barca fans haven't even won a single match yet, have they?
└ Barcelona lost 2-1 to Numancia. Madrid won 4-0 :)
The term 'Barca' might be shorthand for Barcelona in Catalan, but in Spanish, 'Barca' also means "dinghy," and it's used to mock FC Barcelona.
It was no exaggeration to say that this pronunciation was what Barcelona fans hated the most.
That night, the message boards were filled with 'Barca' insults.
Culés were boiling with rage, but all they could do was stay silent.
Losers have no say.
And it wasn't just in Spain that people were upset over Ho-young's stunning performance.
Across the sea in Manchester, England.
A man sitting in front of his laptop was gripping his mouse so hard it looked like it might snap.
It was because of this article.
> [Exclusive from UK Tabloid The Sun]
Something interesting happened in European football over the past two days.
Robinho, who recently transferred to Manchester City for 34.7 million pounds, made his EPL debut last night against Chelsea, ironically the team that tried to sign him. He scored a debut goal, but his team suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid, who signed Ho-young for just 500,000 pounds, secured a 4-0 victory tonight, thanks to his brace.
The interesting part is that Robinho's weekly wage is 170,000 pounds (about 330 million KRW), which is nearly 30 times more than the 7,200 euros (about 1.17 million KRW) Ho-young earns at Real Madrid.
A senior official at Chelsea commented, "Letting Robinho go to Manchester City might have been a blessing in disguise."
Though its credibility was questionable, The Sun was known for being the king of scoops and private gossip.
And the one fuming while reading it was Robinho, who had made his EPL debut the previous night.
"That damn trash journalist!"
Though his team lost, he had scored a debut goal and felt he had proved his worth.
But then Ho-young had scored two goals and led his team to a landslide win, and now all these comparisons were being made.
Reading the sensationalized articles made him furious.
"Grrr."
Robinho gritted his teeth.
"Just wait."
If he ever faced Ho-young again in any competition, he swore he would completely humiliate him.
The next day, 3 PM, at Santiago Bernabéu.
Wearing a white kit, Ho-young was stretching inside the home team locker room.
There was no match today, but he had a solo schedule.
"An induction ceremony at this point, huh."
It was an event arranged by the club.
Typically, players transferred from other clubs would have an official unveiling. Players promoted from Castilla rarely did.
But thanks to the incredible impact of his debut, President Pérez decided to hold one for him.
The event turned out grander than expected.
When Ho-young walked out of the tunnel, dozens of cameras started flashing.
President Pérez greeted him with a smile and handed over the official 2008 UEFA Champions League Adidas match ball.
"Congratulations on becoming part of the first-team Madridistas."
"Thank you."
Then.
Ho-young stepped onto the pitch and stood before the fans, surprised.
There were way more people than he expected. Not only were dozens of reporters present, but the stands were filled with fans who came just to see his induction.
Though it didn't compare to the ceremonies for Beckham or Figo years ago, it still felt overwhelming for Ho-young.
Almost every Castilla fan had shown up. At least 10,000 were in attendance.
"Wow. I'm getting nervous for no reason."
But the waves of applause soon eased his nerves.
Ho-young smoothly followed the induction program.
He juggled the ball, showed off flashy footwork, kicked a ball into the stands as a fan service, and then moved on to interviews.
"Last night, you broke both the youngest appearance and goal records, becoming part of La Liga and Real Madrid's history. What's your next goal?"
"A hat trick."
"And after that?"
"A super hat trick. And one more thing. If I keep playing well, I think it'll come sooner rather than later."
"And that is?"
"The Champions League. I definitely want to play in it."
Ho-young's name was already on the 25-man Champions League squad list.
He firmly believed that if he continued to perform well, that chance would soon come.
At that moment, inside the Valdebebas strategy room.
Training had finished in the morning, but coach Bernd Schuster remained with his staff to prepare for the next match.
In three days, they would play their first group stage match of the Champions League against BATE Borisov.
There was one thing troubling Schuster: whether or not to include Ho-young.
Everyone's eyes were on Ho-young's potential Champions League debut.
"Let's give him some rest for now. His condition needs to improve more."
However.
Schuster scribbled Ho-young's name onto the substitute list.
Because Ho-young wasn't just a bench player.
He was a super-sub.
At the very least, he needed to be ready.
(To be continued.)