As the match ended amid roaring cheers from the crowd, Bernd Schuster made his way to the press room located on the east side of the stadium.
It was for the post-match interview, but even as he walked, he couldn't shake off the excitement from the game. The performance continued to replay in his mind.
That was how spectacular the match had been.
Tactically, it hadn't been a masterpiece in terms of precision, but in other ways, it had been a 'perfect' game.
'I saw about half of what I wanted.'
It was a match where he had confirmed 50% of the plays he had hoped to see.
Unlike last year, when he had assigned a complex role to Sneijder, Ho-young had executed more than half of the instructions given to him.
With some polishing in the details and more combinations tested, Schuster felt he could develop a surprise tactic that could be used in big matches.
"Haha."
He couldn't stop smiling.
For a manager, there was no greater joy than successfully executing a tactic by maximizing a player's strengths.
'Mandía was right. Not a word of exaggeration.'
Schuster had a personal relationship with Mandía, who had coached Ho-young in Castilla. He remembered the words he had heard from him.
— Are you talking about Ho-young? He's like an onion. No matter how many layers you peel off, there's always something new. Sometimes he evolves in a day, sometimes a week, sometimes a month. It's completely unpredictable. He's a mystery. Sure, there are many players better than Ho-young right now, but I guarantee, none are as mysterious. You'll understand once you coach him.
At the time, Schuster had chuckled and replied,
— Haha. Is there really such a player?
Only now did he realize how wrong he had been.
'He was right here all along.'
He finally understood what Mandía had meant.
'It's amazing. He's completely different from the Ho-young I saw during preseason.'
It was new and electrifying.
'Of course, Ho-young is benefiting from the shine of his teammates, but…'
Like they say, fine food tastes better when you've had it before. It's not just about having the opportunity, but knowing how to take advantage of it that makes the difference.
Besides, the assist he recorded near the end of the second half had practically given the spotlight to Higuaín.
Even thinking about it again gave Schuster goosebumps.
Soon, he arrived at the press room and took his seat with a smile.
The room was buzzing with reporters, each eager to fire off their questions.
Schuster had plenty to say but decided to keep the interview brief.
At the start of the season, it was better to keep things under wraps than to reveal too much.
Still, he accepted about three or four questions.
"Winning the first round of the Champions League is always significant. Especially at home, where the importance can't be overstated. How did you view the match against BATE Borisov?"
It was a formal question, but one that had to be asked.
Schuster shared his honest impression.
"We played like the best club in the world."
There was no need for lengthy words.
Because it was true.
Then came a question that slightly shifted the tone.
"Last season, the wingers were very active in scoring, but this season their role seems to have changed to more of a supporting one. Is this due to Robinho's absence?"
"You've got the order wrong. It's not that Robinho left, so we changed. We changed, so Robinho left. And frankly, I don't understand why his name is even being mentioned. This is the Bernabéu. He's no longer a Madridista."
"Is there any concern that you might face Robinho again in the Champions League down the road? Manchester City is showing serious ambition with astronomical investment."
"If ambition alone could get you into the Champions League, there wouldn't be any teams left out. That's their business to worry about. Whether it takes 10 years or 20, even if that day does come…"
Schuster paused there.
With a warm smile and a twitch of his blond mustache, he finished.
"We are the best club in the world. And today's match proved that. We've rewarded the fans, and provided entertainment to millions of viewers around the world. We have the best Spanish goalkeeper in goal, the finest defenders from across Europe behind him, the greatest French commander in midfield, and a Dutch world-class striker up top."
"So, that's Casillas, Cannavaro, Carlos, Zidane, and Van Nistelrooy, respectively. But aside from the keeper, the rest are all well past 30. Some are even pushing 40. Doesn't that pose a real concern?"
"What's the worry? We also have the best young prospect in the world. The future is secured."
"And this top prospect, which country is he from?"
"South Korea. And he doesn't have to serve in the military."
"Ha ha ha. Congratulations on keeping the world's best young talent away from Korea's military service. But under current regulations, Ho-young can't sign a formal contract with Real Madrid for another three years. Can you also fend off Premier League clubs next year, where he can legally sign?"
"He has no reason to leave Madrid."
Schuster was confident.
As long as the club's leadership didn't do anything foolish.
That match became a hot topic for days.
From the match itself to post-game interviews, everything was top class.
Particularly, the media lavished praise on the game. In one standout article, Marca's renowned columnist La Saeta Rubia analyzed Ho-young's journey in detail, even suggesting he could win the Golden Boy award.
[Marca]
[By: La Saeta Rubia]
…The list of 25 nominees for the 2008 Golden Boy Award, which will be announced at the end of December, has been released.
Organized by Italian media outlet Tuttosport, the award is given to the most outstanding young player in Europe, selected by journalists from various countries.
Until June this year, Manchester United's Anderson and Atlético Madrid's Sergio Agüero were the leading candidates.
If Brazil had won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Anderson might have had a strong chance. But that medal went to Ho-young.
Meanwhile, last year's winner Agüero is now a FIFA Player of the Year nominee, so a back-to-back Golden Boy win seems unlikely.
Other strong Argentine prospects like Ángel Di María, Pablo Piatti, and Franco Di Santo are also on the list.
It remains to be seen how things unfold, but if Ho-young maintains consistent performances, I believe his chances of winning are very high.
The Golden Boy.
It wasn't as prestigious as the Ballon d'Or, having only been established five years ago.
However, the voting rights were held by reputable European outlets like Marca and The Times, giving the award considerable credibility.
If Ho-young were to win, he would follow in the footsteps of Van der Vaart, Rooney, Messi, Fàbregas, and Agüero.
As he read through the article, Ho-young couldn't help but feel a thrill just thinking about it.
The award itself was significant, but more than anything, it would unlock Messi's special condition.
'I'm getting Messi's potential. No matter what.'
Everything was going smoothly.
If there was a problem, it was that school had started again, making things busier.
At Castilla, matches were once a week, but now with the first team involved in multiple competitions, the schedule was packed.
Especially in September, with matches every three days, there were no days off from training.
Ho-young still had to attend school in the mornings, leaving little time to spend with his teammates.
The school did allow him to skip as many classes as possible, but he still had to meet the minimum attendance required by the education department.
Fortunately, this was his final year of school.
Fourth year of middle school.
Now the most senior student, Ho-young realized school life could be both comfortable and dynamic.
It wasn't an exaggeration.
Back when he was still with Castilla, he was already the most famous student at school. But after debuting with the first team, his popularity skyrocketed.
The day after he scored two goals in his La Liga debut, the school went wild.
And the day after his Champions League debut, the hallways were packed.
Every student wanted his autograph.
Especially the first-year students, who swarmed his classroom every break just to catch a glimpse of him.
It was like a scene straight out of Boys Over Flowers, minus the sports car.
He felt good, of course, but also slightly annoyed on a human level.
Still, Ho-young welcomed them all with a friendly smile.
Each and every one of them was a valuable fan.
That was reason enough.
There were a few classmates who were envious or jealous of Ho-young, but nobody dared pick a fight with him.
There were no issues with school life, allowing Ho-young to focus fully on football.
The next day.
Returning to Valdebebas, Ho-young threw himself into training again.
To manage his condition, he only participated in moderate weight training and team drills, skipping individual sessions.
It was per club instructions.
'Rest is just as important as training.'
While most professional training routines were focused on optimizing stamina, Ho-young, still growing, was following a schedule designed to support physical development.
There was some frustration, especially as many of his A-grade talents were on the verge of becoming S-grade.
But overtraining could affect his performance in matches.
Now that he was a first-team player, condition management had to be the priority.
Fifteen to twenty-five hours a week was more than enough.
'The stage is what really matters. As fast as my talents are growing, I need to build match sharpness and skills too. Including versatility.'
After the last match, he had once again realized the importance of versatility.
Honestly, Real Madrid had no shortage of talents worth acquiring.
The issue was the amount of time required to absorb them.
However, now that his versatility had grown, that frustration had eased a little.
This was the perfect time to accelerate his growth.
And his next goal was clear.
'Carlos's spinning kick.'
That was Ho-young's current top priority.
It was a unique talent, unlike anything else in world football.
A shot impossible without incredible leg strength, but if he could gain Carlos's kick sense, it would help him in many ways.
More importantly, it would open the door to acquiring Explosive Kicking Power.
Only one condition remained.
'I just need to score a free kick goal while playing alongside him.'
The opportunity would come.
And because he didn't know when it would come, he had to be prepared in advance.
'Let's go.'
If he could become a relentless training machine like Ronaldo, and gain talents beyond even Messi's, he could become the greatest player of all time.
A truly one-of-a-kind footballer.
That was his ultimate goal, and his driving force to keep pushing forward.
And so, as always, Ho-young threw himself into training.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)