Chapter 51: Debut Match (1)

“Mom, you’re coming to England this time?”

– Of course, I have to go. It’s my son’s debut match. The club said they’d support it.

“Mom, your son made a good transfer, right? Actually, it’s a given for a super prospect like me.”

– My son, you seem to be getting more and more brazen as the days go by. And about transferring to Man City… isn’t it because of Damin?

“Hey~ Mom, I wouldn’t decide on a team just because of Damin.”

‘Of course, it wasn’t completely absent…’

– Hmm… I’m suspicious… I see. Son, let’s see you in England. And I’d like to see that Mr. Chan-gyu too. He’s taking care of my son, so I should at least make him a meal.

“Mom, Chan-gyu hyung might be a better cook…”

– What did you say?

“No, I was just saying I miss your cooking so much. Hehe.”

“Yes, travel safely.”

I hung up the phone and let out a sigh of relief.

I definitely didn’t tell anyone I was dating Damin.

But the nuance of her words, as if she already knew, is so sharp.

‘Is this a woman’s intuition?’

***

Manchester City’s first-round opponent in the Premier League is Crystal Palace.

Looking at the name value or history, it seems Manchester City would have an overwhelming advantage.

But last season, City’s record against Crystal Palace was 1 draw and 1 loss.

The drawn match was only because City’s Matias barely scored a goal in the 88th minute of the second half to tie the game.

And in terms of game content, it was close to a complete defeat for City.

There are two main reasons for this result.

The first is that the current owner of Crystal Palace is pouring a huge amount of capital into the team.

In Kim Chan-gi’s time, Man City was famous for its oil money.

But here, the owner of Crystal Palace is making huge investments with oil money behind him.

Of course, last season was right after the owner changed, so they didn’t sign that many players.

But they still brought in some big-name, world-class players.

This is the second reason.

Our team’s only world-class player, by global standards, is Matias.

On the other hand, at that time, Crystal Palace had world-class strikers Umtiti and Gabriel, who had transferred for high fees.

Of course, the number of world-class players doesn’t determine the outcome of a match.

But sometimes, one player dominates a game, and the match against City was Umtiti and Gabriel’s day.

Moreover, this season, Crystal Palace has strengthened their team by spending even more money, making them stronger than last season.

These situations are giving Crystal Palace fans plenty of expectations.

And it was making their steps lighter as they headed to their home stadium.

Crystal Palace’s home stadium, located in the Selhurst area of the London Borough of Croydon,

Selhurst Park was already heating up.

The passionate fans were already singing their chants vigorously before the game even started, as if they had already foreseen a victory.

The cheers of the fans, spreading from the Holmesdale Road Stand, clearly showed their confidence and expectations for the match against Manchester City.

“Tsk, I don’t like it.”

Guerrero, who was watching the scene, clicked his tongue and said.

“What’s wrong now?”

“No, they’re already talking as if they’ve won.”

At Guerrero’s words, I patted him on the shoulder and replied.

“Well, our fans are here too, cheering hard.”

My gaze scanned the stadium.

Amidst the red and blue waves of Crystal Palace,

The Man City fans in their sky-blue uniforms stood out.

They were outnumbered, but their cheering fervor was by no means inferior.

“Yeah, well. Since a top prospect like me came to Man City, it’s only natural for the fans to be enthusiastic, right?”

“Guerrero, you’re not the top prospect, I am,”

At Sanchez’s rebuttal, Guerrero let out a hollow laugh and said.

“Sanchez, I think you’ve been too competitive with me since we played games. That’s not good. You’ll get hurt if you try to climb too big a wall.”

“What kind of wall can you be when you can’t even eat English food properly?”

Castillo, who had been listening quietly from the side, said in passing.

‘Castillo, I’m sorry, but not many people, even among the English, can eat a pie with a fish head sticking out of it.’

No, but now that I think about it, it’s a bit ridiculous.

I’m just standing here quietly, so why are they fighting amongst themselves?

Who is the number one prospect that Manchester City fans will pick?

It’s me!

Of course, they haven’t picked yet.

The number one most loved player on the team, as voted by the fans, is scheduled to be

It’s me!!

The number one most handsome player

It’s me!!!

I really don’t know why the other guys are fighting over the top prospect spot when the answer is right next to them.

“Hey, but among these 4, I’m the most promising. Have you guys ever won the Olympics?”

‘Am I being too modest? Among all football players, not just these 4, there’s probably no one as good as me.’

At my words, Guerrero retorted and shouted.

“What does that have to do with anything? The fact that I’m the best is a fact!”

“Yeah, you’ve never won once~”

I replied with a smirk.

“What, you’ve never won?”

Sanchez asked with an innocent expression.

“Ugh, my back neck…”

At Sanchez’s innocent words, Guerrero grabbed the back of his neck.

At River Plate, Guerrero had an amazing performance as the top scorer.

But he missed the championship by 2 points and finished the season in 2nd place.

On the other hand, Sanchez and Castillo had won the championship with their teams before transferring.

“What, I thought you had won since you talked so much, but you were title-less?”

With Castillo’s last heavy blow, Guerrero seemed to have been KO’d.

“You bastards, what does winning have to do with skill! I played well!”

Guerrero retorted and shouted.

“All 4 of us are debuting this time, so it’s a showdown. Who’s the best prospect!”

Sanchez replied indifferently.

“Well, whatever.”

“I don’t want to be compared to someone who hasn’t won a championship,”

Castillo added with a smirk.

“Aaargh, really!”

Guerrero shouted, clutching his head.

No, but hasn’t Guerrero’s image changed too much? At first, he seemed confident and proud.

Why is he becoming more and more like Lee Taeyang?

***

“Ah, mother! Over here!”

Jeong Taewoo’s mother, Yoon Seojeong, was looking around the airport, having come abroad for the first time.

She was a little nervous about the unfamiliar scenery of the English airport.

Just then, from a distance, a man waved at her and approached.

“Ah, are you the one taking care of Taewoo…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the man politely bowed and said.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m Jeong Taewoo’s manager, Lee Chan-gyu. I came to pick you up, mother.”

“Oh, I’ve missed you. I’ve heard a lot about you taking good care of my son, and you’re handsome too.”

“Haha, you’re very beautiful too, mother. I see now why Taewoo is so handsome after seeing you.”

Yoon Seojeong smiled pleasantly, feeling a little shy at Chan-gyu’s words.

She was grateful for his meticulous care for her son.

“I’ll take you straight to the stadium,”

Chan-gyu said politely.

When she arrived at the stadium in the manager’s car, her mouth fell open in surprise.

“Wow, in such a big stadium, Taewoo is…”

“This isn’t City’s stadium, it’s the home stadium of our opponent, Crystal Palace.

City’s home stadium is much bigger,”

At Chan-gyu’s explanation, her eyes widened even more.

To her, who didn’t know much about football, even this stadium seemed huge.

The news that there was an even bigger stadium made her worry more about her son.

‘I hope our Taewoo doesn’t get nervous in such a big game…’

Yoon Seojeong worried in her heart as she followed Chan-gyu.

The VIP room, which she arrived at with the manager’s guidance, was located in the best position to overlook the entire stadium.

She was once again amazed by the panoramic view of the stadium that unfolded through the large windows.

“Mother, you can watch the game comfortably from here,”

Just as Yoon Seojeong was about to sit down, the VIP room door opened and a few people came in.

“Mother, these are the Manchester City club officials.”

“Uh… hello?”

She greeted them awkwardly.

As someone who couldn’t speak a foreign language, she suddenly felt nervous as several foreigners came in together.

She instinctively looked at Chan-gyu, her eyes seemingly asking for help.

Fortunately, Chan-gyu quickly noticed Yoon Seojeong’s discomfort and approached her side.

“Don’t worry, I’ll interpret for you,”

He whispered in a small voice.

‘Phew, that’s a relief.’

Yoon Seojeong let out a sigh of relief in her heart.

The club officials smiled at her and began to speak.

Yoon Seojeong couldn’t understand a word they were saying, but she could feel their goodwill from their kind expressions and warm eyes.

After they finished speaking, she immediately looked at Chan-gyu.

“They say that Taewoo is doing really well and will soon be able to take the top goalkeeper spot,”

Chan-gyu began to interpret.

“They’re grateful for raising your son so well, and they’re really thankful that you sent him to City.”

A proud smile spread across Yoon Seojeong’s face.

Her heart swelled with praise for her son.

And at the same time, thinking of Taewoo, who must be working hard in an unfamiliar environment, her eyes turned red.

She bowed her head to express her gratitude.

She had been worried about possible racial discrimination since it was a foreign country.

But seeing the officials’ reactions, she felt relieved that Taewoo seemed to be adapting well.

As she sat in the VIP room talking with the officials,

The whistle signaling the start of the game blew.

In an instant, Yoon Seojeong’s and the officials’ gazes turned to the stadium.

Her eyes immediately found Taewoo standing in front of the goal.

Taewoo, in his blue uniform, was warming up in front of the goal.

She knew better than anyone how much effort Taewoo had put in to get to this point.

How strong his will was as he ran towards his dream.

‘Taewoo, fighting! Mom is always on your side.’