Chapter 76: Mr. Nakamura is Kawaii (2)

Although Brighton conceded two goals in the first 20 minutes, they didn’t give up, perhaps due to their desperate situation in the relegation zone, and calmly reorganized their defensive line.

[Oh!! Joaquín Fernández with a bold tackle! He cleanly takes the ball from Guerrero!]

“You haven’t lost your touch, bro~”

“Of course not.”

Joaquín Fernández and Guerrero, who were teammates at River Plate, knew each other’s movements and playstyles perfectly.

As Joaquín’s form improved, the Brighton players began to use him as their pivot.

This was also a clear instruction given by the Brighton manager beforehand.

‘If you can’t find a breakthrough against Man City’s press, give the ball to Fernández.’

Joaquín’s playstyle, reminiscent of Pirlo, was unique.

His accurate long passes, calm ball control, and excellent vision for reading the game gave a huge boost to Brighton’s counter-attacking tactics.

As time went on, the game began to revolve around Joaquín.

Brighton gained momentum and created many good counter-attacking situations, but-

“Damn it!!”

“Hey, I was wide open, why did you hold onto the ball instead of passing!”

“Shut up!”

Nakamura was ruining everything.

He held onto the ball as if he was going to solve everything himself, not passing to his open teammates.

I shook my head watching him, then observed Joaquín, who was handling the ball stably even under Manchester City’s press.

A perfect first touch that made the ball stick to him like a magnet.

Excellent football intelligence to read the flow of the game and control the tempo.

A wide field of vision that even tracked players approaching from behind.

And the sharp dribbling ability to be bold when needed.

He was a player who perfectly possessed all the elements a midfielder should have.

“He’s definitely good. Good enough to make me want to bring him to our team later.”

There was a reason Guerrero had praised him before the match.

But even with him playing so well in midfield-

[Ah, Nakamura Kenji, who received a fantastic pass from Joaquín Fernández again, holds onto the ball and gets dispossessed by Castillo!]

[I understand he wants to show a lot in his debut match, but he should never do this. This could lead to a big problem!]

Losing the ball like that in the front line can cause a team to collapse in an instant, even when they’re gaining momentum.

Without me even needing to do anything, Nakamura Kenji was self-destructing.

Like throwing ice into boiling water, his play instantly cooled down Brighton’s reviving momentum.

“Nakamura, I know how you feel. I know you want to show something, but we’re in the relegation zone and it’s very dangerous. You need to play for the team, not for yourself.”

No matter how calmly Joaquín tried to persuade him, Nakamura would never admit his fault.

Instead, he blamed Joaquín for the situation.

“I am playing for the team. It’s your passing timing that’s off, so you should do better.”

“This bastard!”

Even the famously calm Joaquín couldn’t hold back at Nakamura’s words.

His teammates quickly held him back, but the entire scene was being captured by the Brighton fans filling the stadium and the commentators.

[Ah… this is really hard to watch. Internal conflict in a team fighting in the relegation zone. I understand it’s his debut match, but I can’t understand Nakamura’s attitude at all.]

[The one holding the team’s center perfectly right now is Joaquín Fernández. The one who broke that flow is entirely Nakamura Kenji. He has to admit it, that his current play is poison to the team.]

[The Brighton fans surely didn’t come all the way to Man City’s home ground to see such a disappointing display…]

“What the hell is this! We didn’t come here to see this!”

“Is this all you have to show after all that provocation?”

“Coach! Sub that player out quickly!”

The roars of anger erupting from the Brighton supporters’ section echoed through the stadium.

The disappointment of the fans who had followed them all the way on this away trip to escape the relegation zone was palpable.

Of course, the Brighton manager was not unaware of this situation.

‘I want to sub him out, but… right now…’

He also wanted to immediately substitute Nakamura Kenji, who was playing like that, but reality was not so easy.

Strikers had been sidelined one after another with injuries, and even the remaining striker had gotten injured during training, leaving him with no viable replacements.

Nakamura was signed to fill the void in their attack, but he was actually harming the team’s atmosphere.

Joaquín’s perfect passes, his teammates’ movements, and the team’s tactics… all of it was crumbling because of one variable: Nakamura.

***

43rd minute of the first half, the score was still 2-0.

As the first half was coming to an end, a golden opportunity came to Nakamura Kenji.

“Yes!”

Joaquín’s perfectly timed pass slipped through the defenders.

The golden ball that fell at Nakamura’s feet could create a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper.

‘I just need to score.’

For a striker, a goal was an indulgence that could cover everything.

He thought that no matter how messy his team play was, no matter how much friction he had with his teammates, everything would be forgiven if he just scored.

But if he couldn’t score in this match…

“No, I can do it!”

All he saw in front of him was an eighteen-year-old kid.

Pow!

[Nakamura Kenji’s first shot of the match!]

[Ah, Jeong Tae-woo catches it easily. It was a good shot, but it doesn’t work on Jeong Tae-woo.]

“Damn it…”

But he felt an unbearable sense of humiliation at Jeong Tae-woo’s subsequent play.

The way he bounced the ball on the ground and dribbled towards him, as if to provoke him…

“This arrogant bastard…”

I immediately charged at that arrogant kid.

It was a sprint filled with my usual impatience.

I applied strong pressure and spoke mockingly to shake his mentality.

“Hey, kid. You’re not a striker. You’re a goalkeeper, right? Just stay in your goal quietly.”

To my provocation, Jeong Tae-woo answered with a calmness unbecoming of his young age.

“Hmm… I wonder.”

His feet began to move.

At first, I thought it was a simple dribble.

The ball tilted slightly to the right from Jeong Tae-woo’s foot, then he instantly pulled it back with the inside of his foot.

Elastico.

Like magic, before I could even react, the ball was already passing between my legs.

“Wooooow!!”

The cheers erupting from the stands hit my ears.

The roar sounded like mockery directed at me.

The big league I had dreamed of since my rookie days.

I had finally come to the Premier League I had longed for, but what was I doing now?

I was humiliated by how easily I had been toyed with by an 18-year-old kid.

In front of countless fans watching the worldwide broadcast, I had just become a scene in that kid’s personal skills highlight reel.

In Japan, and all over the world, this scene would be talked about again and again.

‘Nakamura Kenji, toyed with by an 18-year-old goalkeeper.’

‘The result of provocation is humiliation.’

‘Never… I can never let him go!’

A moment of anger clouded my reason.

My vision turned red.

My pride, once called the future of Japanese football, felt like it was shattering into pieces.

I turned my body roughly.

All I could think about was tripping Jeong Tae-woo.

It wasn’t about the game anymore.

All that remained was the pure anger of wanting to bring down the 18-year-old goalkeeper in front of me.

Reason had long since disappeared.

But at that moment, the muscle in my right thigh, twisted unnaturally, tore with a burning sensation.

My vision went white with a pain like a lightning strike.

The sudden change of direction had betrayed my leg.

Like a punishment from God, my malicious attempt at a foul had failed.

“Ughh!”

With a tearing pain, I fell to my knees on the turf.

The cheers from the crowd had now turned into worried gasps, but even that sounded like mockery to my ears.

More painful than the pain in my thigh was my shattered pride.

***

Just before the end of the first half, I was about to leave the penalty box to join the attack on the coach’s orders.

“Hey, kid. You’re not a striker. You’re a goalkeeper, right? Just stay in your goal quietly.”

Ignoring Nakamura Kenji’s provocation, I was about to run past him when,

“Ughh!”

‘What?’

I turned around to see Mr. Nakamura on the ground, clutching his right thigh.

The provocative words he had thrown at me just moments before seemed meaningless now as he writhed in extreme pain.

Seeing that, I immediately kicked the ball out of bounds and gestured towards Brighton’s side.

[Nakamura Kenji is unable to get up! His face is contorted in pain!]

[There was clearly conflict between the players, but Jeong Tae-woo’s sportsmanship in immediately kicking the ball out of bounds after seeing a player’s injury is truly commendable.]

I was watching the medical staff carry Nakamura off the field on a stretcher when Joaquín, who had been impressive throughout the match, approached me.

“Thanks. And…”

Joaquín bowed his head and continued.

“I apologize on Nakamura’s behalf for the pre-match provocation.”

“Eh, it’s fine.”

It really didn’t bother me at all.

I just felt sorry for him.

‘Why are you trying to chase after me? You should come at your own pace.’