My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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The first half of the match between Dortmund U19 and Duisburg U19 has ended. Although Dortmund faced a few crises, they succeeded in holding off Duisburg’s attacks without conceding any additional goals.

With the first half over, we gathered around our coach in a circle.

“Gut! Gut! (Good!)”

Coach Hannes Wolf began to cheer up the downcast Dortmund players by clapping his hands.

“Sometimes we learn through our mistakes. The first half was a time when we could become better individuals and players.”

After encouraging the players for a while, the coach announced a substitution.

“In the second half, Rico will be replaced by Jinho.”

I nodded at the coach’s words.

Rico Benatelli seemed to have an off day, repeating frequent mistakes.

“… Damn.”

But Rico, perhaps unable to accept being substituted, sulked and muttered with annoyance.

It really struck me how cultural differences come into play. German youth express their emotions openly from a young age.

Well, there’s variation among individuals, but most promising young players are honest about their feelings.

Perhaps that mindset is why they can showcase the plays they want without feeling inhibited in such a free atmosphere.

If it were a Korean football club, would he be scolded for being disrespectful to an adult and face remarks like, “Didn’t your parents teach you anything about manners?”

By the way, that remark was something I heard from my elementary school football coach after losing my parents in a car accident. Thankfully, I wasn’t beaten by the coach, but his words left a huge scar on my young heart.

“Ah, thinking back, it really ticks me off. I should mention this in an interview if I succeed later.”

Anyway, that’s an excessive response from a Korean football club. Still, I thought a little etiquette wouldn’t hurt.

To be honest, Rico’s behavior didn’t look great in my eyes as a Korean.

“No, wait… I’m in Europe. I shouldn’t impose Korean standards too much.”

Thinking it over, Rico’s emotional expression here is considered quite polite.

In Europe, it’s common for someone to tell a coach to shut up during games or to refuse a handshake with discontent over a substitution.

Compared to that, Rico sulking alone while grumbling is quite minor.

I slowly recalled what Son Heung-min had said. When in a foreign country, learning the country’s language is a sign of respect and courtesy, right?

I nodded. Perhaps I hadn’t respected their culture while learning the German language. Just like, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Being in Europe, I resolved to respect and embrace their culture.

“And Jinho will switch positions with Pascal and move up to striker in the second half…”

I raised my middle finger at the coach, who was trying to force me into a striker role, and got thoroughly berated during the remaining halftime.

“What the heck? Is this racism?”

While I suspected Coach Hannes Wolf of being a neo-Nazi, I heard Rico Benatelli’s muttering echo in my ears.

“… What a jerk.”

*

As the second half was about to begin, players started to gather on the pitch one by one. I awkwardly explained to Coach Hannes Wolf why I couldn’t be a striker.

“… Is that really why you can’t play as a striker?”

As a result, I ended up participating in the match as an attacking midfielder. Even now, I can’t shake the ridiculous expression on Coach Hannes Wolf’s face when he heard, “I’m a midfielder.”

Why is it that both Head Coach Han Gwangjong and Dortmund’s Hannes Wolf are so determined to make me a striker?

“Ha… This frustrating decision-making.”

It’s probably all because I’m just that good.

Perhaps the only one who appreciates me as a midfielder is Gi-hyun Choi. A sudden reevaluation of Gi-hyun Choi has begun.

Hmm. It seems like Gi-hyun Choi’s strengths are too emphasized. To balance out his likability, I recalled a conversation from a few days ago.

— “Jinho, don’t you miss your friends in Korea?”

— “No way, I won’t change! I don’t plan to! Hurry up and work!”

I had firmly rejected Gi-hyun Choi’s careful suggestion to return to Korea, his face looking haggard.

“Whooosh! You kids, hang in there!”

Having reset Gi-hyun Choi’s likability so easily, I looked towards the stands with a refreshed feeling.

Unlike our home game before, there were no Dortmund fans in sight.

Well, it’s kind of expected.

Who would travel all the way to Duisburg on a Sunday to watch a youth match?

Although it isn’t too far from Dortmund, surely spending time with family or doing something else would be more productive.

Once again, I realized how impressive and grateful my younger brothers from Korea were for always coming to Madeul Stadium for my games despite the effort involved.

This debt will have to be repaid later with a no-show…

Just kidding. Actually, even if I did no-show, I feel like those who like me would still do so. But I shouldn’t disappoint them.

Anyway, while I was lost in thought, with the referee’s whistle, the second half began with Dortmund’s kickoff.

Due to kickoff regulations, I had to play the ball forward, so I retrieved the ball lightly pushed forward by the striker and quickly passed it backward.

Not feeling rushed since we were two goals ahead, Duisburg calmly pulled back their line to face Dortmund. Their formation remained the same as the first half: a 4-3-3.

Meanwhile, we were using Dortmund’s first team formation, a 4-2-3-1.

In the first half, the opponent had one more midfielder, and since Gegenpressing was awkward, we were pushed back, but the second half would be different.

“Pascal, stick close!”

As I took the field as an attacking midfielder in place of Rico, I adjusted player positions, indicated the timing for pressure, pressed the opponents with my body, actively participated in the midfield battles, kept the ball, and after breaking through pressure, I slotted a pass to a player making a run.

Honestly, it wasn’t just one or two things to focus on, and using awkward German made my head feel like it would explode…

“Oh? This actually works?”

They say humans are adaptable creatures, and doing it more made me feel more at ease.

Following the instructions, Pascal, half-lying down, immediately passed the ball to me, initiating Dortmund’s short counterattack.

Receiving Pascal’s pass from the penalty arc, I threaded a pass to a player running into the half space and penetrated the penalty box to poke the ball in, anticipating a second-ball chance.

Well… Actually, since my past teammates had failed to score, it became a habit to penetrate the penalty box after passing.

“Whoa? What’s this guy doing?”

And of course, as expected.

The ball, rebounding off the goalpost, rolled right in front of me. Duisburg’s defenders looked confused, like “What the heck? Why is this guy here?”

I lightly pushed the ball into the empty net and scored.

The referee pointed to the half line to acknowledge the goal. As I split the net, I immediately retrieved the ball and sprinted towards the half line.

They say football is a sport of flow.

Duisburg, startled by our organized pressing, was taken aback compared to the first half.

We needed to push hard before Duisburg regained their composure.

Trying my best against the kids might be a bit too adult-like, but I still didn’t want to lose.

*

Before the restart of the match with Duisburg’s kickoff, Coach Hannes Wolf substituted the exhausted players.

Well, I had predicted this. I had instructed them to press, but they didn’t react immediately, likely due to fatigue.

“Marvin! Press now!”

Anyway, the newly substituted fresh players showcased excellent performance, disrupting Duisburg’s buildup.

Duisburg made a passing error under Dortmund’s pressure, and Marvin Dux successfully blocked the ball and passed it to me.

As a similar scene to my previous goal unfolded, Duisburg seemed to assume I would pass the ball, trying to block passing lanes instead of sticking close to me.

Well… not many teams have faced me yet. If it were Schalke, they would have developed PTSD and rushed at me.

There’s a reason professional teams conduct video analysis.

Anyway, I received the ball from Pascal and made a curling shot with my right foot from a slightly different spot than before, successfully slotting it into the corner of the goal.

As soon as I scored the equalizer, I dashed straight to the corner flag.

“Whoa-oh-oh-oh!!”

Seeing a few Dortmund fans chant in enthusiasm made a satisfied smile appear on my face.

My younger brothers were successfully multiple today as well.

Well… Anyway.

Right before the end of the match, during a corner kick, Antonio Rüdiger scored an additional goal, securing the victory for Dortmund.

*

After the match against Duisburg ended, I started as a starter in the following game against Rot-Weiss Ahlen and successfully scored two goals.

As I announced my arrival to the Dortmund fans with a crazy record of three games, six goals, and one assist, I got called up to the youth national team for the AFC U-19 Championship and set off for South Korea.

Although Dortmund seemed reluctant to let me go, it seemed they decided to send me off considering their relationship with the South Korea Football Association.

“But why isn’t anyone asking my opinion?”

Anyway, after a series of twists and turns, I found myself at Incheon Airport.

[I’m so happy! The Gallant have arrived!]

“Whoa-oh-oh-oh!”

Countless handshake requests came pouring in on me.

In the meantime, it seemed the younger brothers had multiplied. They had tripled in number compared to before I left.