Whoosh—!
As I flung open the room’s curtains...
“...Ngh.”
At the intense sunlight flooding in, I end up squinting and turning my face away.
Should I call this sunny?
It seems too weak a word; if there were a stronger one, I’d use it right now.
They definitely said December was winter here too.
Yet the scenery outside the window looked nothing like winter.
The light pouring from the blinding sun was like a summer day in Florence.
Heat shimmer was even rising from the neatly cleaned roads; how could anyone call this winter?
Hmm, no.
I suppose this might be winter to some people.
The idea that winter must be cold and snowy is probably just my preconception.
Anyway, winter in Qatar was hot.
And “hot” didn’t just refer to the weather; it meant many things.
The weather was hot, of course, but something even hotter was here... and still is.
Even so, I can’t help but find it funny that I feel a bit chilly.
Because of the full-blast air conditioning in my hotel room, on the bus, even in the stadium.
So it’s ironic that despite the weather outside, I had to be careful not to catch a cold.
That, at least, felt like the winter I knew.
Maybe I should air out the room.
“...”
Thinking that, I opened the window, but closed it again before I could even open it all the way.
Because the heat surging through the gap, as if it had been waiting, made me instantly understand why they kept the AC running everywhere.
I’d told myself I wouldn’t, but once again I’m surprised that it’s winter.
Anyway... I give up on airing out the room.
“Ugh... cold.”
Instead, to get in the mood at least, I give a big stretch with all my might and sit down at the desk.
Then I unfold a notebook and grip a pen.
I think I’ll write a journal entry or an impressions piece.
For the title... how about ‘I Was There’?
It feels a bit cringey, but it’s not like I’m showing anyone, so it should be fine.
Anyway, gripping the pen tightly, I begin pressing down letter by letter.
These days I’m only used to typing on phones or laptops, so writing with a pen after so long takes a lot of hand strength.
Come to think of it, I used to write tactical notes when I was young.
At some point I stopped writing them on my own.
Thanks to that, I’m newly surprised at how bad my handwriting has become.
Anyway, I jot down whatever comes to mind about what I’ve felt here.
So it’s a bit disjointed and a bit cringey.
But like I said, I’m the only one who’ll read it.
“...Done.”
Finishing the essay like that, I rub my sore hand and smile in satisfaction.
At least if I write it down, I’ll have the chance to look back on this moment later.
Well then, shall I read it from the beginning?
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Title: I Was There
I came to a place called Qatar, which I thought I’d never visit in my life, no different to me than distant Mars or Jupiter.
It was for the World Cup held in Qatar, and surprisingly, I came here not as a spectator but as a player.
In life, unimaginable things happen, and I think playing in a tournament called the World Cup might be the most unimaginable of them all.
But to be honest, at first it wasn’t moving or unbelievably joyful because of that.
The truth is, I didn’t really want to come. I’d been tired from competing in various tournaments over the past few months, and it was such a huge event that it felt burdensome.
But since I had to come anyway, I decided to change my mindset—dragging my feet would only make it harder for me.
If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.
And surprisingly, everything started to feel like something to be grateful for.
Only my mind had changed, yet everything felt different—it was fascinating.
We played four matches in Qatar.
Uruguay, Ghana, Portugal, and then we advanced to the Round of 16 and faced Brazil.
In the first match against Uruguay, I came on as a substitute in the 12th minute of the second half.
I was incredibly nervous. No matter how hard I tried not to think about it, the fact that it was the World Cup kept making me tense.
Maybe that’s why my body felt stiff even after going in, and I couldn’t communicate well with my teammates.
It was an important first match, and I was disappointed we drew.
This is a bit off-topic, but meeting my senior Torreira as an opponent felt strange. But he was on the bench. After the match, we swapped jerseys and promised each other we’d make it to the Round of 16.
The second match was against Ghana, and I started. I was still nervous, but much less than against Uruguay.
But it wasn’t an easy match.
I still lacked in communication.
It wasn’t that I’d forgotten Korean and couldn’t speak... what should I call it. A feeling that our thoughts were a little different?
I think it was because I hadn’t joined the national team long ago. It was my first time playing on a new team outside Fiorentina, so I was clumsy.
I wondered what would have happened if I’d joined earlier.
Anyway, I scored a goal that day. I felt amazing. After the match, I checked my phone and had over 50 messages from Jiu. She said she thought she was having a heart attack... She was so cute it gave me strength.
But we lost the match. We ended up conceding a comeback, and since I’d already been substituted out, there was nothing I could do, which was frustrating.
So the last match became incredibly important.
We had to win here, and Ghana had to beat or draw with Uruguay for us to advance.
The odds were said to be low because of that, but we decided to fight until the end anyway.
And surprisingly, we won...!
I started the match, and while it felt difficult in the early going, the atmosphere changed from the middle.
It was thanks to Ronaldo helping our team in various ways, and I was thankful he wasn’t in his prime anymore.
Plus, Ghana drew with Uruguay, allowing us to advance.
The fans were overjoyed.
They came all the way to our hotel late at night to cheer for us. They kept thanking us, but I was the one more thankful.
Our Round of 16 opponent was Brazil, one of the favorites.
That’s why even the senior players seemed nervous before kickoff. Some of them talked about Neymar, but since I’d seen him not long ago, it didn’t feel that special.
Anyway, Brazil was strong.
And it felt like luck wasn’t on our side either. Of course, luck is part of skill, so it’s just an excuse, but conceding early turned out to be poison.
And including myself, everyone was physically exhausted, so we struggled a lot. Communication felt even more lacking.
I scored two goals.
But it wasn’t enough to win the match.
In the end, we lost and were eliminated in the Round of 16.
But the strange thing was how much I regretted it. Honestly, people around me said reaching the Round of 16 was a miracle, and we were physically exhausted, so I thought I wouldn’t regret elimination much, but that wasn’t the case.
Thinking about why, maybe it’s because compared to how scared I was before the match, it felt manageable.
Of course, saying this after losing by a large margin might sound ridiculous, but that’s just how I felt.
Brazil’s players definitely all played for amazing teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Man Utd, yet I didn’t feel that different from them.
If there was any difference, it was that they were a bit more composed than us.
If only luck had been on our side, I felt like we could have played them evenly.
Anyway, that’s why I said what I did in the post-match interview.
When they asked for my impressions after my first World Cup, I answered that I thought we could go further next time.
But when I heard it caused an uproar, I regretted saying it a bit.
I was just speaking my mind, yet I’d become something like a hero and a symbol of hope.
The truth is, I don’t even know if I’ll make the next World Cup.
Anyway, the Qatar World Cup ended just like that.
So to sum up my thoughts, I want to say it was a good experience.
It was only four matches, but all four were among the toughest and most nerve-wracking I’d ever played, so when it was over, I felt like I’d grown somehow.
They say you always grow after going through something excruciatingly difficult, as long as you don’t actually die, so I suppose I’m no different.
Even now, it’s hard to believe.
But it’s true.
I was there, at a place called the Qatar World Cup.
And I’ve gained so much.
Now, when I go back, there are no matches until the World Cup ends, so I’ll rest and hang out with Jiu.
December 7, 2022. Qatar weather: Sunny x2.
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...Considering my writing skills, I’d say I wrote it pretty well.
Nodding in satisfaction, I toss the notebook into my suitcase.
Checking the clock, it was about time to wash up and go out.
. . .
The Qatar World Cup had already generated much controversy from the very moment its host was decided, and it was no different after the group stage began.
The first World Cup held in the Middle East, the first held in November, the introduction of a cutting-edge VAR system, air-conditioned stadiums, Messi and Ronaldo’s last dance, and more.
There was no shortage of talking points from the start, but immediately after the tournament began. The most notable keyword would undoubtedly become ‘upsets.’
Because unexpected results overturning predictions occurred everywhere, to the point where one wondered if there had ever been so many upsets in history.
Starting with Lionel Messi’s Argentina being tripped up by Saudi Arabia on the second day of the tournament.
The next day, Germany’s Panzer Corps lost to Japan, and Denmark, touted as a dark horse, was caught by the scruff of the neck by Australia.
Additionally, Morocco advanced to the Round of 16 as group winners, and in Group H, South Korea defeated Portugal to successfully advance.
Thus, the start of the Qatar World Cup was a continuous string of upsets.
And, as with every tournament.
The emergence of new stars also drew attention.
Cody Gakpo (23, PSV Eindhoven) of the Netherlands, who scored in all three group-stage matches.
Joško Gvardiol (20, Leipzig), who protected Croatia like a massive wall despite his young age.
And Azzedine Ounahi (22, Angers), who led Morocco’s whirlwind.
Though they were all prodigies barely in their early twenties, their performances surpassed even existing stars.
Rumors openly circulated that the world’s top big clubs had already begun to move quickly even before the tournament ended.
But if one had to pick the two prodigies who surprised the entire world the most, they would undoubtedly be England’s Jude Bellingham (19, Dortmund) and South Korea’s Jian Ri (17, Fiorentina).
In fact, both players were already known before the tournament—players whose skill and talent had already been recognized.
Especially in Bellingham’s case, according to pre-tournament data released by FIFA-affiliated research institute ‘CIES,’ his estimated transfer market value approached a staggering approximately 202 million euros, ranking him #1 among the 831 players from the 32 participating nations.
So his performance at this tournament could be seen as somewhat expected.
In that context, Jian Ri’s performance had also been similarly anticipated, but the reason his play left a deeper impression was likely due to his nationality.
Unlike England, South Korea is inevitably classified as a relatively weak team, yet he showed dazzling performances despite such disadvantages.
Especially in the match against Brazil, his play stole the show.
The match was clearly won by Brazil, and the overall flow was in Brazil’s favor, but.
What remained in memory after the match was none other than Ri, fighting bravely against such a Brazil.
Had Neymar or Vinicius worn the South Korean jersey, could they have produced such a performance?
Ri’s performance was so remarkable that it raised such interesting questions—more than enough to shine through the South Korean jersey.
And perhaps this was not merely this reporter’s opinion.
Judging by the data released immediately after all Round of 16 matches, where Jian Ri updated his estimated value to 201 million euros, breathing down Jude Bellingham’s neck.
—From Qatar, BBC, Georgi Harris