Thankfully, the club had even arranged separate accommodation for Jiwoo.
I’d heard of giving home game tickets to players’ families or acquaintances, but I’d never seen anyone arrange away lodgings like this, so…
I wondered if it was okay for me alone to receive such treatment, but the coach told me not to worry.
“If anyone holds a grudge or gets jealous over something like this, I’ll put him straight on the release list.”
I didn’t know why he kept threatening us so frighteningly with releases, but since the coach said so, I had nothing more to add.
However, he did say there was one thing I absolutely must not do.
“After the evening, don’t call her to your room or go to her room. Just keep that one rule.”
Well, that was obvious, and I hadn’t been thinking of doing that anyway.
After all, we had come here to play against AC Milan.
Not to fool around.
I couldn’t forget that duty.
Besides… if I said I’d come hang out in her room, Jiwoo would definitely say weird things.
Anyway, after arriving in Milan, we went our separate ways into our own rooms.
“…”
Lying on the bed like that, staring at the ceiling, I suddenly felt a strange feeling.
What should I call it today? A peaceful heart? A feeling that no distracting thoughts were coming?
Normally, I’m the type to have many thoughts when a match is approaching.
Thinking about the opponent, thinking about the match.
Sometimes, it got so bad that thoughts like, What if I can’t play tomorrow? would torment me.
It was especially worse during away trips.
Home was somehow familiar, and since Dad was there, there was nothing to be anxious about.
I think it was because when lying alone in an unfamiliar room like this, there was nothing to do but think.
Though I’ve changed a lot in just a few months… then and now, I don’t like unfamiliar things.
Because unfamiliarity was, to me, just another word for fear.
But today wasn’t like that.
Was it because somewhere in a room above the ceiling before my eyes, Jiwoo was there?
Even though I was alone, it didn’t feel like I was alone.
……Not like I was actually with the real Goddess of Victory or anything.
Vrrm vrrm—
Jiwoo: wow this room is so nice
Jiwoo: what did you say to them about me
Jiwoo: that they’re doing this much for me…?
Jiwoo: anyway i’ll stay put in my room ㅇㅅㅇ
Jiwoo: i could stay in a room like this for a year!
I checked my phone, which was buzzing, and let out a small laugh.
Right. How could I feel alone when she wouldn’t leave me alone like this?
“…”
Just as I was about to reply, a sudden thought made me stop my fingers.
What if. Just what if.
If I transferred to another team later, if I went overseas again from Italy, what would it be like?
If that happened, would I be able to adjust well on my own?
Me: yeah lock the door and stay put
Me: don’t just open it if someone rings the bell
Me: don’t open it even if I ask you to
After sending the reply to Jiwoo, I got up from the bed. And I took out a yoga mat and foam roller from my bag to prepare for stretching.
Just as I was about to start stretching, a reply came.
Jiwoo: you?? of course not!!
Jiwoo: knowing what you’d try to do
Jiwoo: (blushing emoticon)
“…”
I flipped my phone face down and started stretching.
······
15 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses.
AC Milan’s record sheet, currently running 1st in the league in January.
At least until the mid-to-late 2010s, Milan had been struggling relative to its past glory.
7th place in the ’15–’16 season.
6th place in the ’16–’17 and ’17–’18 seasons.
5th and 6th place in the two seasons after that.
Anyway, since they at least stayed in the upper mid-table and participated in European competitions, it couldn’t be called a complete dark age, but it was true that they were achieving results unbefitting the prestige of a club that was once considered the best in the world.
However, Milan’s rebound began in the ’19–’20 season, when manager Stefano Pioli took over the team as a stopgap.
By building a 4-2-3-1 tactical system and signing key players, Coach Pioli improved the team’s constitution, pulling the ranking up from the lower mid-table to 7th that year and showing possibility.
In the next season, the 2020–21 season, they secured 2nd place in the league, heralding Milan’s revival.
Although they couldn’t enjoy great joy since their rival team Inter won the Scudetto, it was enough of a result to harbor hope, thinking, Next year, we’ll…!
And that hope was becoming reality this season.
If we think about what the driving force was behind Milan’s great leap forward, the first thing that could be pointed out was the exquisite balance of youth and experience in the squad.
Milan Milan solo con te—!!
Milan Milan sempre per te—!!
Over seventy thousand Rossoneri filling San Siro shout Milan’s anthem.
And on the ground where that anthem pours down, Milan’s players are in the middle of warming up.
Whoosh—! Pow—!!
Mike Maignan, who has risen as Milan’s guardian in place of Donnarumma, blocks a shot from the coach with animalistic reflexes.
Pow—! Pow—!
In front of him, Pierre Kalulu—called the next Desailly—and Theo Hernandez—called Milan’s engine—exchange passes and loosen up.
Whoosh—!
And in front of them, Sandro Tonali—called Pirlo’s successor—is checking his passing touch.
Beyond them, Franck Kessié and Bennacer are preparing to devour the opponent…
Tat-tat—!
One step ahead, Rafael Leão—rising as this season’s best winger—was whipping his long legs into motion, ready to tear down Fiorentina’s defense.
All of them were young—no, young players who would easily last another ten years.
As the rankings proved, they were players already displaying top-class performances.
The squad’s average age is 25.
One of the youngest teams in the league, Milan was a team boasting explosive energy.
However, they were not lacking in veterans to add weight to that young blood either.
Experienced players like Alessio Romagnoli, Simon Kjær, and Alessandro Florenzi stood firm.
Especially, the presence of Olivier Giroud, who possessed the precious experience of winning titles that the young players lacked, was also a great asset for Milan.
Milan Milan sempre per te—!!
The Rossoneri’s anthem grows even louder.
From the fans’ perspective, it’s a lineup that puts their minds at ease just by looking at it.
Judging solely by their recent momentum, it felt like they could beat any team in the league.
Of course, the players felt the same confidence…
It was while the Milan players were in the middle of warming up.
“Forza, forza—!”
“Viola—!!”
The Milan players turn their heads.
From the tunnel, today’s opponents—the Fiorentina players—were pouring out.
What kind of place did they think this was, daring to chant Forza Viola?
As the Milan players’ mood soured looking at them,
—soon, everyone’s gaze is fixed on one player.
‘…Is that him?’
‘His face is totally just a kid.’
‘He looks ordinary, though…’
A player nearly ten years younger than the Milan players, whose average age of 25 already placed them among the youngest in the league.
But a player whose recent buzz was hotter than any other.
The one Coach Pioli had said was unconditionally the number-one player to watch out for.
It was I Jian.
Every Milan player watches I Jian—walking out onto the ground while cracking his neck left and right—with wary eyes.
“…Hoo.”
Except for one man, Zlatan Ibrahimović, who watched him with an intrigued gaze…
*
“……Don’t forget these things, and approach the match accordingly…”
Just before the match began.
Everyone gathered in a circle, arms over shoulders, listening to the captain’s speech.
The things we’d prepared for today, the things we needed to watch out for, and what today’s match meant.
Normally, the captain is so informal that I sometimes forget he’s the captain, but when he’s on the field like now, he feels like a different person.
You could say there was strength in his voice.
Thanks to that, all my teammates nodded with solemn faces, and I was also listening attentively to the captain.
In the middle of that, the captain glanced at me and said.
“Actually, there’s nothing to worry about in today’s match. Because it’s a game we’re already winning before we start.”
…What does he mean?
When I slightly furrowed my brow, everyone burst into laughter.
The captain laughed too and said.
“Because the Goddess of Victory is with us. Jian, right?”
“……Yes.”
“Great. Let’s go. Today, all luck is on our side. So let’s go with confidence!”
“Let’s go!”
“Forza—”
“Viola—!!”
Thanks to the captain, the solemn atmosphere scattered lightly like the players dispersing to their positions.
Maybe because everyone was smiling, somehow the home fans’ expressions seemed to turn vicious.
I also shook my head and headed to my position. And I glanced once toward the stands where our team’s fans were seated.
She should be somewhere over there.
I can’t lose.
“Beep—!”
The match begins with the opponent’s kickoff.
We are in a 4-3-3 formation, and the opponent faces us in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Pow—! Pow—!
From the start, the opponent’s passes begin to circulate quickly.
According to what I heard from the coach, Milan is a team with good overall energy—tough play, quick transitions, high pressing, and so on.
I could definitely feel it… within ten seconds of the match starting.
Normally, after kickoff, teams slowly circulate the ball to warm up, but the opponent didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.
Whoosh—!
The opponent midfielder’s long pass flew over my head in an instant.
Following the ball with my gaze, I see the opponent striker jostling for position against Milenković, our center-back.
He was an incredibly tall and intimidating-looking player.
His name was Zlatan.
Since it was an important match, I had memorized all the opposing players’ numbers and names today.
Pow—! Milenković is pushed aside, and Zlatan heads the ball.
Having won the ball, he immediately lays it off to the left.
Pow—!
Again, a tall player receives the ball.
Rafael Leão.
Normally, tall players are characterized by sluggish movements or poor technique, but I had heard Leão was different.
And in reality, he was.
Tak-tak—!
With a single feint, he lightly bypassed the defense and dug into the left side with refreshing strides.
And he sent in a cross immediately.
Whoosh—!
An ambiguous chest-height cross headed into the box.
It was ambiguous who the cross was aimed at, and even the direction itself was unclear.
So I let my guard down slightly, preparing for the ball to spill out…
When a long leg suddenly shot out toward that ambiguous cross.
Whoosh—! It was a bicycle kick.
The giant Zlatan had jumped with a movement so flexible it was hard to believe, getting his foot to the ambiguous cross.
Swoosh—!
Fortunately, that shot missed the goal…
Uwoooooooh—
It was enough to fill the stadium with the fans’ exclamations.
“…”“…”
I could see the smiles vanish from my teammates’ faces at that exclamation.
Perhaps the tension they had been hiding behind forced smiles was now revealed.
Clearly, the opponent wasn’t someone we could face with a smile.
*
11 minutes.
The time it took from the start of the match until I touched the ball for the first time.
For eleven minutes, the match flowed at the opponent’s pace to the extent that I couldn’t touch the ball even once.
They said it was an energetic team, and that description felt exactly right.
All their players felt one step faster than us, and they didn’t hold anything back.
Ultimately, the opponent’s tempo was faster than ours, and we were struggling just to keep up.
It was a relief that we hadn’t conceded a goal early, at least…
However, it was exactly at times like this that I needed to stay alert.
Just because the ball wasn’t coming to me for a long time, if I didn’t move either, the ball would never come.
I had to be ready.
Only then are situations created.
Tak-tak.
After glancing around, I moved to the right.
Sottil on the right, having read my movement, was also seen running to the position I had originally been in.
The opponent’s left side, namely the left fullback Theo Hernandez and the winger Rafael Leão, was the core of their attack.
An active left attack also meant that much exposure of space behind them.
That was true even now.
The opponent’s fullback was positioned so high it was impossible to tell if he was a fullback, a central midfielder, or a winger.
The center-backs seemed to be covering that gap by spreading wide, but it was still wide nonetheless.
I had moved to the right to exploit that area.
Tak-tak—!
Again, the opponent advances their attack through the left flank.
We weren’t unaware of it, but their attack was so threatening that knowing it didn’t help much.
But they couldn’t break through every time.
Pow—! Leão seemed to be dribbling the ball slightly, but he lost it to Bonaventura’s defensive support.
At the same time, I raised my hand high, and Bonaventura met eyes with me.
Whoosh—! The senior’s pass came along the touchline toward me.
Perhaps because he thought we needed to transition quickly with the opponent’s fullback out of position, it was a pass so strong you couldn’t tell if it was a shot or a pass…
Pow—! I focused as much as possible and stretched my foot to trap the ball.
The moment I received it, I relaxed my ankle so the ball would drop right in front of my foot, and it worked as intended.
Tak-tak—! Then I charged along the touchline.
The space was wide.
I could see one opposing center-back coming out to follow me, and a defensive midfielder moving in to cover that gap.
It seemed best to send in a quick cross here… but the problem was there were no teammates in the box.
I could see some coming up late, but if I waited for them, the opponent’s defense would get back too.
For now… let’s do it like this.
Whoosh—!
Pow—!
The cross I sent in powerfully hit the foot of the defender blocking my path and bounced away.
“Beep—!”
Our corner kick.
I had intended to hit the opponent’s body to earn a corner, and fortunately, it worked.
“Wait a moment—”
Naturally, I prepared to take the corner kick.
Holding the ball for a moment at the assistant referee’s signal, somehow I had a good feeling.
I hadn’t done anything yet, but today, the play was going exactly as I thought.
This corner kick too, somehow felt good.
“Beep—!”
After preparing, I placed the ball down and readied the kick.
After observing the players’ movements in the box, I raised my hand to confirm our signal.
Tak-tak.
Whoosh—!
I struck the corner kick.
Relatively close to the goal, and I struck it low and fast.
It was a cross sent up with the thought that whether our team or theirs touched it, it would be sucked into the goal…
And truly, amazingly.
This time too, it went exactly as I thought.
Thwack—!
Smack—!!
The net shook.
I didn’t see it exactly, but something grazed it.
My cross, grazed by something, had only slightly changed direction and gone into the goal.
The opponent had dominated the early first half, yet we were the ones who scored the opener.
“…Huh, huh!”
“…Waaah! Yeah! It went in!”
For some reason, my teammates who reacted a beat late looked at each other and started running toward me.
Watching those seniors… I felt something was a bit strange, and wondering why, I realized.
It was because no one had really celebrated.
Anyone who scored would be happy and celebrate, but no one had.
The seniors who ran up to me instead asked each other.
“Was it you? You?”
“Not me. Was it you?”
“It wasn’t me either.”
It’s not even some mystery.
A goal went in, but there’s no scorer…?
Then the culprit is……
“It went in off that bastard!”
“Was it an own goal?”
“Uwaa, lucky!!”
So it was an own goal.
I had wondered whose head it grazed, but apparently it was an opposing player, not ours.
Either way, a goal is a goal.
The seniors began to celebrate even more than if we had scored ourselves, and I too was caught up in it, sharing the joy thoughtlessly…
When suddenly the captain pushed us apart and said.
“Hey! Everyone get down over there!”
“Huh?”
“It’s the Goddess’s blessing! She made luck come our way! Everyone get down!”
“Ah!”
I wondered what they meant by “Ah!”…
Um, seniors?
The seniors really started lying flat on the ground toward our team’s stands.
Like fanatics, saying one thing after another.
“This is a game we can win!”
“The Goddess of Victory is with us!”
“…”
…I could only let out a sigh as I watched them.
< Goddess of Victory -3 > End