Chapter 10: The Bullfrog's Arrival (5)

The director of Sporting Lisbon had been suffering from severe stress recently.

"SL Benfica and FC Porto have surpassed us. They've surpassed us by a huge margin! These damn bastards!"

Bruno Caiu, the director, sitting on a sofa set aside for guests in his office, burst out in a fit of rage.

Then, William Douglas, the chief scout sitting to his right, said with a gentle smile,

"Still, it's only a one-man difference with Benfica, isn't it?"

William Douglas had been a comrade working at Sporting Lisbon for a long time with Bruno Caiu.

Since they were the same age, they omitted formalities when meeting in private.

"There are times when we overtake them by one or two men each season."

Bruno Caiu shook his head at Douglas's kind words.

"We're six men behind Porto. This is a very shameful situation for Sporting CP! I don't know what the scouts are doing."

Bruno Caiu was particularly upset because they had not been able to produce outstanding talents in Europe recently.

The local newspaper 'O Jogo' of Portugal named FC Porto as the club that produced the most talents in the Primeira Liga yesterday afternoon.

A total of 13 active players were playing across Europe.

Moreover, they were key players in the top clubs of the league.

In contrast, Sporting Lisbon ranked third, following Benfica.

There were only seven players, almost half as many.

Douglas continued with a friendly expression.

"Still, haven't we transferred major players to giant clubs? Like Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, Luis Figo and Luis Manna to Inter Milan."

"Being quiet ever since is a bigger problem. And Nani is too inconsistent. He might soon be overtaken by Pique."

While there were often rumors linking new rising stars like João Moutinho and Miguel Veloso to giant clubs, it was also a headache.

Caiu's forehead creased deeply.

"We don't have players to replace them immediately. It's difficult to push for transfers. Selling some players has already affected our ranking. Miedson is over thirty, so we need a long-term replacement."

"That is a bit of a problem. There aren't any particularly talented strikers in the youth academy."

"I'm considering requesting a complete overhaul of some of the scouts from the management."

"Ah, I hope it doesn't come to that. After all, the role of the scouts we have now is significant in why we are called giants."

"What! Right now, except for a few, they are just stagnant water!"

At that moment,

Knock knock.

Bruno Caiu, startled by the sudden knock, frowned and asked,

"Who is it?"

"It's Tiago."

"Did you buy the plane ticket?"

"Huh?"

As Tiago opened the door and appeared, Caiu leaned back on the sofa and frowned.

"I told you to go out and recruit talented friends."

"Ah, yes. So, I just found a pretty good player, which is why I came here."

"Already sweeping through Eastern Europe?"

"Um, no, not Eastern Europe..."

"Then did you go to South America?"

"I found a talent in Asia, South Korea."

Caiu's expression stiffened for a moment.

It was an answer he had not expected.

"South Korea? The small country in East Asia. The country where Manchester United's Park Ji-sung, our Luis Manna's rival, is from, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Really, you flew all the way there?"

"I received an email from a friend living in Korea. They recommended a promising player."

"A promising player recommended from a football underdeveloped country... I can assure you, no one like Park Ji-sung will come out of Korea again. You can see from the data accumulated by our scouts over a long time. It's barren. A desert."

"Haha, yes, that's true."

Caiu's sharp attitude made Tiago's back drenched in cold sweat.

Soon, Caiu crossed his legs and asked,

"Did you bring your laptop to show me the email?"

Tiago quickly brought out the laptop from his waist and approached the table.

"I thought it would be good to show you. From what I see... he's a striker who moves concisely and seizes goal-scoring opportunities well. There's no transfer fee. According to my friend, he doesn't belong to any club."

"A striker. The position we're looking for."

Douglas, sitting to the right, responded with a kind smile.

Caiu, however, had a less favorable expression.

"Wouldn't it have been better to have a friend in Brazil? They say there are talents like Robinho among the street football kids there. The problem is that most of them take a different path, like picking up guns or knives."

While grumbling, Caiu pressed the play button on the video displayed on the screen.

* * *

To travel to Europe, unfortunately, my parents' accompaniment was essential.

FIFA regulations clearly state that the recruitment of youth players under 18 years old is a violation.

However, if the parents of the player, even if they are not involved in football, reside in the local area, an exception can be made.

The day after the practice match for testing purposes, I tried to persuade my parents.

Of course, there was a high possibility that my persuasion wouldn't work.

In fact, when I started this route for the 7th or 8th time, it didn't work at all.

At that time, my mother shouted excitedly.

The image I had shown my mother all this time was extremely weak.

'I was always timid and shrinking back.'

So, this time, I tried the Kim Gwang-su card.

Kim Gwang-su's wife, who would be my future mother-in-law, was a decades-long friend of my mother.

My mother was particularly susceptible to my future mother-in-law.

This means she trusted her words.

At that moment,

"Son, do you think it will work out?"

While cooking and eating pork belly in the living room, my father asked.

My father was already on board.

If my mother listened to my future mother-in-law, and my father was a close friend of Kim Gwang-su and a huge football fan.

I straightened my bent back and smiled bravely.

"Father, I trust Mother. Don't you trust me, Father?"

"I don't trust you. I trust my friend."

Hmm.

Either way.

"But where did you learn football?"

"Self-taught, Father."

"You didn't learn from anyone?"

"Since I was six, I've been playing football with kids in the open field. I won against most of them, and even against older kids who were taller than me."

A complex emotion flashed across my father's face as he poured alcohol into a glass.

Perhaps it was a sense of guilt for not recognizing my talent.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a talent for football?"

"At that time, I was just playing for fun. But as time went on, my dream of becoming a football player grew. Now, I've decided to challenge it before it's too late."

"Hmm."

"You've often said, haven't you? If there's something you want to do, challenge it before you regret it. It's not too late to regret it afterward."

My father's complex expression seemed to ease a bit.

"Hmm, that's true..."

My father, seemingly satisfied with my answer, unconsciously smiled and quickly covered his mouth with the glass of soju.

After about ten minutes,

The front door opened, and my mother appeared.

Her expression was extremely dark.

I can understand.

It's like I threw a stone into a calm family, causing ripples.

In this regard, I feel truly sorry to my parents.

However, this is an inevitable fate.

'If it's a fate we have to face, hesitation is a luxury.'

My mother stood at the front door, staring at me silently for a while before speaking.

"Son, do you really want to become a football player?"

Her voice was trembling, and her eyes were filled with confusion.

I smiled innocently, not seriously, and said,

"I'll be a filial son, Mom. Please believe me."

This is sincere.

* * *

A week passed.

The management of Sporting Lisbon, perhaps finding it difficult to judge from just one match, requested video files four more times during that week.

"Will we hear from them today?"

My close friend, Sung Gi-bok, asked.

I was doing ankle strength exercises in front of a mirror at the training center and frowned.

"I don't know. If they like it, they could contact us at any time, right?"

"They will definitely contact us. Even though it was a practice match, it was played on a full-sized field. You played as if it was a real match."

Sung Gi-bok seemed completely captivated by me.

"Your form improved noticeably with each match. Didn't you score 6 goals in 4 matches?"

"6 goals and 3 assists."

"Even after a long break due to a torn ACL, to perform like this... you really have a natural talent. If I were in charge of transfers at Sporting Lisbon, I would have come to get you right away."

Thanks to my outstanding performance, the Gyeongnam players believed I was a promising talent who had suffered an injury while playing in Europe.

Well, I didn't think there was a need to correct them, so I kept my mouth shut.

In the afternoon, we had another practice match.

On the bench, a player who had been injured the previous season and was now focusing on rehabilitation was filming the match with a camcorder.

"Maru!"

Facing Sung Gi-bok, who had moved up to the right flank as a midfielder, I shook off the defender behind me and passed the ball with my heel from the front.

Click!

Thud!

Sung Gi-bok, who was near the goal line, barely caught the ball and lofted it towards the goal.

Swoosh!

I penetrated the defense almost simultaneously and attempted a diving header.

Clang!

"Ah, Maru, as expected!"

"Maru, did you put