The Little Prince of the Field - Chapter 16

“Great job.” 

“Yes.” 

71 minutes into the second half. 

Narvaez, who entered the stadium on my behalf, showed good performance just like he did in the practice games. 

As it was a one-goal match, I thought it would have been better to put on a defensive stance rather than using the central striker, but I soon gave up my thoughts. 

The tactical part, well… Isn’t it the Manager’s area? 

However, it was only that I was concerned that it was not possible to score an additional goal even if the striker was changed. 

To be honest, I think Narvaez is a player who can show off his ability only in practice games. 

He is similar to me for the team during practice matches, but he becomes strangely weak when he enters the official game. 

0 goals in 7 games. 

In addition, the defense, which had regained its stability, twitched to and fro on the ground as if they had a nervous attack after scoring a comeback goal or as if the final defensive line had been electrocuted.

Atami gave instructions to the line at the top of his voice and committed the atrocity of leaving the line by himself, and Mesa, the right wingback, who was confused by the instructions, slipped on the lawn and fell while trying to join the line. 

In the meantime, Inigo switched positions from the central midfielder to the right position of the wing-back in the second half. 

The opponent’s striker nearly fainted after getting hit by Inigo’s iron-like forearm, which would have resulted in him getting a card and then getting a free-kick.

Why didn’t the coach use the central defender Mantovani for the replacement card? Now the defense is in a mess. 

“You did a great job. Be careful not to let your body temperature drop, also tell me if you need more clothes.” 

“Thank you.” 

My thoughts were interrupted briefly while thanking coach Juan Naranjo. 

I entered the bench and sat down shoulder-to-shoulder with players such as Courbelo, Harvey Casteyano, and Descartes. 

“Oh, Joder.” 

“What the hell’s wrong with him?” 

In the meantime, an accident occurred. 

The referee with the whistle in his mouth points to the inside of Las Palmas’ penalty box. 

Lemos, the central defender, protested with the referee, and he took out the yellow card. 

“You’re out.” 

“What?” 

“You’ve already received one.” 

Apparently, when the mark of Bella broke out from the left wingback of Las Palmas, Lemos, who lost his patience, seemed to have made a radical sliding tackle. 

Manager Pepe didn’t even complain to the referee. 

The atmosphere on the bench became heavy which made me slightly annoyed. 

I don’t want to lose. 

More than the penalty, the bigger problem was how to stop Zaragoza’s attack which would be followed in the remaining time. 

Maybe I feel this way because I’m not a fully grown adult. 

Most of the players on the bench were only looking at the goal post of Las Palmas as they were praying. 

“E-aaaaaaaaaaa! Great job!” 

“Martinez! Great! Great!” 

Martinez tiptoes off the ball that Zaragoza striker Suarez kicked hard into the center and Martinez kicked off the ball with his tiptoe. 

It was a kick done by lifting his leg in response to the trajectory of the ball and kicking it to the right. 

Everyone shouts together from the bench of Las Palmas. 

It was a cheer for Martinez, who showed an amazing defense, and gave encouragement to his teammates playing on the ground. 

Of course, I was sitting quietly. 

I’m tired, but aren’t all the players on the ground, are my competitors anyway? 

At least that’s what I thought. I wish they could do well, but it would be even better if they don’t.

I felt a little contradictory when I thought like that. 

I don’t want to lose the game, but I don’t want my competitors to do well. 

“Rodri! Rodriguez! Get down!” 

“Viera!” 

After 80 minutes into the second half, Manager Pepe and Head coach Rios shouted and chewed the midfielder line completely inside the camp. 

The attack seemed to be left to Narvaez, who entered as a substitute and to spend the rest of his time in two lines as a midfielder and defender. 

With Lemos sent off, the number of players became 11 vs. 10. 

Mesa and Aitami formed a back four, while Kirian Rodriguez came down for the defensive midfielder role.

Inigo switched to right fullback. 

It is because of his short height that they left the central defense alone to him. 

I hoped that Mesa, who had changed his position to the center, would do well. 

Fast applause rang three times in the stadium, as the home fans of Zaragoza shouted Suarez’s name in a loud voice at the signal of the stadium announcer. 

“Oh, that was too dangerous.” 

“It could be hard to hold out.” 

Harvey Casteyano and Courbelo, who were sitting on the bench, exchanged conversations in a heavy tone. 

There is no talk about the draw or defeat, but everyone felt that the atmosphere has become weird. 

Zaragoza’s No. 19 competed with Kirian Rodriguez in front. 

He did not push his back to the opponent’s striker. 

Viera, who soon came down to the central midfielder position, rushed to cooperate with the defense. 

The referee’s whistle sounds with a beep sound. 

Just outside the penalty box. 

No warning was given because it was not a stud, but still, Viera stepped on the opponent’s striker’s feet.

After decisively defeating the protests of the Las Palmas players, a white line was drawn on the ground. 

It was about 24 meters away. 

Narvaez, who is tall, returned back to the Las Palmas camp to stand as the wall. 

“Destroy, perish,” 

Courbelo chants a spell of prayer next to me. 

With the referee’s gesture, Zaragoza’s dedicated kicker began to step on his feet, and the players in the box rushed to move. 

It was a trick. 

The ball rolled straight to the right side.

It was a pass that shook the defensive rhythm of Las Palmas. 

Zaragoza’s No. 19 hits the ball that rolled in front of his feet and entered the penalty box. 

A completely free strike opportunity without a single mark. 

Bella ran out to the box late for a Mark, but Zaragoza’s No. 19 kicked the ball into the box without hesitation. 

The referee put the whistle in his mouth again. 

WHISTLE 

With the whistle sounded, the referee’s finger pointed to the inside of the penalty box. 

“Again! Penalty again?” 

“What the heck! What the heck!”

“Mierda! El juegoes más du…” 

The bench went wild as a bomb detonated. 

Manager Pepe sends a strong protest to the waiting assistant referee by splashing his saliva like a machine gun, and the referee immediately starts checking VAR as we waited with a little hope for the decision to be withdrawn. 

“Ah…” 

The words penalty kick popped up on the electronic display before the referee’s beckons were finished. 

The ball hit Aitami’s hand in the competition. 

87 minutes into the second half. 

The ball passed Martinez to the side of the net. 

The players on the bench were disappointed, but the coaches encouraged the players who were disappointed on the ground after losing a point. 

I agree that this is not a desperate situation. 

The game was not over yet, and the game was still tied at 3-3. 

The game resumed, and as if to make up for the mistake, Las Palmas’ defense rushed back and forth. 

Zaragoza’s shot hit Aitami’s back and bounced off, and the shot he tried again also bounced off Mesa’s body. 

“Wow, Mesa is on fire. Look at him flapping around.” 

“Hahaha, that’s right.” 

“Curbelo doesn’t do that.” 

Courbelo’s fierce stare is annoying, but I pretend not to know. 

Every time Zaragoza’s players shot, the mentality of defenders who put their bodies and heads in the center was amazing. 

The stadium heated up due to a series of offenses, but Las Palmas had blocked better than expected. 

They used everything and blocked it desperately. 

Time flies slowly even in the sluggish game. 

The players of Zaragoza were eaten by the anxiety created by the decreasing time. 

Las Palmas narrowly secured a point. 

WHISTLE! 

In the 94th minute of the second half, the referee’s end whistle turns off all the players who play on the field. 

“Phew, We survived.” 

“It was a tie. I don’t think it’s a big loss.”

“It’s not a loss.” 

“Right.” 

It’s 3-3. 

A draw. 

It was the result of a VAR goal cancellation and Martinez’s countless good defense. 

I don’t know what happened to Cadiz’ results, but there will be no problem with the second place. 

Slowly I walked to the ground and greeted the players. 

Despite the disappointing draw, most of Zaragoza’s home fans remained in their seats to applaud and cheer. 

After a while, before going into the bus, I thought I should take care of the fans who traveled a long distance from Las Palmas. 

Uncle Bari also said that I should always be kind to my fans. 

“Hey!” 

I looked back and saw Zaragoza’s striker, Suarez. 

A talkative fellow 

“You were good. Do you think you’ll be up in La Liga in any minute?” 

“We’ll have to wait until the end of the season to see.” 

‘¿Se Ha Mudado a La Liga?’ 

“What do you mean? I don’t understand.” 

“Um… aren’t you going to change the team?” 

“What do you mean by changing the team?”

“Didn’t you get an offer?” 

“No.” 

“I see…” 

Suarez shakes his head as he patted his head in understanding and then he asked to exchange uniforms. 

Was it frustrating for him to talk to me? 

I should go to the school and ask the teacher more about the words that I don’t understand.

After Sunday’s game, the next day, November 5, I finished all my regular classes and had lunch at the school cafeteria. 

I had to eat at the restaurant if I didn’t want to be taken away by coaches or players. 

“Kim, do you have training today?” 

“Yes.” 

“ Then, you can’t come and play with us, right?” 

“I don’t mind coming, but today I can’t.” 

When I honestly answered my classmate, who had a chubby body and a dark skin color, lowered his head with a slightly withered look. 

Either way, I want to eat quickly and go to the training ground. 

These days, I feel that the attention around me starts increasing as I spend more time playing games. 

It wasn’t too much of a burden, but it was very uncomfortable, even during the time I ate. 

I threw away the leftover food from the lunch box into the trash next to the toilet and rushed out before anyone talked to me. 

It’s good for each other if we do not talk. 

When I entered the training ground, everyone was sitting on the lawn one by one as they were doing recovery training. 

I laid the mat as far away as possible from the place where Dani Casteyano and Ramirez Benito were chatting. 

“Can I lie down here?”  

“If I say no, then will you go?” 

“No.” 

The goalkeeper, Martinez, approached before I knew, and spread the mat. 

Well, this may be some kind of side effect. 

Maybe they’re more curious about me because I don’t talk much. 

However, it is frustrating because I have to suddenly start using extra Spanish words that I hadn’t used before. 

“Are you feeling well?”

“Not very well. ‘Cause I’ve played a lot.” 

“That’s right.” 

The conversation with Martinez abruptly ended. 

That made sense because we had never talked to each other properly, so we didn’t know what each other’s common interests were and what to talk about.

 “Kim” 

“Yes!” 

Did I answer too brightly? 

In fact, it’s such a terrible thing to come up with a topic for conversation while sitting on the mat. 

It was such a terrible thing that I unconsciously spoke in a loud voice. 

It was Head coach Roberto Rios who called me. 

“I had a consultation with Pepe. They want you to come up after the recovery exercise.” 

“Why?” 

“You’ll find out when you go. Now focus on recovery training.” 

It wasn’t a scheduled call, but why is Manager Pepe suddenly calling me? 

I don’t know whether it was good or bad, but the good thing was that I now had a topic to talk about with Martinez. 

“Why are they calling me out all of a sudden?” 

“Hmm. You’re good these days. You may have got a transfer offer.” 

“………” 

It was a really worthless piece of conversation.