The Little Prince of the Field - Chapter 31

After the end of the 17th-round match against Oviedo, Las Palmas added seven points with two wins and one draw in three weeks.

December 2.

In the 18th round of the league, I scored 1 goal and 1 assist in the away match against Extremadura in the relegation zone to win 0-3. 

December 9th.

In the 19th round of the league, I scored a goal to win 1-0 against Numancia. 

December 15.

In the 20th round of the league, It was a 1-1 draw against Elche. 

It was disappointing that we could not continue our winning streak, but still, the results were good considering that we managed to widen the point gap with Cadiz, second in the league.

The day after returning from Elche. 

Tuesday, 17th December. 

I got into Uncle Bari’s car and went to the training ground for recovery training. 

As if he had drunk alcohol yesterday, he made a grunt and pressed his temple without saying anything.

“Are you okay?”

“Well, I have a headache today.”

“You must have had too much alcohol, haven’t you?”

“No, I didn’t drink alcohol. I just have a headache. I’ll be fine if I take some headache pills.”

The car stopped in front of the training ground. 

When I told him that I would take a cab after the training, he nodded and answered with a hand gesture.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Please go to the hospital.”

Maybe he has a severe headache, the way he drove through the parking lot resembled a distorted cow. 

I felt sorry for Uncle Bari.

“Kim, Please sign.”

Approaching the entrance to the training ground, the fans of Las Palmas held out their jerseys. It was a lot more crowded than I thought, so there was a sense of threat.

“Don’t touch my body.”

My voice was low. 

Fortunately, the fans returned to stand in order, but my heart was still pounding without a break and displayed a sense of exhilaration. 

Apart from personal feelings, fan service continues without stopping. 

I have to do something even if I don’t want to.

The person who stopped me from this unwanted sign event was Ramirez Benito. 

He quietly approached and asked for the fans’ understanding and opened the way to the training ground.

“Thank you.”

“Well, that’s all I can do today. Haha!”

“…Yeah.”

Ramirez Benito greets with a few words in English and disappears among the players preparing for training in the locker room. 

He is close to Toni Segura and Kirian Rodríguez, so maybe he wants to talk to them. 

During a moment’s pause, Inigo came next to me and said hello, while slapping my shoulder with his hands.

“Hola, Kim.” 

“Hola. Do you know what happened to Ramirez?” 

“Yeah. He’s in high spirits, right? He said his son was discharged yesterday.”

I nodded my head in response to Inigo’s answer and acted awkwardly as if it was a really good thing. 

I had no idea that his son was sick.

“That’s great.”

“Yeah. You’ll be on schedule tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

“All you need to do is come. The gift is prepared by the club.”

“I know. I have done it a few times while I was in Team B.“

What Inigo meant was the team’s volunteer work, which takes place once every quarter. 

Visiting the hospital, comforting patients, giving gifts, and taking commemorative photos. 

Tomorrow (Wednesday, 18th) there was a Copa del Rey 128th match against Gastelwan, and the opponent is only a 5th division team belonging to Division B-Group 3.

In response, Pepe announced that he would give promising and prospective players an opportunity to play, and the owner of the club said, ‘It was just as he said’ to the manager’s words, and discussed the event date with the hospital. 

Well, if I want to leave, this is good timing. 

When the Copa del Rey schedule starts to get tangled with the league, then you won’t be able to afford this kind of time. 

When I changed my clothes in the locker room and went inside the training field, I saw a group of mats lining the playground. 

The players who arrived early took their seats and sat down. 

I pick one of the lined mats and drag it to the back.  

I will be able to maintain peace of mind and body only by creating a suitable isolated place. 

“Aren’t you falling too far behind?”

“I like being quiet.”

“Just say you’re tired of people.” 

Pedri, who is the same age as me, spreads a mat in front of me and is busily looking back to see if there are any complaints. 

In such a case, the best policy is to just ignore it. 

I lay down on the mat and closed my eyes. 

When I saw the still empty seats, I felt that there is still time left until the training starts. 

“Are you sleeping?”

“Isn’t he dead?”

“He doesn’t die easily. He should be good at pretending to be dead.”

A voice I hated to hear was heard in stereo. 

One was Dani Casteyano and the other was Aitami. 

Considering only ’emotions’, it seems more like mono than stereo.

“Ha….”

“He’s breathing!” 

He notices a small sigh like a ghost, and trembles next to me again.

Aren’t they not ashamed of doing this while being over 30?

Even Pedri, who used to stand in the victim’s position at all times, is now watching with his eyes shining next to them. 

I’m sure it’ll be Pedri next…. a fool who can’t see the future.

“You can’t die here. You’re our superstar.”

“My little canary prince, please get up and sing.”

“Can you both shut the f*ck up?”

Speaking roughly has the opposite effect. 

I had to control my emotions, but the old people who heard my swear words were out of their minds as they kept laughing. 

.“…Do you like me swearing?” 

“Well, it stimulates the peripheral nerves.” 

“Makes me feel alive.”

If I knew this would happen, I would have arrived a little late, but I can’t do that now, so I drag the mat and move to the front seat. 

It would be better to suffer from the hustle and bustle of normal people than to feel lonely among crazy people. 

Today, I am learning the wisdom of life. 

After an hour of recovery training, the players moved to the analysis room on the second floor at Pepe’s request. 

They’re trying to make up for the team’s weaknesses after the match against Elche. 

As the players sit in their seats, Flores enters and displays a video on a large screen. 

The position of defenders, the space of midfielders, and the process of development of strikers.

Based on his excellent brain skills, Flores has successfully dismantled the contents of the 20th round of the League. 

In contrast to the contents of the video, which deals with the weaknesses of the team as a whole, the documents provided by the coach have details about the player. 

How individual habits conflict with the team’s tactics, where they should share their opinions to solve certain problems, etc.

“It was a draw, but the game against Elche was terrible.” 

Head Coach Rios grabbed the microphone. 

“The process was more important than the result. In the long run, I think it’s very important that we recognize this problem and struggle to find a solution.” 

He points to the report on the desk.

“The personal report I gave you is based on data from Round 3 to Round 20 of the League. Flores had a hard time collecting them.” 

There is a small laugh in the room. 

Flores, sitting in the corner of the analysis room, is looking down the floor as if he was embarrassed by the Head coach’s words. 

Head coach Rios continues the story without waiting for the laughter to die out. 

“I’m not saying we should change the style of play right now. After the 21st round, there’s only half the league left.”

“Ruben Castro.”

A familiar voice from the front seat cuts off the coach’s words. 

“Strengths. The maximum speed is gradually slowing down, but the speed is still fast. Creativity is mediocre, but the sense of experience is good. He has enough physique and mental strength to compete for superiority. However, it is ambiguous to consider him a top resource due to his small stature. Is this a compliment or an insult?” 

How much practice did the Head coach Rios do for a little talk? 

I don’t know the exact number, but I’m sure the effort is no longer useful. 

Most of the players laughed at Castro’s joke. 

Some players who wanted a serious atmosphere raised their eyebrows, but there are no people who sincerely hate it. 

In some situations, it was Las Palmas’ own way to have a playful atmosphere mixed to feel comfort. 

“Wow…I can’t do mine.” 

“What does it say?”

“I’m too old for this sh*t.”

Upon hearing Aitami’s reply, the people around him burst out laughing. 

Pedri, unable to put a smile on his lips, beat him not to lie.

“It’s real… Look here. The strength of his physique is good. However, as his age progresses, his natural physique will also weaken, and the preparations should be made to compensate for his weak physical conditions.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. If you’re 33, you’re old.”

Pedri who barely escaped from the grip of the angry Aitami was grabbed by the nape of the neck by the 37-year-old Castro who suddenly ran from the rear. 

Pedri used his forearm as a cradle and fluttered in the air. 

Well, it does seem like someone else’s business, so I’m feeling sleepy. 

Fortunately, the one sitting next to me was a serious person. 

He focuses on the report without being caught up in the atmosphere within the room. 

I followed him as I read the report and inadvertently asked a question. 

“Inigo.” 

“Que?” 

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand this word.” 

“Aplastante?” 

“Yeah.”

“This word is similar to comparing me to Zidane or Sabi. The difference in skills is so big, right? That’s called Aplastante. Do you understand?”

“….Uh.”

“Overall, you have an overwhelming ability that doesn’t fit the average of the league, I think so too.”

“Well, thank you.”

I touched the earlobes. 

I didn’t ask him to agree with Flore’s praise. 

As the uproar calmed down, the players started to focus while looking at the charts and visual data in the report.

Pedri managed to escape from Castro’s forearm and escaped to the back.

“Oh, really. Kim, are you going to write it down?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to change with mine?”

“No.”

I rejected Pedri’s proposal. 

The majority of them are good content, but I don’t want to show them to others. 

The report started with strengths and ended with weaknesses, and most of the pages were used for weakness analysis. 

This is a report that is difficult to refute, and that has been carefully prepared. 

The tendency to prefer a specific player when starting an attack. 

I don’t know how to take advantage of my strengths. 

I’m atrophied in the defensive situation, and I still have a sense of rejection of the tough body fight. 

During the game, I do not ask team members to cooperate. 

It even states why it is a disadvantage, and how to change it. 

I hate the analyst, Flores Parker. 

His solution contained things that I could not do now.