Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 12

< Unwanted Call-up >

“…Is that really true?”

“That’s what they said.”

“You, you really… Even if you are my son…”

“Ugh!”

Johan’s breath hitched as his dad embraced him tightly.

“Ow, it hurts.”

“You rascal! You rascal!”

Ban Seok-ho patted Johan’s back, his face filled with emotion.

It was unbelievable news.

Johan had received notice to join the first team training starting next week.

Ban Seok-ho had been hoping that Johan could join the first team soon, but he thought it was just wishful thinking.

But now, it was becoming a reality.

And so suddenly!

“Is this a dream or reality? Huh?”

Ban Seok-ho had been around the soccer scene for quite some time.

However,

even he had never heard of such a case.

Johan was just a regular person until a week ago.

Just an ordinary high schooler you could find anywhere.

But in just a week, he went from being a regular person to going through the academy and getting called up to the first team.

Not the 3rd or 4th division leagues.

Not even the Championship, but a Premier League club!

How could it be so fast?

“Amazing, Ban Johan!”

“Then Nutel…”

“No way. We’re starting a special diet management from tonight! I’ll manage you better than nutritionists who get paid tens of millions a year! You’re precious now!”

“…”

Johan’s expression was grim, but Ban Seok-ho didn’t notice.

He felt like he was being compensated for all the hardships he had gone through.

In fact, he never showed it in front of his sons, but Ban Seok-ho had been worried deep down.

Ever since he made the decision to immigrate to England.

It couldn’t have been easy for him, who had even been a national team player, to make the decision to immigrate.

However, he was willing to endure anything for his sons, so he made the decision.

But now,

Johan was quickly seizing such a great opportunity, so Ban Seok-ho felt like he was being validated for making the right decision.

If Johan had stayed in Korea, would he have been called up to West Ham’s first team so quickly?

Absolutely not.

Ban Seok-ho was happy to feel like he was a good dad, even if just a little.

“Do well over there, Johan! I know you can do it!”

Ban Seok-ho couldn’t help but adore Johan for confirming that.

And,

“…Yes.”

Seeing his dad happier than ever, Johan couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, despite not wanting to go to training.

“Hello, sir.”

“Hmm. You must be Johan.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.”

May 11, 2027.

London, West Ham First Team Training Ground.

Today was Johan’s first day at the first team training ground.

However,

the atmosphere was unusual.

Schmidt, the coach, stared intently at Johan, who was bowing his head, with his hands behind his back.

His appearance was that of a typical pot-bellied old man, but there was a strong charisma about him.

Johan was reminded of his grandfather back in Korea, and a chill ran down his spine.

“Didn’t you receive the training schedule properly?”

“I was told it was until 10 o’clock.”

“What time is it now?”

“It’s 10:20.”

“Why are you 20 minutes late?”

“I woke up a little late.”

Johan was 20 minutes late.

Not having to go to school was the problem.

Since he didn’t have to go to school by 9 o’clock, he thought he could sleep a little longer, but when he opened his eyes, it was 9:50.

He rushed to the training ground without even washing up, but he was 20 minutes late.

It was only natural that Schmidt’s expression wasn’t good, since it was his first training session.

“Warm up first. In that empty space over there.”

“Can I just warm up on my own?”

“Should I teach you how to warm up then?”

“Ah. No.”

He got an earful for asking unnecessary questions.

This wasn’t the academy.

Even in the academy, they don’t teach you how to warm up.

What about the first team, the professional team?

It’s not a place where they take care of every little detail.

It’s a place where you have to do everything yourself.

Johan slowly started to warm up.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

He slowly ran and swung his arms from side to side, lifting his knees high to loosen his hips.

After waking up his joints to some extent, he lightly sprinted to wake up his muscles.

It was a strange thing.

Johan was the type of person who wouldn’t do anything if someone forced him to.

Even warming up, Johan would often do it half-heartedly.

However,

Schmidt, including the coaching staff, wasn’t paying any attention to Johan.

But that was 오히려 [rather] making Johan move.

Everyone has experienced it at least once.

The feeling of not wanting to study all of a sudden when your mom comes in and nags, “Study!” as soon as you open a book, thinking, “Should I study a little?”

The current situation was the opposite.

Since no one was forcing him, he felt like he had to do it.

Of course,

the bigger reason was.

Johan’s only fear, his grandfather.

That grandfather was overlapping with Schmidt.

“I’m done warming up.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s see… Good. Go over there.”

“Over there?”

“Yes. Join in.”

“Okay.”

Schmidt pointed to a group of about ten players standing in a circle.

And,

there was one player in the middle.

The players in the circle were passing the ball to each other, and the player in the middle was moving around to steal the ball.

A training exercise commonly known as rondo [a training drill where players pass the ball to each other while one or more players try to intercept].

“A sensible guy would go to the middle, right?”

“I guess so.”

The coaches said, watching Johan walk towards the players.

However,

after a while, the coaches staggered and rubbed their foreheads.

“He ate all his common sense for breakfast.”

“That’s why he’s late on his first day.”

“I heard it beforehand, but he’s more brazen than I thought.”

Johan stood proudly next to the players in the circle. He was truly brazen.

Watching him, Schmidt smirked, his lips hidden behind his white beard.

‘He definitely has character.’

The day he watched the video Maxwell sent.

Schmidt immediately called Maxwell again and ordered him to send Johan up.

He couldn’t help but be interested in his talent.

A physique that could overcome defenders with monstrous physiques at first glance.

Skilled ball keeping and agile dribbling.

And even his shooting sense.

It was quite an amazing skill, and he was the type of player West Ham needed right now.

So he wanted to see him in person first.

According to Maxwell, he wasn’t a guy with only strengths.

He said there was one fatal flaw.

That was,

being lazy.

He was extremely lazy.

Training attitude, insincere.

Passion for soccer, almost non-existent.

His favorite things, lying down and eating.

But he’s a good kid and not the type to disrupt the team’s atmosphere, but he definitely needs to be disciplined, according to Maxwell.

Therefore, Schmidt was in a state of receiving Maxwell’s earnest request.

He’s so lazy, and he’s already quit soccer once.

But his talent is undeniable, so he can’t let him go.

Please make a person out of him.

It was not a difficult request.

That was Schmidt’s specialty.

Coach Michael Schmidt from Germany, who boasts decades of coaching experience.

Schmidt was the type to manage the team tightly, to the point of calling himself a 꼰대(kkondae) [a Korean slang term for an older person who is condescending or patronizing].

Schmidt manages not only the fines for being late for training by even a minute, but also the players’ private lives.

There was even a rule about bedtime the night before the game.

If possible, don’t do anything and go to bed early, but if you can’t stand it, lie still and do it as much as possible.

This was an item that was actually included in the rules that West Ham players had to follow.

Anyway, Schmidt is an expert in managing players.

Disciplining a young youth player is as easy as pie.

Schmidt has already had a lot of experience in turning players called lazy geniuses into hard-working geniuses.

He could write a book with just those know-hows.

But,

there was something that had to be clarified before that.

That was,

whether Johan was worth putting in that effort.