Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 131

< 131. The Largest Library in Europe (1) "Huh? What’s Capello doing here?" "Weight training?" "···Mind your own business." "Wow, finally trying to bulk up?" "He got roughed up pretty bad by the Man U guys. Guess he’s feeling the need now." "I said mind your own business." West Ham training ground, weight room. Capello, a face not usually seen here, appeared, surprising everyone. Capello was one of only two players at West Ham who didn’t do separate weight training. The other was Johan. Well, they might come to the weight room for basic stretching or cardio. But Capello never sat down at the machines to lift weights. Because Capello thought it was better to kick the ball one more time than do that. "···How do you do this?" "Bench press? Trying to build up your chest? You are a bit lacking in volume." "Stop messing around." "Alright, alright. Coach! Teach Capello how to bench press!" Actually, Capello had been feeling it since his first season after the transfer, but he felt it even more acutely during the last Man U game. To survive in the Premier League, you have to know how to protect your body from the ignorant guys who commit all sorts of dirty plays. It was unavoidable. From Capello’s perspective, those guys were playing a different sport than soccer. That’s what this islanders’ league was like. They just thought of soccer as rugby played with feet. If the temple is unpleasant, the monk leaves [a saying meaning if you don't like the situation, leave], but Capello had no intention of leaving the Premier League until he achieved his goal, and he felt the need to become stronger. But, to be a little more honest... He thought Johan looked cool when he subdued Ed Wood in one move, which was a bigger reason. "Coach." "Yeah?" "Does Johan do this too?" "Bench press? No. Johan doesn’t even come in here in the first place." "···." Capello felt frustrated again at the coach’s words. What kind of genes did Johan have that he had such a body without even working out separately? He really must be born with it… but he couldn’t be. Clearly, he’s working out where no one can see him. "Ah, but I did measure his weight once. It was before the season, I think. I told him I’d let him go home if he lifted 120 kilograms." "One hundred twenty···?" "Yeah. He lifted it right up. I bet he could lift 130 too." "···." No, how many plates do you have to put on to get to 120kg? Capello, who had been lost in thought for a moment while holding one of the plates, put the plate back down. "Isn’t there anything else besides this?" "What do you want? Are you trying to build up your endurance?" "What else did that guy do?" "Hmm. He did some pull-ups too. I told him I’d let the person who came in first go home then too…" "Pull-ups?" Capello moved to another spot. This time it’s pull-ups. Capello was quite confident in bodyweight exercises. "How many did he do?" "Thirteen, I think." Thirteen? That’s not a big deal, is it? Capello spat on his hands, took a stance, and quickly started pulling himself up. "Hoo! Hoo!" One, two, six, eight, "Haa···! Ugh···!" Thirteen… fourteen! I won! "Heok, heok… I won!" "Uh… well, yeah. But…" "?" "Johan weighs a lot more, and he did it with weights attached…" "Weights···?" "20 kilograms, I think…" "···." Capello’s expression hardened after being happy that he had barely done one more. That guy did thirteen with 20kg attached? And he weighs more too. This is bullshit…. "Don’t be too discouraged. You have to compare humans to humans. built different [a meme meaning someone is naturally gifted]. That guy’s design is different from the start." "···." Damn it. Someday, I’ll win at least one. "Isn’t there anything else?" Capello continued to wander around the weight room like that. With the single thought that he would one day become stronger than Johan. ㆍㆍㆍ "What’s this? I haven’t seen this bag before?" "Yeah. Pretty, right?" "···How much is it?" "It’s a bit expensive. Oh, don’t worry. I didn’t buy it." "Is it sponsored?" "Yeah." "Aren’t you getting too much out of using your son [profiting from Johan's fame]?" "Don’t be ridiculous. I got it directly." "What are you?" "Ban Johan’s mom." "···." Ban Seok-ho was contemplating whether he should move to a bigger house these days. The house they live in now is spacious enough. So much so that it feels empty on days like today when both sons are away from home. However, since Johan became a big star in London. And since Kim Ra-hee has been diligently managing Johan’s SNS account. The house was full of things he had never seen before. So much so that he wondered if he should set up a separate warehouse. She advertises on SNS and gets those things for free. Anything Johan holds and takes a picture of sells out, or so she says. "Don’t make the kid too tired." "I’m more tired than he is. I’m turning down 8 out of 10 ads that come in. Do you know how much it hurts my heart?" "···But, it feels like you’re only getting things you need?" "That’s not true." "Why would women’s bags and cosmetics come to Johan?" "Because girls like it, you old man. They’re saying he’s hot because he looks like me." Ban Seok-ho sighed. It was like that before, but these days all sorts of advertisements come in. From women’s clothing to cosmetics, even luxury brands that seem to have nothing to do with soccer players. It’s hard to understand why they ask soccer players to advertise, but if it’s Johan, it makes sense. Johan is loved by everyone, regardless of gender or age. "I’m so glad. That he resembles his dad in some ways." "What?" "If he liked to play around, strange people would have swarmed around him. I’m glad he learned the right way of living from me." "···Well, it’s a bit annoying to say that yourself." "But you can’t say it’s wrong, right?" "Ugh." Kim Ra-hee shook her head at Ban Seok-ho’s words. Well, it’s true. But it’s a problem that he’s too upright. He never went to a famous restaurant with me during our dating days because he was managing his diet. "By the way, will he be able to get married later?" "Women will line up for him." "It’s not the problem, he has to have the will to do it." "Hmm." "Should we introduce him to someone?" "He’s only seventeen, why are you already doing that? He’ll figure it out when the time comes." "But it’s really hard to imagine. If he has a woman he likes, will he make an effort?" "I don’t know. He really needs to meet a good woman. Ordinary women won’t be able to handle it. He needs to meet a woman like his mother." "···Tch, what’s with you all of a sudden." Kim Ra-hee snorted at Ban Seok-ho’s words. However, an unmistakable smile soon bloomed on Kim Ra-hee’s face. "It’s autumn, but the weather is still hot. I need to take a shower." "···Suddenly?" "I’ll be out soon." "···Why are you telling me that?" "Wait a minute." "···What am I waiting for?" As Kim Ra-hee headed to the bathroom, Ban Seok-ho looked dumbfounded. Well, there seems to be some misunderstanding. I meant he needs to meet someone as understanding as his mother, but I wasn’t talking about you! Ban Seok-ho gathered his clothes. ㆍㆍㆍ West Ham’s next game after the Man U game was the League Round 9 match against Bournemouth AFC. Bournemouth was a team that barely managed to stay in the league last season, and since the game was held at the London Stadium, it didn’t seem like it would be a difficult game. Also, the next game is the Champions League group stage Round 4. Since they had to travel to Barcelona, ​​Coach Schmidt played the Bournemouth game with a squad that had moderately reduced its strength. Harry Kane was the one who did more than 100 percent of his part in this game. Kane has been treating Johan almost like his parents since he received the FA Cup trophy from Johan last season. It has become Kane’s routine to clean up Johan’s locker first when he comes to the training ground. Anyway, so that Johan, who was sitting on the bench, didn’t have to come out, Kane showed off his unwavering goal sense and became the vanguard of victory. West Ham Wins 9th Consecutive League Game! It’s not just 9 games without a loss, it’s 9 consecutive wins. Of course, the schedule wasn’t bad, but West Ham still managed to beat Tottenham and Man U. The Hammers are already calling for an undefeated championship. I’m curious to see when this winning streak will be broken! With the win against Bournemouth, they achieved 9 consecutive league wins. West Ham quickly accumulated 27 points, widening the gap with other teams, although it was early in the season. At the end of Round 9, Man U was chasing West Ham in second place with 7 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. Next are Man City and Liverpool with 6 wins and 2 draws. It’s a similar pattern to last season, except that Hauer’s Man U has risen, and Chelsea, who had some power losses such as Shay Bellamy, has fallen to 5th place. However, it wouldn’t feel the same in the future. For West Ham, that is. Unlike last season, this season they have to compete in the Champions League at the same time. Until last season, they had an advantage in terms of schedule compared to teams like Man City or Liverpool, but this season they have to compete on an equal footing with them. From now on, it’s a real battle. Of course, the players’ mindset was no different from last season or this season. Winning every game. If they had 9 consecutive wins, they would challenge for 10 consecutive wins. That was all. ㆍㆍㆍ "It’s really big." "It’s no joke when you see it in person." "Captain, is this your first time here too?" "Of course. When would I have had a reason to come here?" "Wow, I’d be dizzy if this place was full." The players on the field looked around and said. West Ham, who had finished their weekend league game, immediately set off on an overseas expedition. The place they are standing is the largest soccer-specific stadium in Europe. It’s Camp Nou. They visited the stadium for adaptation training one day before the game to be held tomorrow. "It feels different from Wembley, right?" "Well, it’s similar, but it feels a bit bigger." Johan also nodded, looking around the stadium. To be honest, Wembley and here both feel just incredibly big. If there’s anything different, it’s that this feels like FC Barcelona’s fortress. Isn’t that the case with the color of the stands? The navy blue and crimson colors that symbolize Barcelona are painted in stripe form. Certainly, it felt like this was a stadium just for Barcelona. "There’s a reason why these guys have a high home win rate." "Don’t worry too much. Just stay focused. Let’s all remember the first game." "Yeah. Those guys weren’t a big deal, right? It won’t be any different here." "Let’s go like men. Let’s go big." "What dialect is ‘daemai’ again, Buckley?" "Yes? Daemai is daemai, what are you talking about?" "Guts, guts, you idiot." As the players said, there was no need to be afraid. They were the ones who perfectly defeated Barcelona 3-0 in the first game. If they just stay focused and do what they’ve been doing. They will be able to take a perfect victory here as well. "Let’s make this place the largest library in Europe [meaning they will dominate the game]." "Good!" The West Ham players, who had finished their adaptation training, left Camp Nou with confident expressions. * I will now broadcast the 2028/29 Champions League Group E match between Barcelona and West Ham. The day of the 4th match has dawned. A match between West Ham, who are trying to solidify their first place in the group with today’s victory, and Barcelona, ​​who are aiming for second place, surpassing Paris. Today, Camp Nou boasts a great spectacle. More home fans than ever before have visited Camp Nou. According to official statistics, a total of 94,000 spectators entered today. That’s an amazing number. This is like a Champions League final atmosphere. That’s how much Barcelona fans want revenge for the last first game. That’s right. Also, if they lose today, they won’t be able to guarantee their advancement to the tournament. Indeed, today Camp Nou was creating an atmosphere like a Champions League final. Even though it’s a Champions League game, more than 90,000 spectators came to the group stage game. The total capacity of Camp Nou is 99,000, but Barcelona’s average attendance for the season is around 77,000. That meant that far more spectators than usual had visited Camp Nou. "Damn, I can’t hear anything." "Should have brought a megaphone." Of course, West Ham’s away fans are also taking their place on one side today, and they are enthusiastically cheering from before the start of the game. However, the home fans’ momentum is so strong that their voices are easily drowned out. Except for places like Anfield, the Hammers are still not inferior in passion anywhere. This is a bit different. Since West Ham had no reason to come to Camp Nou, the Hammers were also cheering at Camp Nou for the first time. Today, even cheering seemed like it would be a difficult game. How much more so would it be for the players? The West Ham players were confident until yesterday. However, when they saw the full view of Camp Nou filled with spectators. Tension was rising on the players’ faces as well. "Hoo, let’s overcome it." "We can do it. We can do it." Gordon, the captain, put his hand on Johan’s shoulder and said to the players, watching the players who were clearly nervous, even though they were repeating that they could do it. "Okay, everyone, shake hands with Johan once." "···?" "Get some energy. Okay, starting with me." Gordon reached out his hand, and Johan shook his hand with a what-are-you-doing expression. After that, an unexpected handshake session followed. "Hoo, I’m feeling a little better." "Let’s go, let’s go!" Certainly, Johan is the only one they can rely on in times like this. The players stepped onto the field with much better expressions.