Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 148

< Episode 147 – Johan's Perspective >

For Premier League players, Christmas isn’t really a holiday.

That’s because of Boxing Day.

Due to the Premier League’s tradition of holding games on December 26th, Boxing Day, players usually only get to enjoy a small meal with their families, at best.

Of course, there are cases where players from more festive South American countries, or those who simply like to party, throw noisy gatherings.

But if they get caught, they face criticism from the fans.

They’ll say things like, “What are you doing before a game? Is your mind rotten?”

-Man U’s Aaron Dyson spotted at a pub in the city in real-time

└What’s that bastard doing there?

└Look at his face, it’s all red.

└He’s completely drunk, the crazy bastard, lol.

└Isn’t he playing tomorrow?

└Isn’t he afraid of Manager Hauer?

└Hauer can’t save this guy, lol.

-[Breaking] Everton’s Brazilian trio spotted at a club

└The Brazilians are understandable.

└They have it good.

└Do you want to play with your ranking?

└We’re going to lose anyway, so we might as well party.

└Just thinking about those Brazilian *hyangwoohoe* [alumni association/fraternity] guys’ performance tomorrow makes me angry already.

This Christmas was no different.

Several players were caught enjoying a big party and couldn’t avoid the fans’ criticism.

Many players from various clubs were severely criticized.

In fact, you could say it’s a bit harsh.

No, it’s Christmas, of all days.

Can’t they enjoy it for a day or so?

Football players are also people; is it really that bad to get criticized for having a Christmas party?

But, no.

At least from the perspective of Premier League fans.

Many Premier League fans would say that the reason they welcome Christmas is because there are so many soccer games around that time.

That’s how crazy everyone is about soccer.

Football is life.

For those whose lives are soccer, even throwing a party on Christmas Day was unacceptable.

Is Christmas important?

Christmas is just the day before Boxing Day.

This was the common perception of the fans.

But, there was one exception this Christmas.

A player was caught out and about on Christmas, but instead of criticizing him, the fans cheered.

-[Verified] I’m a Park Hotel employee, and I saw Johan, lol. He came to the VIP lounge with his family.

└Jackpot, lol.

└Wow, damn, I’m so jealous. Don’t you have a picture together?

└I’m just peeking from afar because I thought he’d be annoyed, lol;.

└You’re a true fan, haha.

└Is that why you’re taking pictures secretly and posting them on the internet?

└Wouldn’t you take a picture if you were me?

└I wouldn’t take pictures secretly; I’d ask to take a picture together proudly.

└True.

└I guess he’s not starting tomorrow; it’s rotation timing.

└Still, he’s coming out of the house on Christmas, haha. Good to see.

└His family looks happy. Please say hello to Wemoney and Webaji [Johan’s family members, likely nicknames].

└Damn, damn, damn, I’m so jealous. Damn, damn. How hard is it to get a job there?

└You need to know at least 3 languages to enter the VIP lounge. Good luck.

└I know how to say hello and thank you, but I guess that won’t work?

└Do you think it will?

-[Real-time] I’m the hotel employee who verified it earlier; Johan got caught eating two donuts at a time without his dad knowing and is getting scolded.

└lololol.

└So cute.

└The best player in the world is getting scolded for eating donuts, sob sob.

└Webaji completed Johan’s physicality…

└Johan is sulking and saying he wants to go home, lol.

└He’s still a baby, haha.

└Johan, there’s no Santa in this world.

└If there was no Santa, how could a player like Johan have come out of our team?

└Was that it? Thank you, Santa Claus!

└I’m going to the hotel right now! Can I see him if I go now?

└Just shut up and stay in your room;;

└You don’t have money to go to the VIP lounge anyway, haha.

When news broke online that Johan and his family had appeared in the VIP lounge of the Grand State Park Hotel, owned by West Ham’s owner, Adam Ginsberg, West Ham fans went wild.

They said Johan had finally escaped from his house.

The only times fans could see Johan were inside the stadium and in the photos that were occasionally uploaded on social media. And all those photos were only of him inside the house.

Fans are naturally curious about the private lives of stars.

Because they are fans of soccer player Johan Bahn, they also want to know about the human Johan Bahn.

In that respect, Johan was too mysterious.

No, rather than being mysterious, he was just a person with no private life.

There wasn’t even a single thing to talk about.

So, the fans were excited to see him enjoying Christmas with his family.

Johan was probably the only one.

He was the only player who could enjoy a party the day before Boxing Day without being criticized by fans, but rather cheered on.

*

“Then, promise me.”

“What promise?”

“Let’s go see tomorrow’s game with the family.”

“At the stadium?”

“Of course.”

“Can’t we just watch it on TV at home?”

“The stadium is only a 5-minute drive away, and you’re saying we should watch it at home? That’s ridiculous.”

“Ah…”

Holding a donut in his hand, Johan was frozen in thought.

He had just been scolded for secretly grabbing two donuts without his dad knowing.

The sweetness dancing on his tongue was so ecstatic that he lost his mind.

He felt like he could eat everything here.

But of course, he was stopped as soon as his dad noticed.

But then, his dad made a suggestion.

In exchange for letting him eat some donuts, he would go to the game with his family tomorrow.

“Wow, little brother. Are you really thinking about this?”

It wouldn’t be a concern for anyone else.

Eating as many donuts as you want and going to a soccer game.

Both are good, so what’s the concern?

But it’s a concern for Johan.

He has to go to a boring game, and even go to the stadium in person.

“Hmm…”

However, the appearance of this ring-shaped sugar lump in his hand is so dazzling.

It was like the touch of angels leading to heaven.

There was no way he could turn away.

“…Keuk!”

“You ate it? Does that mean you’re going?”

In the end, Johan couldn’t let go of the donut in his hand, and he brought it to his mouth.

No, in fact, his hand moved on its own and pushed the donut into his mouth.

…

December 26, 2028.

London Stadium.

The league has made a full rotation. We will be broadcasting the season’s 20th round, West Ham vs. Brighton, on Boxing Day.

The first game of the second half.

West Ham met Brighton, who were 12th in the league.

Both teams had a good atmosphere at the end of the first half.

In fact, if we divide it into the first and second halves, it seems very far apart, but the last game of the first half was only 3 days ago. West Ham recorded an all-win by catching Southampton, and Brighton raised their momentum by catching Huddersfield.

There are no easy opponents in the Premier League.

You can’t be sure that you can win even if you meet a relegation team [a team near the bottom of the league table, at risk of being demoted to a lower league].

Moreover, Brighton is not a relegation team, and their recent momentum is good, so they were not an easy opponent to think of.

Therefore, even though Boxing Day is the most difficult time of the season, manager Schmidt did not easily think about and decide to exclude Johan from the list.

But there was nothing he could do.

The last game Johan missed was the 11th round, against Brentford.

Johan has already played 8 games in a row, so it should be seen as a late break.

He said he didn’t care, but anyway, it was time for a break.

Therefore, West Ham would be facing Brighton without Johan today.

Hm? Suddenly there’s a cheer… Ah! Johan Bahn’s appearance is being shown on the screen!

Johan, who was excluded from today’s list for rotation. He came to the stadium to watch the game?

It’s a face we see every week, but this is the first time I’ve seen him in the stands wearing casual clothes. Looking at it this way, he’s just a good-looking high school student.

That’s right. He’s an ordinary high school student, but he’s just the best at scoring goals in the world.

The game hadn’t even started yet, but the London Stadium was filled with cheers.

Johan’s appearance, sitting in the stands with his arms crossed and a sulky expression, was caught on the screen.

“Johan, wave your hand at least once.”

“…”

At Rohan’s poke in the side, Johan waved his hand at the camera.

Then the stadium became even more noisy.

Johan smiled.

Why are they screaming like they’re seeing him for the first time, even though it’s a face they see every week?

It was a smile close to a hollow laugh, made because he didn’t understand, but the stadium was filled with high-pitched screams at that smile.

“Being here like this feels like experiencing it in advance.”

“What?”

“After you retire. Then we’ll all sit together and watch the game like this.”

“What are you talking about? I won’t even look at the stadium after I retire.”

“Even though Dad and this *hyung* [older brother/male friend] are so happy?”

“…”

Rohan and Bahn Seok-ho, who were sitting next to Johan like this, were feeling a different kind of feeling. It was a thrilling feeling in a different sense.

Of course, the happiest moment is when Johan is on the field, not in the stands.

But, today is clearly a day off, but he came to the stadium with Johan.

That alone was a happy thing.

There were mountains of stories to tell while watching the game with Johan.

However, at the same time, he also felt a strange emotion.

Being here like this feels like experiencing the future in advance.

After Johan retires.

I can’t explain the reason clearly, but anyway, that’s how it felt.

“It’s starting. Let’s go! Hammers!”

“Let’s go! Beat them up!”

“…”

Anyway, Johan is also feeling a different kind of feeling.

Of course, watching the team’s game while sitting down was not unfamiliar at all.

But sitting on the bench and sitting in the stands feel completely different.

It’s not just that the chairs on the bench are much more comfortable and the chairs in the stands are hard.

The psychological boundary is clearly distinguished.

When sitting on the bench, you have the status of being able to be put into the game at any time depending on the coach’s decision.

But when you sit in the stands, you can’t go up on the field no matter what.

Just today, you’re not a team player.

Even if the game gets difficult, you just have to watch.

“Hmm. Maximin shouldn’t be left like that.”

“Nathan seems a little tired.”

In fact, the game started to flow in a more difficult way than expected.

Brighton is a team with a clear ace, and was one of the 8 teams that scored against West Ham during the first half.

The ace who scored at that time is Laurent Maximin.

If you look only at ‘number of successful dribbles’, Maximin is one of the top five players in Europe in terms of dribbling ability.

West Ham was still feeling annoyed because of Maximin.

“…That’s weird.”

“Huh? What is?”

“I didn’t know when we were playing together, but why is everyone so frustrating?”

Johan sighed as he watched his teammates struggling with Maximin.

Why is everyone so frustrating?

He often felt frustrated when he was playing together. Seeing them making easy things difficult.

But now, he felt a frustration that was incomparable, as if his chest was blocked.

Johan had no intention of thinking deeply about the reason, but in fact, the reason was obvious.

When you’re playing together, you can solve it yourself if you’re frustrated.

He could actually solve it.

But he can’t do that now.

All he can do is cross his arms and watch.

He can’t change anything by stepping up, so he can’t help but feel frustrated.

“No, why are you doing that there…”

Johan, who had looked like he was going to die of sleepiness when the game started, was now leaning forward and concentrating on the game.

He even grumbled when his teammates made mistakes.

“…”

“…”

Looking at Johan’s appearance, Rohan and Bahn Seok-ho looked at each other and secretly laughed as if to say, what’s wrong with him?

It was the first time Johan had shown this side of himself.