Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 57

< The Revenge of a Noble Man >

Sometimes, a straightforward genius is more appealing than a humble one.

People were thrilled by Johan’s answer.

-Johan Ban, “I was born to score goals, so I’ll keep scoring until I die.”

└That’s some serious swag.

└Confidence level: insane ㄷㄷㄷ

└His star power is crazy, lol.

└All those clubs trying to lowball him to get him cheap are going to be devastated.

└He’s good at soccer, handsome, has good character, and now he’s even good at talking?

└Please, just be good at one thing! How are people like me supposed to live? ;(

-Vardy Jr., “I’ll retire when I’m at my best.”

└He said he’d retire if they win the championship.

└Living life like Vardy.

└I hope West Ham doesn’t win… I don’t want to see Vardy retire so soon.

└I want to see this unique character for longer.

└Retiring at his best would be underwhelming with just a league title. They need to win the Champions League.

└Let’s go for the Ballon d’Or [best soccer player in the world award] before retiring.

└Which is harder, winning the Ballon d’Or or the Champions League with West Ham?

└Both are hellishly difficult.

If a moderately successful player had said that, some people would have frowned or scoffed.

But because it was Johan, people were ecstatic.

It was an arrogant statement, but what could they do when it was true?

A 16-year-old leading the scoring charts and carrying his team to first place.

Moreover, everyone knew Johan’s personality; he rarely said such things.

Aside from the occasional out-of-the-box comment, people knew that Johan’s activity during interviews was less than his activity on the field.

So, when Johan said that, people cheered for the reporter who had asked the rude question.

They praised him for making Johan open up.

In reality, Johan wasn’t trying to elicit a response from the fans with his answer.

The statement that he was born to score goals and would continue to do so until he died wasn’t an expression of confidence, nor was it a rebuttal to the annoying reporter.

It was simply stating the obvious, like saying he had eaten rice since he was a child and would continue to eat rice until he died.

That’s why people were even more enthusiastic.

‘This is a true genius.’

‘A true genius that ordinary people shouldn’t even try to understand,’ they said.

Johan’s comments became a hot topic not only among ordinary fans.

Reporters and broadcasters weren’t going to let such a great opportunity pass.

The news that an incredibly lazy genius had appeared in England brought out former lazy geniuses, those who had been called legendary talents, or those who simply liked to pretend to be geniuses, to the media.

They all had something to say about Johan.

-Alexandre Pato, “He reminds me of myself in my teens. At 18, I debuted alongside Ronaldo and scored in my debut match.”

-Adriano, “Pato said that? Hasn’t he come to his senses yet? He seems more like me. Although, I think my play outside the box was better.”

-Michael Owen, “I perfectly understand what he means. I’m probably the only one in England who can understand him. However, if he wants to win, he needs to join a more suitable club.”

-Antonio Cassano, “He doesn’t reach my level, either on or off the field. However, the latter could be a great blessing.”

-Michael Laudrup, “He reminds me of a striker version of myself. I would consider returning to management if I could coach him. No matter how great the talent, effort is required to fully realize it. I want to teach him that.”

-Romário, “Laudrup said that? I disagree. If the talent is real, nothing else matters. The reason Laudrup couldn’t beat me wasn’t because he lacked effort. He’s still mistaken. By the way, born in 2011? Unexpected. I thought it would take at least 100 years for a player like me to appear again.”

Thanks to the quick actions of reporters and broadcasters, many familiar faces appeared in the media that week, sharing their updates.

And watching those appearances, Ban Seok-ho and Rohan couldn’t help but be excited.

“Legends like Laudrup and Romário are mentioning Johan…”

“Adriano, I used to be a huge fan.”

Legends who are remembered in soccer history were talking about Johan.

A kid who was just an ordinary person a few months ago.

It was truly amazing. It meant that Johan was attracting the world’s attention.

“How does it feel to have legends paying attention to you?”

“Legends…? I don’t know who they are.”

“…Right. Of course, you wouldn’t know.”

Of course, those legends were just unknown strangers to Johan, so he didn’t seem to care at all.

Anyway, as Johan’s popularity exploded, Ban Seok-ho and Kim Ra-hee became busier.

Ban Seok-ho, who handled all of Johan’s off-field activities, was swamped with calls from all directions.

Reporters asking for even a short interview, broadcasters requesting a TV appearance, and business inquiries from sports brands wanting to sign sponsorship deals with Johan.

Ban Seok-ho couldn’t put his phone down due to the attention pouring in on Johan.

Kim Ra-hee was in a similar situation.

Johan’s SNS [Social Networking Service] account had surpassed 1 million followers, and advertising inquiries flooded in. Just checking them all was a huge task.

If Ban Seok-ho and Kim Ra-hee were employees hired by Johan and paid for their work, they would have received a considerable bonus.

That’s how much Johan’s rising popularity correlated with the increasing workload.

However, Ban Seok-ho and Kim Ra-hee were simply happy and proud of their busier lives.

Ban Seok-ho was overjoyed that his son was becoming a great soccer player, and Kim Ra-hee was proud to see her son increasingly resembling his father.

Working for their beloved child was so joyful that it didn’t feel like work at all.

And both were grateful to the fans who showed interest in and loved their son.

So, they were happy to become even busier in the future. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for their son.

Instead, Ban Seok-ho and Kim Ra-hee emphasized something to Johan.

He should always be grateful.

“The money you’re receiving now, the money you’ll receive in the future, and the fact that your dreams can come true are all thanks to the fans. So, you should always be grateful to them.”

“Love should always be returned as much as it is received, son.”

Johan said he understood.

Well, it’s not like he asked for attention and love.

Anyway, seeing the fans happy because of him was quite rewarding.

More than anything, he hadn’t seen his family so happy as they were these days.

His family’s happiness was also thanks to the fans, in a way.

Therefore, Johan thought about how he could repay the fans for the love they had given him.

Then, he came to a simple conclusion.

Just keep doing what he’s doing.

They cheer the loudest when he scores goals.

So, he just needs to keep scoring goals and achieve their wish and his goal: winning the championship.

That would be more than enough.

…

“The real challenge is beginning.”

“Hmm…”

Coach Jamie and Manager Schmidt were looking at the upcoming schedule with serious expressions.

December had arrived.

The infamous December with Boxing Day [December 26th, a day with many soccer games].

“It’s a crazy schedule, really.”

They knew it was coming, but seeing it in person made them chuckle in disbelief.

The first game in December is on the 3rd.

The next game is two days later on the 5th, followed by games on the 12th, 17th, 20th, 23rd.

And the December schedule concludes with a game on the 27th.

But that’s not the end; there’s one more game on January 2nd.

So, in effect, they’re playing eight league games in one month.

Including one League Cup game in between, that’s nine games.

The schedule was mind-boggling and daunting.

West Ham’s starting players were already exhausted.

Other teams were in the same boat, but West Ham, in particular, was using a tactic that consumed a lot of energy. Moreover, the starting players had significantly longer playing times compared to the substitutes.

Facing December in this situation was bound to be very difficult, regardless of who they were playing against.

Of course, the schedule wasn’t suddenly decided, so they had been preparing for it.

They had reduced the proportion of physical training since November and instead increased the training volume of the reserve players to prepare them for games.

They were also constantly checking on youth players, preparing for flexible call-ups if necessary.

Also, there were quite a few positive aspects.

First, no players had been sidelined due to injury yet, and they weren’t participating in European competitions like the Champions League or Europa League, so they had fewer games compared to the top teams.

For example, teams like Chelsea had quite a few injuries and had to juggle the Champions League and League Cup, so their teams were falling apart. Compared to those teams, West Ham was relatively better off.

Most importantly, Johan’s physical condition was quite good, which was the most positive factor.

Thanks to plenty of rest and his playing style, which didn’t use 100 percent of his stamina even when he played, Johan was ironically more physically rested than other players whose strength was their stamina.

Moreover, Johan’s blessed physique, which was still free of minor injuries, was a valuable asset for West Ham.

However, it was also true that they needed to pay special attention to his management.

Unlike the regular game schedule with weekly intervals until now, December had games every three days, four days, and even two days in a row, so Johan also had to adapt to the new schedule.

Even ordinary players struggle with such a schedule, so it would definitely require adaptation and patience for a guy who finds it annoying to play even one game a week.

That’s why they needed to pay even more attention to him.

It would be difficult to have him play full time or close to full time in every game, as they had done so far.

They would definitely have to adjust his playing time, and perhaps he would start games on the bench or even be given complete rest for one or two games.

How wisely they navigated those games would be the watershed moment of this season.

In the last league game, the 7th round, the only game Johan missed, West Ham lost 0-1 to Wolverhampton.

The difference between having Johan and not having him was enormous.

That’s because the current team is built entirely around Johan.

Therefore, they had to be prepared.

They might not be able to continue their incredible winning streak in December.

No, they had to accept that as a given and be prepared for it.

If they were greedy and tried to maintain the current momentum, they might end up destroying everything they had built so far.

The season is a long game.

People don’t care about the standings in September, December, or February.

All that matters is May, the final standings.

For that, there are times when you have to give up immediate results and look at the long term.

For the current West Ham, that time might be December.

Or, who knows?

A hero always appears in times of chaos.

Perhaps someone will unexpectedly perform well and achieve unexpected gains in games they had given up on.

Whether that will be Johan again, or some other unexpected player, they don’t know.

Anyway, they were confident that if they could get through this December, they would be able to regain some breathing room afterward.

Manager Schmidt had received a promise from the club’s top management for even more extensive support than last summer.

Of course, the January, or winter transfer market, is not as active as the summer market.

Big-name players rarely move, and most players don’t prefer to move teams in the middle of the season.

If a player wants to move teams in the winter, it means that their performance with that team in the first half of the season wasn’t good, so it’s difficult to find immediate reinforcements.

But that wouldn’t be a major obstacle for West Ham. What West Ham needed wasn’t superstars, but players who wanted to play alongside superstars.

They could definitely bring in such players even in the winter transfer market.

And they would become a new source of energy for the team.

“Let’s do our best.”

“You should take care of your health too, old man.”

“I’m fine.”

“I make sure to give you your medicine on time. Honestly, where else would you find a chief coach like me?”

“It’s certain that you won’t find a chief coach as talkative as you.”

In any case, the most important period was just around the corner. The 2027/28 season could be considered to be truly starting now.

In that sense, it was fortunate that their next game was against Manchester United.

Currently ranked 5th in the league, Manchester United was being ridiculed by many for their poor performance compared to the money the club was spending, but they were not a team to be taken lightly.

In any case, it couldn’t be denied that Manchester United had the most star players, and there’s a reason why star players are star players.

Rather, in terms of matchups, Manchester United, with their outstanding individual skills, could be considered one of the most difficult opponents for West Ham.

So, it was fortunate that they were facing such a difficult opponent at the beginning, rather than when they were exhausted and tired.

However, the most fortunate thing might have been something else entirely.

That was the fact that Johan’s father, Ban Seok-ho, had a significant rivalry with Manchester United during his playing days.

To be precise, Ban Seok-ho had a deep conflict with a Manchester United player at the time.

That Manchester United player’s name was James Hiddleston, and the current manager of Manchester United is James Hiddleston.

Perhaps this could be the biggest variable in the game against Manchester United.