Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 64

< Episode 063 – He Was My Backup >

The striker who represented the Premier League in the 2010s.

And the striker who was known for scoring England’s goals.

Harry Kane.

He left the Premier League three years ago and joined Galatasaray in Turkey, seemingly ready to spend his remaining career years there before retiring.

And he thought so himself.

He believed this would be the final chapter of his career.

Because he hoped to lift the championship trophy with Galatasaray, who had won the league title for two consecutive years before his arrival.

The championship trophy.

That was Harry Kane’s last remaining, his only wish.

It was ironic.

Could you believe that a player who represented England didn’t have a single trophy to his name?

Of course, he had plenty of individual awards.

He had been the Premier League’s top scorer and top assist provider in the same season, and he also won England’s Player of the Year, the World Cup Golden Boot, and even was appointed to the Order of the British Empire [a British order of chivalry recognizing contributions to the arts, sciences, public service, and charitable organizations].

He had as many individual awards as his skills and reputation warranted.

But he didn’t have a championship trophy.

This was because Tottenham Hotspur, where he had spent so much of his career, was a team that never seemed to catch a break when it came to winning.

Of course, the England national team was the same.

Because of this, he was called the ‘uncrowned king,’ and when he turned thirty and his form began to decline, he left Tottenham in search of a trophy.

The first place he went was Manchester City.

Manchester City gambled on Harry Kane’s name recognition, even though he was getting older and his performance had dipped.

Kane thought that he would definitely win a trophy and retire at Manchester City.

Because of this, Kane sacrificed everything for the sake of the trophy, even though there was a lot of controversy at the time, with people questioning how a transfer within the league, instead of to a different league, made sense when he was leaving Tottenham, and why he would go to Manchester City.

He even accepted a very short one-year contract.

But, in a twist of fate.

That year, Manchester City failed to win any titles.

They failed to win the Champions League, the Premier League, the FA Cup [Football Association Challenge Cup, an annual knockout competition in English football], and even the League Cup.

Failure in all competitions.

Manchester City had won two trophies just the previous season.

But, an even bigger twist of fate occurred the following year.

When Kane failed to extend his contract with Manchester City, he went to Celtic in Scotland this time.

That year, Manchester City achieved the double [winning two major trophies in a single season].

And Celtic, the reigning Scottish Premiership champions, lost the league title to Rangers.

At this point, Kane was simply seen as the problem.

Kane, who was already called the uncrowned king, was now called the ghost of no titles. The ghost of no titles.

It was almost as if Kane brought bad luck, and when Kane came back on the market, all the teams trembled and refused him.

Even though Kane clearly showed on the field that he still had class, they were afraid that the ghost of no titles would stick to them as well.

The last team to reach out to Kane was Galatasaray.

And Galatasaray was experiencing firsthand why everyone had avoided him.

Third place in the league last season, and fifth place in the league this year.

The team that had won the league title for two consecutive years was struggling as soon as Kane arrived.

Seeing that, people said that the ghost of no titles was doing its thing, and they criticized Galatasaray for being foolish, not Kane.

In that way, Kane was wandering around, creating haunted houses wherever he went.

That was Kane’s current state.

“···Ha.”

Lohan shuddered.

So, the ghost of no titles was expressing his desire to come to West Ham.

It was bound to be unsettling.

Just a few years ago, 4rsenal [a play on the name Arsenal, suggesting they frequently finish in 4th place] was called science in the soccer world, but Kane’s lack of titles is now called the truth, surpassing that science.

Is Kane now trying to curse West Ham with that ghost?

The comments on the article were all about that.

└As expected, Tottenham legend Kane··· sacrificing himself to prevent West Ham from winning the championship!

└I believed in you, Kane!

└The only player who is welcomed even if he wants to go to a rival team ㄷㄷ [Korean internet slang indicating surprise or amazement]

└What, Kane still can’t rest in peace?

└Galatasaray, next is West Ham?

└Hey, but is West Ham in a position to be picky? They are the epitome of no titles.

└The reason why Kane is being teased as the ghost of no titles is because he has the skills to win a trophy but can’t ㅋㅋㅋ [Korean internet slang for laughing] West Ham has no titles because of their skills and no titles.

“···Actually, we’re not in a position to make fun of Kane for not having titles.”

When you think about it, West Ham isn’t in a position to laugh at Kane for not having titles.

If you add the number of league trophies Kane has to the number of league trophies West Ham has··· it’s 0.

Moreover, West Ham isn’t even in a position to be teased for not having trophies.

No one teases a team that can’t even get close to a trophy for not having titles.

The reason why Kane is being teased for not having titles, and the reason why his only wish is a trophy.

It’s because he has everything else but a trophy.

From that point of view, worrying about not being able to win a trophy because of Kane might be a luxury for West Ham.

Even if you look at the striker prospects Lohan has written, there isn’t a player with Kane’s class, is there?

So, when you think about it, not having titles might not be a problem.

“But, still, he’s a Tottenham legend···”

What’s more of a problem is that Kane was a Tottenham legend.

Tottenham is West Ham’s London rival.

Even if it’s the end of his career, fans won’t react well if they accept a player from a rival team.

“···But conversely, what if we win the championship with Kane? We might have something to make fun of Tottenham for the rest of our lives.”

It’s just imagination, but what if. Just what if we win the championship with Kane.

Then, we’ll have a way to make fun of Tottenham for the rest of our lives.

In that case, Kane will become a West Ham legend, not a Tottenham legend.

No matter how much they insist, it won’t matter.

After all, we won the championship at West Ham. The championship that they couldn’t win for ten years.

“Hoo.”

Lohan sighs.

Certainly, the name Kane has its merits.

To be honest, even if he has a disgraceful nickname and is approaching thirty-five years old, and his form has declined a lot compared to the past, Harry Kane is still Harry Kane.

The reason why he left Manchester City and went to the Scottish League and the Turkish League wasn’t just because his form had collapsed.

There were offers from PL [Premier League] clubs, but Kane, who wanted to win, chose a team with a high chance of winning.

In addition, looking at the current team’s situation, there is no player like him.

Lohan thought that the best backup striker is a veteran striker with a lot of experience and who used to be a star in his prime.

Because if he scores a few good goals during his short playing time, he’ll get his money’s worth as a backup striker.

Classy veterans do this well.

Form is temporary, but class is permanent, and most of the time, players retire because of physical problems, not technical problems.

Anyway, considering various factors, it wasn’t a bad prospect. Rather, it was close to an ideal prospect.

His ability is needed by the team, and Yohan can make up for his shortcomings.

Kane’s experience can be of great help to Yohan.

“Hmm···”

Well, the decision isn’t up to him anyway.

He’ll just be watching.

Lohan thought that it wouldn’t be bad for him to be Yohan’s backup.

“No, but wait a minute.”

Lohan tilts his head because there’s one thing he doesn’t understand.

“Why would someone who seems ready to retire as soon as he wins a trophy want to come to our team? No matter how well he thinks of Yohan.”

What did he see in West Ham that made him want to come, when he’s putting off his retirement for the sake of a trophy?

Could it be because we’re currently in first place?

Does he think we can go all the way like this?

Hmm.

I don’t know about that.

Well, it would be really nice if that happened.

ㆍㆍㆍ

The away game against Newcastle was played in weather close to freezing.

In that game, unfortunately, West Ham’s 9-game winning streak came to an end.

A 3-1 defeat, a two-point difference.

It was a truly cruel defeat.

Yohan has only missed two games this season, and they lost both of those games.

Those two losses were all of their losses this season.

It was fortunate that they still held the top spot in the league even though they didn’t get any points in that game.

However, with no points earned, second-place Manchester City closed the gap to within striking distance.

Of course, the gap with third-place Liverpool also narrowed.

The gap with the top 4 is still quite large, but even that is not a stage to be relieved.

The league was not even halfway through yet.

West Ham, with their entire strength except for Yohan, played in the game against Newcastle.

All of the starters except for Yohan played in the game, and all of the substitution cards were used.

But stamina was the problem.

West Ham had already been rotating one or two players every game since November.

Before that, all of the starters had been starting every game.

This means that the players’ stamina depletion started earlier than other teams.

The game against Newcastle was a game where that was painfully revealed.

West Ham’s strengths were stamina, physicality, activity, and Yohan, who reliably put the finishing touches on the game.

However, none of that was properly shown in the game against Newcastle.

Yohan was not there, and the players’ bodies were heavy.

Since their strengths were not revealed at all, it was natural that they lost the game.

Anyway, the defeat is a defeat, but the real problem is what comes next.

The 18th round of the league, which is held after a 5-day break.

The opponent is not easy.

No, it would be fortunate if they were just not easy.

Limited to home, the strongest team in the league.

No, it might be the strongest team in Europe.

League 18th round.

West Ham’s next destination was Anfield.

ㆍㆍㆍ

December 17, 2027.

Liverpool, Anfield.

“Come to think of it, kid. This is your first time here, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Ha, I keep forgetting. That you’re a rookie who’s only been in the league for half a year.”

The West Ham players are preparing for the game in the locker room. Captain Gordon shakes his head as he looks at Yohan, who is at Anfield for the first time.

Yohan is a rookie among rookies, to the point where there are still stadiums he hasn’t been to.

But if you look at his performance alone, you can’t see him as a rookie who hasn’t been in the league for a year.

Every time they recognize that Yohan is a rookie, his teammates feel a sense of novelty.

“Honestly, I know you don’t listen to these words anymore.”

“?”

“But let’s do it one last time. You, today you’re going to have a truly unprecedented experience.”

“What kind of first time?”

“Just, Anfield is different.”

In fact, Manchester United’s home stadium, Old Trafford, is also not an easy place for away teams.

If you were to pick the worst stadium for away teams in the Premier League, it would be Anfield, no matter what anyone said.

No, even if you count the whole of Europe. Even more than Barcelona’s Camp Nou, which has a maximum capacity of 100,000 people.

In fact, in the 2018/19 season.

Liverpool and Barcelona, who met in the semi-finals of the Champions League, both won at their respective home stadiums, with Barcelona winning 3-0 and Liverpool winning 4-0.

The fact that the score difference is so large even though the games were between the same teams is undeniable evidence that Anfield’s crazy atmosphere played a big part.

Also, from 2017 to early 2022.

They had a 68-game unbeaten streak for 5 years.

Liverpool’s Anfield is a hell for away teams.

Of course, the same was true for West Ham so far.

I don’t even remember when they last won at Anfield.

At least, none of the players currently on the team have ever experienced a win at Anfield.

West Ham’s record at Anfield is that bad.

“So, you’re going to feel different today, too.”

“···”

Gordon chuckles as he looks at Yohan, who doesn’t seem to be impressed by the scary story.

Anyone who sees it will say he’s crazy.

Right before the game, the captain is giving the youngest member a pep talk, but instead, he’s giving him a scare.

But Gordon knew that this guy was no ordinary guy.

This guy has a bit of a rebellious streak.

If you scare him like this, he doesn’t get scared, but rather becomes more daring.

That’s why he said it.

Hoping that he would break the history of that terrible defeat.

“Okay, let’s go! Let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s do it!”

The game time was approaching, and the players shouted fighting and left the locker room.

And stood in the tunnel to enter the stadium.

Yohan, who was standing at the very back of his brothers, was waiting quietly for his turn.

He was able to spot a large poster attached to the ceiling of the tunnel.

THIS IS ANFIELD

This is Anfield.

A poster that shows Liverpool’s pride.

Just looking at this poster is enough to intimidate the opposing team.

However,

“···”

Yohan’s expression as he looked at it was calm.

“Entrance!”

As the players began to enter, the Liverpool players began to leave the tunnel, touching the poster one by one, and Yohan walked towards the ground, twisting his neck from side to side.