CS 07

Chapter 7

Something More Important Than Money (6)

There are several absolute values used to evaluate players in the world of football.

For strikers and midfielders, there are attacking statistics such as goals and assists, while for goalkeepers and defenders, there are defensive statistics such as clean sheets and goals conceded.

But in truth, there is an even more convenient value for evaluating a player’s worth.

Money.

The logic is simple.

Good and outstanding players are expensive.

Their transfer fees are expensive, their salaries are expensive, and complicated options are attached to their contracts.

Therefore, if you want to know how much a player is worth, you can simply look at how much capital the club has invested in him.

How much it cost to buy the player, how much he gets paid per week, things like that.

Of course, you can’t guarantee that an expensive player will necessarily put on an excellent performance throughout the duration of his contract.

But at the very least, it is clear that at the time the contract was signed, the player was considered to be worth that much.

And a club’s bold investment is directly connected to a player’s standing within the team.

If there are two players of the same age with similar performances, a club will naturally prefer to use the more expensive player.

It’s only logical.

Considering the transfer fee and salary that have been invested in him, the club needs to get its money’s worth.

Even if only to prepare for the possibility of selling that player to another club later.

Therefore, players want to receive as high a salary as possible.

After all, it’s not exactly easy for human beings to dislike money.

Thus.

Sports and money are inseparably intertwined, and most players dream of earning a high salary.

Antonio knew this well, since he had also been a player himself.

“If we’re already talking about a contract, you must have some idea of how much you’d be willing to pay me per week, right?”

Therefore, the boy standing before him, smiling brightly as he brought up the subject of money the moment they started discussing a contract, could be considered extremely rational and practical.

“How much can Real Madrid pay?”

……

To the point that his age of fifteen seemed questionable.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t been able to discuss the exact details with the club yet, so I can’t give you a specific figure. But I’ll try to get a draft of the contract to you as soon as possible.”

In response to the question about the exact amount, Antonio had no choice but to answer that way and leave.

It was only natural.

He was merely a scout, after all.

He wasn’t someone with enough influence to wield significant power within the club.

He could recommend players to the club, but he had absolutely no authority to sign contracts with them himself.

Ultimately, he was also just another corporate wage slave living off the salary his club paid him.

There was only one thing someone like him could do.

Wait.

After conveying all of the player’s wishes to the club, Antonio could do nothing but wait endlessly for the club’s response.

During that process, he contacted the Korea Football Association to learn about Kang Do-in’s background and filmed footage of the practice matches to send to the football director as a silent reminder.

But none of it meant much.

Even though youth-player contracts involved less money than contracts for adult players, signing a youth player still required a considerable amount of money and effort.

In some ways, it could be even more complicated because of regulations and other restrictions.

So he simply waited.

He watched Kang Do-in put on outstanding performances in the practice matches day after day, anxiously worrying that someone else might snatch him up first.

And that was how the showcase schedule gradually approached its end.

“He’s here!”

Antonio’s phone began ringing loudly.

The caller was Santiago.

Real Madrid’s football director.

—Football Director: I watched the video you sent me.

—Me: So?

—Me: How was it?

—Football Director: Hmm.

—Football Director: Definitely.

—Football Director: I think I understand why you made such a fuss.

—Football Director: For starters, his goal tally alone is ridiculous.

—Football Director: Interesting.

—Football Director: How has a player like this remained unknown until this age?

—Me: Exactly.

—Me: And he performed that well with a hastily assembled team.

—Me: More importantly, the way he scored those goals was extremely impressive.

—Me: Don’t you wonder how much more destructive he’d be if he played alongside teammates he was properly synchronized with?

—Football Director: Yes.

—Football Director: His movement is extremely intelligent. He knows how to break the offside line, and I also like how freely he uses both feet.

—Me: He’s fast, and his vision is excellent. Aside from his physical attributes, his play is basically complete.

—Football Director: True. Being short for a center-forward is a bit of a drawback, though.

—Football Director: Well, he still has room to grow.

—Football Director: And if he doesn’t grow much taller, we could develop him as a winger.

—Me: What did the Juvenil team coach think of him?

—Football Director: Ismael?

—Football Director: I already showed him the footage.

—Football Director: He said we should bring him over immediately.

—Football Director: He wants to properly coach him with the Juvenil A team.

—Football Director: A player confident enough to want a contract right away, and you agreeing with him.

—Football Director: I can understand how you feel.

—Me: Then…!

—Football Director: Yes.

—Football Director: (Attachment)

—Football Director: I’ll send the contract by email for now.

—Football Director: It’s quite a substantial amount for a youth player.

—Football Director: I’m sure that Korean kid will be satisfied when he sees it.

—Me: Thank you! Santiago!

—Football Director: It’s too early to thank me.

—Football Director: This contract is nothing more than bait to show him for now.

—Me: Bait?

—Football Director: Listen carefully, Tony.

—Football Director: Now is not the time for the two sides to sign this contract.

—Football Director: Only after the Korean boy decides to study at our club and we resolve the issue concerning FIFA’s regulations on international transfers of youth players.

—Football Director: Understand?

—Me: Yes.

—Me: I understand.

—Football Director: You said that kid came from an orphanage, right?

—Football Director: I acknowledge that the boy is in an unfortunate situation, but that doesn’t mean we have a reason to show him charity.

—Football Director: Remember. We’re not philanthropists.

—Football Director: There’s no harm in showering him with goodwill and favor after he becomes our player.

—Football Director: Don’t forget that.

---

This might sound like I’m bragging, so I don’t particularly like saying it, but among the scouts who had come to Korea this time, I didn’t think there was a single one who wouldn’t want me.

Yes.

How could I deny it?

I had been the best striker in Asia.

I had performed at the World Cup, and by the time I retired, I had been the highest-paid player in the Saudi league.

So you should respect me.

I had won the Asian Player of the Year award five times and lifted countless individual trophies.

I had led South Korea to the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

I was also South Korea’s all-time leading scorer, while simultaneously breaking the all-time scoring records for both the Saudi league and the AFC Champions League, and…

“…Ahem!”

Well, anyway.

People might disparage my career because I played in the Saudi league, but even those people acknowledged that there was no one in Asia who could kick a ball better than me.

So perhaps it was inevitable that I would stand out the most among these youth players.

After all, wasn’t the experience I’d accumulated on a completely different level?

Many players grow older and gradually realize what football is really about.

That’s why experts say that a footballer’s prime comes in their late twenties.

As their physical peak begins to decline, their accumulated knowledge and understanding of football grows, and that’s when their potential truly explodes.

But I had already acquired that knowledge of football while receiving the body of a fifteen-year-old.

My physical prime hadn’t arrived yet, but at least I was much more energetic than when I had been forty years old with knees whose cartilage was completely worn down.

Therefore, there was no way a scout with functioning eyes wouldn’t want me.

And fortunately, judging from the past five days of the showcase, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the scouts’ eyesight.

—“Hello? Long time no see.”

—“Yeah. Valencia wants to take me abroad for the study-abroad program too, right?”

—“Valencia too… Ahaha, I guess other clubs were already after you.”

On the third day of the showcase, the Valencia scout, with whom I’d already exchanged brief greetings, gave an awkward laugh at my straightforward question.

He tried to persuade me by bringing up a Korean player who had come through Valencia’s youth system and performed on the European stage.

—“Do you know Kangin Lee? He started playing for our youth team when he was ten and grew into an excellent player. I, and Valencia as a club, have no doubt that you can become the player who follows in his footsteps.”

Unfortunately, knowing how the owner of Valencia had treated that Korean player, I didn’t find the story particularly persuasive.

Valencia’s Singaporean owner had once used the Korean player for political purposes and treated him poorly within the team.

I couldn’t say for certain that I would be discriminated against in the same way.

But why would I voluntarily take on such a disadvantage?

—“There are other clubs that have said they want to sign me rather than simply take me on as a study-abroad player. Does Valencia have any intention of signing me as well?”

—“Huh? There are clubs like that? Hmm, wait a moment…”

—“It seems Valencia hasn’t really thought about signing me yet.”

—“Actually, we haven’t discussed that with the club yet. More importantly, FIFA regulations…”

—“Well… I understand.”

Above all, the fact that they weren’t taking an active stance toward a contract was also a point against them.

Of course, Valencia might prepare something concrete regarding a contract because of what I’d said.

But at this point, I wasn’t particularly positive about them.

—“A contract… Well, all right. Mallorca doesn’t want to miss out on a talent like you either.”

—“Then can I take that to mean you’re positively considering a contract?”

—“Yes. I’ll talk to the club and have them prepare a contract as quickly as possible. However, even if we prepare the contract immediately, please understand that we won’t be able to sign it right away because of FIFA regulations.”

In that regard, Mallorca’s position was refreshingly straightforward.

The Mallorca scout who approached me after the fourth day of the showcase wasn’t particularly flustered even when I told him that I’d already received an offer from another club.

Instead, he said he’d talk to the club and have them prepare a contract as well.

Their position was similar to Real Madrid’s.

We want to sign you too. However, FIFA regulations are getting in the way, so even if we bring you a contract, we may not be able to sign it immediately.

I told him I understood.

Regardless, since no one had actually given me a concrete contract yet, there was no reason to rush my decision.

In any case, all three clubs were now after me.

From my perspective, that was a situation I could welcome with open arms.

When supply is low and demand is high, the price of a product naturally rises.

There was only one of me, while all three clubs wanted me.

Naturally, the salary I could receive would increase as well.

Of course, even so, it wouldn’t amount to much compared to the astronomical salary I’d received in Saudi Arabia…

But it was still far better than my previous life, when I hadn’t earned a single penny and had struggled to pay the fees for my high-school soccer team while working construction jobs.

At least I’d secured a study-abroad opportunity in Spain.

That meant I’d accomplished my modest goal of avoiding having to work while playing football.

So now all I had to do was sit back and wait for the clubs to send me their contracts.

And that was how, after completing the entire five-day showcase schedule, I was just about to return to the orphanage.

“Doni!”

Someone desperately called out to me in front of the association building.

Doni.

What a nostalgic name.

Doni had been my nickname when I played in Saudi Arabia.

There had been plenty of foreign players who found my name difficult to pronounce properly, so I simply told them to call me Doni.

In other words, at this point in time, when I hadn’t yet played overseas, there were almost no people who would call me by that nickname.

If there was someone who did, then it had to be…

“Long time no see… Well, not really. We’ve been seeing each other constantly, right?”

“Hello, Tony. Did things go well with the club?”

“Yes. I pulled some strings.”

Tony—the Real Madrid scout—was smiling brightly.

Judging by his confident tone, it seemed he’d finished preparing something regarding the contract.

“Can we talk somewhere, just the two of us?”

“I, uh… First of all, I hope you don’t misunderstand or take this the wrong way.”

We were sitting in a secluded corner of a café near the association building.

Tony returned to the table with two drinks, placed a glass of iced tea in front of me, and cautiously began speaking.

Naturally, he paid for both drinks.

If he’d asked me to split the bill when the only pocket money I received was 30,000 won a month from the orphanage, I would have walked out.

He might as well have tried to squeeze blood from a stone.

“First of all, the club and I need to know what kind of person you are.”

“Yeah.”

“So I asked the association to give me some basic information about you.”

“So you found out that I’m staying at an orphanage too?”

“…Yeah.”

Tony’s expression, as he carefully tried not to hurt my feelings, was rather amusing.

I chuckled and took a sip of my iced tea.

The sugary drink I’d normally avoided during the season tasted especially sweet today.

Have my taste buds become more sensitive because I’ve gotten younger?

“It’s fine. It’s something you’d have found out eventually when we started writing up the contract anyway. Since I’m a minor, my legal representative has to sign on my behalf.”

It’s not like this was the first or second time I’d been called an orphan without parents.

Whenever someone cursed at me, bastard with no parents was practically a passive ability, so I could say I’d become quite indifferent to it.

However, if I said that out loud, it was obvious the foreign man sitting in front of me would feel uncomfortable, so I didn’t bother.

Besides, living in an orphanage wasn’t my fault in the first place.

Since I felt like the atmosphere was getting gloomy for no reason, I decided to lighten things up with a joke.

“Besides, if I can play football this well despite being in difficult circumstances, imagine how much better I’ll be in a stable environment.”

“That’s certainly tempting to hear from a scout’s perspective.”

“So, what about the contract? It’s ready, right?”

“Yes. Here.”

He quietly pulled an envelope out of the bag he’d been carrying and handed it to me.

Fortunately, the contract had been translated into Korean.

Inside was a fairly thick stack of documents, and I carefully read through them, breaking down and analyzing each page one by one.

I checked to make sure the club wasn’t trying to stab me in the back and that there weren’t any strange clauses hidden in the contract.

After reading through the entire contract without letting down my guard, I was able to reach one conclusion.

This is good.

The contract period was a reasonable three years, and the weekly wage was high for a youth player.

There was even an option allowing us to negotiate a new contract if I were promoted to the first team during the contract period.

It wasn’t as good as what I’d received in Saudi Arabia, but for a youth player playing in Europe, these were more than acceptable terms.

In modern slang, it was a hell of a deal.

Even if Valencia or Mallorca offered me a contract, I doubted I’d be able to get better terms than these.

It was good enough that I could sign it immediately without any problems.

“It’s pretty good.”

“I told you. I pulled some strings. I want you to understand just how badly our club wants you.”

Definitely.

It seemed he’d really pulled some strings.

Unless Valencia or Mallorca suddenly offered me a professional contract, I’d probably choose Real Madrid without much hesitation.

“I can tell from the terms of the contract that you really do want me.”

“Yes. I’m glad you seem to like the contract. But you know we can’t sign it right away, right?”

“Because of FIFA regulations?”

Tony nodded.

“Exactly. As you know, youth players under the age of eighteen can’t sign contracts with foreign clubs except in certain special cases.”

“I know.”

“So for now, just keep the contract. If our club finds a solution, we can sign it then. There’s no need to rush. Do you understand?”

No wonder the contract had seemed unusually favorable to me.

So this was what was hiding beneath the surface.

Since I couldn’t sign immediately because of FIFA regulations, they were offering me the best possible contract to lure me to Madrid first, and then they would decide whether to actually sign me based on my performance.

If I performed well, the contract wouldn’t be a waste.

If I performed poorly, they could simply forget about the contract, let me complete the one-year study-abroad program, and send me back to Korea.

From my perspective, it was rather annoying.

But from the club’s perspective, it was undeniably clever.

After all, it would be stranger for a prestigious Spanish club to casually offer such a favorable contract without conditions to a fifteen-year-old Asian boy burdened by all sorts of restrictions.

Therefore, after Tony finished speaking and took a sip of his Americano, I smiled calmly at him.

“No, Tony. I appreciate the consideration, but you don’t need to wait that long.”

“Huh?”

“My father works in Spain.”

Tony froze.

“I don’t know the exact details, but I think he’s been there for a few years.”

Tony suddenly sprayed his Americano across the table.

“You know that when a player’s parents are living abroad for reasons unrelated to football, the player can sign with a professional club in that country, right?”