Physical strength unleashed by talent (1)

In my past life, I died.

So when I sometimes search for Choi Yeonho's name from my past life, videos like this come up.

[The story of how a «loser soccer player» under 150 centimeters tall became a top scorer]

[Professional debut at age 23 at 148 centimeters tall. Does a player with a weak physique make his debut?!]

[Is there a top scorer who is 148 cm tall? «Top 10 most talented players in the world»]

[Let's find out the most talented soccer player in the world].

Since my death, the league has reportedly stepped up processes to prepare for players' heart attacks.

That's a good thing.

And that seems to be how the public perceives me:

[Well, honestly, it's a little awkward to present this since other outlets have written so much about it, but we can't not mention it, right? The top 1 "Most Talented Soccer Player in the World" is Korean Choi Yeonho!]

That's right.

[Choi Yeonho, as you all know, had an incredibly small height of 148 centimeters and a very weak physique, but amazingly managed to make his professional debut through talent alone. And he didn't even learn soccer from a young age].

The importance of physical fitness in almost any sport cannot be emphasized enough.

In soccer, even more so.

Rarely there are players who overcome the limits of their physical capabilities, but...

This is possible only because the physical ability of these players corresponds to at least a «basic» level.

In a past life, I was a player whose physical attributes didn't even meet even the basic level.

[I'll say it again now. I'm 148 centimeters tall and have a slight build. To be honest, from the point of view of the average person who doesn't play sports, it's a very small build. So for a soccer player, what more needs to be said? This is purely about talent. This is the story of a man who played soccer with only talent and nothing else.]

If my talent had been at some undefined level, I would have had difficulty even joining an amateur team, let alone a professional career.

My height was barely over 150 centimeters when I first put on cleats.

No matter how much muscle I built up, my physique looked like several pieces of flesh attached to a skeleton.

As a result, my ability to fight for the ball was pathetic, and I was easily pushed or dragged away.

In such a situation, making my amateur league debut at the age of 22 and moving up to the first division, becoming the top scorer and MVP in my first season was purely due to my talent.

Although I eventually passed away due to a heart attack, up until that point I had done everything I could to survive and compensate for my lack of physical strength.

[The strength of this player was exactly that. A game that transcended physical limitations. There were even conversations about it. «What if this talent had a little more physicality?» The career would have been truly phenomenal].

Wide field vision gained by shifting backwards to compensate for physical limitations.

The ability to read the whole game.

And the ability to score goals at every rare opportunity.

And finally, individual skills honed by playing with the ball from an early age because there was no chance of winning in physical battles.

All of these techniques were designed to compensate for the poor physical preparation due to small stature.

Of course, even despite all this, it was difficult to completely overcome the limitations of my physical form....

Things are different now.

— Teacher, that boy is very tall!

— He's taller than my brother!

— How old are you?

I knew that thanks to incredible genes I was tall, but comparing myself to the other kids in the daycare center, I was at least a head taller.

And the difference kept showing up more and more.

— How old are you?

— Uh, six.

— Wow. My brother is seven, but why is he shorter than you?! How did you get so tall?!

— I drank a lot of milk. But not chocolate milk.

— So you can have strawberry milk?

I meant regular milk.

— What else should I eat?

— Chicken.

— Chicken?

— Chicken Alpha, boneless.

I love chicken.

Ever since I first tasted chicken in kindergarten, it's been my favorite food.

Probably because I couldn't eat it often, even when I wanted to.

— Does this dish make you taller?

— No, it's just delicious.

— It is. Chicken is delicious.

But chicken is also very nutritious.

But it was fried.

— Ms. Kim, it seems like Yujin is getting bigger every week.

— Isn't that how it's supposed to be? He comes from a famous family of athletes. His father is Kang Cheolho and his mother is Young Minji.

— Wow, legends! Oops, the kids can hear us. But seriously. his parents are «legends», right?

— Who in this country doesn't know them?

I tried to doze off, but I could hear the teachers whispering very clearly.

My family is really quite remarkable.

Even my paternal grandfather was a wrestling athlete and my maternal grandfather was a shot put athlete.

Our family's genes practically pull us towards sports.

— But you know what's even more remarkable than Yujin's height?

— What?

— He doesn't need any help. He eats calmly and properly, uses chopsticks perfectly for his age, and falls asleep right away. What kind of kid is that?

— Yujin is five years old, right? Six by Korean standards?

And he eats a lot.

Of course, what he eats at daycare isn't enough, so he eats at home.

— Since he's not my student, I didn't know. He seemed quiet and a bit withdrawn to me, though.

— He's really well behaved and quite imposing for a child. Do you know what happened the other day? Hajun and Doyun got into an argument and before I could approach, Yujin stepped in and made them apologize to each other. And they actually did.

— Yujin's height didn't scare them?

— Probably.

— But actually, when Yujin's sister, Yuju, was here, none of the boys could even look at her.

— Really? Well, with a family like that....

My sister is as physically developed as me.

Anyway, after a short nap, it was almost time to leave.

— Yujin, Daddy's here!

— Daddy, are you here?

— Daddy's here. other children run to their fathers and hug them....

The child next to me ran up to his father and hugged him tightly.

— Dad!

— Oh, my Hajun! Did you obey your teacher?

— Yes!

It's a bit embarrassing to act like this. If it weren't for the memories of my past life, maybe I would have been able to.

However, when I finally hugged him, a smile spread across my father's face.

— Yujin, what do you want to do today? How about a game of basketball? Or soccer...?

— Soccer!

— Okay. We should watch what you like.

He always listens to me, however there is a note of disappointment in his words.

«I'm sorry, Daddy. I just like soccer better».

— Okay. Let's go!

«Still, a father is a father».

When the son says he likes it, he immediately runs to the futsal.

So the place the father visited with his son was the futsal located in Banpo, Gangnam.

It was said to have the best facilities and Coach Lee Sanjo was already there.

— Hey, hyung. Today, I heard Yujin is sure to show us basketball?

— Ha, Yujin wants to play a little soccer today.

— But aren't you being too lenient with your son?

— When you become a father, it happens to everyone. Sanjo, you'll realize when your kid starts talking, right?

These two have somehow resolved the issue of their titles. Even though their sports are different, it's common for athletes to act like this.

— Wait, doesn't Yuju play basketball? Isn't she a basketball player?

— Yuju? A basketball player? No way. When she comes home, she stares at her phone all day. She's been obsessed with cartoons lately. What was that? Some Japanese sports cartoon. But it's not a basketball cartoon.

— Oh, my God. All kids that age are like that, aren't they? They say they're not interested in sports?

— She's like me and her mom, she's tall, and she's good at sports. Even the boys all admire her. But she doesn't seem to care much. Anyway, Yujin, good luck. I'll be right behind you.

— Yeah!

This is the most exciting time.

Touching the soccer ball, kicking it as hard as you can.

By the way, this futsal field was designed with the help of Coach Lee Sanjo.

A spacious field is good, but now is the time to develop a feel and hone your talent.

And Coach Lee Sanjo's kind guidance when he gets time is a bonus.

— Honestly, I was afraid Yujin would get vain so I didn't say it, but I don't have that much to train. Well, your posture is just perfect. Even your movements are smooth.

At least those skills are hard to notice at this age.

But it's because of my talent that I can be like this from the beginning.

Relying on one talent and not developing as you get older is a big mistake.

— Why do you train very hard?

— Soccer is fun.

— Yes, soccer can be fun.

I really want to be a soccer player.

I want to kick the ball freely, put my shoulders up for kicks when I want to, play without worrying about injuries and flourish because of my talent.

That's why I have to play soccer.

It's a very exciting game.

— I will definitely join the Seoul Phoenix later, okay?

At this time, the phone calls were already coming.

«Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock».

The soccer ball goes up and down to the right height every time it touches my feet.

Then a small futsal goal caught my attention.

From here, from the opposite side, they seem quite small, but...

«I think I can score».

— Coach.

— Yeah, Yujin.

— Can I kick a field goal?

— Of course you can! As much as you want.

As soon as the words were spoken, I kicked the falling ball with my foot instead of catching it.

«Bang!»

Exceptional physical development for my age.

Experience and talent from past lives.

And an extra desire to play soccer.

«Kick!»

The ball goes straight into the goal, making the net shake.

— Whoa!

A stunned murmur erupts next to me.

— We have talent in this country.

I ask deliberately calm, like a child:

— Coach, what does talent mean?

— Hmm. It's someone like you.

Can a kid understand if you explain it to him like that?

— Hey, Coach Lee! You in here?

And then a voice comes from the other side.

— Oh, Principal Jang. You're here? What brings you here today?

— Unexpectedly, a practice match was announced. U10 A team vs. B team.

— Wasn't it scheduled for tomorrow?

— Yes, that's right. This kind of thing isn't good. Parents don't like it either. But since it happened suddenly, what can we do?

It looks like the schedule got mixed up.

They originally said there wouldn't be any matches today.

— Well, it can't be helped. Yujin, let's play soccer somewhere else today.

There's no other choice.

— Yeah. It's all right.

— Oh, you're so smart. If only my son listened as well as you do. Director Jang, we're leaving now!

— Oh, of course! Let's talk next time. By the way, is this the kid? The genius?

— Ah, yes. Yujin, come say hello. This is Director Jang Songgu.

Director Jang Songgu.

I saw him on TV when he played for the national team a long time ago.

Now he's a coach at the soccer academy?

— Nice to meet you, I'm Jang Songgu. I'm one of the Directors Jang Songgu Soccer Academy.

— Hello, I'm Kang Yujin.

— So, how old did you say he is?

— Six years old.

— Five years old? Six years old? No, it doesn't matter, with a build like that? Even if you said he was in upper elementary school, I'd believe it.

Director Jang Songgu suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

— You must join our team. Got it?

— Oh, Principal! Don't fake it already!

— Aren't you Kang Cheolho the basketball player?

— Basketball player? I've been retired for a long time. Ha-ha-ha! — Father cheered.

At that moment, the door of the futsal room creaked open and a group of kids in sports uniforms rushed in.

— Ah, today is suddenly a practice match!

— Today I'm going to score 10 goals!

— No! You won't score even one!

The futsal hall quickly filled with noise.

Kindergarten kids are nothing compared to this.

— Okay, everybody, look over here! Hey, Sonul! Don't go over there, come over here!

Director Jang had a hard time controlling the kids.

I asked the coach:

— Coach, can I watch the game?

— Huh? You're not going to play soccer?

— Yes. I want to watch a little bit.

Come to think of it, since I've been back, I haven't watched other people play soccer.

I've played with a ball on the field, but what I saw back then was just an early morning match at best.

Even though these are young players, I've heard they aspire to be professionals, so I'm a little curious.

I've never been involved in youth soccer.

— Sure, let's take a look. Hyung, why don't we stay and watch?

— Okay, why not. Youth soccer matches are usually short, right?

— Yes, 25 minutes each half.

Just when I was wondering when the game would start, I heard Director Chan's voice.

— Ah, yes, Hayul's mom. What? Is Hayul sick? Is he okay? Yes, yes. Oh, God, yes. Influenza, you say? Hayul should rest well for now.

— Let him rest. Don't worry too much.

Something seemed to have happened.

Suddenly, Director Chan walked over to Coach Lee and sighed.

— Coach Lee, I'm sorry, but can I ask you a favor?

— Yes?

His face was full of disappointment.

— We're short a player. I just got a call that a kid was sick. Do you know anybody who could fill in for him?

— No one to call?

— Since the schedule suddenly changed, we barely had time to get enough players....

— I don't think I know anyone. More than half of the kids here are preparing to become elites, so even if I call, they might not show up.

— Hmph...

Director Chan stroked his chin while looking at his phone, then sighed again.

Then he suddenly looked at me intently, after which he turned his head to my father.

— I'm sorry... sir.

— Yes?

— I heard that Yujin has a talent for soccer.....

— That's, uh. that's true.

— Then let me ask you this. has he ever played in a match?

«Is this... a sign of opportunity?»