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[Son Jinho’s Absence! Dortmund Wins 4-0!]

The round of 16 match between Dortmund and Hannover ended in victory for Dortmund.

[Jürgen Klopp Explains Son Jinho’s Absence. ‘It’s not an injury. It’s a break for fatigue recovery.’]

Dortmund finished their last match with a win and happily entered the winter break.

[Dortmund Starts Winter Break, How Will the Players Spend It?]

Our family planned to spend cozy time at home.

There were also safety concerns regarding Gyeouri as winter started to get heavier.

[Son Jinho, Who Will Soon Become an Adult, Where Are His Next Steps?]

In a situation where transfer rumors were pouring out, it wasn’t ideal to attract the media’s attention.

Some players deliberately create transfer rumors to inflate their market value.

[The Appearance of Mino Raiola in Manchester. City or United?]

[Son Jinho’s Agent Mino Raiola Heads to Madrid After Manchester.]

Well. I didn’t need to do anything since Mino Raiola was already contacting various clubs and spilling articles.

‘I need to ensure Dortmund gives me a hefty transfer fee.’

And apart from the transfer, I was also thinking of signing a contract with Dortmund for about a year.

While a free transfer would yield a higher weekly wage…

‘Do I really want to leave and hurt the Dortmund fans?’

I already had enough money to last a lifetime; what more could I want?

‘Speaking of which, didn’t they say that with money comes the pursuit of honor?’

Looking closely, that statement might hold some truth.

In this life, Dortmund was my home team.

I had no intention of harming the fans of my home team by leaving on a free transfer.

For me, Dortmund was a home I would eventually return to.

And in the back of my mind lingered the thought, ‘If I leave after providing a hefty transfer fee, will I one day return to Dortmund and have my number retired?’

In fact, there’s Jude Bellingham, who had his number retired at Birmingham City at the age of 18.

Well… for me, since I wear number 10, getting it retired right away might be tough, but if I returned to Dortmund and retired, who knows?

Anyway.

“…Jinho, you are going to Manchester United, right?”

Han Gyeouri, my agent Mino Raiola was in contact with Madrid and Barcelona, approached me with a worried expression.

Just as I was about to assure her I’d transfer to Manchester United unless the conditions were ridiculous…

– I was wrong. I can’t pick between Manchester United and my husband.

I recalled a few days ago.

“If you cry like a baby, I’ll go to Man U.”

Han Gyeouri’s words back then provoked me to respond playfully.

“Please go to Man U!! Maeee—!”

Gyeouri made a face as if to say, ‘What is that?’ and shouted.

Hmm.

I didn’t need to lie on the floor flailing my arms and legs as if throwing a tantrum.

– Ho-woo: (Han Gyeouri’s tantrum.avi)

– Father-in-law: Jinho, I’m truly sorry once again.

– Cheolmo: Oh my… you don’t clean your room, but you clean the living room floor with your whole body.

– Gyeouri: No;;; why are you posting this, Son Jinho;;

– Ho-woo: The fun part isn’t meant to be watched alone.

– Gyeouri: !?!?!

– Cheolmo: So what do you plan to do during the winter break?

– Gyeouri: Let’s play board games!

– Ho-woo: Are you gonna cry again after losing?

– Gyeouri: Ugh. Son Jinho.

– Gyeouri: Just don’t cry when you lose.

– Gyeouri: This time, I’m not going to let you get away with it! (ʘдʘ╬)

***

“Hey, Son Jinho.”

“Why?”

“…Just let me see it once.”

“NO! I won’t let you! Go away!”

At the moment, Son Jinho was spending his vacation at home, playing board games with his family.

[Football Online 3 Open Beta Starts! Legendary Pre-Event Rewards!]

In Korea, the open beta for Football Online 3 has begun. With Son Jinho, the star of Korean football, leading the charge, quite a few people participated in the pre-event, and the community board is flooded with praise.

[Title: Wow….]

They said it’s a pre-participant event, and they give a base Son Jinho card, huh?

→ Legendary event reward -> Son Jinho base card lolololol

→ Isn’t there anything for the termination reward of Footon2?

→ They call it a legendary reward, and they’re giving a base Son Jinho card, do you think they have a termination reward for Footon2?

Was it perhaps due to the unexpectedly strong backlash?

[Football Online supports Son Jinho’s nomination as World Best Player!]

Football Online quickly rolled out a new event.

***

[Son Jinho Excluded from the Final Three for Ballon d’Or.]

→ Why is Dortmund being so underrated?

→ If it were Real or Barca, he could have joined the top three, right? b**** please.

→ Your brother didn’t make it and now you’re whining about it lol.

→ Isn’t it unreasonable not to have any Dortmund players on the 23-man nomination list when last season they won the double?

→ Well, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, so that’s understandable lol.

→ But even Man City, who got eliminated in the group stage, had three players?

→ Man City won the EPL, right? lol.

→ But Dortmund won both the league and the cup!

→ Does winning the EPL and winning the Bundesliga are the same? lol. Of course, winning the EPL is harder lol.

→ Wow, I can’t believe we’re chatting nonsense.

[How did Son Jinho rank among the ‘Ballon d’Or 23?’]

→ What? Is there a ranking beyond the top three released?

→ Yeah, the final three are the ones with the highest scores among those who got votes in the first place.

→ Ah, I see.

[Son Jinho is a strong contender for the ‘Puskás Award’. What kind of shot was it?]

→ It was a wonder goal against Barca; doesn’t that deserve to go to Son Jinho?

→ Regardless of the league, it’s the most amazing goal… honestly, my brother’s goal is the best, right?

→ Of course, it’s out of the norm.

***

Time flew quickly, and January came in no time.

[Will Son Jinho Become the First Asian to Win ‘World Best 11’?]

As the VDV Bundesliga Player of the Year Award Ceremony and the Ballon d’Or Ceremony approached.

“I don’t know! If Son Jinho doesn’t win, it’s clear-cut racism!”

“It must be because he’s Asian!!!”

The national sentiment gathered as one.

[Son Jinho, as an Asian, has a high probability not to win World Best.]

[The FIFPro World XI, which is essentially a popularity poll. Is it too unfair for ‘Asian’ Son Jinho?]

Korean media discussed the racial penalty and mentioned that he might not be selected for World Best.

But honestly, from my perspective, being Asian isn’t just a disadvantage.

As can be seen from how the Premier League is adjusting match times to tap into the Asian market, it’s clear that the Asian market is vast.

Even focusing on just East Asia’s population, it accounts for a fifth of the world’s population.

And East Asia is not just a densely populated continent.

Though it fell after the Plaza Accord, Japan, which once threatened the U.S. economy, and China, which will eventually rise to G2 status but then leads to stagnation, and then South Korea, which rushed from a least developed country to a developed one at the expense of its birth rate.

Their consumption capacity had already been proven.

[Lionel Messi Sends a Love Call to Son Jinho, ‘It Would Be Fun to Play Together.’]

[God of Football Lionel Messi, ‘Son Jinho? He Deserves to Win World Best.’]

How could Messi have expressed such remarks if it were merely lip service? It’s all because of the lucrative Asian market.

[Gerard Piqué Reveals That Messi Often Talks About Son Jinho.]

Hmm… Wasn’t it just simple lip service?

Anyway. Since they were racially similar, they showed their expectation that the first Asian World Best player would emerge.

[The Day of Destiny! Son Jinho Attends the FIFA Ballon d’Or Ceremony.]

→ It could have been possible if it wasn’t for the Spanish Triple Crown…

→ Achieving three major titles in a row is insane.

→ But still, it’s not over. My brother’s individual stats are solid enough to win!

The hot expectations from East Asia turned their gazes towards Zurich, Switzerland.

***

January 7, 2013.

The FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony was held in Zurich, Switzerland, awarding the most honorable titles for football players, including the Ballon d’Or, Best Female Player of the Year, World Best, and the Puskás Award.

“Would you mind if we had a short interview?”

As I tried hard to calm my trembling heart and made my appearance at the ceremony, the reporter approached me cautiously.

“Of course.”

“Who do you think will win the Ballon d’Or?”

In response to the reporter’s playful question, I answered without hesitation, mentioning last year’s winner.

“Lionel Messi. He’s the best.”

Just as I finished the interview and turned away, I felt a sharp gaze from behind.

I turned around to see Cristiano Ronaldo, with an annoyed expression, glaring at me.

‘Uh… is this a 5700-character message stressing respect?’

 

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