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As Asia’s first Ballon d’Or final candidate list was announced, congratulations started pouring in.

– Cha Dong-won: Congrats, little brother!

– Ki Sung-yueng: Wow. A day is coming when a Korean makes it to the Ballon d’Or final candidate list.

– Son Heung-min: Ugh, just when I thought I was catching up, you pull ahead again.

– Ho-woo: ???

– Ho-woo: Hey, have some conscience, dude;;

– Ho-woo: Your trophy count is already way ahead of mine.

– Park Jisong: Hahahahahaha

– Ki Sung-yueng: Wow, look at Jisong’s smile.

– Kang Chan: You’ve won a lot, so that’s fair.

– Park Jisong: What do you mean, “brother?” Just call me “hyung!”

– Kang Chan: How could I call the father of overseas football like the sky “hyung?”

– Park Jisong: Jinho is already speaking informally to you, isn’t he?

– Kang Chan: That’s because Jinho is a bit slow, you know.

– Son Heung-min: Hey, Son Jinho, I lifted the DFL Supercup too.

– Ho-woo: Dude, honestly, who counts the Supercup as a real win?

– Son Heung-min: …

– Ki Sung-yueng: Jinho, is the FA Cup considered legitimate?

– Ho-woo: That’s definitely accepted as a win.

– Ki Sung-yueng: Phew… Thank goodness.

Of course, it wasn’t just congratulations pouring in.

– What do you feel about being the first Asian Ballon d’Or final candidate?

– “It’s an honor.”

With the announcement of the final candidates, requests for interviews and media appearances from not just Korea, but also British and German media outlets came flooding in.

However, as it was during the season, all media requests were firmly declined, and instead, interviews were conducted.

Well, since most of the questions were pretty standard, I ended up giving similar content in the interviews.

At least, I sent a light lip service to the German media?

[Germany is like my second home to me. I was able to grow a lot in the Bundesliga, and I hope to return to Dortmund someday.]

This was a kind of give and take.

Since it had been 17 years since Matthias Sammer won the Ballon d’Or while playing for Dortmund.

[Jinho’s performances in the Fußball-Bundesliga 12/13 season.]

└ Isn’t this the official Bundesliga SNS?

└ Wow, lol.

└ Wow~ Indeed, the Germans know how to act when the moment arises.

The German media was actively appealing that I should win the Ballon d’Or due to my performances in the previous season’s Bundesliga.

[Jürgen Klopp, “Jinho? A player every coach wants to manage. I was lucky.”]

[Robert Lewandowski mentioned Son Jinho in an interview. “He’s a friend I’d like to play alongside again someday.”]

[Former Borussia Dortmund ace Jinho praised by Bayern Munich’s Jupp Heynckes. “Jinho’s performances last season? Fantastic. He definitely deserves the Ballon d’Or…”]

[Toni Kroos supporting Son Jinho’s Ballon d’Or win, “Jinho had an incredible season.”]

From Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich, praises of me were flying around, and all of Germany united.

“Could it be… a totalitarian state?”

My heart swelled at the sudden unity of the Aryan spirit.

Could it be they’re just giving me the title of ‘Honorary’ Aryan?

[Anonymous association executive. “Just because he wins the Ballon d’Or doesn’t mean he can represent the country…”]

As I became a Ballon d’Or final candidate, the level of scrutiny from Korea was on a different level.

Or maybe they wanted to cash in on my name.

[Coach Choi Gi-hyun, “Son Jinho isn’t raised by anyone. He grew on his own. All I did was encourage him that he can do it.”]

Well… in the latter case, it was summed up by Gi-hyun’s antics.

Gi-hyun really was the top-tier in selling out my name.

– It’s me????

Anyway, every day news regarding the Ballon d’Or came out.

[33 days to the Ballon d’Or ceremony, will the youngest Ballon d’Or winner be born?]

└ A Ballon d’Or at 18, that’s crazy.

└ Who was the youngest winner before?

└ Ronaldo at 21.

└ Wow, lol. That’s a 3-year reduction?

└ Wow, so Ronaldo was the youngest winner? This just proves it, lol. Our brother >>>> soccer deity >>>> unbeatable >>>> mess.

└ Ronaldo was this fool; not Cristiano.

└ Who’s Ronaldo?

└ Wow, you don’t know Brazil’s God of Soccer?

└ The emperor of Brazilian football.

[In a press inquiry about who would win the Ballon d’Or, Robin van Persi was flustered, “It’s a situation where anyone could win.”]

└ Hahahahahaha

└ Asking van Persi is kind of ridiculous.

└ For real, lol. Son Jinho, Ronaldo, and van Persi are all close friends.

└ The media is truly acting like the media.;

***

Even while the world was buzzing about the Ballon d’Or, the season continued.

[32 days to the Ballon d’Or ceremony) Manchester United draws 0-0 against AC Milan in away match.]

Manchester United fielded a mostly second-string team against AC Milan and managed to get a draw.

In the following away match against Aston Villa, Alex Ferguson ordered Son Jinho, who had a slight injury during training, to rest.

He directed Robin van Persi to play just behind as a second striker to receive the ball and keep it, then pass it to Ronaldo.

[28 days to the Ballon d’Or ceremony) Manchester United wins away against Aston Villa 1-0.]

Just before the final whistle, Ronaldo finished off Robin van Persi’s penetrating pass, successfully achieving a 1-0 victory.

Then, in the EFL Capital One Cup match against Stoke City held four days later, Manchester United fielded a second-tier team with Danny Welbeck and Chicharito each scoring a goal, leading the team to victory.

[24 days to the Ballon d’Or ceremony) Manchester United beats Stoke City 2-0 in EFL Capital One Cup, achieving a record 25 consecutive matches unbeaten this season.]

[With Boxing Day approaching, Manchester United faces a major challenge to remain unbeaten!]

***

When discussing the most notorious schedule in the English Premier League, the term “Boxing Day” comes up.

Contrary to what many think, Boxing Day doesn’t mean a tough match schedule.

Boxing Day simply refers to the day after Christmas.

It just means that the regular schedule continues while an additional match is played on December 26.

So, in a situation like the 16/17 season where Boxing Day is set for a Monday, it becomes a very logical schedule to play one match a week.

Well… usually there’s a team that doesn’t get to rest for even 48 hours between matches, but that’s the case during the year-end holiday.

What can we do? The league organization decrees that we must have football on that date because of ‘tradition.’

If the organization says so, we must comply.

Anyway, in the case of Manchester United, they had a game against West Ham on December 21, and after 5 days of rest, they would have to play away against Hull City on Boxing Day.

Two days after that, the final match of the first half against Norwich awaited.

It’s worth noting that even if the first half ends, there are no breaks.

Three days after the first half ends, there will be a home game against Tottenham announcing the start of the second half on January 2, and on January 5, there will be a FA Cup match against Swansea City in the round of 64.

So in a span of a fortnight, they have a total of five matches, three of which are away games.

I’d like to see the face of the guy who arranged the league schedule like this.

– Gyeouri: Prisoner No. 1004.

– Gyeouri: Here’s today’s photo of Haeun. Be grateful.

In that moment, I suddenly missed the winter break I had during my time in the Bundesliga.

***

[22 days to the first-ever Asian Ballon d’Or ceremony. Son Jinho’s team, Manchester United, crushes West Ham 3-1 at home, achieving a season record of 26 games unbeaten.]

[(17 days to the Ballon d’Or ceremony) Manchester United extends their unbeaten streak to 27 games with a 2-0 victory on away against Hull City.]

[(15 days to the Ballon d’Or ceremony) Manchester United draws 1-1 away against Norwich, successfully making it to the halfway mark unbeaten!]

***

Manchester United’s first-half record stands at 15 wins, 4 draws, totalling 49 points from 19 league matches.

They succeeded in reaching the round of 16 in the Champions League and the semifinals of the EFL Cup.

In early December, the number of draws increased dramatically, but still, they maintained a 7-point lead over Arsenal, who were in second place in the league.

The fact that tough matches against strong teams were packed into the early league schedule turned out to be quite helpful as Boxing Day approached.

Considering the teams Arsenal had faced during this same timeframe, it becomes even more comparable.

While we faced Aston Villa, West Ham, Hull City, and Norwich, Arsenal was up against Manchester City, Chelsea, West Ham (London), and Newcastle.

Since the fatigue issues of the starters showed during the Norwich match, if there had been a big four strong team during the Boxing Day schedule, maybe the unbeaten streak would have been broken.

[Cautiously bringing up the possibility of Manchester United’s unbeaten title.]

Anyway, while it’s just starting to turn a corner, Manchester United fans and London football teams (excluding Arsenal) were all expressing their expectations for Manchester United’s unbeaten championship.

The reason London football teams desired this was simple.

Because they found it annoying that their rival Arsenal, based in London, bragged about their unbeaten championship.

On the other hand, the undefeated champions Arsenal and traditional rivals Liverpool and Manchester City were eagerly waiting to stop Manchester United’s unbeaten championship no matter what.

As the British football fans wished for their rival team’s downfall, the winter transfer market opened up, enabling them to reinforce their team’s precious strength.

[After Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool join the battle to acquire Virgil van Dijk.]

[‘This house knows how to do business well.’ Celtic will gain astronomical transfer income just one season after acquiring van Dijk.]

[Popular rising prospect, Virgil van Dijk. ‘My life changed after my performance against Manchester United.’]

 

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