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*

The match between England and the final match began.

Son Jinho’s family watched the game from the VIP seats.

Since the kids were young, there were safety concerns.

“Oh. Isn’t that a famous actor?”

“Really, should we go get an autograph?”

“Grandma! Hurry! Hurry!”

“Hey? Haseong, don’t run, you’ll get hurt.”

Son Haseong held his grandparents’ hands and entered the stadium.

“Wow…!”

His eyes widened at the sight of the 80,000 spectators filling the stadium.

“Haseong, look! Dad is coming out!”

Just as Son Haseong was holding his grandmother’s hand and looking around, Son Jinho’s face appeared on the broadcast screen.

“Jinho—!!”

“The greatest treasure of England!!”

An enormous cheer erupted from the England stands.

“Grandma! Me too! Me too!”

“Huh? You want to go to Dad?”

“No!”

“It seems like Haseong also wants to play over there later?”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

Son Jinho’s son, Son Haseong, began to nurture his dream of becoming a football player as he watched his father receiving cheers from countless people.

*

The match started with Harry Kane’s kickoff.

This was the first time across both lives he was participating in a World Cup final.

Well, considering experiences like the Champions League, there were indeed many firsts in this life.

However, the stage of the World Cup Final felt especially significant.

For me, the World Cup final was a place I never thought I could reach. I mean, with Korea’s nationality, the maximum achievement was reaching the Round of 16 or Quarter-finals, right?

“Imagining Korea reaching the World Cup final is just insane.”

Well, maybe if I reset about 300 times or something.

“Of course, before reaching the World Cup final, I might go insane?”

Anyway, as Raheem Sterling broke down the wing, the cheers from the England fans grew louder.

“!!”

I noticed Raheem Sterling tearing through Argentina’s flank while running to find space to help his teammates.

The dummy run from Harry Kane created space, and I ran towards that space, calling for a pass.

“Raheem!”

Then, Raheem Sterling’s cutback was sent my way.

The England crowd stood one by one, sensing a goal coming.

I calmly checked the goalkeeper’s position and took a shot without taking my eyes off the ball.

Boom—.

‘It went in.’

A smile naturally appeared on my face as the shot was perfectly struck.

Whack.

My shot was intercepted by a dedicated defense from a notably short Argentine player.

I sighed as I saw Lionel Messi throwing himself down to block my shot.

“…Damn, he must really be desperate.”

*

Lionel Messi, who had thrown himself to block Son Jinho’s shot, finally caught his breath only after the ball went out of play.

Messi knew that conserving his stamina to focus on attacking would increase the team’s chances of winning, but there was no way he could do that this match.

If they won this match, he could lift the long-desired World Cup trophy.

‘I will definitely win.’

He didn’t even think about saving energy for this match.

He simply vowed to lead his country to victory, even if his heart burst from the exertion.

As Messi caught his breath, the game resumed with England’s throw-in.

Argentina’s right-back, Gabriel Mercado, blocked the throw-in from England.

Then came Argentina’s counterattack.

Lionel Messi returned the ball with a one-touch pass to Cristian Pavon.

Cristian Pavon displayed a ferocious dribble and approached England’s penalty box.

As Pavon neared the penalty box, he was blocked by John Stones.

Pavon confidently attempted to dribble past, but Stones’ standing tackle got in his way.

However, the ball deflected off Stones’ foot and connected with Lionel Messi.

Once Messi had possession of the ball, Chris Smalling, who had provoked him on social media, rushed in desperately.

Lionel Messi, while shifting his weight to throw off the defenders, took a shot in one quick motion.

“Not a chance, ball!!!”

Messi’s shot, which stole the goalkeeper’s timing, was about to cross the goal line just as Son Jinho succeeded in clearing the ball.

“…Hosita, Puta Madre.”

This was the moment a foul word slipped from Messi’s mouth as he missed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the match.

*

After Son Jinho and Lionel Messi exchanged friendly blows, the game became fiercely competitive.

[Messi has the ball, looking for Di Maria on the flank.]

[Kyle Walker intercepts! He blocks Messi’s pass! And here comes England’s counterattack!]

[Walker to Henderson, and Henderson spots Jinho making a run behind!]

[Quick! Jinho! There are Rashford and Raheem Sterling on the flank!]

[Jinho! This time he shoots!! Oh! Jinho’s shot hits the crossbar! Jinho is holding his head in frustration!]

The two teams faced off without yielding an inch.

“10, don’t miss!”

“Stop slacking off! Focus, you bastards!”

The players’ shouting filled the air.

“There’s a gap forming! Close it up!”

“Damn it! Pass to your teammates! Don’t dribble recklessly!”

Coaches on the touchline were giving active directions.

The crowd was singing cheers until they were hoarse.

[England and Argentina. Both teams are very aggressive. The atmosphere of the match is heating up.]

The atmosphere in the stadium quickly heated up.

*

Argentina was truly relentless.

Although it didn’t feel like a team solely devoted to Messi like at the 2022 Qatar World Cup,

This time it wasn’t solely depending on Messi like during the 2014 World Cup.

Argentina’s players fought hard for Messi’s World Cup trophy.

We began to gradually be pushed back by the unyielding Argentina.

Ever Banega’s long-range shot attempted from near the arc was directed straight to the goalkeeper, and Jordan Pickford caught it confidently.

Then came Pickford’s goal kick.

Pickford aimed straight forward with the goal kick.

The ball sailed towards the center circle, where a confrontation occurred between Otamendi and Harry Kane.

‘Huh?’

The ball that Otamendi headed away from the battle with Harry Kane came my way.

I stretched my leg high in the air and managed to keep the ball from going out.

“Waaahhh─!”

An unexpected display of skill caused cheers to erupt from the stands.

As the ball hovered in the air and slowly descended,

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

As I gained possession of the ball, I saw Harry Kane sprinting into the space created behind Otamendi.

I immediately slipped in a through pass.

Honestly, I hesitated a bit seeing Harry Kane running after a previous poor performance.

‘Please, I hope those mental care sessions paid off.’

Even so, I had no choice but to trust Harry Kane, who was the main striker of the national team and my teammate.

The pass to Harry Kane was perfectly delivered into the space in front of him.

Kane took a steady first touch and started charging into the Argentine territory.

I spotted the Argentine goalkeeper, Franco Armani, standing uncertainly in a vague position.

Checking the goalkeeper’s position, Harry Kane calmly attempted a chip shot.

The ball flew past the goalkeeper’s fingertips and shook the Argentine net.

Having successfully scored, Harry Kane quickly turned and ran towards me.

*

[GOOOOOOAL─! Harry Kane! Harry Kane’s shot finds the net!]

[Wow! That’s a truly beautiful chip shot!]

[Yes. The chip shot itself is impressive, but Son Jinho’s pass was extraordinary.]

[A pass that splits the ground! Son Jinho shows a fantastic assist! He successfully records an assist on his first stage in a World Cup final!]

[England takes the lead with the opening goal from Harry Kane! The England fans begin to go wild with the opening goal!]

*

As Harry Kane’s opening goal pierced the net, I was certain of victory.

‘We won this one.’

No.

To be precise, I was convinced Lionel Messi couldn’t defeat me.

If Lionel Messi had changed his negative image with the media, the Football Association, and the public,

‘Yeah, I even switched nationalities.’

According to the law of equivalent exchange, since I had borne a greater sacrifice, it was only natural to win.

Anyway, I attempted to apply pressure from the front toward the dribbling Lionel Messi.

“Leo! Behind!”

Otamendi warned Lionel Messi, but it was too late.

I approached from behind Messi and snatched the ball from him through a physical challenge.

As Messi lost the ball, Argentina rushed back frantically to their defense.

“Stop him with a foul!”

The Argentine players tried to break the counterattack through a foul.

But with just one feint, the two approaching players fell to the ground in an instant.

I smoothly entered the penalty box, facing a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper.

I could see the pale face of the Argentine goalkeeper.

I calmly slid the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs.

Whoosh─.

The ball that left my toes slipped through the goalkeeper’s legs and shook the net.

“Come on!!”

I dashed towards the corner flag, swinging my fist and roaring.

*

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