Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

191 – The Greatest of All Time

Soccer has a long history as a sport.

It’s not just an ordinary sport, but a ‘pro’ sport that has been established since the 19th century, specifically in 1885.

Being a ‘pro’ means that a systematic foundation has been formed to earn financial gains through soccer, which also implies that player registration systems are in place.

It’s only natural.

If a club pays a player a salary, but the player suddenly leaves without notice, what’s the point? Naturally, a registration system between clubs and players has been established, which has led to the emergence of the transfer market.

Although the era of £100 transfer fees began with Aston Villa’s signing of Willie Groves in 1893, the modern transfer market in its true sense didn’t appear until the 21st century.

In the 02/03 season, the transfer period was finally set, giving birth to the concept of a summer transfer market and a winter transfer market.

Of course, this is based on the standards of English professional soccer, but what can you do? Soccer is British, after all.

The commercialization, globalization, and Roman Abramovich’s takeover of Chelsea, which marked the influx of massive capital into the soccer world, have led to an explosion in the transfer market, culminating in PSG’s signing of Neymar from Barcelona for approximately €220 million in the 17/18 season.

After the era of €200 million transfer fees began, some experts predicted that the record for the highest transfer fee wouldn’t last long, given the rapidly rising trend.

But they were wrong.

The transfer fee record of approximately €220 million set by Neymar in the 17/18 season remained unbroken for 20 years.

There have been cases that came close, and even transfer fees of nearly €200 million were recorded, but it was difficult for even the wealthiest clubs to break Neymar’s record.

The excessive inflation of transfer fees and the widening wealth gap led the European Football Federation, the center of the global transfer market, to intervene.

The UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) rule, also known as the UEFA Financial Rule, was established to prevent clubs from relying on external capital and to ensure that they spend within their means.

Although this rule has been criticized for its loopholes and controversy, it has had a significant impact on curbing transfer fee inflation since the 2010s, when the Asian market began to open up and the external expansion of European soccer slowed down.

As a result, Neymar’s transfer fee record, which had been maintained for a long time, was finally broken in the 37/38 season.

『Barcelona, who declared NFS, but were helpless against the buyout clause』

『No one expected it! Barcelona laughed and cried with a buyout of €410 million』

That’s a staggering difference of nearly twice the amount.

* * *

Although the brakes have been put on the skyrocketing transfer fee inflation, it’s not like the bubble has completely burst.

It’s still common to see news articles about clubs spending €100 million on a single player every season, which means that only a handful of clubs can afford to spend that kind of money.

In other words, only a few clubs can take turns spending €100 million each.

There are several leagues in Europe, and numerous clubs, but ultimately, only a limited number of clubs can afford to spend that kind of money.

Recently, however, the leading clubs that were supposed to dominate the transfer market have been mysteriously quiet.

While there have been many rumors, few transfers have actually been completed, with Chelsea’s signing of David Martinez from AT Madrid for €100 million being one of the few exceptions.

From the Manchester brothers, who have always been big spenders, to the newly emerged oil-rich club Newcastle, the traditional giants Real Madrid, and PSG, who have been named in the top 10 for transfer fees four times, all of them have been unusually quiet.

With the big spenders tightening their belts, the cycle of transfer funds has been disrupted, and the transfer market has been stagnant for two years.

This transfer market, which is determined to break free from the slump, has already seen a €400 million bombshell before it even began.

The main character behind the €410 million buyout is none other than Joo Jitae.

This player, who boasts an astronomical transfer fee that has shocked the global soccer community, is now—

“Oh, Garan. So, where did the offer come from? Bradford? Everton? Don’t just consider the EPL; there might be other teams interested too. Let me look into it and get back to you. You should also research how these teams performed last season and think about how you’ll play if you join them. Okay, I’ll hang up. See you later.”

Joo Jitae, who has been too busy helping his national team colleagues find teams, has put his own transfer on the backburner.

It’s only natural, given his status as a player who is in high demand.

suddenly—

Joo Jitae’s smartphone vibrates, and a message appears on the screen as he is busy selecting teams for his national team colleagues.

[President Jung Seon-woo: Jitae, you’ve got two offers, and numbers 1 and 3 have called.]

[President Jung Seon-woo: Keep running.]

The contents were filled with incomprehensible questions, but Jitae just glanced at them and lost interest.

They didn’t need him to step forward; they would figure it out themselves. If he interfered, it would only damage his image. In situations like this, it’s better to just keep quiet.

As a result, even though he was at the center of the storm in the transfer market, Jitae remained calm. After all, the center of a storm is usually quiet, while the surroundings are chaotic.

This time, instead of returning to noisy Korea, Jitae was quietly spending time with his family on the Spanish island of Ibiza, a famous resort.

Ibiza, also known as Eivissa, is a renowned Spanish resort located not far from Barcelona. While it’s famous for its nightlife and clubs, it’s also a popular destination for cafes.

Jitae was hiding out here with his family, not in seclusion, but in a state of focused attention, directing the transfers of his teammates.

“Let’s see… Ga-ram has an MVP record in the K-League and has performed exceptionally well at PSV, so there’s no need to worry. At this point, the EPL is… Everton is better than Bradford, isn’t it? Who’s the coach now? Ah, this guy is okay. If he comes here, he’ll do well. Then, let’s send him this way. Next is Hye-chan… What’s up with him? He scored 13 goals and 5 assists in Belgium? It’s uncertain, but there’s no one like him in the national team. Hmm… No matter how I think about it, we still need a striker. If he does well, he can compete in La Liga… Hetafe or Eibar would be a good fit for him.”

For Jitae, the transfer was already a done deal; all that was left was to choose where to go.

And Jitae had already made up his mind. He was just delaying the meeting to drive up the conditions.

The clubs that were fiercely competing for him would be shocked if they knew, but Jitae was calmly enjoying the sound of his salary increasing, playing a game of real-life Football Manager.

And then, a month later…

[‘Real Madrid prepares 2 billion euros, approximately 300 billion won, in annual salary to sign Jitae!!’]

[‘PSG leaves the captain’s position vacant for Jitae, and even offers a private jet!!’]

[‘The goal is only one person! Manchester City, which has waited two years for Jitae, prepares an enormous offer!!’]

[‘Newcastle joins the competition for Jitae’s signing! Manchester United is also considering participating in the race!!’]

[‘The football world is going crazy for Jitae! What is it about him that’s driving top clubs crazy?’]

As the agreement drew near, the transfer rumors continued to pour in, but there was no official announcement from Jitae’s side.

[‘Jitae spotted on a flight to London! Is Manchester his final destination?’]

[‘(Exclusive) Buyout payment complete! Only personal negotiations left’]

[‘The largest transfer in football history is about to happen! Is Jitae heading to Manchester City?’]

[‘Spanish superstar set to enter the EPL! Personal agreement imminent’]

[‘Will Jitae break the record for the highest transfer fee and annual salary in football history, surpassing the 2 billion euros Cristiano Ronaldo received from Al Nassr?’]

[‘Barcelona fans are in despair, feeling helpless’]

From PSG to Manchester City, Real Madrid, and eventually Newcastle and Manchester United, almost all the top clubs had joined the fray.

The war of attrition between the clubs, which had been going on for a while, was finally coming to an end.