I rejected the school bully’s confession because of soccer.

The whistle blew signaling the start of the game.

The Mediterranean Cup games were played with 11 players, and Kang Tan was positioned as the left winger.

The reason the coach assigned this position was simple.

Simply because Kang Tan was technically the best in the team?

That was part of it, but it was a choice considering his speed and ability to utilize space.

When Kang Tan starts running wild, the opponent’s defense would focus on him.

This strategy would create space in the center and right side of the team in return.

Kang Tan was well aware of the importance of his position.

It didn’t take long to realize what the coach’s intention was.

‘I need to shake the opponent just with my movement from the left. But I shouldn’t do everything alone.’

Kang Tan deliberately calmed his mind.

His goal for this group stage was clear.

To create opportunities for teammates through teamplay as much as possible.

To make everyone feel like they had a part in this tournament.

‘There’s no need for me to be greedy from the group stage.’

Since the teammates also know the significance of the Mediterranean Cup, they would surely want to stand out.

But if Kang Tan takes all the spotlight, would they be entirely happy?

‘Their desire to achieve on their own will grow, and they might overdo it and ruin the game.’

In extreme cases, situations where they don’t pass the ball might occur.

Even if they start passing belatedly after the game has gone sour, mistakes will happen due to impatience.

‘Then it becomes difficult to turn things around late.’

Yes, giving the children fun and creating anticipation for the remaining games is the priority.

Kang Tan exhaled briefly.

Benfica came with strong pressure from the start.

As soon as Kang Tan got the ball, he felt an opponent defender quickly sticking to him.

“What, you were a player? You’re even attacking? Well, it would be funnier if you were a defender.”

It was the child he saw during breakfast.

Kang Tan briefly considered shutting down the provocation with individual skills, but instead passed the ball back.

The ball went through the center back and midfielder before connecting to the right winger.

The opponent made a puzzled expression.

‘I intentionally showed a vulnerability that seemed possible to breakthrough, did he see through the trap?’

Despite the provocation, he calmly passed the ball.

The coach watched the scene from the bench and smiled slightly.

It was encouraging that Kang Tan was approaching the game rationally.

He was clearly aware of his role.

Benfica was a team with solid central defense, and the side spaces were relatively weak points.

10 minutes into the first half.

Kang Tan quickly sprinted along the left sideline and got the ball.

An opposing defender blocking him.

In that moment, Kang Tan passed the ball to the center with a simple cutback.

The pass perfectly reached Lucas’s feet.

Lucas controlled it once and attempted a shot.

Thwack!

The quickly shot ball missed the goal slightly, but cheers erupted from the stands.

“Good! Let’s keep doing that!”

The coach’s voice was heard.

Kang Tan smiled slightly towards Lucas.

‘Not bad.’

Kang Tan constantly moved to draw the opponent’s attention whenever the ball was connected to the center.

At the same time, he actively moved and looked for the opponent’s gaps.

This time, he attempted a simple one-two pass.

La Masia’s trademark triangle formation kept forming.

When the ball touched his feet again, the opposing defender was completely shaken.

Kang Tan considered taking a shot himself this time, but soon made a different choice.

‘I could simply dribble past and score, but that side is completely open too.’

Kang Tan passed the ball to the center again, and the infiltrating midfielder shook the goal net.

“Wooooah!!”

Teammates cheered and ran to the midfielder.

Some didn’t move much and clapped their hands smiling from their positions.

A goal created with Kang Tan’s assist.

The opponent’s eyebrows twitched.

The game resumed.

The atmosphere was ominous.

Benfica seemed determined and started gradually increasing the intensity of their attacks.

Kang Tan felt that the opposing team was adjusting their movements.

‘The flow is shifting.’

Benfica was moving organically like the entire team was a single organism.

The opponent’s left and right fullbacks participated in the attack with relentless overlapping.

Kang Tan didn’t back down and helped with defense.

But eventually.

Just before the end of the first half, Benfica’s midfielder made a sharp through pass from the halfway line.

A winger running at full speed created an equalizing goal.

“Yes!”
“See that, Spain? It’s back to square one now!”

The team’s center back who lost him hung his head.

Sighs erupted from the bench and stands, and teammates on the field were shaken.

But Kang Tan comforted him.

“It’s okay. Your movement was good enough.”

But Benfica didn’t stop here.

As the second half started, they seemed unwilling to let go of the momentum they had gained, and put more power into their attacks again.

They completely dominated the flow by even applying strong forward pressure.

25 minutes into the second half quickly passed.

Benfica created a corner kick situation.

The kicker’s high ball was successfully headed in by the striker for the team’s comeback goal.

While Benfica’s players were doing their goal celebration, the defender marking Kang Tan spoke.

“Was this all you had? Spanish league? I’m disappointed. It’s because of you, right? Should have matched your weight class.”

Kang Tan stretched his neck.

‘Seems like they don’t know about losing by running their mouths.’

If they don’t know, I should teach them.

Kang Tan’s team was preparing for the final counterattack as the game passed the 30-minute mark of the second half.

The coach urgently gave instructions from the bench.

“Push one more forward! Raise the line! And Kang Tan! From now on, do as you please!”

It was good news for Kang Tan.

‘Alright, this time I’ll create it myself.’

The ball started from the center again.

Kang Tan was analyzing the movement in the opponent’s half even before the ball reached his feet.

Benfica tried to disrupt the ball’s movement with strong pressure this time too.

However, this time Kang Tan moved first.

Receiving the pass, he disrupted the defender’s balance with a quick turn.

With the following speed dribble, he lightly passed two opponents and broke through to near the penalty box.

“Stop him!”

The opposing center back rushed in urgently.

Kang Tan smirked.

‘Now, I’ll spoon-feed you, so show me one more time. If you can pull this off, I’ll give you the winning goal.’

With that thought, he calmly connected the ball to Lucas.

This time, Lucas didn’t control it but took a non-stop shot, and the ball vigorously shook the goal net.

2-2 tie.

The game returned to square one.

Antonio Romero, a scout closely observing the game, couldn’t take his eyes off.

The first thing that caught his eye was Kang Tan.

‘Such a young kid came out?’

At first, he thought they might have started him just to give a promising player stage experience.

However, he was extraordinary from his first touch.

Early in the game, a gap that seemed intentionally created by the opposing defender.

But Kang Tan seemed to notice it was a trap to induce a breakthrough.

He instantly turned the ball to the other side.

‘Usually, they would have attempted a breakthrough.’

Antonio nodded.

Kang Tan’s judgment was showing not just technique, but experience and soccer intelligence.

The pass he chose was extremely accurate.

Kang Tan’s pass that instantly neutralized the opposing defense line and created a chance.

It landed at his teammate’s feet and directly led to a goal.

‘Clean. Really clean.’

Antonio unconsciously stopped taking notes and applauded in admiration.

His presence was evident in defense as well.

Whenever the opposing team started a counterattack, Kang Tan came down faster than anyone.

Not with an urgent attitude trying to steal the ball, but calmly blocking pass routes and applying pressure.

And when he regained the ball?

He easily reached the forefront of the attack while starting a sprint again.

‘His stamina doesn’t make sense.’

Antonio was beyond amazed, he was dumbfounded.

Kang Tan’s activity was already covering the entire team.

Even as the second half began, there was no sign of fatigue in his movements.

When Kang Tan’s team allowed a comeback, Antonio crossed his arms.

‘If his mentality shakes here, we have to say he’s still far off.’

He watched Kang Tan closely.

But this child was different.

Kang Tan didn’t hang his head.

Rather, he raised his voice, gesturing to his teammates.

Maintaining composure even when the opponent was pouring out mockery was hard to see as a child.

The following scene was even more surprising.

Kang Tan’s team disrupted the opponent’s defense using triangular passwork.

Organizational power showing the trademark tiki-taka.

Kang Tan was at the center of it.

He was reading the situation even before the ball came.

Positioning ability that seemed to have seen through the opponent’s movements, taking accurate positions.

Vision creating rhythm by letting the ball flow or returning it every time he received it.

What was more impressive was that he wasn’t being greedy.

There were clearly two or three chances where he could have shot inside the penalty box.

However, Kang Tan passed the ball to teammates in better positions.

‘That’s not an easy thing to do.’

It definitely didn’t feel like he was throwing away chances due to lack of confidence.

It felt like the most certain, no, even like a mother bird feeding her chicks.
The result was an equalizing goal, and he saved his team.

Antonio pressed his lips firmly.

Kang Tan never hesitated once.
Quick passes exchanged with teammates, individual skills that instantly shook off opposing defenders.

And an accurate assist.

“He’s crazy.”

Antonio muttered unconsciously.

Kang Tan wasn’t simply a child good at soccer.
He was the axis moving the team.

A problem solver turning the game around, and a leader with experience and intelligence.

Antonio raised the corners of his mouth.

‘How far will this child grow? No, how far can we pull him up?’

Kang Tan’s name written in his notebook was already circled several times.
Meanwhile, as the equalizing goal was scored, loud cheers filled the stadium from the stands.

Kang Tan clenched his fist while catching his breath.
And Lucas’s voice was heard.
“Kang! Nice assist!”

Lucas ran to Kang Tan instead of doing his own celebration.

The chance he missed in the first half.
He had been regretting it, and he was so grateful to Kang Tan for giving him a chance to make up for it.

However, Kang Tan avoided Lucas and immediately picked up the ball and ran to the center.

‘Sorry, but I don’t intend to end this as a tie.’