Chapter 1043: Game Day!

"I know you all must be questioning my decision about why Higo-kun is on the bench, right? Especially after how well he did in the training session?" Moriyasu-sensei asked.

After the announcement, everyone gathered in the meeting room, waiting for the head coach’s instructions.

Well, they would also not lie and say that they were not curious, especially since Higo had shown what he was capable of so far, and the boy deserved nothing but one spot in the main team.

Hell, even Shuichi Gonda and Shusaku Nishikawa, the two veteran goalkeepers, also nodded, realizing that they were far from the youngster in front of them when it came to goalkeeping ability.

Well, not just that; even in distribution skills, they felt threatened by Higo’s skill and vision to pinpoint the ball to the frontline so decisively without making any mistakes in the process.

Overall, Higo seemed to be a perfect goalkeeper, and they still didn’t know why the boy would be put on the bench instead of playing directly on the pitch.

"The thing is, it is not just Higo-kun, but I have no plan to put all the young players to the starting lineup in the next two games," Moriyasu-sensei stated.

"After all, we haven’t had any international game week for a long time, so I want to start it conservatively, which is with the senior players who I have already known and I could work well with."

"So, I really want to apologize to the newcomers for not giving you a proper chance this time."

He bowed deeply, catching everyone off guard.

"My promise is, I want you to adapt to the national team’s rhythm first, and if, in the next international week, your performance in the team is still stable, I will be the first one to call you and get you a spot in the national team."

"But before that, please, be patient a little bit."

Well, facing that kind of explanation, what could Higo and the others say?

Even the boy still felt that the reason was ridiculous; he couldn’t blame the man for prioritizing stability at this time.

He should also be in trouble with the pressure outside, as this was the first time the team had played in almost two years, and maintaining the image that they were still a strong team was important to secure people’s support for them.

Still, in hindsight, the boy didn’t really mind the decision.

After all, he was ready to be a bench warmer this time, knowing that when it came to reputation inside the team, he was still just a newcomer who didn’t know anything about this team.

This was already within his expectations, so the boy didn’t complain that much.

However, inwardly, Higo also clenched his fist tighter than ever, vowing to himself, ’The next international week, I will force him to put me on the pitch! I swear!’

With that in mind, though, time passed by, and before Higo knew it, he was already in the Nissan Stadium, a familiar ground where he was fighting to earn his name the first time with Hakodate Nishi a few years ago.

Honestly, the architecture of this place, the empty stands in front of him, and the faint smell of wood inside the locker room- all of those were enough to bring the boy back to his youth.

He still remembered vividly the motivational speech from Makino at that time, the hope to shock the whole nation as an underdog to beat the host team on their own home ground.

Who would’ve thought that a few years later, he would stand in this place again as a member of the national team?

’Yeah, fate sure is a funny thing, huh?’ He smiled faintly.

Unfortunately, the policy in Japan when it came to crowd gatherings was far stricter than in Germany, so no one came to the stand today.

It was still a little bit weird to have a national team game without any supporters, but at the end of the day, the boy just shrugged, having already gotten used to this pandemic.

Soon enough, the South Korean team also arrived at the stadium, and they came out of the tunnel still with their jacket on while also trying to warm up in this windy weather.

Higo could recognize some of them as part of the team that Japan U-20 faced in the World Cup U-20 a few years ago.

The most distinguishable one was, of course, the small man with the number 10 in their squad.

Compared to the other tall Korean players around, he might not look much. Hell, with his baby face, it made him look like an idol who came to the wrong place.

Still, anyone who mistook him for a harmless animal would be slapped in the face, as the man was also one of the biggest sensations in Asia right now.

He was none other than Lee Kang-In, the Lionel Messi of South Korea.

Just like Higo with Schalke, the man made a big splash in Spain with Valencia, with him leading the team to the top six of the standings currently.

His resilience playing style combined with his slippery dribble and extraordinary vision put him as one of the biggest transfer assets in Europe right now, with so many rumors flying around about him.

Still, that man, just like Higo, was just a small splash in the ocean.

Unfortunately—or fortunately, no one really knew about it—the biggest player in Asia couldn’t join the game, as Son Heung-Min would only report for the World Cup qualification, not just a friendly match.

This made some people sigh in relief, as the winger was currently in his best form with his combination play and Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur.

However, for those people who wanted to watch the duel between top players, this was definitely a big miss.

"Still, South Korea is not a weak team even without Son Heung-Min, so don’t lower your guard at all!"

"Yes, Sir!"