Ronaldo.
The legendary footballer who shocked the world when he appeared in the 1990s.
There hasn't been anyone in this era more fitting of the word "goal poacher" than him.
You could stay up all night trying to explain his career, but to put it simply, it could be summed up like this:
—A phenomenal prime.
His rise began at the age of 17, scoring 30 goals in the Dutch league.
After making a strong impression at the Olympics, he transferred to Barcelona, where he scored 47 goals in his first season and won the league's top scorer title.
But what was most shocking was that many of those 47 goals were created by Ronaldo all by himself.
The so-called Ronaldo One-route.
Although he was a striker up front, he made everything happen on his own.
Once he received the ball, he would sprint toward the goal and finish the play himself.
Whether it was one defender or ten, it didn't matter.
No matter how much body defense or precise offside traps were thrown at him, Ronaldo in his prime was unstoppable.
He even overshadowed Luis Figo, who was Barcelona's star at the time.
To Spanish football fans, he was pure shock and awe.
That was Ronaldo's golden era.
Afterward, he transferred to Italy's prestigious Inter Milan, but a serious injury prevented his prime from lasting longer. Still, it was clear that he was the emperor of his time.
An emperor's astonishing play.
And he was about to show that in today's reserve team training match.
Smack!
Ronaldo dropped slightly deeper to receive the ball.
Not long after, tension crept across the field.
The movements of the A team defenders noticeably stiffened.
Just the fact that they were facing Ronaldo had that effect.
Soon, a storm swept in.
Ronaldo's solo run.
With step-overs and sharp cuts, he displayed individual skills that hadn't rusted a bit.
He didn't overdo it, mindful of the risk of injury.
Even so, he instantly dribbled past two defenders.
Only the goalkeeper was left.
But to Ronaldo, the goalkeeper was little more than a scarecrow.
His finishing ability was second to none.
Swish!
With a powerful inside-foot shot, the ball flew like a bullet into the net.
The A team's young players stood speechless.
The play was simply jaw-dropping.
But Ronaldo's thoughts were different.
'My body's not moving properly.'
Compared to his prime, his form was far from ideal.
No wonder. He was now weighing close to 94 kilograms.
That kind of physique couldn't produce the explosive power of his earlier days.
Still, in a recent test, he clocked an incredible 3.84 seconds in a 25-meter sprint.
That was just 0.2 seconds slower than Kaka, considered at his peak speed.
But the risk of knee injury was too high for him to play like before.
He still had the energy, but his hardware was too damaged to handle it.
Even so, it was more than enough to leave the players in shock.
The momentum Ho-young had been controlling was now flowing around Ronaldo.
With an overwhelming performance, Ronaldo had taken the lead role from Ho-young.
Before anyone realized it, every pass was being directed toward Ronaldo.
And each key pass he received, he converted into a goal.
It was hard to believe he was already 30.
He might have been a tiger with missing teeth, but he still had his claws. That 30 minutes proved it.
"As expected of Il Fenomeno."
"Heh heh."
In the observation room located between the first and reserve team training grounds.
The board members watching the training from their seats burst into applause.
Ronaldo had certainly earned it.
Alongside Maradona, he truly deserved the title "tactics himself."
That's why Pérez felt even more regret.
Despite having the qualifications, Ronaldo couldn't show the fans what he was truly capable of.
'He must be the most frustrated of all.'
The more he watched Ronaldo play like this, the more his heart ached.
He wanted to help somehow, but unless Ronaldo changed himself, there was nothing that could be done.
Football was still a business.
'Ronnie still loves football.'
The problem was his physical condition.
Due to hypothyroidism, his weight kept increasing uncontrollably.
But neither the club nor Ronaldo himself was aware of it yet.
A lack of self-discipline also played a role.
According to his doctor, if he cut out alcohol and greasy food, and changed his playstyle, he could enjoy a long career.
But Ronaldo always had greasy food in his mouth.
Alcohol and cigarettes were constant, and he spent many nights at nightclubs.
There had been more than a few times when such scenes were caught by paparazzi, causing headaches.
'Tsk tsk. What a waste of talent.'
Pérez sighed deeply and turned his attention back to the next training session that had just begun.
After a 7-minute 30-second break, the second round kicked off immediately.
The interesting part was that while Ho-young moved to the A team, Ronaldo stayed with the B team.
In terms of squad strength, B team was at a clear advantage.
They not only had Ronaldo but also Miguel Torres, the core of Castilla's defense.
At 21 years old, he had joined Real Madrid's youth academy at the age of 12 and had consistently shown great potential as a full-back.
He had even made his first-team debut the previous year, showcasing his excellent skills.
He was especially strong in positioning, decision-making, and defensive intelligence, making him effective against tactical plays from opponents.
Thanks to that, the B team didn't have many concerns about their defense.
…Or so the coaches thought, but reality proved otherwise.
Only one minute into the second half, something unexpected happened.
Ho-young, now playing as an attacking midfielder for the A team, abandoned the conventional playmaker style and made a sudden move.
A direct dribble.
"!"
Miguel, tracking Ho-young, made a critical error in the blink of an eye.
Just like Ronaldo in the first half, Ho-young attempted a solo breakthrough.
But he didn't use any flashy footwork.
He relied solely on raw speed and acceleration.
Kaka's pace combined with Cha Du-ri's power.
Explosiveness bursting from fast-twitch muscle fibers.
And Zidane's ball control refined the quality of his dribble.
"Ugh."
Miguel wasn't a slow player.
He had played as a wing-back many times and had pride in his speed.
But Ho-young, the fastest player in Castilla, couldn't be contained.
Although the goalkeeper blocked the shot and it didn't result in a goal, Miguel couldn't shake off the shock for a while.
"Miguel, get it together. You gonna let a rookie who just joined today make you look like that?"
"...Yeah. Gotta stay focused."
Snapping out of it thanks to a teammate's comment, Miguel patted his chest and kept his eyes on Ho-young's movements.
'Don't let his age fool you. That kid's a monster.'
Miguel wasn't the only one shaken.
Ronaldo.
Even though he was a striker and had no direct positional relation to Ho-young, he was starting to feel a sense of crisis.
The overwhelming momentum he had earlier was starting to fade.
Because Ho-young, who had been supporting the playmaking role, was now on the opposing team.
"Haha."
Ronaldo let out a chuckle, caught off guard by the situation.
'Not bad.'
His heart was racing.
"Loco, Loco, Loco."
The Portuguese word for "crazy bastard" slipped out of his mouth three times.
It felt like he was drunk in broad daylight, endorphins rushing through his body.
Suddenly, nostalgia washed over him.
When he debuted at the age of 14.
Back then, playing in Brazil's second division, he was already the team's tactical core.
That version of himself now seemed to overlap with Ho-young.
It was extraordinary.
And this was Real Madrid, not some low-tier league.
It was the graveyard of prospects, known for its high standards.
Yet in that graveyard, Ho-young was standing out with overwhelming presence.
Only then did Ronaldo realize something.
'Pillar.'
It now made sense why Zidane, whose tutoring experience amounted to teaching his four sons, had taken on mentoring Ho-young.
It wasn't just some youth player he was fooling around with.
This felt like a match between equals, two professional players on the same level.
Ho-young's incredibly mature play was the reason.
'The kid knows how to restrain himself.'
Ronaldo at 14 didn't have that.
He just ran. And ran again.
He scored countless wonder goals while beating every defender in his way.
It was also what caused his knee injuries.
'Can't believe the thoughts going through my head right now.'
Usually, Ronaldo didn't think much during matches. But today was different.
A grin formed on his lips.
His eyes turned back toward the ball.
That's when the real battle for control began between the two.
As the third round progressed into its midpoint following the second, the match's intensity kept rising.
Despite being a training match, the game was filled with speed and physicality.
The teams remained the same as the second round, with Ho-young and Ronaldo on opposing sides.
That made the power struggle constant.
A 30-year-old aging emperor clashing with a 14-year-old rising prodigy.
By the time the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 5-3.
It didn't matter which team won.
What mattered was the individual performances.
Among the 28 players, the one who stood out the most was Ronaldo.
He scored four goals in total, showcasing explosive finishing.
Even in a first-team match, he would've easily been named Man of the Match.
Meanwhile, Ho-young, playing his first match with Castilla, couldn't show everything he had.
The world of professionals, where 22 players fought it out, was different indeed.
He recorded 1 goal and 1 assist—an impressive stat—but it didn't compare to Ronaldo's dominance, tearing apart full-grown defenders with ease.
The road ahead was still long for the young prospect.
And the already matured, now-declining legend was not a fair comparison to begin with.
But Ronaldo's thoughts were slightly different.
'Today, I lost.'
Ronaldo won today's match, but the 14-year-old Ronaldo from his past had lost.
In terms of potential, even the football emperor couldn't match that boy.
Talent.
And the ability to utilize it were both exceptionally high.
There are countless young players around the world with Maradona-level talent who never manage to bring it out.
In that sense, Ho-young was on another level.
'His raw talent for football. Terrifying.'
That was Ronaldo's one-line review of Ho-young.
A true football prodigy.
A type of player he had never seen or experienced before piqued his interest.
More than anything, he was curious.
Would he continue to grow like this?
Would he end up just another name due to bad luck?
Or would he surpass this level?
It was fascinating.
And it was that curiosity that made Ronaldo move.
Toward the halfway line.
From the opposite side, Ho-young was already walking toward him.
Their steps stopped at the center circle.
At the heart of the field.
It was Ronaldo who spoke first.
"Hello, genius."
Ho-young's eyelids twitched slightly.
(To be continued.)