The Assassin's Pitch

A Novel of Sport, Love, Loss and Revenge

The incident involving Manchester United striker Moon Woo-jin is so frighteningly plausible that it mirrors our reality. What he does next, is just as probable.

After twelve years of professional football in South Korea, Moon Woo-jin’s dream is realized: He is acquired by Manchester United. The striker’s performances in the English Premier League exceed expectation. And life in the West with his wife and newborn son is bliss.

That is, until a suicide bomber claims the lives of his family. The authorities rule it as an “isolated incident” of homegrown terrorism, leaving no arrests, no justice, and the footballer devastated.

Descending deeper into mental hell, Moon meets his estranged uncle, Gang-won, who is a South Korean gangster. He learns through his relative’s connections that the suicide bomber was not acting alone, which fuels his desire to exact revenge on those responsible.

Therefore, Woo-jin continues his role in the forward position for Manchester United as a cover, so he can wage his covert war against terrorism in the media’s spotlight.

Over the course of the season as a vigilante, the striker, along with his uncle, navigate the perilous underworld in which the Islamic extremists operate, revealing something profoundly greater than his vendetta.

This is the saga of Moon Woo-jin—a footballer stricken by tragedy, a man plagued by demons, and an assassin on and off the pitch.