Chapter 114
Eintracht Frankfurt.
This team is well known among South Korean soccer fans as the club where Cha Bum-kun once played.
In fact, even Frankfurt Station had a photograph of Cha Bum-kun on display.
‘……I wonder if they'll put up a photo of me in the Berlin subway someday.’
If I lift the Champions League trophy with Union Berlin, it doesn't seem impossible.
‘By then, Union Berlin will probably be considered one of the powerhouses, too.’
For reference.
Unlike most players and managers, who want a statue in front of their club,
the reason I wanted a photo in a subway station was simple.
‘I can just build a statue with my own money.’
Because Union Berlin was practically mine.
If I had a statue of myself built in front of Union Berlin's home stadium, it would feel a little tacky.
‘I need to achieve at least one accomplishment worthy of a subway photo before building a statue, or it would be embarrassing.’
Anyway.
I didn't think Union Berlin would lose to Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Union Berlin players were thoroughly motivated by the goal of winning the first league title of their careers, and they devoted themselves to training without even taking time to rest.
Their desire to win was so fierce that I, their manager, had to step in and make them restrain themselves during training.
‘I never thought I'd end up threatening to leave someone out of the matchday squad for overtraining.’
To prevent injuries caused by overtraining, Daniel Teixeira and I had to keep the players under strict control.
Well. It wasn't a bad feeling.
They never slacked off by saying they wanted to transfer to another club or whined about not wanting to train.
‘Good thing I recruited them based on their professionalism.’
And.
The players' mindset revealed its effect as soon as the match began.
Union Berlin pushed forward fiercely from the moment the match against Frankfurt kicked off.
Frankfurt was unable to regain its composure under Union Berlin's intense high press.
Alexander Meier, Frankfurt's forward, tried to launch a counterattack for the first time in a while, but Dante stole the ball with a tackle.
“Ref!”
“He got only the ball. Get up.”
Alexander Meier of Frankfurt tried to claim a foul, but the referee firmly shook his head.
The ball that spilled out from Dante's tackle was claimed by Thiago Silva.
As soon as Thiago Silva took possession in the back, Yannick Voigt made a run beyond the halfway line.
It was the result of the two players consistently communicating and practicing together.
Thiago Silva's long pass flew precisely toward Yannick Voigt.
Yannick Voigt drew in the players rushing toward him until the very last moment, then passed the ball to Shinji Kagawa, who was running up from behind.
“Shinji─!”
Shinji Kagawa carried the ball forward before gently pushing it to Son Heung-min, who was making a run into the penalty area.
The ball, which had passed between Alexandar Vasoski's legs, reached Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min checked the goalkeeper's position and fired a powerful left-footed shot.
Bang─.
Son Heung-min's low, fast shot tore into Frankfurt's net.
Sway─!
The moment Frankfurt's net rippled, I threw both arms into the air. Then I immediately tried to run toward the corner flag.
Unfortunately, Son Heung-min, who had scored, sprinted straight for the corner flag.
And naturally, I couldn't keep up with the speed of the man who would later become known as a speed star in the Premier League.
‘……If I could have kept up with that, I would have continued my playing career.’
Anyway.
“Hooooooow─!”
I nodded as I watched Son Heung-min perform his celebration.
‘That kid has completely become a Union Berlin player now, hasn't he?’
After all, he had passed through the unique initiation tradition I had created for Union Berlin.
‘……Should I say it means, “Even after scoring, don't let your guard down until the very end”?’
Traditions like this were usually more about the interpretation than the dream itself.
***
“Gooooooooooal─! Son Heung-min! Son Heung-min's shot tears into Frankfurt's net!”
“Everyone, keep your eyes on this player! He'll become a legend of South Korean soccer!”
“That's right. Wow! Son Heung-min rested in the final match of the first half, and he scores immediately upon returning!”
“Yes. And Shinji Kagawa's pass was excellent as well, wasn't it? This is a scene that shows how close the two are!”
“Exactly! A true Korea-Japan collaboration! Kagawa's through ball and Son's composed finish! Union Berlin takes a 1–0 lead over Frankfurt!!”
***
At the same time.
“We're going to the Girls' Generation concert during preseason?”
Son Heung-min, who was celebrating at Union Berlin's corner flag, could do nothing but smile awkwardly at Shinji Kagawa's words in his ear.
“Haha, if there's a concert, I'll go….”
Son Heung-min couldn't firmly refuse Shinji Kagawa.
Kagawa liked Korean idols to an unusual degree.
He even went so far as to film himself dancing to Korean idol songs with Yuto Nagatomo, who was also on the team, and upload it to TikTok.
“I want to grant your wish.”
Son Heung-min cautiously backed away as he watched Shinji Kagawa hum the song in awkward Korean pronunciation.
It was a little embarrassing.
***
The match continued even after Son Heung-min's goal.
“Thomas Meier's intense pressing! He wins the ball!”
Union Berlin continued to display intense pressure.
At the center of it was Thomas Meier, who had rested in the previous match.
Thomas Meier pressed the opposition more aggressively than usual.
That was because Lee Seong-jae's performance had been better than expected, making him feel a ‘certain’ sense of pressure.
“Yes, Lee Seong-jae put in a good performance in the previous match. But it still seems difficult for him to overtake Thomas Meier.”
The commentators' voices were filled with sympathy.
They believed Lee Seong-jae would have difficulty competing for a starting spot.
“That's right. He's a player who covers an incredible amount of ground, always in exactly the right places.”
That didn't mean Lee Seong-jae's life at Union Berlin was bad, though.
He could watch and learn from Luka Modrić and Thomas Meier's movements up close.
In fact, Lee Seong-jae was developing faster than he had in the original timeline.
Park Chan-hyuk's help played a part, but being surrounded by high-quality players had also allowed him to naturally watch and learn from them.
- Wow. Union Berlin's squad is way tougher than I expected;;
- Now I understand why Hyeon-seong and Min-hyeok were sent out on loan before this season.
- Park Chan-hyuk, this bastard, is seriously damn good at finding players.
└ Is Chanhyuk hyung your friend?
└ Park Chan-hyuk is younger than me, though?
└ Just because he's younger than you, you think you can talk down to him?
Anyway, while South Korean soccer fans praised Park Chan-hyuk's eye for talent during Union Berlin's one-sided match,
“Luka Modrić has the ball again! He spots Son Heung-min making a run!”
Union Berlin continued to press Frankfurt.
“Son Heung-min's cross!!”
Son Heung-min's cutback went straight to Roberto Lewandowski, who was making a run into the penalty area.
- Didn't Park Chan-hyuk coin those terms?
- Half-space runs and cutbacks.
- Fuck, the commentators are broadcasting without studying at all.
Lewandowski put his foot to the ball rolling toward him.
His clean shot, which changed direction only slightly, rippled Frankfurt's net.
“Gooooooooooal─! It's in! Roberto~~~ Lewandowski!!”
Once again, the cheers of Union Berlin's fans rang throughout the stadium.
Like Son Heung-min, Roberto Lewandowski roared as he sprinted toward the corner flag the moment he scored.
- Why does everyone sprint toward the corner flag at full speed?
- If you're late, the celebration gets stolen.
- By whom?
- The manager.
- ???
- Sniff sniff. A newbie?
- Seems like a newbie.
***
After Roberto Lewandowski's goal, time flew by.
The match against Frankfurt came to an end.
Union Berlin secured a 4–0 thrashing of Frankfurt, with Yannick Voigt and Shinji Kagawa adding goals.
“Good match.”
“……You've built a good team. Congratulations on winning the league ahead of time.”
“Thank you.”
I exchanged a quick handshake with Frankfurt's manager, then stared at the pitch with a serious expression.
It wasn't because one of the players had suffered a serious injury or because I was dissatisfied with Union Berlin's performance today.
It was simply because I hadn't managed to steal a single celebration in today's match.
The Union Berlin players moved at lightning speed the moment they scored.
Even Yannick Voigt had now started running straight for the corner flag.
I felt a bitter pang.
“……Should I scout a new player?”
Apparently, it was time to scout a new player.
Just as I was quietly nursing my bitterness alone,
a fantastic idea popped into my head.
‘……What if I stole the opposing team's celebration whenever we conceded?’
No matter how I looked at it, it was a fucking brilliant idea.