Chapter 121
“Good match, and congratulations on winning the title.”
“Ah. It was a good match. Thank you.”
After the match with Bayern Munich ended, Jupp Heynckes, who had been waiting in the entrance tunnel, approached and greeted me.
“All right, I’m counting on you next season, too.”
Jupp Heynckes looked relieved.
He had the expression of someone whose worries had been resolved.
It seemed he was planning to reverse his retirement, just as in the original history, and return to the Bundesliga next season.
‘Jürgen Klopp, Louis van Gaal, and Jupp Heynckes….’
The Bundesliga title race did seem to be growing fiercer, but greater competitiveness was important.
A highly competitive league was necessary to win the Champions League.
Apparently, the moment a team became an absolute ruler in the league,
the club’s development naturally came to a halt.
‘Even if it doesn’t stop, it’s true that development slows down.’
Anyway, we decided to hold the title celebration at the final match.
Yannick Voigt was scheduled to return, and Union Berlin’s home stadium was expected to be completed by then.
We had discussed it beforehand, and the DFB had gladly agreed.
Although we never said it out loud, both the DFB and Union Berlin had expected it. If Union Berlin secured the league title, there was no way the ceremony could be conducted normally.
Apparently, the fans needed a little time to calm down before we could hold the league title celebration.
Anyway.
At the same time as Union Berlin secured the league title, the DFB gathered videos from our days in the fourth division and uploaded them to YouTube and the Guten channel.
Apparently, the DFB also intended to strike while the iron was hot.
The documentary-style videos uploaded by the DFB received a fairly strong response,
and Union Berlin could feel new fans beginning to pour in.
And since the sudden influx of new fans could potentially lead to clashes with the existing supporters,
Union Berlin’s employees had no choice but to remain on edge over conflicts between the new and old fans.
‘Well… it’s something that naturally happens as a club grows.’
It wasn’t really something for which anyone could be blamed.
The old fans wanted the club’s history and traditions, as well as their culture, to be respected,
while the new fans were ignorant of the traditions, history, and supporter culture.
If they bickered and fought, a new tradition would emerge.
And above all, Union Berlin’s fans were not exclusionary.
‘Come to think of it, even 55,000 seats seem too few now….’
Well, if worse came to worst, we could turn one of the stands into a standing section like Dortmund and accommodate up to 70,000 people.
‘……Tsk. I didn’t know it would be this popular.’
Anyway, perhaps thanks to Guten’s support, the Bundesliga’s popularity was rising rapidly.
The entire world was focusing its attention on Union Berlin’s fairy-tale title win,
[They’ve won it! They’ve won it! Union Berlin’s romantic dream is finally complete!]
[From the amateur fourth division all the way to the top flight! A true royal roader is born!]
[Even “that place,” famous for its anime, would surely throw away the script, saying this story was far too exaggerated!]
Broadcasting platforms around the world, including Sky Sports and ESPN, also showered praise on Union Berlin’s title win.
[Before the season began, no one could have predicted Union Berlin’s title win. The odds of Union Berlin winning were the same as finding a living Elvis Presley or discovering that aliens lived on the far side of the moon.]
Even FIFA left a tribute to Union Berlin’s title win.
[The Berlin state government declares it will hold a grand celebratory parade for Union Berlin’s title win!]
Berlin, Union Berlin’s home city, also celebrated the club’s Bundesliga title.
It was the first such title since Germany was reunified and the Bundesliga was founded.
The citizens of Berlin also erupted in cheers over Union Berlin’s victory.
During the Prussian era, Berlin had been the center of Germany, but after the country was divided, the city had fallen behind the south and west.
In its own way, this restored the wounded pride of Berlin’s citizens.
[Union Berlin’s title win—and Son Heung-min’s comeback goal—turns the tide!]
[Kagawa Shinji’s fantastic performance against Bayern Munich!]
Meanwhile.
South Korea and Japan also celebrated Union Berlin’s title win.
After all, players from their countries were playing for Union Berlin.
[Are Southeast Asian football associations sending a call to Park Chan-hyuk?]
[The Uzbekistan Football Association offers Park Chan-hyuk an invitation….]
And when Union Berlin achieved the first Bundesliga title in the club’s history, Asian countries other than South Korea and Japan also began to get excited.
***
[Union Berlin defeat Bayern Munich to clinch the league title!]
[Manager Park Chan-hyuk wins the Bundesliga for the first time in the club’s history!]
[Robert Lewandowski: “The boss is a good friend to us.”]
[Luka Modrić celebrates Union Berlin’s Bundesliga title. “This is why I chose Union Berlin.”]
[Thomas Tuchel, who discovered Park Chan-hyuk: “I was certain that Chan-hyuk would become a good manager someday. And congratulations on Union Berlin’s title.”]
[Jürgen Klopp congratulates Union Berlin on their title. “Chan-hyuk’s tactics are giving new inspiration to many managers.”]
[Jupp Heynckes congratulates Union Berlin on their victory immediately after the match…. “I think I’ll have to reverse my retirement. It would be a shame to leave right now.”]
[Yannick Voigt cheers until his voice gives out from the stands!]
[Union Berlin storm the field as soon as they clinch the league title!]
[What South Korean society needs right now is Park Chan-hyuk’s leadership!]
└ Uh… Wouldn’t the country be ruined if things went wrong?
└ For starters, it seems clear that the reporter wrote this article without watching a Union Berlin match.
└ Is there something wrong with Park Chan-hyuk?
└ He seems a bit crazy when you watch a match.
***
After clinching the Bundesliga title, time passed quickly.
The Bundesliga’s final league match ended with today’s game,
and the spectators and players did not leave the stadium even after the match had ended.
After all, it was finally time for Union Berlin’s title celebration.
Wir werden alles zerlegen, bis wir Deutscher Meister sind
We will tear everything apart until we become German champions.
While the fans sang their chants and celebrated the title,
FC Union Du sollst leuchten, wie der hellste Heiligenschein.
FC Union, you will shine like the brightest halo.
Before long, a podium had been set up.
Und überall wird es schallen, FC Union unser Verein!!!
And everywhere, our club FC Union, it will ring out!!!
Yannick Voigt, who had returned from injury, slowly lifted the trophy.
And then.
“Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
A roar loud enough to shake the stadium rang out.
As I watched Yannick lift the trophy, I looked around.
One wall was covered with bricks engraved in various languages, a reminder never to forget the fans’ dedication and donations.
Yes.
The title celebration was being held at Union Berlin’s newly built home stadium. Construction on the stadium, which had begun last season, had finally been completed.
It had been completed faster than expected thanks to the dedication of Union Berlin’s fans, who had worked day and night.
‘Park Jeong-ah being dumbfounded as she compared the speed at which Guten’s headquarters was built with the speed at which Union Berlin’s home stadium was built… that was an added bonus.’
For reference, some of the workers had even said they wanted to build Union Berlin’s stadium for less pay.
Anyway, as a way of repaying the dedication of Union Berlin’s fans, children from the Berlin area were invited to the stands built through the fans’ voluntary donations, free of charge.
However, although inviting the children had been the club staff’s idea, there was still something slightly unsettling about it.
‘……Was that really okay, emotionally?’
I had left out a few words that were a bit dubious, but I was still worried.
‘Well. Still, seeing it completed does make it feel a little different.’
Although the other Bundesliga teams had mocked us as quacks,
once it was actually completed, the stadium had a distinctive Union Berlin character unlike an ordinary one.
“Hey! Chan-hyuk!! Come over, quick!”
While I was lost in thought, the players were waiting with the center left open.
The fans, who had been shouting and celebrating the title, had eventually begun clapping quietly.
I was practically pushed onto the podium,
where I took hold of the trophy Yannick Voigt and the players handed me and raised it.
"Chan-hyuk!! Fußballgott!!"
At that moment, the cheers of the fans I had heard back during my days as a player-assistant coach rang in my ears.
[Thank you for your dedication.]
A card display that seemed to have been prepared by Union Berlin’s fans unfolded.
“Ah… Maybe it’s because dust got in my eyes, but they sting….”
A washed-up coach whom no one in Germany would hire met Union Berlin, a club on the verge of bankruptcy.
It was finally the moment I lifted the Bundesliga championship trophy.