Chapter 49
***
The match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund II is being held at Dortmund II's home ground.
The Dortmund fans' enthusiasm was certainly impressive.
Even though they were a reserve team, the fans were still cheering passionately.
'Maybe because their first-team results are bad.'
Borussia Dortmund is not a strong team right now. Like Union Berlin, it was a club shaken by a financial crisis.
Being called Bayern Munich's rival in the Bundesliga is something for the future.
Right now, it was nothing more or less than a team going under because of financial trouble.
In the original history, Dortmund revived after Jürgen Klopp joined.
And after Jürgen Klopp left, they appointed Thomas Tuchel.
Dortmund would develop a distinct identity of its own after going through those two geniuses.
That's when they earned the name “the club that develops players well.” Of course, both Jürgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel each had quite the knack for developing players.
In particular, Thomas Tuchel served in youth roles first at Stuttgart and then at Augsburg. Though obscured by Tuchel's personality, it was something everyone overlooked: he was a youth expert.
'Come to think of it, Tuchel was the head of youth development at Augsburg.'
Right now, Tuchel is known to the world as a tactically gifted manager, but his ability to develop youngsters was every bit as good as his tactical skill.
'And he's warmer toward youth than you'd expect.'
In fact, when I was studying abroad in Stuttgart, the one who took the best care of me was Thomas Tuchel.
Unlike the other youth coaches, who were warm and friendly, Tuchel was a little cold toward me, but when I was having a hard time, he was the one who helped me most in practical ways.
'...Is he a tsundere?'
That's also why I follow Thomas Tuchel now.
If Thomas Tuchel were really an irredeemable bastard, I'd have left long ago.
Though when he occasionally lost his temper and went after the board, I did get nervous.
'But that kind of thing has its own thrill too.'
Watching from the side gave me a thrill that made my chest feel like it was about to burst.
Anyway, Union Berlin's overall youth system was also in Thomas Tuchel's hands right now.
That meant that, for a club of Union Berlin's size, they had a fairly systematic youth setup.
That was also why Union Berlin's youth players were developing so quickly.
'Well. I guess it also helped that I'd told them to focus on training that would quickly raise their level based on the players' potential.'
“Concentrate, you bastards!”
“Hey! Sebastian, you're supposed to be in the first team already, you idiot!”
Anyway, at this point in time, Dortmund's youth side wasn't very strong.
'Has Nuri Şahin been promoted to the first team yet?'
In fact, there weren't any players in Dortmund's reserve team that I knew of.
Most of the Dortmund reserve players had their potential set at three or four stars.
You might ask whether that wasn't enough.
But the important thing to understand was potential, not current ability.
Considering the reserve team's ages, I didn't feel any need to recruit them at all.
And German footballers might feel that's reverse discrimination, but...
'If they're both four stars, then I'd rather use an Asian player.'
But as far as the club was concerned, that couldn't be helped.
They needed to sell shirts in Asia, after all.
It wasn't much different from how handsome white players get the spotlight in MLB. In a capitalist society, even sports move according to market logic.
'More than anything, I'd gone to the trouble of making a Korean-language site, so of course Koreans should be the ones using it.'
***
The match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund II was a typical Union Berlin game.
[Is it because this is a match after the break! Union Berlin, who had shown overwhelming strength at the start of the season, are back.]
[Yes, before the break the players did seem a little fatigued.]
In terms of skill, stamina, tactics, and everything else, Union Berlin was overwhelming.
[Marcus Matscheke has the ball and is looking around to identify his teammates' positions.]
[By the way, this player has improved so much it's hard to believe he's the same player as last year.]
[That's right. Even now, he's incredibly stable in possession, isn't he?]
[Ah! As I say that, Dortmund's Sebastian Tyrala tries to steal the ball, but no chance! Marcus Matscheke easily shakes off the pressure and sends a forward pass.]
Marcus Matscheke's pass, via Thomas Mayer, reaches Yannik Voigt, who was making a run into the space behind the defense.
[Thomas Mayer's excellent one-touch pass connects straight to Yannik Voigt!]
“Offside! Offside!”
The center back urgently raised his hand and looked at the assistant referee, but the assistant referee shook his head firmly. At the moment the pass was made, Yannik Voigt was inside the defensive zone.
[The assistant referee saw it perfectly. That was a perfectly onside situation!]
Meanwhile, Yannik Voigt took the ball as he entered the penalty area.
After checking the goalkeeper, who was rushing out in a panic, he slowly swung his right foot.
A cutback to a teammate, not a shot.
[Daniel Teixeira!!!]
And the one who rushed toward the ball was Daniel Teixeira, who had announced that he would retire at the end of this season.
The moment Daniel Teixeira's shot tore through the net.
“Texas! Texas! Texas!”
The affectionate cheers of Union Berlin fans rang out through the stadium.
***
Union Berlin had begun to pull ahead with Daniel Teixeira's goal.
Daniel Teixeira hadn't directly told the squad that he was retiring, but
everyone in the squad already had a rough idea of what Daniel Teixeira would do next season.
And it wasn't just the squad. The fans, too, all sensed that this season would be Daniel Teixeira's last.
After all, the time he was getting on the pitch had been steadily shrinking.
At his age, recovery would naturally get slower.
Daniel Teixeira seemed to be overcome by the fans chanting his name, and he quietly began to sob.
Even the Dortmund fans, at this moment, chose to clap quietly instead of booing.
As a third-rate player myself, I couldn't know what emotion he was feeling.
Someday, when I retired as a coach, I wanted to have a farewell ceremony surrounded by the home fans' affection.
'Like Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.'
As I was getting sentimental, Thomas Tuchel's muttering reached my ears.
“I can't understand why he's acting like someone we'll never see again when he'll be joining Union Berlin's coaching staff after this season.”
“….”
I let out a quiet sigh.
Tuchel, is that really what you took from that?
***
Meanwhile, around that time.
The four exchange students from Korea watched the game together at the lodging Union Berlin had arranged for them.
Because, as football exchange students, they couldn't play in semi-pro matches.
In any case, the Union Berlin prospects began gathering one by one at the lodging where they were staying. The lodging for the Korean exchange students had become a secret hideout for Union Berlin's youth players.
“Has the game started?”
“Yeah. Hurry up and come over.”
Among the prospects gathered at the Korean students' lodging were Leon Han and Manuel Schmidt.
“Hey, hyung-nims.”
“Leon, come on over too.”
“Hey, who taught Leon that? We're not even in Korea, so what is this hyung-nim stuff?”
“Why not? Leon's got half Korean blood, after all.”
“Wow. Kim Hyun-seong, are you saying our Leon isn't Korean because he was born in Germany?”
“No, if he was born in Germany, he's German. Why would he be Korean?”
“Hyung-nim, you're saying I'm not Korean? That hurts.”
“No, Leon, that's not what I meant...”
The lodging near Union Berlin's training ground quickly turned noisy. The prospects gathered there talked about all kinds of things and grew closer.
“By the way, Schmidt, looks like you'll be moving up to the first team soon. Don't forget us once you've gone ahead.”
“Getting to the first team isn't the problem; the problem is fighting there and taking a starting spot.”
“You guys'll be up soon too.”
“We still haven't even gotten a contract offer yet, so...”
The Korean exchange students instantly fell into gloom. If they didn't get a contract offer within a year, they might have to return to Korea.
Park Chan-hyeok had already decided to offer them contracts, but he didn't tell the Korean exchange students.
He didn't want the exchange students to get complacent.
“…Sigh, I think I'll go train some more.”
“Me too.”
“Hey. Come with me.”
“…I wanted to rest today.”
“Shut up and come with me too, Kim Hyun-seong.”
“Come to think of it, Kim Hyun-seong is damn lazy.”
In fact, the exchange students were doing their best to earn contract offers.
Sometimes competing, sometimes cooperating, they were burning through their youth at Union Berlin.
***
[Union Berlin rout Borussia Dortmund II away.]
[Daniel Teixeira named MOM right after the match.]
[Union Berlin's 'Texas' Daniel Teixeira announces retirement, “This season will probably be my last.”]