Preseason (1)

***

Union Berlin had agreed to play a total of four preseason matches, including a friendly against Bayern Munich.

Union Berlin's first preseason opponent was FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin, a fourth-division team.

In fact, preseason matches were often played against lower-division teams.

Preseason is mostly spent assessing the abilities of newly appointed managers or newly signed players and polishing tactics. It also gives youth players who seize their chance in preseason an opportunity to showcase their skills.

Union Berlin also decided to promote a few promising youngsters to the first team for testing.

As a result, Manuel Schmitz and Son Hongmin were promoted from Union Berlin's youth team to the first team.

'Schmitz's raw ability is now about on par with the current starting goalkeeper.'

For Manuel Schmitz, if he only gained a decent amount of experience, it wouldn't be strange at all for him to push out the current starter and take the position himself.

[Name: Manuel Schmitz]

Current ability: ★★★

Potential: ★★★★★

I decided to trust Manuel Schmitz with the backup goalkeeper spot this season. Since we had won the third division last season and earned a place in the DFB-Pokal, I needed to rotate the squad appropriately.

Union Berlin had been able to focus on the league until now, but starting this season, we also had to put up respectable results in the DFB-Pokal.

Unlike my quick decision to promote Manuel Schmitz, Son Hongmin was a player I agonized over until the very end.

After all, since I was a Korean manager, it felt a little awkward to promote a Korean youth player to the first team. Even if no one else said anything, I still felt self-conscious and acted cautiously.

'Promote him, or don't...'

I kept agonizing over whether to bring Son Hongmin up to the first team.

[Name: Son Hongmin]

Current ability: ★★★

Potential: ★★★★★★

But Son Hongmin's ability had risen so quickly that I couldn't just leave him in the youth ranks anymore.

Fortunately, the Union Berlin U18 coach had written that Son Hongmin should be promoted to the first team as soon as possible, so I could bring him up without too much pressure.

Son Hongmin, like Manuel Schmitz, still wouldn't be able to show his full ability just yet because of his lack of experience.

I planned to use this preseason to slowly prepare Son Hongmin and Manuel so they could adjust to the first team.

[(Breaking) Son Hongmin joins Union Berlin's first team for preseason.]

└ Damn

└ Isn't he only 16 years old?

└ Wow, damn. He's the youngest ever.

└ Why did they suddenly promote him?

└ Probably because the NON-EU rule was abolished this year.

A few days later, news of Son Hongmin joining the first team for preseason spread to South Korea.

[Exclusive interview with Son Hongmin. “I’ll do my best to become a player who can help raise Korea’s profile.”]

└ Since he's a Korean manager, it looks like Son Hongmin can definitely start in the first division, yeah ㅇㅇ

└ Say something that makes sense, lol. Just because he's a Korean manager doesn't mean he can start in the first division, seriously.

└ If you look at it, our people love family ties, regional ties, and school ties more than anyone else, even while criticizing them lol

└ Seriously lol. We always criticize school ties, regional ties, and blood ties, but the moment a good opportunity comes up, it's all "we're family, aren't we?"

A lot of articles poured out.

In a way, it was only natural.

South Korea's youngest-ever overseas player had been born.

For reference, Son Hongmin and Union Berlin signed an official professional contract. Under FIFA's youth regulations, signing a contract was a bit awkward, but fortunately the legal issue was resolved when Son Hongmin's parents came to Germany.

Since FIFA's Transfer and Registration Regulations had not yet taken effect, it was possible. Once those regulations were introduced, youth contracts became much stricter.

The contract between Union Berlin and Son Hongmin was for five years. After 2009, when the Transfer and Registration Regulations were proposed, youth contracts had to be three years or less, but at this point a five-year contract was still fine.

“Wow. Seriously? You're paying this much in weekly wages?”

Since he was a rookie and it was a youth contract rather than a professional one, the weekly wage wasn't very high.

But even that amount made Son Hongmin's eyes go wide with delight. He thanked me and Chairman Dirk Chingler several times.

“Yeah, don't forget this feeling now and go bring back a huge transfer fee when you move later.”

“Hyung! No, manager! Where would I even go? That's hurtful, seriously.”

Instead of answering, I just laughed it off.

As harsh as it was to say, Union Berlin was far too small and poor a club to keep its players. The fact that Yanik Voigt stayed despite offers from first-division clubs was the strange part.

Anyway.

Son Hongmin became the first of the Korean students studying abroad to receive a contract offer from Union Berlin.

Son Hongmin's promotion to the first team for preseason and his youth contract became another source of motivation for the other Korean students studying abroad.

As Son Hongmin pulled ahead in so many ways, the other Korean students studying abroad also began burning with determination to catch up to him.

“Chanhyeok, an offer came from the Asian football associations.”

“Which ones exactly? Korea?”

“Japan and China. And we've also heard from the football associations of Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.”

And Son Hongmin's promotion to the first team led to another opportunity for Union Berlin. Calls poured in from Asian football associations that had heard the news that Son Hongmin would debut for the first team.

Fans in those countries, however, belittled Son Hongmin, saying it was just a same-nationality coach hyping up a same-nationality player.

But the football associations of those countries couldn't do that.

After hearing that the Korean students studying abroad who had come to Union Berlin were improving noticeably, the football associations of each country grew restless and tried to negotiate.

There were countless football associations in Asia.

Among them, the Japan Football Association was especially active.

'...The Japan Football Association really does know how to get things done.'

Since Japan and Korea shared a similar cultural sphere, they apparently thought it would be beneficial for Japanese prospects to adapt in Germany.

The Japan Football Association agreed to help Union Berlin sign players from the J.League at a low price. Japanese clubs also decided to sell them for a reasonable transfer fee from a broad-minded perspective.

For the record, I'm not criticizing Korea for not sending players off magnanimously. Korea and Japan's football environments were quite different to begin with.

In Japan's case, if a club objected because a player's transfer fee was too low, the club and the player's sponsor would even step in to help cover it.

On top of that, most of a Japanese player's salary could also be covered by a sponsor from a Japanese company.

'Wow... damn, the sheer scale of the money invested in football is different.'

I couldn't help but admire the terms the Japanese association was proposing. Having come to Europe, I could tell that the amount Japan invested in sports was on a completely different level from Korea's.

'But the best player in Asia came from Korea, right?'

Somehow, the fact that a world-class player had emerged from Korea despite the small investment strangely filled me with pride.

Anyway.

We promised to visit Japan in person next season and decided to send a scout this season.

What mattered to me right now was getting through the preseason schedule properly.

'Looks like I need to build the lineup with testing combinations in mind.'

I was in the middle of drawing up the starting lineup before a match against a fourth-division team.

The moment the starting lineup was finished.

[FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin coach Christian Krause taunts Union Berlin's Park Chanhyeok. "He's Korean-made hype."]

A new newspaper article was brought to me.

...No, why the hell is some random coach running his mouth?

That day, I ended up witnessing my original sin.

***

The lower leagues in Germany were currently in a complete madhouse.

Because a legendary figure, Park Chanhyeok, had appeared—the man who started as a head coach in the fourth division at 18 and became a second-division manager at 20.

Park Chanhyeok's success at such a young age became a model for the youngest coaches in the lower leagues.

It didn't take long for the lower leagues to turn into a mess.

One coach ignoring the manager and copying Park Chanhyeok was the opening act of the madhouse era.

Among them, there were even some who crossed the line and got themselves fired from coaching. Literally, all kinds of crazy bastards started flooding in.

[Veteran managers voice their complaints... “Young coaches these days have no manners.”]

Veteran managers who had built up some standing in the lower leagues called the twenty-something coaches, who had lost sportsmanship and respect, the “worst generation.”

And Christian Krause, the youngest coach at FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin, the team Union Berlin was about to face, was no different.

Christian Krause thought that if he were given enough chances like Park Chanhyeok, he could fully prove his ability too.

'If an Asian can do it, what can't I do?'

He even thought he could do better than Park Chanhyeok.

An irritated manager who had read Christian Krause's interview told him to do whatever the hell he wanted and gave Krause temporary control. Of course, if they lost the match, Krause would be fully responsible.

Christian Krause looked at Union Berlin's squad and was confident he would win.

Union Berlin had left out a large number of starters and fielded new signings, reserves, and youth players. Even Union Berlin's goalkeeper was a player who had only just been promoted from the youth ranks recently.

'Just as planned.'

Because of his provocation, Park Chanhyeok had sent out a lineup centered on youths and new signings.

'He's scared of me.'

Krause thought that Park Chanhyeok had sent out that lineup so he could use player testing as an excuse after the loss.

But once the match actually started.

The match was one-sided in Union Berlin's favor.

Because the FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin players didn't properly understand coach Krause's instructions.

Unfortunately, reality wasn't a game where players would play exactly as you wanted just because you gave instructions.

The players played the way they had always played.

The moment they moved to follow the coach's shouted orders from the touchline, the defensive line became tangled and collapsed.

“Hooooooooooooo─!”

And that day.

“Hooooooooooooo─!”

Christian Krause had to watch blankly as Park Chanhyeok did a bizarre celebration right in front of him.

“Hooooooooooooo─!”

“Please stop, you son of a bitch!”