Naturalization?
One peaceful day during training in Dortmund.
"Ah! Jinho! The DFB wants to meet with you once. Are you up for it?"
I heard through Dortmund that the German Football Association hoped to meet me.
The moment I received the news, I roughly guessed what they wanted to discuss with me.
What else could the DFB—equivalent to our Korea Football Association—want with me?
100% naturalization, no doubt.
"The DFB?"
But I played innocent, asking back as if I had no idea.
People tend to like sharp folks but still keep their guard up around them.
"Uh, probably..."
The Dortmund staffer replied cautiously.
"Jinho, it's likely about naturalization."
I nodded, watching his expression. Yeah, nationality was a sensitive issue.
Especially in Germany, which didn't allow dual citizenship for non-EU foreigners, so they had to tread even more carefully.
But hey, Korea doesn't allow dual citizenship either.
Whatever. It didn't concern me directly, but how would the Dortmund staffer know that?
After thanking him for passing on the message, I immediately contacted my agent, Mino Raiola.
The transfer window hadn't closed yet, but with no urgent matters, Mino Raiola flew straight to Dortmund.
"Jinho! You've grown a lot!"
"We saw each other a month ago."
"Must be puberty—you're shooting up."
Mino Raiola lightly patted my shoulder and continued.
"Anyway... let's go."
I wondered what offers the German Football Association had brought to persuade me.
"Jinho, nice to meet you."
It was a moment filled with a bit of anticipation.
The conversation with the DFB executive was a bit disappointing.
"Jinho, if you naturalize to Germany, you won't have to serve in the military."
"I'm an orphan, so I don't go anyway."
The executive's first impression was off—he came across as arrogant.
How to put it? It felt like, 'We're the German national team. You should feel honored just to get our naturalization offer.'
"Well, Germany has to be better than Korean citizenship, right?"
Maybe he mistook my homeland for North Korea instead of South.
Like, 'Your country's a backwater, so of course you'd accept an offer from advanced Germany?' Was that the attitude, or was I misreading?
Not misreading...
The executive might not notice, but Mino Raiola's lips were twitching beside me, confirming my read.
"We'll support you fully until you make the national team."
As if that was enough, the executive wrapped up. After a quick eye contact and nod from Mino Raiola,
his shoe flew toward the executive.
"You dare, you pig bastard! Looking down on my friend Jinho!"
At least he didn't throw a chair—probably holding back to avoid burning bridges with the DFB.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding! Calm down!"
I feigned surprise, calming Mino Raiola while glancing at Germany national team director Bierhoff, lost in thought.
Well... Germany's current squad had Mesut Özil, Bastian Schweinsteiger shining as a midfielder after switching positions in the 09/10 season, Toni Kroos—who was still playing wing but had earned rave reviews from Munich legends as an attacking midfielder in his prospect days—and Sami Khedira, seen as Ballack's successor and now at Real Madrid.
With all that talent growing or thriving in midfield, they weren't desperate.
Throwing a naturalization offer my way was probably looking past the current team to the post-retirement future.
So the executive's attitude made sense: 'We don't need you—plenty more stars will emerge. We're Germany, after all.'
What if it had been the Western Association instead of the DFB?
I briefly imagined if the West German Football and Sports Association (WFV), where Dortmund belonged, had made the offer.
Probably no big difference. The regional WFV had less pull than the DFB.
And from the start...
Ahead of the 2005 World Cup at home, Bierhoff had opposed calling up naturalized players not raised in Germany.
German football was quite conservative. Jerome Boateng, Sami Khedira, Mesut Özil, Emre Can, Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose—all born in Germany or with German parentage.
For such a conservative scene to offer naturalization with "full support until you make the national team" showed they rated me highly.
If they want naturalization, fix the attitude first...
Too bad the executive's demeanor ruined it all.
"Make sure that rotten bastard never shows his face in front of me or Jinho again!"
Anyway, while Mino Raiola protested the attitude to Bierhoff and the DFB,
"So, what about naturalization...?"
"Even if I naturalize, it takes five more years to be eligible anyway, right? Can you give me a bit more time to think?"
I neither accepted nor rejected the German Football Association's offer.
Jumping at it right away would look bad publicly...
Naturalization needed careful thought. Not just in our country—most people saw renouncing citizenship as betrayal.
Especially in conservative Asia, more than Europe or South America, the news alone could turn fans into haters.
Some would cheer, but Korea would 100% become a den of antis.
No intention of that, but the media would spin it that way. Argentina didn't tear into a young Messi for growing up 'happily' in Spain instead of the homeland?
And when he announced retirement, the whole nation jumped for joy, right?
Beyond that, consider life in Germany and racial aspects.
I'm Asian. Not born there, no German parents.
Not even raised there from childhood. Including my past life, I'd spent over 30 years in Korea.
My thoughts, mindset, values—all Korean.
Raging at transit strikes, frustrated to madness by slow bureaucracy.
Hitting F5 if a webpage loads a second late. Could Germans accept a purebred Korean like me as one of them?
They'd see me as a foreigner or brown-skinned mercenary.
Even Özil, with Turkish parents but raised in Germany, told the federation president, "He saw me as German when we won, Turkish when we lost," and quit the national team in disgust.
A World Cup winner, yet hearing "Turkish pig, get out" from crowds.
Well, Özil's case involved photos with Turkey's dictator Erdogan, who clashed with the German government, and religious issues...
Still, the federation treating a naturalized player that way was controversial.
And Germany's societal racism too.
Unlike neighbors, Germany apologized repeatedly for its past, so people think racism is mild.
But Özil was rejected by clubs multiple times in youth due to his immigrant family background.
Racism runs deeper than thought. And with Europe's rising anti-immigrant sentiment,
German politicians would surely target me.
Or pit Asian immigrants against others, like in America.
One wrong move, and Korean residents in Germany—plus my precious father-in-law, mother-in-law, Gyeowol, and Chairman Hwang Geum-sun—could suffer.
So, definitely needed caution.
And above all, ask Gyeowol's opinion.
This life's goal wasn't becoming the world's best footballer.
It was living happily ever after with Gyeowol.
Oh, and Coach Gi-hyeon could be an issue too.
Seemed like more to lose than gain—maybe just refuse?
Right now, the Korea Football Association was in even worse chaos than original history, making the choice tough.
Crazy... are we gonna fail to qualify for the Brazil World Cup at this rate?
The vibe at the Korea Football Association was seriously off.