Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: 05/06 Season Kickoff
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05/06 season league kickoff.
***
Thomas Tuchel, who had become the captain of the sinking ship that was Union Berlin, swallowed a deep sigh.
“We’re short on players.”
The majority of the starting lineup had terminated their contracts or transferred to other teams the moment Union Berlin was relegated.
It was unavoidable. Salaries in the fourth division didn’t allow for a normal life. The gap between semi-pros and amateurs was even wider than that between pros and semi-pros.
And from the club’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad thing that those players’ contracts had been cut.
Union Berlin couldn’t afford to pay the wages of semi-pros like them anyway.
Some players had even squeezed a little transfer fee out of the club in exchange for mutual contract termination.
A few had donated the proceeds from selling their blood plasma back to Union Berlin before transferring out.
Anyway.
Union Berlin had to fill the gaps left by those departing players.
To get through a season stably, they needed at least 22 players.
But considering the time left until the league started, 19 would be the maximum for Union Berlin.
‘Nineteen... This feels impossible.’
In truth, a small roster wasn’t a problem unique to Union Berlin.
The other fourth-division teams were operating with minimal squads due to budget constraints as well.
‘If only we had even one more player. Ideally someone cheap to acquire, smart enough to grasp my tactics, and who doesn’t demand high wages...’
On one day, as Thomas Tuchel’s worries deepened.
“Hey! What are you doing breaking formation like that? Hold the line!”
Tuchel spotted him.
‘...Found it.’
A high-class slave who required no transfer fee, had perfect tactical understanding as assistant coach, and could be paid a modest wage.
And so, Park Chan-hyuk—who had been playing defensive midfielder in a mini-game, directing the players’ positions—caught the eye of the ruthless landlord named Thomas Tuchel.
That very evening.
“I’m really sorry to ask this of you, but could you play as a player too?”
Thomas Tuchel immediately offered Park Chan-hyuk a playing coach position.
“...Sigh. No choice, I guess.”
Park Chan-hyuk flashed an irritated expression for a split second, but knowing the club’s situation, he didn’t turn down Thomas Tuchel’s proposal.
Even after Park Chan-hyuk became a playing assistant coach at Tuchel’s persuasion, Union Berlin’s recruitment efforts continued.
The silver lining was that Union Berlin’s name had been widely publicized in the media, allowing them to sign some decent players for a fourth-division side.
Football hadn’t yet seen massive capital influx as a sport. Don Quixotes chasing the romance of the game were everywhere.
- You must sign this player!
However, among the players recommended by Park Chan-hyuk.
‘Why did he push so hard for this one? I still don’t get it.’
There were some Thomas Tuchel simply couldn’t comprehend.
***
After finishing my meeting with Thomas Tuchel, I returned to the office.
I still had work to handle.
Life at Union Berlin—what a dream, even Korean chaebol companies would weep with envy.
‘Why... won’t this work ever end?’
One of my great achievements was flipping off the chairman when he suggested creating an on-call room for employee welfare.
‘Still, I should sleep at home.’
Anyway, separate from me getting ground down in real time, the club’s situation was steadily improving.
The bank had approved a loan after seeing fans willingly donate their blood plasma for the club.
Of course, the chairman dipping into his own pocket had helped sway the bank too.
As I reviewed the club’s finances, I suddenly sensed something off.
‘...But isn’t this front office work?’
I wasn’t sure when it started, but the board’s tasks were naturally piling up on me.
The next day, after noticing the oddity.
I asked the chairman if he planned to hire a new general manager, and got some bullshit in response.
“You thinking of taking on GM duties too?”
Assistant coach, player, and now general manager...
“Haha. Cut the crap.”
That day, I unleashed a barrage of curses at the chairman’s lame joke.
His face looked dead serious, not joking at all, but I pretended not to notice. No matter how much it was for cost-cutting, if this kept up, I might actually die.
Anyway, even though I cursed him out to his face that day, it caused no issues.
We were all getting shredded day and night to save crumbling Union Berlin, forging a sense of camaraderie.
Up to now, I’d vented plenty at the higher-ups in this hellish Union Berlin.
In truth, Manager Thomas Tuchel—and even club chairman Dirk Zingler—were getting ground down just like me.
‘Maybe I should’ve bolted back then.’
Eh. Even if I could go back, I’d make the same choice.
Seeing Union Berlin’s devoted, passionate fans made my heart pound like crazy.
Truth be told, I’d never understood Europeans saying football was life.
But at Union Berlin, I got it completely.
For these people, football really was life itself.
‘Not bad at all...’
Compared to my past life, where I’d desperately tried every trick to draw even a small crowd, this place felt like heaven.
The facilities were worse, but the rewards were multiplied several times over.
I shook off the crashing wave of sleep and stood up.
As a sound reached my ears and I turned to gaze out the window, the scouter window popped up.
[Name: Yannick Veith.]
Current Stats: ☆
Potential: ★★★★★
Position: Striker.
I nodded quietly.
A player with a whopping five stars in potential.
If he could fully unlock it, he had the chops to play in the top flight.
His current stats were trash, but...
Probably quit football due to some personal misfortune and only recently started playing again?
A boy who gave up football due to hardship makes a triumphant return at romance incarnate Union Berlin.
‘Kuh. Pure romance.’
Anyway, his age of 24 felt a bit late for a prospect, but there was the case of Jamie Vardy debuting in the Premier League at 27.
‘Please, become Union Berlin’s Jamie Vardy.’
I hoped he’d successfully bloom his talent here at Union Berlin.
***
Yannick Veith.
There wasn’t some dramatic reason he quit football.
As a kid, he thought he had the ultimate talent for the game.
He picked up what coaches taught faster than his peers, after all.
But when he encountered brilliant talents in the youth national team that he couldn’t touch with his own gifts.
Yannick Veith quit football.
He told his parents and club he’d lost interest, but really, he couldn’t accept being a frog in a well.
His recent renewed interest in football stemmed from something trivial.
His new girlfriend loved football.
He boasted in front of her.
“If I started playing now, I’d dominate the fourth division.”
“You?”
“I even got called up to the youth national team back in the day.”
“That was ages ago.”
Maybe childhood memories made him underestimate the sport a bit.
“Watch me. I’ll prove it.”
Stung by his girlfriend’s subtle dismissal, Yannick Veith got fired up.
He immediately submitted an application to Union Berlin, who were recruiting via open trials.
He wasn’t worried about passing.
He figured he could handle the amateur fourth division.
But he put on no show at the trial.
‘Ugh... What do I tell Andrea? This is embarrassing.’
Yannick Veith sensed failure and clutched his head.
But luckily, he caught the assistant coach’s eye and passed.
Overjoyed at the news, he approached what looked like an Asian club staffer and asked.
There had been several players who objectively outperformed him.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why they failed and he passed.
But the Asian coach’s response left even the prideful Yannick Veith speechless.
- Yannick! You have the potential to play in the Bundesliga. It’s a bit late, but if you work hard now, you can become a great player.
The young assistant coach’s faith in him—stronger than his own—was burdensome.
Yet strangely, that burden didn’t feel bad.
Maybe that’s why.
From that day on, he stayed late for extra solo training.
He even broke up with his girlfriend after the trial.
But he stuck with Union Berlin, who weren’t even paying him (amateur contract), for one reason.
‘Damn. I’m an idiot for getting suckered by that fool’s words.’
He had to live up to the assistant coach’s expectations, even a little.
The sound of a ball being struck echoed late into the night at Union Berlin’s training ground.
“Yannick, push too hard and you risk injury. That’s enough for today.”
Until Assistant Coach Park Chan-hyuk, who’d been watching from the window, rushed down to stop him.
***
My path to becoming Union Berlin’s assistant coach wasn’t smooth.
News of a rookie manager and Asian assistant coach taking the helm drew fan backlash.
Well... it was a natural reaction.
Faced with the fans’ fury, the chairman chose to confront the outrage head-on.
[Chairman: “We will do our utmost to survive. Thomas Tuchel and Park Chan-hyuk were the best choices available to us.”]
Surprisingly, the fans’ reactions died down.
‘Did he use hypnosis or something?’
Maybe what mattered to the fans was that the club hadn’t given up operations even in the worst times.
[Young 30-something manager and 18-year-old Asian assistant coach combo—can Union Berlin pull off an upset?]
Or perhaps, in Union’s history of resisting the establishment, this felt like the most Union thing ever.
Anyway, the fans decided to trust the club for now.
And they didn’t stop at donating blood—they ramped up with pre-buying season tickets and fundraisers.
“Wir sind Union. Und das ist unsere Antwort. (We are Union. And this is our answer.)”
A fan’s response to a reporter asking why go so far was etched into every staff member’s heart.
The media pegged Union Berlin as prime candidates for relegation to the fifth division.
“We’ll dominate the league and go straight up to the third division this season!”
But the mood inside the club was upbeat.
In the financial crisis, club, fans, players, and staff had united as one.
***
Union Berlin’s player recruitment was complete.
Including me, we had 21 players.
Most were registered as amateurs, with a few on semi-pro contracts.
As such, nearly all the players held day jobs.
Union Berlin’s Jamie Vardy, Yannick Veith, worked at an auto parts factory normally.
Thomas Tuchel seemed full of complaints about the environment keeping players from focusing on football.
But thanks to my prior talk with Tuchel, we got past it without major issues.
Sadly, my duties as assistant coach shockingly included mental care for Thomas Tuchel too.
Anyway, I joined training with an awkward smile.
“Assistant Coach, train with us!”
“Ah, Captain. Sure.”
For the record, I was the hierarchy breaker in this group.
Playing coach was awkward enough. Playing assistant coach?
‘Does this even make sense?’
***
Time flew by to August 5, 2005.
The league opener against FC Anker Wismar approached.
Sadly for Union Berlin fans, it was an away game.
Still, since it was close to Anker Wismar’s home ground, a decent number of Union Berlin supporters showed up.
“Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind.
(Toward the dawn, we march against the wind.)”
I focused on the Union Berlin chant rising from the away end.
Sunshine and fans’ cheers.
On this fine day—my assistant coach debut of sorts...
“Chan-hyuk! Focus on the match.”
I headed onto the pitch to play.