Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: 09/10 Summer Transfer Window - 2
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With Cafu gone, I found myself deep in thought.
……There was no suitable replacement for Cafu.
I'd agreed because of the look in Cafu's eyes when he decided to retire, but it was still true that I felt a profound sense of regret about his departure.
This wasn't about personal friendship or loyalty—it was the strong conviction that we objectively couldn't find a player better than Cafu.
Last season, Cafu had shouldered a tremendous role at Union Berlin.
Not only on the pitch but off it as well, he'd been the steady anchor holding the defense together.
Thanks to him, Dante and Thiago Silva had adapted to the club without any major issues.
Cafu must have been busy adjusting to his new team too, but he never hesitated to support his Brazil national team juniors and the younger newcomers alongside team captain Yannick Feith.
Giving a newcomer the vice-captaincy wasn't done lightly….
And Cafu had actively passed on the wealth of experience he'd accumulated to his teammates. Union Berlin's players had learned a great deal because of it.
“Cafu, hang in there just a bit longer! We still have so much to learn from you!”
In fact, the Union Berlin players openly expressed their disappointment upon hearing that the man they trusted and followed would retire at the end of preseason.
But Cafu's resolve to retire was firmer than expected.
He was adamant about not burdening the team.
He'd declared that he'd rather leave on a high note with applause than stick around and face criticism for poor form next season.
The Union Berlin players had no choice but to respect the legend's final decision.
Just as we were preparing to announce Cafu's retirement.
[Cafu to Retire Next Season?]
The news of Cafu's retirement suddenly spread rapidly through online communities.
[The post originated from a Union Berlin staff member…?]
It turned out one of Union Berlin's employees had posted about it online.
In the past, something like this wouldn't have happened…. But as the club grew, these issues arose naturally.
‘This is the perfect chance to weed out problematic staff.’
Still, it was a stroke of luck that we caught it before the summer transfer window, giving us just cause to act.
If our player acquisition strategy had leaked during the window, it would have been disastrous.
[Union Berlin President Dirk Zingler Taking the Incident Very Seriously.]
In any case, the culprit was quickly apprehended by the security team dispatched from Guten.
The fool had brazenly posted from a club computer.
We questioned them at the disciplinary committee about why they'd done it.
That's when I realized the depth of the employee's issues.
‘They don't even know what they did wrong.’
The employee claimed the punishment was unfair and felt wronged.
They argued that we were going to announce Cafu's retirement to the press anyway.
‘That's why you don't post it on online communities.’
Regardless, we had no choice but to take firm action.
Letting things like this slide would erode the team's security over time.
And unbeknownst to the employee, simply posting internal club matters on a community site was grounds for termination.
We'd included confidentiality obligations in Union Berlin's employment contracts from the start.
It wasn't for nothing that we'd raised staff salaries right after promotion to the top flight.
You had to offer the carrot before wielding the stick.
‘What was it again? Some future-level security protocols.’
For reference, Guten, run by Park Jung-ah, even had clauses allowing random inspections of personal smartphones.
They were that sensitive about protecting their tech.
Non-compete clauses in the same industry were a given.
[Guten Crosses the Line into Privacy Invasion….]
[Guten Turning into a Corporate Devil…. Won't the Government Step In?]
German media outlets stirred up controversy over excessive privacy monitoring.
But the German government consistently ignored such articles.
This was why Park Jung-ah was desperately building ties with German politicians.
And governments naturally side with big corporations anyway.
Few politicians dared criticize Guten, a job creator.
‘There are politicians hungry for the spotlight, but their parties must have shut them down.’
Plus, bluntly put, since Guten had minimal German capital investment, the CEO could just relocate the headquarters and be done with it.
German government interference wouldn't matter if command was moved to the US.
Guten was already listed on Nasdaq, making such a move advantageous.
“You're getting paid top dollar and complaining about that?”
What was most surprising, though, was that Berlin's citizens were on Guten's side.
“If you don't like it, quit, punk! I'll take your spot!”
“You know how to program?”
“……Not me, my kid will!”
Guten offered industry-leading salaries.
Before long, it had become the dream employer for German parents wanting their kids hired.
Anyway.
Union Berlin's security protocols weren't as stringent as Guten's, but for a soccer club, we were unusually vigilant.
Especially now, with moves underway to sabotage our signings.
“Sigh…. You're lucky we're letting you off with just termination—no lawsuit—since it didn't cause major damage to the club.”
In the end, we gave the staffer a stern but polite warning at the disciplinary committee.
Things wrapped up without further issue.
***
[Cafu Announces Retirement!]
Though not intended by Union Berlin, Cafu's retirement news spread worldwide in no time.
[Union Berlin to Hold Cafu's Farewell in Preseason Friendly!]
Soccer fans' interest in the romantic send-off for the legend departing after a triumphant title win was electric.
└ No right-back like Cafu will ever emerge again.
└ He was a great at AC Milan and Union Berlin alike.
└ Even for just one season, he's our (Union Berlin's) legend.
And upon hearing Cafu's farewell match would take place, AC Milan jumped in.
Cafu was an AC Milan legend too.
Union Berlin made a fine preseason opponent as well.
They'd just beaten Bayern Munich to win the Bundesliga.
Excluding player and club prestige, Union Berlin might even have the edge in squad strength.
AC Milan was already being called a retirement home.
[AC Milan Proposes Preseason Friendly to Union Berlin.]
News of AC Milan's proposal reached soccer fans via articles.
Korean fans buzzed with excitement at the prospect of Union Berlin vs. AC Milan.
AC Milan boasted past stars like Maldini, Zambrotta, Seedorf, Beckham, Ronaldinho, Filippo Inzaghi, Pirlo, Shevchenko, and Kaká.
Preseason friendly opponent news rarely made waves, but this was a special case.
[AC Milan Fans: Let Us See Cafu Play One Last Time.]
Since it was Cafu's retirement match in preseason.
A few days later.
After back-and-forth negotiations, Union Berlin and AC Milan settled on a venue.
[Preseason Friendly Set for San Siro!]
[AC Milan Board Grateful for Union Berlin's Gesture….]
***
[São Paulo Prospect Casemiro Joins Union Berlin….]
Around the time Casemiro linked up with Union Berlin in the summer window.
The Bundesliga's VDV 11 and Kicker Team of the Season were announced.
For reference, I wasn't too tuned into the Kicker rankings—too busy with everything else.
Evidently, no Union Berlin player got the WK award, since there was no club celebration.
‘Come to think of it, wasn't Hoffenheim's striker the WK in the striker spot?’
The only one I recalled was Hoffenheim's striker taking the forward WK.
It was a bit odd that no Union Berlin players made it while Hoffenheim's Vedad Ibisević got the forward WK for the first half.
Well, Vedad Ibisević deserved recognition.
17 goals and 7 assists in 17 games was insane.
Without his ACL injury in training sidelining him for the season, he might have kept Hoffenheim—our promotion rivals—in the title race until the end.
Vedad Ibisević was on another level in the first half.
‘Injuries were the issue, for sure.’
It wasn't just him—Yannick Feith's four straight scoring titles ended disappointingly due to injury. Grafite of Wolfsburg, with 28 league goals, snatched it.
With only a two-goal margin between Yannick and Grafite, the regret lingered.
But that was just me.
“We'll win it next year. We lifted the league trophy instead.”
Yannick was idiotically optimistic.
His words weren't forced—they came straight from the heart.
Anyway, Yannick Feith made the lists.
While Kicker's and VDV 11 differed slightly, Yannick earned spots on both.
[VDV 11]
FW
Grafite (VfL Wolfsburg) - Yannick Feith (Union Berlin)
MF
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich) - José Roberto (Bayern Munich) - Luka Modrić (Union Berlin) - Zvjezdan Misimović (VfL Wolfsburg)
DF
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) - Thiago Silva (Union Berlin) - Dante (Union Berlin) - Cafu (Union Berlin)
GK
Manuel Schmidt (Union Berlin)
[Kicker Team of the Season.]
FW
Grafite (VfL Wolfsburg) - Yannick Feith (Union Berlin)
MF
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich) - Thomas Mayer (Union Berlin) - Luka Modrić (Union Berlin) - Mesut Özil (Werder Bremen)
DF
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) - Thiago Silva (Union Berlin) - Benedikt Höwedes (Schalke) - Cafu (Union Berlin)
GK
Manuel Schmidt (Union Berlin)