Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Goodbye, Cafu -1
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Azpilicueta's signing went more smoothly than expected.
The player himself was positive about the move, and while Osasuna had secured him, they quickly realized his heart was set on transferring. They did everything they could to maximize the fee.
'Well, at least these guys don't pull any shady tricks.'
As a result, Azpilicueta's transfer fee was set at a surprisingly affordable 8 million euros.
'Oh, wait. He's a defender.'
I shook my head to snap out of it.
'Looking at it this way, didn't I overpay for Bale just a bit?'
It wasn't for nothing that Tottenham Hotspur's chairman had decided to offload him so quickly.
The Tottenham chairman must have been raising a toast, having sold off a benchwarmer like Bale for a fortune.
'Whatever. We'll see how it plays out next season.'
When Tottenham's chairman learned I was after Gareth Bale, he agonized over whether to sell. But in the end, he judged it profitable to let him go.
I was looking forward to his reaction once Bale started shining next season in his new position.
Anyway.
Azpilicueta was exactly the resource Union Berlin needed.
He could play right-back, of course, but also left-back and even center-back when required. On top of that, he could handle attacking midfielder duties.
He had come up through the youth ranks as an attacking midfielder, after all.
'Though there's no need to use him there... Our attack is plenty strong as is.'
With Azpilicueta's signing complete, I immediately set out to acquire another player to satisfy the homegrown quota.
[TSV 1860 Munich's Lars Bender heads to Union Berlin.]
Lars Bender was a player who could fill defensive midfield, full-back, and center-back roles.
His technical shortcomings and limited individual skill made him a narrow hexagon of a player, but that was his only flaw.
There was no better option for meeting homegrown requirements while serving as rotation depth.
Lars Bender, who had been in talks with Leverkusen, dropped those negotiations the moment he heard Union Berlin's interest and turned his attention our way.
['Park Chan-hyuk's love call?' Lars Bender to Union Berlin! "The moment I got Park's call, I had no second thoughts."]
His older brother, Lars Bender, had joined Union Berlin.
[Union Berlin signs Bender brothers for 6 million euros?]
That sparked rapid progress in transfer talks for his younger brother, Sven Bender, as well.
My influence played a part in their preference for Union Berlin, but the chance to play in the Champions League surely factored in too.
Playing in the Champions League was every soccer player's dream.
[Dortmund's Jürgen Klopp blasts Union Berlin in fury.]
Sure, I caught some double-barreled cursing from Dortmund's Jürgen Klopp, but we secured homegrown resources on the cheap.
Anyway.
Our current homegrown starters were led by Yannick Foigt, followed by Manuel Schmidt, Son Heung-min, and Thomas Meier.
The bench spots went to Marcus Mätchke, Lee Sung-jae, Lars Bender, Sven Bender, and Luka Schneider.
Beyond them, we had substitutes from Union Berlin's youth academy filling out the list.
Well... With homegrown satisfied, teamgrown wasn't an issue.
Others might say teamgrown is harder, but.
In my position, meeting the eight-player homegrown quota had been the real challenge.
Teamgrown only required four out of the 25-man squad.
Union Berlin currently met it with Manuel Schmidt, Lee Sung-jae, Son Heung-min, and Luka Schneider.
And we had academy prospects below them too.
'Next season, Lewandowski will count toward both homegrown and teamgrown.'
In any case, we'd brought in more players than last summer's window, tightening the competition for starting spots. But few requested transfers.
Playing in the top flight last season had shown them just how cutthroat it was. Plus, the allure of the Champions League had them hooked.
'To keep the squad together, we have to make Champions League again this season no matter what.'
I set Champions League qualification as our baseline goal and began refining the tactics for next season.
Time flew by quickly.
The players returned from vacation and started trickling back to Union Berlin.
***
"Ah, hello!"
"Oh, a newbie."
Union Berlin buzzed with energy from the new arrivals.
But for every new face, there was an empty locker room.
The players glanced at the vacant spots with a twinge of bitterness and regret.
They shook it off, though.
Soccer clubs were arenas of endless competition.
Falling behind meant getting culled—it was the natural order.
"He was the most expensive signing, right?"
"Who?"
"Di María."
"He's been playing well at Benfica. Heung-min better watch his back."
Anyway.
The veterans greeted the newcomers warmly.
They ran drills, gradually syncing up.
Son Heung-min and Ángel Di María, facing stiff competition, trained the hardest. They pushed each other, feeding off the rivalry.
Assistant coach Daniel Teixeira had to rein them in.
"Enough. Let's play a scrimmage!"
But the stars of the day weren't those two.
On the first day of training.
"...I'm a right winger?"
The spotlight went to Gareth Bale, who had been asked by me to switch positions.
"Yeah. Meant to tell you sooner, but it slipped my mind."
Union Berlin veterans would have teased me half-jokingly about forgetting.
But as a newbie, Bale hadn't grasped the club's vibe yet. He couldn't muster a retort.
"Boss, he's doing that on purpose, right?"
"Yeah. One hundred percent."
"That Gareth Bale kid must have some real potential."
In the ensuing scrimmage, Bale lined up as right winger and latched onto a Luka Modrić pass to score.
"...Huh, it worked?"
Unlike wing-back, the goal came so easily that even Bale looked stunned.
***
Silence fell over the Union Berlin training pitch as Bale scored.
The players' shocked gazes locked on me, sending a thrill down my spine.
These were looks that Harry Redknapp should have earned, now aimed my way.
Bale had showcased his attacking talent with zero prep.
Honestly, I hadn't expected him to adapt this seamlessly, but it made sense.
Harry Redknapp had switched his position mid-season, after all.
Truth be told, he was an attack-minded talent forced into a defender's ill-fitting clothes.
"How was it?"
I called over Bale, still wearing a dazed expression, and asked about playing on the wing.
"The space to drive forward is narrower than at wing-back, but the distance is shorter, so it's actually better!"
Bale replied, face flushed with excitement.
He was still buzzing from that goal.
Spotting his fired-up state, I chuckled and restarted the scrimmage.
Meanwhile, as Bale kept shining, Son Heung-min and Di María's faces hardened. They realized there was yet another rival.
Determined not to lose to Bale, they ramped up their play. I felt my stomach filling up.
Anyway, as the scrimmage heated up like a real match.
"Boss, how'd you do it?"
Assistant coach Daniel Teixeira approached with a question.
He used casual speech with me normally, but kept it formal around the players to maintain authority.
"He doesn't track back on defense, right? Simple fix. If coming back is the problem, just move him to a position where he doesn't have to."
Daniel Teixeira let out an admiring whistle.
"You'd be an amazing manager if you ditched the theatrics."
I pretended not to hear. The antics were my identity.
'I'll never give up my celebrations.'
Anyway.
The scrimmage ended amid Bale's stellar performance.
The players came away convinced they could spark another storm this season, just like last.
[Union Berlin's Park Chan-hyuk brims with confidence in interview. "If we shocked German soccer last season, this year we'll shock Europe."]
And the showcase for Union Berlin's evolved squad was.
[Union Berlin vs. AC Milan friendly... Fans of both clubs flock to see Cafu's retirement match!]
Cafu's retirement game at AC Milan's home, San Siro.