Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: vs Manchester City -1
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“……G-GOAL! GOAL! It's in! Gareth Bale's opener! Union Berlin cracks AC Milan's boasted defense right from kickoff!!”
The Korean broadcast team failed to deliver a proper reaction in that split second.
Union Berlin had scored far too early against AC Milan.
And it was a goal from a wingback playing out of position as a winger, no less.
“Yes! Who would've thought Park Chan-hyuk would slot Gareth Bale—the wingback—into the winger role!”
“Exactly. Personally, I figured Union Berlin would revert to a back four this season. But they've thrown in this wild card: Gareth Bale's positional switch!”
Of course, Gareth Bale was the kind of wingback who never stayed back at Tottenham Hotspur.
In other words, he was known for being overly aggressive going forward.
But no one had predicted they'd straight-up deploy him as a full-on winger.
“Yes. The master tactician Park Chan-hyuk revives even Gareth Bale, once dubbed 'Garbage Bale'!!”
“It's no wonder all these young prospects are dying to play for Union Berlin!”
Park Chan-hyuk's gamble paid off spectacularly.
Those who had eyed the starting lineup with skepticism began erupting in admiration.
- But why's Bale playing winger?
- Park Chan-hyuk, turns out this guy's got that genius coach syndrome, huh?
- What's genius coach syndrome?
- When a nobody acts like he's the second coming. Mark my words, he'll choke in a big game soon with that delusion.
- Why you hating on Park Chan-hyuk so hard?
- Ignore him, he's that infamous Park Chan-hyuk anti.
- Bet he gets a call from Gutten soon lol
- Agreed x5
- Gareth Bale just scored tho?
- Still got excuses?
- Genius coach syndrome my ass lol, Park Chan-hyuk's the real deal 100%
And from there.
Gareth Bale played like he'd finally slipped into clothes that actually fit him.
He dominated AC Milan with an overwhelming performance, and soccer fans started falling for his explosive speed.
- Holy shit, he's insanely fast.
- Cafu can't keep up lololol
- Tottenham must be regretting selling him for peanuts so bad lolololol
- Heard the vibe on-site is straight murderous rn lololol
- They begged him to leave lol
- Fans always double standards passive skill lol, jealous? Quit being prez or coach and become a fan then.
***
Gareth Bale had delivered a shocking preseason debut for Union Berlin.
He'd imprinted his skill level on everyone with nothing but raw speed.
“See? Told you retirement was the right call.”
Cafu, who had let Bale slip away, let out a hollow laugh.
In a moment of lapsed focus, Bale had bolted forward in an instant.
Cafu couldn't close the gap created by that split-second lapse.
It led straight to a menacing shot from Bale threatening AC Milan.
“Bale picks up the ball again!”
“Bale! Cuts inside, crosses! And Son Heung-min! Son Heung-min's header!! GOOOAAAL!!!”
“A team-up from Gareth Bale and Son Heung-min! Son Heung-min opens his account in preseason! He beams alongside assist man Gareth Bale!”
Gareth Bale terrorized AC Milan's defenders throughout the first half.
AC Milan's backline was tossed around by the blistering pace of Bale and Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min put in a solid shift on the left wing, but he couldn't match Bale's standout performance today.
Then came the second half.
“Ah, Son Heung-min's done after the first half.”
“Angel Di Maria's coming on.”
Replacing Son Heung-min was Angel Di Maria.
- Ah;; Son subbed off.
- Why pull Sonny?
- Preseason, don't overthink it
Korean soccer fans voiced their disappointment, but they had to shelve it once Di Maria took the field.
Angel Di Maria whipped in a left-footed cross toward Roberto Lewandowski infiltrating the penalty area.
The ball dropped perfectly onto Lewandowski's forehead.
“Headeeeeer—!”
“Ah! Lewandowski's header just clips over the bar!”
Lewandowski's header sadly sailed just over.
But Di Maria's razor-sharp cross was enough to fluster AC Milan's defenders, who were growing accustomed to the speed of Son and Bale.
Di Maria shredded AC Milan's right flank, now adjusted to Son's pace.
He conjured chances in the final third with his vicious kicking power.
- Fml, this Di Maria lookalike is a beast too;;
- Hong-min even competing for starting spot fr?
- Union Berlin's starting XI battle this season gonna be brutal;;
Of course, Di Maria at this stage was still a prospect with plenty of rough edges.
Thanks to Park Chan-hyuk's constant instructions to create chances in the final third, he was improving there.
But he still showed typical attacking winger traits—moments of wandering.
“Angel! Use your teammates! Play smart!”
Whenever Di Maria pulled off a play Park Chan-hyuk didn't like, he'd bellow from the touchline.
And each time, Di Maria immediately incorporated the feedback into his game.
“That's it. Just like that!”
“……”
Son Heung-min, meanwhile, burned with determination every time Park Chan-hyuk praised Di Maria.
Then, in the 60th minute.
“AC Milan with a sub! AC Milan's legend Cafu—who announced retirement, made a shock comeback at Union Berlin, and lifted trophies—bows out here.”
Cafu's game was over.
He exited to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“Yes, players from both teams gather at center to celebrate Cafu's retirement ceremony.”
Cafu's 'second' retirement proceeded.
“He's really not coming back this time!”
The crowd burst into laughter at Cafu's mic'd words, and applause filled the stadium as a final farewell to the legend.
***
[Union Berlin crushes AC Milan 2-0 in friendly.]
The friendly against AC Milan ended in victory for Union Berlin.
It was a one-sided win for Union Berlin, but given it was Cafu's retirement match, few read too much into it.
They figured AC Milan hadn't gone full throttle.
Union Berlin hadn't either.
After Cafu's ceremony, we'd deliberately slowed the tempo.
We didn't want the spotlight shifting from Cafu to Union Berlin vs. AC Milan.
In any case.
Thanks to my own consideration, Cafu's retirement drew massive attention and wrapped up perfectly.
Union Berlin played three more preseason games after AC Milan.
The second was a light tune-up against a third-division side.
Players focused on avoiding injury and building chemistry.
The third was against Mainz, a promoted second-division side we'd built good ties with.
Union Berlin thumped them 3-0.
Post-match, Mainz took several Union Berlin loanees.
Sending prospects to a Bundesliga side was fine for us, so we shipped out a bunch.
“What about Lee Sung-jae?”
“Ah, Sung-jae might be a stretch….”
For some fateful reason, Mainz coveted Lee Sung-jae.
But as a key rotation player, we couldn't loan him out from Union Berlin.
Lee Sung-jae had been gradually earning more minutes since his Bundesliga debut goal last season.
He himself felt there was more to learn here than elsewhere.
'No wonder. With teammates like Modric and Thomas Mayer, this is the spot.'
High-caliber teams attract players for a reason.
Just watching top players offers tons to learn.
With new competition this season, even Son Heung-min was accelerating his growth.
Competition seemed vital for pro soccer players.
Even if they always gave max effort in training.
Without it, complacency creeps in.
The gap from desperation is bigger than you'd think.
Anyway.
The fourth and final preseason was against Premier League side Manchester City, led by Thomas Tuchel.
“Long time no see. Watched your games closely.”
It'd been a year since Tuchel left the Bundesliga—our reunion.
“Didn't catch any City matches myself.”
Pre-match, I won the managers' mind games.
I'd gotten under Tuchel's skin perfectly.