Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Champions League -1
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“Wow! Union Berlin’s defense is rock-solid! It’s impenetrable!”
From the moment Yannick Poit added his extra goal, the momentum of the match clearly shifted toward Union Berlin.
“Bayern Munich refuses to give up and launches another attack!”
“But! But! But! It’s blocked by this player! Manuel Schmidt! He thwarts Bayern Munich’s attack once again!”
“When a goalkeeper has his day, there’s no answer for it, right? Manuel Schmidt even stops a shot aimed at the top corner of the net! Today, Manuel Schmidt is impenetrable even if Pelé or Maradona showed up!”
Bayern Munich’s players pushed hard to score a comeback goal.
But they had no choice except to be frustrated by Manuel Schmidt, who was exceptionally on fire with his saves today.
“Manuel! Fußball Gott!”
It was only natural that the cheers from Union Berlin fans for Manuel Schmidt grew louder.
And just as naturally, the evaluation of Park Chan-hyuk, who had scouted him, rose once more.
Even at a young age, Manuel Schmidt had rapidly grown by gaining real-match experience as a starter for Union Berlin.
This was the moment when Park Chan-hyuk’s decision to heavily feature Manuel Schmidt—from the lower leagues where a goalkeeper’s stability mattered more than pure shot-stopping—shone brightly.
And in fact, even those in the lower leagues trying to emulate Park Chan-hyuk weren’t going so far as to start a promising young keeper as their main man—that was too crazy.
The baby birds who tried to follow the stork would have already had their legs torn off, leading to relegation or sacking by then.
Still, it was comparatively better than managers who dragged in factory workers and declared them the team’s starting striker from now on.
In any case.
Amid Manuel Schmidt’s insane performance.
The match between Union Berlin and Bayern Munich ended in victory for Union Berlin.
“Get lost! You fucking bastards!”
This marked the moment Union Berlin secured victory away at Bayern Munich for the second straight season.
It was also the moment when Bayern Munich, long the overlords of the Bundesliga, began to see Union Berlin as a real nuisance.
***
The away match at Bayern Munich was one where Union Berlin gained a great deal.
Winning against a title contender like Munich was great, but more than anything, Manuel Schmidt had successfully grown through the Bayern Munich game.
He must have gained some enlightenment from experiencing a goalkeeper’s perfect day against Munich.
“Block! The ball looks slow right in front of me!”
“Try not to lose that sensation. Then you can reach an even higher level.”
Manuel Schmidt, who had just turned 20, began speaking to the goalkeeper coach with excitement.
Union Berlin’s current goalkeeper coach was a former player who had suited up for the club during his active days.
With a big age gap even back then, he clearly doted on Manuel Schmidt like a little brother.
And that relationship had continued to this day.
[Name: Manuel Schmidt.]
Current Ability: ★★★★ (★↑)
Potential: ★★★★★
It had been a very long time since I last checked Manuel Schmidt’s stats.
As if to prove his Munich heroics weren’t a fluke, his current ability had risen.
And the stats, overwhelmingly skewed toward shot-stopping, caught my eye.
‘...No, but why is only his shot-stopping ability bizarrely shooting up like this?’
He’d abandoned every other area and gone all-in on shot-stopping like a madman.
‘Whew, if Thiago Silva gets injured or transfers out, we’re in trouble.’
It was only natural to worry, so I focused on checking Thiago Silva’s physical condition.
***
Meanwhile, at that time.
“So, can we sign players from Union Berlin?”
Bayern Munich’s board had begun targeting Union Berlin players.
The best way to drag down a rival team was to poach their players, after all.
“It’ll be tough...”
But strangely, Union Berlin’s players had exceptional loyalty.
Yannick Poit and Thomas Meyer, the core pillars of Union Berlin, flatly rejected Bayern Munich’s offers.
And Luka Modrić turned down Bayern Munich’s offer as well.
From the perspective of the foreigner Luka Modrić, Union Berlin was on the rise.
Bayern Munich was the one falling.
Luka Modrić’s choice was set in stone.
“Manager, this is kinda shady.”
“Whew. Yeah? Not great, right?”
Union Berlin was also a team where Luka Modrić’s blunt personality wasn’t an issue.
Modrić loved the uniquely horizontal atmosphere at Union Berlin.
It felt like switching from manufacturing to a big IT company. Not about salary or benefits—the vibe itself was just different.
And the other players felt the same.
The players Park Chan-hyuk had picked generally had deep loyalty to the team.
“No matter what, we have to sign that kid Manuel Schmidt!”
Bayern Munich began showing their greed for Manuel Schmidt’s performance, which reminded them of Oliver Kahn.
***
[Manuel Schmidt, Selected as Man of the Match Amid Insane Performance.]
[Union Berlin’s Guardian Deity, Manuel Schmidt... How Did He Catch Park Chan-hyuk’s Eye?]
After Union Berlin achieved a clean-sheet away win over Bayern Munich.
[Manchester United Eyeing Manuel Schmidt as Van der Sar Replacement?]
[Bayern Munich Determined to Sign Manuel Schmidt.]
Tentative offers for Manuel Schmidt started pouring in like crazy.
It wasn’t the winter transfer window yet, so no serious talks, but.
It was true that big clubs around the world were salivating.
Bayern Munich’s offers were especially persistent.
‘At this rate, aren’t the Munich guys basically trying to swap our whole squad?’
Bayern Munich had even approached nearly every Union Berlin player, as if trying to replace their entire team with ours—not just Manuel Schmidt.
‘Still, lucky us. Some players tip us off the moment Munich approaches.’
And ironically, Munich’s actions ended up benefiting Union Berlin.
“Huh? You got one too?”
“...Why didn’t they approach me? Gotta make those Munich bastards shit themselves just looking at me next match.”
Players who hadn’t received transfer offers from Bayern Munich started grinding their teeth, vowing revenge in the next game.
In any case.
An employee who happened to witness Bayern Munich approaching a Union Berlin player snapped a photo.
We filed a complaint with the DFB accusing Bayern Munich of illegal tampering.
[Bayern Munich: “Just a Chance Encounter Over Dinner...”]
Munich claimed it was a coincidental meeting with the player, but the incident only heightened tensions between Union Berlin and Bayern Munich.
[Bayern Munich Fans Claim Manuel Schmidt Is “Unhappy” at Union Berlin.]
[Manuel Schmidt on the Articles: “I’m happy at Union Berlin, though...? ”]
└ Whoa, a second-place league team trash-talking a first-place team’s player!
└ Lol fr, you can see the kid’s genuine grievance on his face.
But more than Bayern Munich and Union Berlin.
“You incompetent bald fuck! Get out of our club!”
The most intense reaction right now was coming from Tottenham Hotspur, Gareth Bale’s former club.
***
Tottenham Hotspur was plunged into shock after the Union Berlin vs. Bayern Munich match ended.
It was right after Gareth Bale had transferred to Union Berlin and started flying high.
“Did we sell Bale? For more than we thought, huh?”
“Our chairman’s a cheapskate, but seems pretty capable.”
Up until the summer transfer window, fans had been satisfied with selling Gareth Bale for a high price.
But once he started dominating in preseason, their attitudes flipped overnight.
“Fuck off! You incompetent bald bastard!”
“Baldy OUT!”
Fans who had instantly turned and started hurling abuse at the club.
‘If that performance had been in our team...!’
‘Why didn’t our manager and board see it?’
Seeing their departed star Gareth Bale shine made their stomachs ache.
So even when they saw him perform in the opener.
They claimed he’d do nothing against strong teams.
[1 Goal, 1 Assist from Gareth Bale in Dominant Display vs. Bayern Munich.]
But their wishful thinking shattered with the Munich win.
Gareth Bale had recorded 1 goal and 1 assist, leading his team to victory.
So Tottenham Hotspur declared.
That the Bundesliga level was far below the Premier League.
They had entered a phase where mental gymnastics were the only way to cope.
Having conveniently erased the preseason matches against Manchester City and Union Berlin from memory.
[Union Berlin Draws Manchester United, PFC CSKA Moscow, Beşiktaş JK in Champions League!]
└ Whoa, insane big matches lined up.
└ Premier League leaders Man Utd vs. Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin, damn.
└ Whew, first ever CL run and they get a Russian away? Brutal.
└ Please let Union Berlin advance to the round of 16 ㅠㅠ
└ Cheonwoon! Cheonwoon! If you’re Korean, root for Union Berlin!
└ Man Utd has a Korean player too?
└ Pfft, Union Berlin has THREE Koreans!
But regrettably, their mental victories wouldn’t last long.
The Champions League schedule was now in full swing.