Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Union Berlin Racing Through the Champions League - 4
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***
[Union Berlin defeats Leverkusen 1-0.]
[Union Berlin's fixer Yannik Foite scores the winner to snag three points.]
└ He's not some dribbling wizard or anything, but he just keeps popping them in one by one.
└ Feels like he's got killer finishing.
└ Great at penetrating spaces and converting. Yeah.
[Jupp Heynckes: "Chan-hyuk will bring change to the world of soccer."]
[Park Chan-hyuk, Union Berlin's manager, writing history in European soccer.]
[The birth of a new soccer powerhouse? A deep dive into Union Berlin.]
The match against Leverkusen had ended.
With key starters sidelined by injuries, we'd still pulled off the win.
The media and fans who'd slyly dismissed it as "player quality carrying the team" had completely flipped their tune.
[Union Berlin beats Leverkusen 1-0 despite mounting injury crisis.]
Sure, some outlets and fans were fretting over our reduced firepower.
But it wasn't a big deal.
We'd traded scoring punch for better overall balance.
Union Berlin's clean sheet against Leverkusen was only possible thanks to the Bender brothers' tireless work.
That said, it didn't mean we weren't missing the injured guys.
Still, with players of this caliber, I figured they could cover the gaps left by the starters just fine.
‘Shinji Kagawa and Hong-min are recovering too, so the next match shouldn't be an issue.’
Anyway.
After the Leverkusen game wrapped up.
I dove straight into prep for the next one.
No time to waste if we wanted to maximize our shot at victory.
Union Berlin's upcoming fixture was the Champions League group stage clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
***
[Union Berlin heads to Old Trafford.]
└ Man United at Old Trafford is a different beast.
└ For real lol. Park Chan-hyuk? Bet he'll crumble under the atmosphere.
└ Wait, I don't get it—why root for Man U over Union Berlin with a Korean manager and Korean players? No clue.
└ Lol fr, wasn't it just yesterday y'all were like "All Koreans root for Man U, agreed"? Hypocrites slamming Union Berlin now.
└ Lol we got Korean players too~
└ It's Koreans vs. Koreans—who we cheer for is our call, right?
└ Huh? Guys, what's this? Pic of Park Chan-hyuk dining with Ferguson?
└ No way lol
└ Man U boom incoming, boys!
└ WTF Park's a United fan??
[Park Chan-hyuk clarifies rumors: "Ferguson invited me to dinner, that's all. I have no plans to leave Union Berlin."]
***
Around the time I was training with Man City's help, courtesy of Thomas Tuchel.
A photo surfaced of me having dinner with Ferguson.
"Chan-hyuk, are you thinking of joining Man United?"
Thomas Tuchel voiced concerns about me taking the Man U job.
"No way."
I made it clear I'd turned down Ferguson's offer.
"Good call. Where a great tree falls, the bugs swarm in."
I nodded at Tuchel's words.
After Ferguson, Man United had become exactly that—nothing surprising there.
Anyway.
With the game looming, I suspected Man U had leaked the photo to rattle Union Berlin.
[Manchester United's Alex Ferguson: Private dinner with a young manager.]
But judging by the fallout, it didn't seem like a deliberate ploy.
‘Yeah, I'd already declared no interest in Man U—too vague for mind games.’
Plus, clearing it up was easy enough.
The next day.
"Booo! Boss, explain yourself! Explain!"
The players teasingly demanded I address the article.
"I'd kill myself before joining Man U. Happy?"
I gave them the straight, 100% truth.
Ahead of the Manchester United clash, Union Berlin's mood was sky-high.
***
Old Trafford, known as the Theater of Dreams.
It's a stadium soccer fans and players alike dream of visiting these days.
Legends have shone here.
Under Ferguson, they'd lifted countless trophies.
But.
That era was nearing its end.
Since Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United had started down the road to decline.
Maybe it was the aftermath of losing a light like Alex Ferguson.
The brighter the light, the deeper the shadows.
“Glory! Glory, Man United!”
Manchester United fans' chants echoed in our ears.
Union Berlin's players gazed around the stadium with wide-eyed wonder.
Our own home ground's facilities were newer and nicer.
But Old Trafford had this indescribable, heavy aura all its own.
I was just as mesmerized by the place.
‘Wow. Facing off against "that" Ferguson as a manager at Old Trafford.’
Truth be told, Ferguson and I weren't from the same generation.
Even Pep Guardiola, the young Barcelona manager, had only met him briefly.
‘In that context, someone way younger like me? No chance.’
Plus, landing a top job in your early twenties was damn near impossible.
Without Thomas Tuchel and Union Berlin's situation, it'd have taken me over twenty years to get here.
‘Hell, I might've faded into obscurity without a proper gig.’
In European soccer, the mainstream was always white.
The most conservative roles—like manager—went almost exclusively to them.
That wouldn't change in the future either.
Even as Asian soccer advanced.
Even as hordes of Asian players broke into Europe.
Managers stayed overwhelmingly white.
‘Black managers are rare enough as it is.’
So, a young Asian manager in his twenties in the 2000s? Miracle in itself.
My current success was skill, sure—but a pile-up of coincidences and connections too.
Meeting the right people had gotten me this far.
‘So, time to put on one hell of a show.’
***
"Kickoff! For today's match, Son Heung-min and Shinji Kagawa are back after a rest!"
The ref's whistle blew, and the game was on.
"Michael Carrick to Wayne Rooney up top!"
Early doors, it was all Manchester United.
Buoyed by their home crowd, United pinned Union Berlin back relentlessly.
The 12th minute.
Wayne Rooney's vicious long-range strike smashed the crossbar.
"Wayne Rooney hits the crossbar!"
"Oof... Park Chan-hyuk must've broken a sweat there!"
Manuel Schmidt exhaled in relief as the ball sailed over the line after the woodwork.
United's onslaught dragged on, and Manuel Schmidt kept the saves coming.
"Fuck off...."
Praise like that slipping from Wayne Rooney's lips was par for the course.
Then, a bit later.
The 34th minute.
Union Berlin finally got a golden counter after biding their time.
Thomas Maier intercepted and fed it to Shinji Kagawa.
Kagawa slipped it through to the onrushing Son Heung-min.
"Shinji Kagawa to Son Heung-min!!"
"Son Heung-min!!"
Son Heung-min breezed into the box, spotted the keeper, and unleashed a cool finish.
"Son Heung-min! Argh!! So close—Son Heung-min's shot just wide!"
But Son's effort drifted astray.
The long-haul flight's toll—he wasn't fully up to speed yet.
- Argh... missed it.
- Timing on the run and shot was spot on too.
As Korean fans' groans filled the air.
The broadcast cam suddenly panned to Union Berlin's bench.
"Huh? Camera's on Union Berlin's bench now?"
"Wait—Park Chan-hyuk's gone! Where'd he go?"
Union Berlin's manager, Park Chan-hyuk, had vanished.
***
‘That's in!’
The instant Kagawa's pass reached Son Heung-min, I had a gut feeling it'd be a goal.
So I bolted full-tilt toward the corner flag.
No way was I letting Hong-min steal my celebration.
If I got a quick start, I could pull it off.
Sadly, Son Heung-min fluffed it.
Eh, I'd half-expected something like this might happen someday.
No one's burying every shot.
‘Just didn't think it'd be today.’
In this do-or-die moment, my brain kicked into overdrive.
‘There!’
That's when I spotted the player tunnel.
Mid-sprint to the corner flag, I veered naturally toward it.
Then bolted to the bathroom like I had the runs.
‘Yeah. That looked natural enough, right?’
Perfect crisis management, if I do say so myself.