Chapter 152
Chapter 152
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: vs FC Porto -1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
***
“GOOOOOOAL! It’s a goal from Roberto Lewandowski!!”
The broadcast team, who had been cheering over Union Berlin’s early opener, burst into hollow laughter.
- Whooooaaaa─!!!!!!!!!
As Park Chan-hyuk’s voice boomed into the broadcast camera.
His shout had pierced right through the roar of the crowd.
- Damn, I was dozing off and that startled me awake.
- LMAOOOOO
- Whoa, is Park Chan-hyuk’s voice for real? It’s insanely loud.
In fact, soccer fans watching Union Berlin’s match were flooding the live comments with reactions.
***
After finishing the celebration and returning to the bench, I nodded as I eyed the Schalke players.
‘From Manuel Neuer to Ivan Rakitić, Schalke’s lineup is pretty stacked.’
Schalke’s current manager was Felix Magath, the guy who’d led Stuttgart—back when it was mockingly called “Magath Kindergarten” because of the young players—to a surprise runner-up finish in the league during my study abroad days there.
‘And then he left for Bayern Munich, and it all fell apart.’
He’d also nabbed runner-up as Wolfsburg’s director-cum-manager last season.
No denying he had a sharp eye for talent.
‘Hmm. He might’ve taken a bit of a hit because of me... but oh well.’
The world of competition is ruthless, after all.
‘That said, Ivan Rakitić seems like a guy worth bringing in.’
Unbeknownst to myself, my gaze had locked onto Ivan Rakitić.
***
Even after stealing Lewandowski’s celebration, the match pressed on.
Playing at home, Union Berlin didn’t settle for the early lead and kept hounding Schalke relentlessly.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t rattle the net again afterward.
Their strikers’ shots were all denied by Manuel Neuer’s brilliant saves.
Manuel Neuer was already putting on a monstrous display, and that was without his full potential even unlocking yet.
“Fuck, I thought Schmidt was over there in the keeper gloves.”
Even Union Berlin’s forwards were swearing in now-familiar Korean.
‘How come they forget everything else but remember “fuck” perfectly?’
Looks like “fuck” really is a magic word.
Anyway. Union Berlin managing just that one goal in this match wasn’t solely thanks to Neuer’s heroics.
It was also the first game after the winter break, so everyone’s legs felt extra heavy today.
“Good work, everyone! Sure, we only scored ‘one goal’...!! But good work anyway!”
The match against Schalke ended in a 1-0 victory for Union Berlin.
Lewandowski’s early strike in the first half proved to be the winner.
And in people’s memories, all that stuck was my celebration.
After shaking hands with the stone-faced Schalke manager, who’d lost the game,
I headed off for the post-match interview with the press, right on schedule.
- Schalke manager Magath criticized Park Chan-hyuk’s celebration as lacking respect. What are your thoughts?
That’s where I learned Magath had griped about my celebration.
I gave the reporters a curt reply and wrapped up the interview.
“Welcome to the Bundesliga.”
It didn’t matter that he’d been in the Bundesliga longer than me.
I was the one rewriting its history now.
***
[Union Berlin edges Schalke 1-0.]
[Manuel Neuer’s dazzling saves shine alone amid team defeat.]
[Bayern Munich eyeing Manuel Neuer?]
[Schalke’s Felix Magath calls out Park Chan-hyuk’s celebration: “Lacking respect for the opponent.”]
[Union Berlin’s Park Chan-hyuk responds to provocation controversy: “Welcome to the Bundesliga.”]
└ Since when was managers celebrating a Bundesliga tradition? LOLOL
└ But fr, the lower leagues in Germany are hell—managers celebrate like crazy there LOL
└ Legendary lower-league moments in Germany.
└ It’s hilarious when you’re bored.
└ Where do you even watch lower leagues?
└ ??? Just subscribe to Guten Sports Pass?
***
Even after the Schalke match wrapped up, the Bundesliga schedule rolled on relentlessly.
I was thrown back into my hectic routine.
But amid the bustle, a new item popped up on my calendar.
‘A date, huh...!’
Dating felt pretty novel.
Squeezing in time to see Charlotte even in the middle of all this madness.
‘Is this the power of love?’
Anyway.
Meeting up with Charlotte and chatting let me learn a ton about her.
The most surprising bit? She really hates autumn.
‘...Got something to do with baseball?’
The good news for Union Berlin was that soccer had nothing to do with autumn. Seasons start in September, after all.
Anyway, what mattered now was
that after hanging out with Charlotte, my body was recovering at an astonishing pace.
***
Lately, Union Berlin’s staff had been experiencing something mysterious.
The manager’s office light, which used to burn late into the night every day, was now switching off early.
“They say love changes a person. Boss is even leaving on the dot now.”
“Yeah, I was worried about his health, so this is a relief.”
“He’s still grinding five days a week, though.”
“Two early outs is better than nothing...”
Park Chan-hyuk clocking out early wasn’t a bad thing for the staff.
He’d been handling an absurd workload before, after all.
And above all, no subordinate hates it when the boss heads home early.
As for the work Park Chan-hyuk didn’t get to,
It got dumped on Union Berlin’s head of IT, Kim Sun-myung.
“...Why dump this on me during my downtime?”
The reason it landed on him? Park Chan-hyuk.
Just because they were both Korean.
***
While Park Chan-hyuk was off flirting and canoodling in his new romance, time flew by.
[Union Berlin beats Werder Bremen 3-2.]
[Mesut Özil notches a magical two-assist performance.]
Union Berlin charged through the Bundesliga’s second half undefeated.
February crept up before long.
[Union Berlin heads to Portugal for Champions League Round of 16 first leg against FC Porto.]
The first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 between Union Berlin and FC Porto loomed right around the corner.
- Union Berlin wins this, right? 100%
- Even Man Utd fans agree.
- Honestly, they beat Man Utd, so losing to Porto makes no sense.
- Still, no complacency. You never know till the final whistle.
Most soccer fans were predicting a Union Berlin win.
***
FC Porto.
The selling club and merchant kings of European soccer, a solid Champions League contender in their own right.
They’d even nabbed the Big Ear in the past.
Of course, after Mourinho—the guy who won them the Champions League—left, Porto slowly weakened.
Now they’re just another selling club, but that’s not unique to them.
‘The league’s too small for the club to grow.’
Anyway, ahead of the match, I gave my Union Berlin players a stern warning.
“Watch out for Radamel Falcao.”
Porto had Falcao on the roster—the guy who’d later be called the strongest in mortal realms.
Personally, I saw Radamel Falcao as the tragic figure crushed by monsters Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, never quite claiming the scoring title.
‘Thinking back to his Atlético Madrid days, he’s definitely solid...’
Unfortunately, signing Radamel Falcao would be tricky.
Third-party ownership issues and all that mess.
Well, throw some money at it, and it’d probably sort out.
‘But with Lewandowski and Yannick, do we really need to...?’
Union Berlin’s attacking squad was already half-full to bursting.
Unless Lewandowski bolted to another team next season,
There was no need to force a Falcao signing.
‘That aside, tons of good players here.’
True to their rep as Europe’s merchants, Porto had a bunch of quality beyond Falcao.
Bosingwa caught my eye the most, though.
‘Hmm...’
I hesitated a bit, imagining him stealing my trophy celebration.
‘Guess I’ll have to mull over Bosingwa.’
Anyway.
With the ref’s whistle, the Champions League Round of 16 first leg between FC Porto and Union Berlin kicked off.
And the one to score first, right out of the gate,
Was the Radamel Falcao I’d overlooked.
“...Should I sign him?”
In that moment, I finally got what it felt like to have Jo Seung-sang’s endless talent lust.