Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Munich in the South, Berlin in the North -1
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***
After the Champions League semifinal match against Barcelona ended, reactions poured in from soccer fans around the world.
[Union Berlin defeats Barcelona, advances to Champions League final.]
It was an unexpected result for a team that had only recently been promoted to the first division to beat Barcelona and reach the final.
Union Berlin wasn’t even some storied powerhouse from the past—it was a club making its debut appearance in the Champions League.
[Is Union Berlin a club that skyrocketed thanks to a sugar daddy named Guten? Or the romantic club upheld by its fans?]
└ Probably both.
└ But has Guten really invested that much?
└ Feels like GL invested even more...
└ We know now that Guten’s loaded and making a name for himself, but back then it wasn’t like that ㅇㅇ
└ Yeah, they just seemed like a mid-table scrub team;;
People were buzzing with all sorts of stories about Union Berlin.
Some dismissed it as a typical club propped up by a common sugar daddy.
- Union Berlin is the epitome of our Bundesliga’s 50+1 policy success.
- Calling Union Berlin a mere sugar daddy team is an insult to the Bundesliga.
- So, have you ever sold your blood to save a club in financial crisis? Ever built a stadium through unpaid labor?
But Bundesliga fans quickly fired back in the comments.
Union Berlin’s history was a point of pride, a direct result of the 50+1 policy they cherished.
Anyway, as soon as Union Berlin clinched their spot in the Champions League final, fans started flooding in. Plenty of people who watched the Barcelona match became fans on the spot.
- What’s that sparkly thing next to your nickname?
- Newbies incoming.
- Already spending money as a newbie? Impressive.
They were a bit confused by Union Berlin’s homepage, which was unlike typical soccer club sites, but they adapted quickly.
- So, how much have you spent? How long you been supporting?
- ...I’m still a student.
- Ah, students get a pass.
While Union Berlin fans were reveling in the festivities...
The mood at Barcelona, defeated in the Champions League semifinal, was grim.
“Puta Madre.”
“Losing to a team in the Champions League for the first time? Does that even make sense?”
“It’s not the loss that shocks me—it’s that sleazy display at the end.”
And it wasn’t just the defeat that darkened their mood.
Of course not. Soccer balls are round, and losing in the Champions League was always a possibility.
[Title: Ugh, this is straight-up embarrassing.]
I’ve been a Barca fan all this time and now I feel massive regret.
Turning on the sprinklers just because you lost?
And this is a team reaching the Champions League final for the first time?
Shouldn’t you at least not ruin their celebration instead of joining in?
└ Union Berlin making it to the final on their Champions League debut, for real. We’re screwed.
└ Park Chan-hyuk <<< Absolute cosmic legend.
└ Chan-hyuk, can’t you take over the national team?
└ Would you do it if you were him?
└ Lol yeah, probably best he stays at Union Berlin developing Korean prospects.
What truly disappointed Barcelona fans was the sprinkler incident—turning them on and dousing Union Berlin players celebrating their Champions League final advancement.
Disrupting the winning team’s celebration with sprinklers was a sleazy move that shattered Barcelona fans’ pride.
[FC Barcelona sprinkler activation an unfortunate operational mishap.]
└ Holy shit lol, that’s your excuse...?
└ “Operational mishap” but they targeted only Union Berlin precisely lol.
└ Just admit you turned it on out of spite. That’d be less humiliating.
As FC Barcelona offered lame excuses, even harsher criticism poured in. Soccer fans worldwide mocked them relentlessly.
[Union Berlin manager Park Chan-hyuk speaks on Barcelona sprinkler controversy. “Nothing to say about disrupting our celebration with sprinklers? Well, it’s just a difference in class, isn’t it? It does stand out compared to Madrid celebrating our quarterfinal advancement.”]
And Park Chan-hyuk’s follow-up remarks made Barcelona feel even more pathetic.
***
The day after Union Berlin secured their Champions League final berth.
The team held recovery training while granting a few days’ vacation to players who featured in the semifinal.
They looked utterly drained from digestion.
There was still about a month until the Champions League final stage.
I planned to manage Union Berlin’s players as best as possible before clashing with Mourinho’s Inter.
‘First up, let’s hoist the Meisterschale in our home turf.’
And above all, it was time to focus on the league.
[Inter defeats Lyon, advances to Champions League final.]
[‘Miracle’ Union Berlin vs. ‘Treble’ Inter showdown?]
[Mourinho: “Union Berlin’s manager clearly has mental issues.”]
Anyway, after Inter reached the Champions League final, Mourinho resorted to low-blow personal attacks, but I didn’t pay it much mind.
After sending the players on vacation, I was busy dating Charlotte.
“That Portuguese bastard isn’t crazy?”
It had been a while since I’d seen Charlotte, and she was furious about Mourinho’s interview.
‘Hmm. That bad, huh?’
Truth be told, Mourinho’s comments didn’t anger me that much.
Sure, they soured my mood a bit, but considering his usual antics, it was par for the course.
Still, having someone get mad on my behalf stirred a grateful, oddly warm feeling.
If we weren’t dating, I might’ve confessed to Charlotte right then and there.
“How about a public proposal, Charlotte?”
Oh, by the way, proposing to her on the big-ear trophy-lifting stage got shot down hard by the person herself.
I’d casually floated the idea to Charlotte after Park Jung-ah gave a lukewarm reaction when I shared my proposal plans during future-talk.
“Don’t.”
“Huh...?”
“Don’t do it for real. I’d die of embarrassment if you did.”
I thought it was romantic, but the bride-to-be’s opinion mattered most, so I humbly accepted her stance.
“A simple proposal is fine too. It’s our feelings that count, not the showy stuff.”
‘Sigh. Might lack that dopamine hit though.’
Of course, I still had personal regrets about the proposal.
***
A few days after Mourinho’s interview went public.
[Mourinho controversy over personal attacks on Park Chan-hyuk.]
Public backlash formed against Mourinho’s over-the-line interview. Even media outlets that loved sensationalism agreed he’d crossed a line.
[Mourinho hasn’t grown at all since back then.]
└ Mourinho’s a lost cause.
└ Tongue-nyu blows up in his face again.
Some reporters recalled when Mourinho called Arsène Wenger a voyeur.
But the public mood now was far worse than back then.
Wenger was a grizzled veteran who’d seen it all in the league.
Mourinho was a rookie just starting his managerial career.
His antics could be chalked up to a young manager’s passion.
But now, compared to Park Chan-hyuk, Mourinho had far more experience.
Park was in his early twenties. Factoring in how Westerners saw Asians as youthful, some exaggerated it to say he looked downright underage.
A few outlets ran provocative articles with Park’s most baby-faced photo alongside Mourinho’s quotes, making it look like he’d insulted a minor.
And since Park was Asian, it naturally tied into racial issues.
Indeed, backlash against Mourinho and Inter was surging, especially in Asia.
Sensing the tide turning, Mourinho and Inter issued an apology, but Park Chan-hyuk showed no reaction.
[Park Chan-hyuk silent on Mourinho’s apology.]
└ Tch, Park’s not on Wenger’s level. Won’t even accept an apology.
└ ...Comparing “voyeur” to “mentally ill” isn’t fair, is it?
└ Wenger started it, but Park was minding his business and got hit. Can’t equate them;;
└ And it’s Park’s call whether to accept. No obligation just ‘cause he apologized ㅇㅇ
As Park ignored Mourinho’s public apology, the controversy only grew.
└ Called mentally ill—would you accept an apology?
└ Yeah I would. And TBH Park looks kinda crazy lol
└ Sudden no-brain retard drop.
└ ...? Why the fat-shaming out of nowhere?
└ If he hadn’t kept a loser like you around, he’d be crazy too ㅇㅇ Just facts.
Mourinho fans slammed Park for not accepting like a man, but public opinion had already swung his way.
Meanwhile, around that time.
‘No way, did Munich wake up too early?’
Park Chan-hyuk was swamped prepping tactics for the next match.
He genuinely had zero thoughts on the recent controversy.
***
After my date with Charlotte, I dove back into my busy schedule.
Had to prep tactics for the league and Champions League final. No time to fret over someone else’s drama.
‘Objectively, we’re stronger than Inter.’
I analyzed Inter’s squad objectively and nodded in satisfaction.
Sure, Inter wasn’t pushover material.
This era’s Inter was stacked with world-class talent: Júlio César, Maicon, Cambiasso, Eto’o, Sneijder, Milito, and more.
‘Sneijder even got robbed of the Ballon d’Or by Messi this year.’
But Union Berlin’s squad was no slouch either.
And maybe thanks to Mourinho’s interview, our players were fired up.
Note that we’d poached Inter’s treble-key center-back Lúcio to Manchester City, so our squad edge was objective fact.
‘Worth jumping on that transfer market counter early.’
Of course, claiming I wasn’t wary of Mourinho’s Inter would be a lie.
This-era Mourinho was the real deal.
‘Missing you extra today, Coach Mou-riño.’
Anyway, amid the ongoing Mourinho controversy, Union Berlin’s league match against Bayern Munich—the one that could clinch the title—loomed.