Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: A Stadium Built with Blood and Sweat -5
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***
With his transfer to Union Berlin confirmed, Robert Lewandowski finished preparing to move to Germany.
'So this is Berlin. It's quieter than I expected.'
Roberto Lewandowski arrived in Berlin's Köpenick district a little earlier than the time Park Chan-hyuk had mentioned and began settling into the neighborhood.
Lewandowski's first impression of the area wasn't bad at all. It felt similar to the home ground of Znicz Pruszków, where he'd been playing.
And a few days later.
The gathering day that Park Chan-hyuk had mentioned arrived.
Robert Lewandowski headed to the training ground with barely contained excitement.
"The new transfer this time?"
"Robert Lewandowski."
Lewandowski exchanged greetings with the existing Union Berlin players.
"Uh... I'm Yannick Foigt, and I've been named captain for Union Berlin this season. If you have any questions, come find me anytime. I'll answer as best I can."
Thanks to the captain actively bridging the gap between players, the newcomers blended into the team naturally.
'...He's a striker too, huh.'
Lewandowski felt a spark of rivalry toward Yannick Foigt. Having claimed the top scorer title right after debuting, he had some confidence in his abilities.
Separate from Lewandowski burning with competitive spirit toward Yannick Foigt.
'Anyway, factions... doesn't seem like there are any.'
The atmosphere at Union Berlin, as he saw it, wasn't bad at all.
The veterans were actively chatting with the transfers.
They joked around with each other, blending together without any specific cliques.
'Phew. Good.'
The Lewandowski who would become a world-class striker in the future was still just a 19-year-old kid.
Having transferred to a new team, he'd been tense about the changed environment without realizing it, and now he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
And just as Lewandowski started to relax.
"Manager's here! Fall in!"
The veterans naturally formed up in ranks.
Lewandowski was bewildered by the sudden shift in the training ground's atmosphere.
'...What's this?'
And shortly after.
Lewandowski's confusion only grew stronger.
"Blood for Union! To the construction site! And shut up!"
The manager climbed onto the platform and bellowed something bizarre right off the bat.
'...What the hell.'
What was truly surprising was that none of the existing Union Berlin players seemed fazed at all.
"Sigh, the manager's at it again with his nonsense."
"At least it's not the actual military."
"Hey, I kinda liked the boot camp experience."
"It's not the military you liked—it's Korea."
The veterans moved toward the construction site with utter familiarity, while the newcomers approached them with familiar expressions and asked questions.
"...Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Does stuff like this happen often?"
"Hmm. Occasionally? But he doesn't make us do anything that could get us hurt. No need to worry too much."
"And is the manager strict? Everyone seemed pretty disciplined back there."
"That was just him messing with you guys to keep you on your toes."
Amid the odd atmosphere, the transfers and veterans began to bond.
***
I nodded as I watched the players chatting away.
Truth be told, I'd been considering another trip back to Korea during preseason.
The boot camp experience and campfire from last preseason had been more effective than expected.
But right now, the timing in Korea wasn't great for various reasons.
'The presidential election's coming up soon.'
It was best not to go at all, lest unnecessary rumors start flying.
In any case, I led the players to the construction site where Union Berlin's home stadium was being built. Thanks to Park Jung-ah's generous donation and GL Group's diamond-spoon influence, construction was progressing at a rapid pace.
One side of the stands featured messages engraved in all sorts of languages from the sponsors who'd bought bricks, giving it a unique charm.
The opposite side was slated for a display produced by GL Electronics.
I'd tried to sell the stadium naming rights to GL this time too, but the Union Berlin fans' backlash had been fiercer than expected.
'...It's not like the stadium name has any special meaning. Why the fuss?'
GL drew a line first, stating they had no intention of buying the naming rights amid the fans' outrage.
[GL Issues Statement on Union Berlin Fans' Backlash: "We Had No Intention of Purchasing Naming Rights."]
That just redirected the fans' ire toward club president Dirk Zingler.
Dirk Zingler protested his innocence, insisting he hadn't done anything.
Well. What could he do?
He was the club's ultimate decision-maker, after all.
In any case.
The fans lit up noticeably when they spotted the Union Berlin squad.
Even I thought having the players join the construction work was a solid idea.
It would boost team spirit and loyalty to the club, or so I figured.
It was an experience from my past life in the military.
'You ever heard of civil support operations?'
The difference, of course, was that soldiers were unpaid slaves, while Union Berlin players commanded top-dollar salaries.
***
The Union Berlin squad got to work in earnest.
Yannick Foigt was especially impressive, no doubt thanks to his pre-soccer days at the auto factory. His form screamed foreman.
Separate from the existing Union Berlin players—who'd climbed from the fourth division and were reminiscing through the manual labor after a long hiatus—
the players who'd joined last season or this one felt awkward.
Unlike the fourth-division guys with their side gigs, these were elite soccer pros.
'Bourgeois bastards, every one of 'em.'
In any case.
Having the players do construction work turned out better than expected.
It drew rave reviews from both fans and players—more than I'd anticipated.
In that short time, fans made memories working alongside the players.
The players felt the fans' love up close and personal.
No injuries occurred. We'd assigned them to the safest spots and taken every precaution.
But above all, it was the fans' consideration that kept the players from the roughest jobs.
The squad didn't contribute much to the actual construction, but smiles bloomed on the fans' faces.
The club and players had acknowledged their dedication to the team.
Even the players who'd grumbled about heading to the site were now working away quietly.
I'd even dragged club president Dirk Zingler away from his paperwork to join in.
"...Manager Park, is this really okay?"
"Hey now, didn't I say Union Berlin is a community made up of players, staff, and fans!"
Anyway, the players and staff felt the fans' love for the club with every fiber of their being, and the fans made memories of working alongside them.
The fans' loyalty to the club had clearly maxed out and then some.
'Building the stadium with the players? That's legend-tier bragging rights.'
It was the kind of story they'd tell over drinks for life.
And the next day.
Word had spread about the squad showing up for construction work the day before, so a huge crowd turned out.
We had to call it quits on the player construction event after that, deeming it a safety risk with all the people.
Personally, I'd call it a successful event.
[Union Berlin Has Players Build Stadium Due to Lack of Funds.]
The Dinamo press threw in some mockery.
But overall, it earned praise as a romantic club.
[Union Berlin Delivers Heartwarming Moment for Fans.]
[Dirk Zingler at Construction Site: "We Remember Our Fans' Dedication."]
[Park Chan-hyuk on Why He Planned the Event: "A club is a community of players, fans, and staff. The home stadium is the village where that community lives. It's only natural to lend a hand in building the village we'll call home."]
And from that day on.
Union Berlin dove into full preseason training.
***
There were other reasons besides the election for holding preseason in Germany.
Jet lag from a Korea trip could mess with conditioning.
Even if we didn't get promoted this season, we couldn't afford relegation.
Prepping in Germany was best for a stable campaign.
'...Am I being ostracized?'
But Union Berlin still hadn't finalized its preseason schedule, even after it started.
It was karma from my media stunts back in the third and fourth divisions.
Managers who'd tasted my mind games refused to play us. I proposed a friendly to St. Pauli, who'd promoted to the second division alongside us from the third, but their manager straight-up shuddered and declined.
'...I might've gone too far.'
But this situation actually turned into a golden opportunity for Union Berlin.
- Tuchel: How about a preseason friendly with us?
Thomas Tuchel, now at Bayern Munich, had hooked us up with a game in Munich.
'...Fuck yeah! All hail King God Tuchel.'
That day, I hung a pre-wig photo of Thomas Tuchel on the manager's office wall.
And bowed to it twice.