Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: First Meeting with Thomas Tuchel
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Thomas Tuchel and I met for the first time.
***
Although Stuttgart had an airport, there were no direct flights from Korea.
We landed at Frankfurt am Main International Airport and took a train to Stuttgart.
The first few days after arriving in Stuttgart were nonstop busy.
I followed a stadium guide around, learning about the club's history. Most of the staff working at Stuttgart were fans themselves, and their explanations carried a strong sense of pride in the club.
“…And as a result, we finished as runners-up last season.”
VfB Stuttgart was a somewhat peculiar club.
They had sold off all their key players due to financial difficulties, but Felix Magath took over, pulled them out of relegation danger, and then last season, their young prospects exploded onto the scene, leading to a runner-up finish in the league.
The media, watching Stuttgart's revival through these prospects, had dubbed it the "Magath Kindergarten" after the manager.
By the way, financial crisis—doesn't that sound familiar?
‘This is basically future Dortmund, isn't it?’
In fact, my internet searches showed not just Stuttgart, but several clubs struggling financially. Borussia Dortmund, which we all knew too well, went without saying, along with Arminia Bielefeld, Hansa Rostock, and others. Most mid- and lower-table teams were facing fiscal woes.
[Clubs' Successive Financial Crises? Need to Fix Unstable Revenue Models and Excessive Spending…]
[Bundesliga's Enemy: Low Broadcast Fees. The Only Answer Is Overseas Expansion.]
The press pointed to the Bundesliga's unstable revenue models and excessive spending as the causes.
But as a foreigner, I figured Germany's economy played a role too.
Bundesliga clubs tended to be deeply tied to their local communities, with local companies often serving as sponsors.
So when the local economy soured, fans and sponsors naturally tightened their wallets, leading straight to club financial crises.
In reality, Germany's economy in the early 2000s looked rough. The aftereffects of reunification lingered, and the dot-com bubble burst had shrunk investment markets.
[Gerhard Schröder Pushes Massive Welfare and Labor Market Reforms.]
[Labor Reform or Labor Degradation? Gerhard Schröder Chasing Workers from Their Jobs.]
German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was all over the news, talking about reforms.
That was how bad Germany's economy was right now.
‘No wonder investment immigration is happening so quickly.’
Easy German immigration had this kind of backstory.
In my past life, I was too young to know about Germany's struggles.
Well, that didn't mean I thought Germany was doomed.
As some famous entertainer once said, ‘Real crises aren't announced on TV as crises.’
And from what I knew, Germany had been doing great until my regression. Sure, it stagnated post-COVID, but it was still a powerhouse not to be underestimated.
“This is our Stuttgart training facility. Chan-hyuk, you'll train here.”
Anyway, while the staff member was showing me the training grounds.
“Ah, that's where the first team trains. It'd be great if you could train there someday too, Chan-hyuk.”
A familiar face caught my eye.
‘Huh…? That guy?’
I had run into an unexpected figure at Stuttgart's training ground.
Philipp Lahm, the legend of German soccer.
***
Philipp Lahm, on loan from Bayern Munich to Stuttgart.
He was settling in pretty quickly at Stuttgart.
It helped that his teammates had glimpsed his talent and treated him well. Plus, Lahm wasn't the type with rough edges to begin with.
“Who's the Asian guy?”
At the words of Andreas Hinkel, Stuttgart's right-back, the players' gazes shifted outside the pitch.
There stood an Asian boy with a Stuttgart staff member.
His teammates started murmuring as they watched.
“Did they find a new sponsor? I heard the club was in financial trouble.”
“Idiot, they said a soccer student from Korea was arriving today.”
“A student coming to study soccer?”
Philipp Lahm tried his best to ignore it and focus on training.
But today, he just couldn't concentrate.
“How old is he to be studying abroad?”
“I think he's just turning 16.”
“Young.”
“Yeah, young. You're old.”
“And you're bald.”
“You bastard?”
“You thought of it first, you bastard!”
“You idiots go fight over there. And don't even think about any racist crap.”
His teammates were rowdy, sure.
But more than that.
‘Why does he keep staring at me like that? It's creepy.’
The Asian soccer student was staring right through him.
***
Sadly, I didn't get to greet Philipp Lahm or the other first-team players.
With the season opener approaching, they were focused on team-building drills.
Still, just watching practice was hugely helpful.
From observing the training.
Even as a kid, Philipp Lahm was Philipp Lahm.
Not just his on-pitch performance, but his Scouter stats were outstanding too.
[Name: Philipp Lahm.]
Current Stats: ★★★☆☆☆
Potential: ★★★★★★
One-Liner: Can you feel the talent gap, human?
He had the highest talent of any player I'd seen so far.
It was the first time I'd seen potential completely filled with stars.
Probably, six stars or more meant world-class. Three stars or above was Bundesliga level.
‘That one-liner, though—what's with that?’
Anyway, Philipp Lahm was playing left-back for Stuttgart.
“Is that player on Stuttgart too?”
I'd wondered why a one-club man was at Stuttgart.
“Ah, Philipp's on loan from Bayern Munich.”
According to the staff next to me, he wasn't a Stuttgart player but on loan.
In the ensuing scrimmage, Lahm put on a great show at left-back. He calmly adjusted his teammates' positions and didn't get called out by the coach once during the session.
I couldn't help but think how nice it'd be to have a player like that.
‘His fight might be a bit low, but that's not so bad.’
Players who got fired up by crowd cheers and exceeded their limits were great, but cool-headed ones like Lahm who could survey the pitch rationally were vital too.
Someone had to hold back teammates from getting too heated mid-game.
In truth, instructions from the touchline were inherently limited. That's why having a player inside to fill that role was crucial.
‘The captain incarnate.’
Anyway, once Stuttgart's practice match ended, I greeted the first-team manager, Magath.
What was interesting was that even Magath knew my name.
“Nice to meet you. Chanya… nuk? Right?”
“…Just call me Park.”
I couldn't help but react awkwardly to Magath.
He had really tried with the pronunciation, to the point where smiling felt rude.
“I watched your videos. Thomas gave a strong recommendation.”
Looks like not just Thomas Tuchel, but Magath viewed my soccer study abroad positively too.
If things went well, a first-team debut might not be a pipe dream.
‘I might not star in the first team, but debuting? Possible.’
After Magath's well-wishes, the day's schedule wrapped up.
‘…But why didn't they introduce me to Tuchel?’
All in all, my first impression of Stuttgart wasn't bad.
***
That evening, I called my parents.
“Hello?”
“Dad, it's me.”
“Yeah, you doing okay?”
“Yeah, I'm good.”
“Alright then. Phone bills add up, so let's end it here.”
I only exchanged greetings with Dad among the family.
Click—.
“Huh?”
Dad had kept it short for the phone bill and hung up.
To be honest.
Unlike my sister, a famous entertainer in my past life, our family hadn't shed its petit-bourgeois mindset yet.
Watching her dump all her money into Apple would've made my hands and feet shake.
If smartphones existed, she'd probably check stocks daily and never live a normal life.
‘Sis, I trust you….’
Well, if she lost it all, I'd have to take her word that she'd re-debut as an idol and earn it back.
Anyway, today was the day of my first meeting with Thomas Tuchel.
I was looking forward to it in every way.
The Thomas Tuchel who'd lifted big ears in the Champions League and managed giants like Dortmund, Chelsea, PSG, and Bayern Munich.
He'd bombed at Bayern, sure, but still—this Tuchel had picked me out.
I was gripped by the hope that he'd spotted my potential, invisible even to the Scouter.
And shortly after.
My first meeting with Thomas Tuchel hit harder than expected.
“Scheiße. You're the worst. Why the hell are you even playing soccer?”
Not sure if it was my imagination.
But the Scouter window blinked annoyingly, as if mocking Tuchel's words.