Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Union Berlin's Promotion to the Bundesliga -1
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***
[Union Berlin defeats Mainz 3-1 to claim victory.]
[Union Berlin reclaims top spot in 2. Bundesliga once again.]
[Fiercest title race in history: All eyes on 2. Bundesliga?]
[Park Chan-hyuk on controversy over childish celebration…. “Someday, people will recognize it. That’s how it is.”]
└ What the hell is this guy saying?
└ This is so Park Chan-hyuk. He occasionally goes off the rails in interviews.
└ Bet he’s pondering tonight’s dinner menu right now.
[Son Heung-min responds to reporter’s question about double celebration with Park Chan-hyuk…. “Was it a planned celebration? No. It was completely unplanned. I saw hyung—no, the boss—running to the corner flag, and I realized if I didn’t give it everything I had, he’d steal the celebration from me.”]
└ Holy shit lol Chan-hyuk, stop stealing celebrations.
└ For real, that full sprint was hilarious.
└ But Union Berlin guys aren’t doing knee slides anymore.
└ Yeah, they used to do it occasionally.
└ Ever since word got out Park Chan-hyuk had knee surgery, they’ve held back lololol
└ Lmao but getting injured during a celebration is peak comedy.
***
“Jürgen, want to grab dinner?”
“Oh. Well…. Thanks for the dinner invite, but I should head back right away. Things are about to get busy.”
After the match against Mainz ended, Jürgen Klopp turned down dinner and returned straight to Mainz.
With his team on the losing end, it probably felt awkward to sit down for a meal.
Not that I’d invited him expecting a yes anyway.
It’s just one of those casual “let’s grab a bite sometime” greetings when you run into an old acquaintance.
If Jürgen had accepted, I’d have been the surprised one.
Anyway.
The day after the Mainz match wrapped up.
The players, all wearing smiles, went through recovery training at Union Berlin’s training ground, Iron and Blood.
I watched them train and nodded in approval.
Amid the players doing recovery drills, the medical team was checking their physical conditions.
This season had really paid off the massive investment in the medical team. They’d enabled early prevention to keep injuries at bay.
Considering the competition in the 2. Bundesliga this season.
If key players had gotten hurt mid-season, forget winning the title—we might not have even promoted.
Just my personal take, but I took pride in having built one of Europe’s top medical teams through that major investment.
“Bringing in some glass-cannon players might not be a bad idea.”
Take Arjen Robben—he had those dazzling moves, but he was fragile these days. Introducing him to our medical team might open the door to signing him.
‘……Though with Real Madrid or Bayern Munich involved, not sure if we could snag him.’
Anyway.
After beating Mainz and safely navigating the crisis, my thoughts started drifting to next season.
To survive in the Bundesliga next year, we’d need squad reinforcements, especially in attack and defense.
‘……My goal from the start wasn’t just survival next season, but qualifying for Europe.’
I was getting player recommendations for next season through our scouts.
Scouting them all myself from scratch would be ideal, but unfortunately, the manager gig was insanely busy.
I’d realized filtering their recommendations myself was the most efficient approach.
And now that Union Berlin had gained some fame, were agents proactively approaching us?
Well…. They weren’t big names I’d recognize.
With our promotion to the Bundesliga all but certain, we were getting a bunch of feeler offers.
Either way.
My sister and I had resolved to spend big next season.
UEFA FFP—the financial fair play rules—hadn’t been implemented yet.
If we were going to splash cash, better do it fast.
That said, I didn’t have Chelsea or Manchester City money to burn. Unlike them chasing stars, my aim was collecting as many prospects as possible.
‘Raphael Varane, Van Dijk, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Neymar, Robertson, Thiago Silva, Kompany, Dante, Gareth Bale, Modrić… and who else? Oh yeah, gotta bring in Kagawa Shinji too.’
Once this season ended, we planned a preseason tour of Northeast Asia to scoop up Asian soccer talents.
‘But first, we need to lock in Union Berlin’s Bundesliga promotion.’
After that, time flew by relentlessly.
With their spirits restored, Union Berlin racked up win after win.
[Round 28 of the league: Can Union Berlin clinch promotion at home?]
Before long, the match that could seal our Bundesliga entry was upon us.
Union Berlin’s temporary home stadium was packed to the brim.
Family and friends of fans who’d passed away before seeing their beloved team promoted to the Bundesliga filled the stands, holding photos of those departed loved ones.
***
‘Grandpa, unlike those Dynamo bastards, we’re heading to the Bundesliga.’
Hermann Löw, a Union Berlin fan visiting the stadium, felt his chest swell with emotion and wiped away tears without realizing it.
In his hands were photos of his grandfather, who used to hold his hand and take him to Union Berlin matches in his childhood.
Just two years ago, the club had been on the brink of folding due to financial woes. Now, for the first time in its history, it stood on the cusp of Bundesliga promotion.
Fans not only filled the stadium but overflowed into the surrounding areas.
“Excuse me, I’m really sorry, but I couldn’t get a ticket. Could you take this photo inside for me? It’s my dad—I really want him to see the team promote to the top flight.”
“Oh. Of course.”
Some fans without tickets handed photos of family and friends to those heading in.
“Hey, go watch the game with my dad.”
Others even gave their tickets to fans who’d left photos behind.
- Damn. Just gave my ticket to this grandma holding her husband’s photo. Couldn’t say no. Spent a fortune on flights to see this match. Guess I’ll watch from a nearby pub.
Among those giving up tickets were fans who’d come from Korea.
“Chan~~~hyuk!!”
Fans entering the stadium shouted the name of the boy manager—the teenage wunderkind—who’d made all this possible.
The once baby-faced boy had grown into a young man.
Yet in the eyes of Union Berlin fans, he still looked like that innocent kid.
They recalled him playing as playing assistant coach, scoring the opener, and leading the team to victory.
This season, when Thomas Tuchel stepped down as manager, crisis loomed for Union Berlin.
Fans assumed Park Chan-hyuk would follow Tuchel out the door.
But the Park Chan-hyuk they thought would leave ended up staying and taking the helm.
And from the season’s kickoff, Park Chan-hyuk shattered every expert prediction.
He’d united the squad in a way no one saw coming.
Back then, the media mocked him for sending players to construction sites.
But Union Berlin fans believed in Park Chan-hyuk and the players, waiting patiently.
After all, fans—not the press—had watched the Union Berlin players closest and longest.
“Yannick!! Keep the promise you made at the construction site! You said you’d become our legend!!”
Hermann Löw still cherished memories of chatting with Union Berlin players back then. Memories he might treasure forever.
The match kickoff was still a ways off.
“Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind. (Toward the dawn, we march against the wind.)”
Union Berlin fans rose from their seats as one, belting out the club’s anthem.
The fire burning in their hearts wouldn’t let them sit still.
“Wir werden alles zerlegen, bis wir Deutscher Meister sind. (We’ll tear everything apart until we’re German champions.)”
The fans’ passion reached the players warming up on the pitch.
Freiburg players’ faces hardened, while Union Berlin’s grew deadly serious.
“Let’s win. No matter what, we win today.”
Union Berlin captain Yannick Feith gathered the team and declared it plainly.
“Iron!!!”
“Union!!”
Unlike usual, the players nodded with straight faces, no joking around.
Moments later.
“FC Union, you shall shine like the brightest halo.”
With the referee’s whistle, the match kicked off.
Black-and-white photos rose throughout the stadium.
Photos of family, friends, and comrades who’d passed before witnessing Union Berlin’s Bundesliga promotion.
“And everywhere it will echo, FC Union our club!”