Dad was a Genius - Chapter 59
Only Noblemtl
My Dad Was a Genius Episode 059
The K-League has ended and the Asian Champions League has begun.
However, as Cheonan achieved a double in the K League and recorded 100 points, which is hard to find even in other leagues, all the talk was focused on them.
Even overseas, the drama-like actions of Cheonan and Cha Seong-eun were highlighted.
And rumors began to spread throughout the country.
There were many clubs’ love calls for Kang Dae-ho, who set the all-time scoring record of 35 goals in Cheonan.
It wasn’t just Kang Dae-ho.
Ko Jin-cheol, Lee Su-yong, etc., who were very active in Cheonan.
Links are coming in from multiple teams and they don’t know where to go next.
But the one receiving the most attention was not the players, but coach Cha Seong-eun.
[Cha Seong, will he advance overseas?]
[The realistic difficulties of advancing overseas. What are the UEFA licensing regulations?]
[Why Asian managers can’t go to the Premier League.]
However, the media was largely negative.
The reason why Asians have not been able to become managers in the Premier League until now is not only because of their skills, but also because of the strict regulations of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations).
The criteria for a UEFA license are that you must have coached in the Premier League for at least two years. In addition, you need another license to do that, and you must also pass an exam for that.
Even if they pass the test, the Premier League market is still narrow.
Because there are so many people who want to become coaches.
Korea is also getting into the networking business right now, so how could the UK be any different?
Furthermore, the market was further blocked by the atmosphere in which those who had never played on the British stage were not even recognized as coaches.
So, fans who had been secretly hoping that the first ever Korean manager would appear in the Premier League were disappointed.
Because I thought that if Cha Seong-eun had shown this level of skill in the K-League, he would definitely be successful in the big leagues.
In the midst of this, everyone was giving up on Cha Seong-eun’s overseas expansion.
News that no one expected came.
[Cha Seong-eun goes to the Premier League.]
* * *
“… … .”
Chairman Cha sat in his study and stared blankly at the display case.
2013 K League Championship, FA Cup Championship.
The long-awaited championship trophy was placed on the previously empty display case.
It’s been a while since the league ended and I still can’t believe it.
I can’t believe I’m finally putting the trophy I’ve always dreamed of here.
Two of them, too!
“Hoo hoo hoo.”
Just looking at the trophy brings a smile to my face.
No matter how upset I am, I feel like looking at these two will help me feel better.
Moreover, Chairman Cha even personally lifted the championship trophy at his home stadium.
It was thanks to the youngest son’s consideration for his father that he arranged for him to hold the cup and receive congratulations with the players.
Usually, when the top player comes out and holds the trophy ceremony, the fans frown, but that day there was nothing like that.
All Cheonan fans gave a standing ovation to Chairman Cha, who has spared no support for Cheonan and sent the treasure called Cha Seong-eun.
The taste, emotion, and thrill of that day are still vivid.
Have you ever felt that way in your life?
It was a more thrilling and youthful feeling than when I had closed a deal worth trillions of dollars.
[Cha Seong-eun finally advances to the EPL.]
[Contract with EPL team confirmed? Cha Seong’s advancement to EPL almost certain.]
[Will the first Asian EPL manager be born?]
It seems that the K-League has definitely become more popular.
Indeed, when Cheonan confirmed its victory, all media outlets reported the news on their front pages.
Also, when Cha Seong-i scored 100 points, the entire media was excited.
And the influence of such tea ceremony continued even after the K-League ended.
Aren’t all the newspapers full of stories about Cha Seong-eun?
EPL… …EPL.
It is said that you have to work at the bottom for at least two years to be eligible to receive a license.
However, passing the test does not automatically issue a license; rather, it requires an examination, which is said to be very difficult for those who have never played on the European stage or are not former athletes.
If the youngest wants to walk this path, it will be a very difficult path.
I wonder how much will come to Korea.
I felt depressed at the thought that I might not see my youngest for a long time.
dripping-.
“Ah. Okay. Come in.”
Chairman Cha quickly closed the newspaper he was reading.
And he greeted his youngest son with a smile.
“Were you working?”
“Huh? No. I was just sitting there blankly, you know. Heh heh.”
“Hmm. Looking at your face, it seems like you have something on your mind.”
Anyway, this youngest is very quick-witted.
Then, the boy’s eyes caught sight of other newspapers that had not yet been covered.
“So that’s why it was like this.”
“Ahem. Don’t you think the media is a bunch of people who like to make a fuss? Don’t worry about it too much.”
“Really? But the media reports aren’t completely wrong.”
As soon as he heard those words, Chairman Cha felt his heart sink.
But I tried not to show it and asked.
“Have you been able to contact anyone overseas?”
“Yes. There were a few places that had shown interest in me before. Oh! Of course, not the big clubs. To become a coach at a big club, you have to be a player from the European stage.”
“Whether it’s a big club or not, what does it matter? You’re the guy who made this Cheonan, which used to be called a shithole, the best. No matter which team you join, you’ll definitely become the best in that league.”
At those words, the guy paused.
After a while, he spoke in a slightly trembling voice.
“Thank you, Father. You give me strength.”
“Child. Even though you don’t show it on the outside, it seems like you’ve been going through a lot of emotional distress.”
“Of course. It’s the first time a Korean coach has taken on the challenge of advancing overseas. Also, it’s true that I feel sorry to my father and the fans for immediately stepping down as coach of Cheonan.”
“Tsk. Don’t worry about anything. Ask me and the Cheonan fans. Do they want you to stay? Aren’t they all hoping that you’ll go overseas and succeed?”
Then the youngest one smiled and asked.
“Father, do you want me to go too?”
“that…….”
Actually, I wanted to answer ‘no’.
But how can you hold onto a guy who has such big dreams?
“If I tell you not to go, you won’t go?”
“yes.”
I was surprised that the answer came right away.
Chairman Cha shook his head as if he couldn’t stand it.
“This guy is testing his old father. If you say that, I think he’ll really stop you from going.”
“You’re not going to hold on to me?”
“There’s nothing more disgusting than keeping a capable man at home. So don’t hesitate and go. And… …come see the faces of your family members sometimes.”
“Yes, father.”
“… … .”
There was an awkward silence for a moment.
“Ah. If someone saw me, they’d think I was leaving tomorrow. This won’t work. Go get me some alcohol.”
“No, Dad. Your doctor told you not to drink.”
“Hey. That guy says he shouldn’t drink alcohol, but he always drinks soju and grills pork belly. But I drink soju. Bring it to me quickly!”
Cha Seong shook his head and got up from his seat.
He was truly an unstoppable father.
While I was unable to bear with my father’s anger, I went out to get some alcohol.
Chairman Cha leaned back in his chair and let out a short sigh.
It seems like the day when I will truly be separated from my son is drawing near.
* * *
In 2003, Dortmund suffered its worst financial crisis and barely managed to stay afloat by borrowing money from Bayern Munich.
Experts have been predicting that Dortmund, a powerhouse in the Bundesliga, will soon disappear, and indeed, fans are accepting that fact.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp took over as new manager.
He rebuilt the team with minimal budget and quality signings, and finally got Dortmund back on track, even winning the Bundesliga for the second consecutive time.
From 2003 to present 2014.
Klopp, who has been coaching Dortmund for 11 years, has brought the team back to the top ranks this season with a groundbreaking tactic called gegenpressing.
But in the end, they didn’t win.
His gegenpressing worked well in the early and mid-game, but eventually the players’ stamina deteriorated, leading to a series of injuries, and they were pushed back by Munich in the second half.
Also, with the Bundesliga’s top striker, Lewandowski, having been snatched away by Munich, what Dortmund needs right now is a striker.
Gegenpressing is a very physically demanding tactic.
Even the strikers who stood up front and had relatively little stamina were forced to participate in the pressure.
At the same time, a striker was needed who could sharpen his finishing ability and sometimes act as a cracker and distribute the ball to other players.
“In that respect, I like this player.”
Scouts were looking for a striker according to manager Klopp’s strict requirements.
Strikers are gradually disappearing from modern football.
Simply put, there aren’t many usable strikers.
At a time when we are transitioning to defensive football, it is very difficult for a striker to create something on his own. It will become even more difficult in the future.
So, players started to prefer wingers rather than strikers.
As a result, there were fewer strikers and more wing players.
“It’s great that he keeps pressing while running without stopping, and his stamina looks great. And his finishing ability is top-notch. I didn’t know there was a player like this in Korea.”
Among the list brought by the scouts, the most notable one was Cheonan striker Kang Dae-ho. Manager Klopp realized that Kang Dae-ho was the best player he was looking for.
However, the response from the scouts who submitted the report was not so good.
“But… … this player has never played on a European stage.”
“But aren’t you good at scoring goals? Even if you watch the game videos, your performance is really impressive.”
“That’s true, but isn’t the K-League the place where they ultimately performed? It’s a place where the level is far lower than the Bundesliga.”
That wasn’t a wrong statement.
The K-League is a small league in Asia, and is much lower level than the Bundesliga.
If you play in a place like that, you become a starting striker for a prestigious Bundesliga team?
It was something that even the fans could not tolerate.
“I’m not saying I’ll use him as a starter right away. I haven’t even signed a contract yet. If he comes, I’ll have to use him as a substitute a little bit. And… … I don’t agree that the K-League level is low.”
“yes?”
“Well, maybe that’s true on an overall level. But the coach of Cheonan is definitely not like that.”
While reading the report, Klopp was quite surprised to see a player named Kang Dae-ho playing in Cheonan. This was because Cheonan was a team that used tactics similar to those he had in mind.
Even Klopp watched several recorded matches of Cheonan, a team that applied tactics much more flexibly than his gegenpressing and was able to control the tempo with certainty.
“This is Coach Cha Seong-eun. He is a very tactically excellent person. I heard that Cha Seong-eun raised Cheonan, a team that was always last place, to first place. He also became the first player in K-League history to reach 100 points.”
Of course, that could also be possible because it is the K-League.
But the more Klopp watched Cha Seong-eun’s games, the more he was impressed.
In addition to perfect mercenary tactics, in the second half, they completely twisted the tactics themselves to overwhelm K-League teams.
So it was a pity.
What if Cha Seong-i had been European rather than Korean?
Then wouldn’t he be competing with Klopp by now?
He was a rare talent.
“It’s a shame that people like this have to rot away in a small country like Korea. The world is so big and there are so many capable people. It’s a shame.”
So, if possible, I would have liked to have this manager as Dortmund’s coach, but due to the regulations, it was impossible.
“Ah, Director. I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“huh?”
“This guy is Cha Seong-i. I heard he went to the English league as a coach?”
“what?”
Klopp’s eyes widened.