Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 152



Only Krnovel

Episode 152 Struggle (2)

Friday, the day before the Pokal final.

Sophie Hertz looks across the diagonal from her seat just before the bell rings. Despite it being a morning class, the desks are empty.

Ring ring ring.

As the bell rings to signal recess, the kids start wiggling their butts. Just then, Mr. Kapell, who is in charge of history class, mentions the boy who is absent.

“Ha-nul must have arrived in Berlin soon.”

Groan, groan.

The students sitting in the back didn’t answer because they were talking amongst themselves, but Morsi, sitting in the front row, answered the call.

“Actually, Hanul said he left yesterday evening.”

“Yesterday? I guess you left earlier than I thought.”

“I have a busy schedule. I have to do an interview… … .”

“The interview is important, too. But it’s difficult to skip my class… … I’ll let you pass when you come back after winning. Could you pass it on to me instead?”

“yes!”

Mr. Capel cracks a playful joke and disappears out of the classroom, fearing that no one will think he’s a Cologne fan.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one interested in the Pokal final.

“I’m going this evening too.”

“really?”

“Yeah. My dad bought the tickets.”

“Crazy, that would be nice.”

Everyone except a few kids, including Ralph Pfaff and Claudia Dreher, is conscious of the Saturday night game.

Thinking back on how much she had looked down on Seong Ha-neul, she tilted her head in confusion, but as Sophie Hertz, she could understand a little.

On the way to school in the morning.

All the buildings in downtown Cologne had placards with pictures of goats on them, and even on the outskirts, every other house showed off its soccer fan base.

One house had white and red balloons tied to a wooden fence, while another had team merchandise, including mufflers and uniforms, displayed on its balcony, seemingly ready for anyone to steal.

The more extreme ones had the Pokal trophy painted on the roof… …no further explanation needed.

So, I guess kids of the same age are starting to pay attention, albeit belatedly.

Sophie Hertz was no exception.

Her grandfather was a bus driver for the club.

The players travelled by plane, but he first drove a full seven hours to Berlin International Airport.

From the airport to the expedition accommodation, from the expedition accommodation to the interview location, and then to the stadium on the day. The actual driving time combined would be less than two hours, but he volunteered for the effort.

‘ha.’

When I thought of my grandfather’s age, I was very tempted to stop him, but what could I do when he was so happy like a child?

At this point, she also starts to want to win.

Ding ding.

[What are you doing?]

“… … .”

Ding ding.

[Are you busy? There’s no way you’re busy.]

“… … .”

Ding ding.

[Don’t want to answer? That’s okay. Actually, I’m busy.]

Unfortunately, while he is carrying the expectations of the Cologne fans, his grandfather’s favorite boy of the same age keeps shaking his heart.

‘He’s got a great cheering song too. It’s called The Young Goat with Steel Horns. What do you think?’

‘……yes.’

They say it’s a goat with steel horns, so it seems like even the inside of its skull is made of steel…

“No, no.”

Oh my gosh, what a stupid idea.

Who made me say this?

At that moment, as resentment toward the boy and self-reproach mixed inside her, children began to gather around her.

Whether she wanted it or not, her position was that of a lieutenant. In Sung Ha Neul’s absence, she was responsible for Lisa Weiss, Morsi, and Jonas Dr.

“The whole world is Hanul. Hanul, Hanul, Hanul. Mom and Dad are Hanul, uncles and aunts are Hanul, on the news, Hanul. Even on the posters on the streetcars.”

“Well, it’s because tomorrow is the finals. It’s such an important match.”

“I don’t know, Hanul.”

“… … .”

“Both of you stop.”

The role of the lieutenant also includes mediating internal divisions, so he quickly intervenes before Morsi can make a displeased expression.

While Jonas Drur didn’t care much about the boy’s fame, Lisa Weiss and Morsi were in awe of him, and they often clashed.

It’s still like that now.

“Lisa, did you see the interview that came out yesterday?”

“Yesterday? No. What came up in the meantime? I heard that the pre-interviews come up in the afternoon.”

“There was an interview with a Leipzig player. Josko… … Gvardiol? He said he was one of Leipzig’s key defenders.”

“Really? What did you say?”

“Most of the interviews were about the significance of the finals, the knee injury at the end of the season, etc., but the main story was about when he faced Hanul. He was the most difficult striker to face in the Bundesliga. He was sure he had the ball, so he tackled him, but he couldn’t.”

“wow.”

“… … Don’t interfere.”

“Why are you only doing this to me? I can be surprised too.”

“You just… … were just teasing me with an exaggerated expression on purpose.”

“… … Jonas.”

“yep.”

To put it nicely, he is not shy, but to put it badly, he acts like a group of boys playing together. If you look away for even a moment, a small fight will break out.

It is true that she naturally misses having someone who can control it for her, so she pretends not to want to and taps the screen of her phone.

[Win quickly and come back.]

[That’s obvious.]

* * *

The day of the final, Berlin.

As the capital of Germany and a center of modern art and design, the streets are lined with posters of the Pokal Cup final and caricatures of players.

From Potsdamer Platz with its high-rise buildings, to Friedrichstrasse with its trams, to Unter den Linden with its Linden tree-lined streets, to the Brandenburg Gate in the city center with its fountains and lawns, to Pariser Platz with its double-decker buses.

In places that would normally be filled with tourists and locals, Cologne and Leipzig uniforms can be seen everywhere.

The match will be held at the Olympiastadion, located near the Havel River in western Berlin. The massive stadium with a seating capacity of 74,475 was already filling up two hours before kick-off.

Groan, groan.

“That’s cool.”

The stadium’s magnificent grandeur captures the attention of fans of both teams from the entrance.

At the main gate, two rectangular stone towers were erected, with the Olympic rings fixed with wire between them.

The exterior walls are made of stone to preserve the traditional beauty, giving the building a Colosseum-like feel, while the blue athletics track and the soccer field inside are designed to provide an unobstructed view from any seat.

The seats were also composed entirely of gray, maintaining perfect neutrality, and the rest of the area was made of concrete.

And behind both goal posts.

“Once the game starts, everyone please raise your cards!”

“Ja-!!”

Fans from Leipzig and Cologne are ready to raise their colourful cards from their seats ahead of the game.

Since it is not a soccer-specific field, the goal posts are quite far away due to the athletics track, but it is perfect for depicting a confrontation between a goat and a bull.

After testing out the large banners with each team’s logo on them, kickoff time is getting closer.

“It came out!”

“Anthony!!”

“Hanul! Take care of those damn bulls!”

Woohoo-!!

I just came out to relax.

Just by hearing the cheers from the stands, you can easily tell that this is no ordinary game.

One cheer for every shot.

One cheer per pass.

Check your jumping speed and then cheer again.

Fans of both teams do not hide their expectations for victory.

Then at one moment.

About 20 minutes before the game starts, the stadium becomes quiet as the players head back to their locker rooms. One by one, they take out their cell phones to check the starting lineup.

“Angelino isn’t here?”

“yes.”

This is also true for the coaching staff, with a hushed tone coming from the Cologne locker room.

Angelino, who was expected to start as a left wingback, was benched, and Benjamin Henriks, who normally plays on the right, was named in the starting lineup.

“You made a big move. You put more weight in the center than on the sides.”

“Yes. Benjamin Henriks is a player who can also play as a central midfielder. It seems like they are trying to focus more on passing from the center rather than crossing from the side when attacking.”

I was momentarily speechless at the head coach’s remark.

Steffen Baumgart uttered a few words with his eyes trembling. He tried to keep his expression calm, but his anger was clearly visible.

“… … I made fun of Hanul. It’s true that Angelino and Benjamin Henriks lack defensive skills, but there’s a difference in skill anyway. You’re moving the right wingback to the left? You arrogant bastards.”

“I guess… … it seems to reflect my recent poor form.”

“… … .”

“What should I say? The player you’re going to face has changed.”

But the answer to the question doesn’t come right away.

He just holds the baker’s hat in his right hand, runs his left hand over the top of his head, and makes a worried expression.

Then head coach Andre Pollock follows his gaze across the locker room to a boy sitting on a chair.

Brrrrrrr.

“Hmm.”

His two legs were shaking incessantly.

* * *

I sat with my back bent, clasped my hands together and brought them to my lips.

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.

Meanwhile, both of my legs are having constant cramps due to the tension or burden. There is no problem with my muscles, so it must be a psychological problem.

okay.

I became X.

No kidding, seriously.

“… … What are you doing?”

“Mind control.”

“I don’t think this is the time to just control the mind.”

“… … .”

Mark Ut starts to comment on my actions, but I don’t have time to argue back.

There may have been hope in the meantime.

I was hoping that my body would get better and I would get back into shape, that something would be different on game day and that I would eventually be able to do my part.

So, I exchanged meaningless messages with Sophie Hertz and joked around with Ehijibue. I thought that if I just calmed down my anxiety… … it would be resolved naturally.

But after finishing the warm-up before the game, the slight anxiety came crashing down on me as a harsh reality.

First of all, the gear broke.

From 1st to 5th gear. Even though I had to accelerate step by step, I couldn’t control my speed while dribbling, and the ball still bounced around erratically, making it difficult to control.

At this level, it seems like I should just divide it into 1st, 3rd, and 5th stages and jump in… … Is it possible that it will work out as I think in an actual game?

The fact that my options were reduced, even by a small amount, meant that opposing defenders could predict my actions.

Next is lack of confidence.

As anxiety became certainty, the ball felt heavy or even bouncy. More than anything, I was so focused on controlling the ball that I lost the time to look around, and the loss of time brought impatience.

“Ha-nul, are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“… … No, not at all.”

So, in the end, it’s a matter of the heart.

He tries hard to avoid the attention of the physical coach and team doctor.

It’ll be okay.

Not because you can do it well, but because you have to do it well.

It’s already too late to regret it since we’ve reached the finals.

My starting position is right wing attacker, which is less burdensome than a free role.

Because it’s my time to do my part, because it’s such an important moment, there’s no room for excuses.

“Everyone gather around!”

“Ja!!”

okay.

I am good at it.

Somehow.

* * *

And after a while, right after entering the stadium with the players.

A huge stadium appeared before our eyes, and on the field, referees and a large circular cloth with each club’s logo printed on it were waiting for us.

It was the DFB Pokal final.