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The training ground was shrouded in darkness.

From the director’s office, Jupp Heynckes stared out the window, reflecting seriously on the recent DFB-Pokal quarterfinal match against Dortmund.

‘If only Ribery were here… No, maybe I shouldn’t have locked him out in the first place.’

The more he replayed the game in his mind, the more he regretted the absence of Ribery and his own poor judgment.

“Hehe…”

After brooding over the match for a while, Jupp Heynckes checked his reflection in the mirror and burst into laughter.

‘Look at me, full of regret… How is this the face of someone who has declared retirement?’

Due to health issues, Jupp Heynckes announced his retirement at the end of this season.

However, after losing to Dortmund, an odd sense of regret lingered.

“Is this season a failure?”

Jupp Heynckes murmured softly.

For Bayern Munich, who were cruising towards the league title with overwhelming points, the word failure felt jarring, but it couldn’t be helped.

Bayern Munich was a team that could not be satisfied with just winning the Bundesliga.

They believed that winning both the league and the cup was necessary to save face.

Given that they were mocked by German media and fans when they lost, it was not wrong to call it failure.

Jupp Heynckes didn’t want to be remembered as merely a loser defeated by Dortmund as he left the pitch.

He couldn’t bear the thought of ending his career with a failure.

If he had his way, he would reverse his retirement and want to lead Bayern Munich for one more season.

But health issues were holding him back.

Jupp Heynckes felt resentful towards his aging body.

At that moment, just as his fervor was about to extinguish…

[Alex Ferguson: “Unless I’m dying of a terminal illness, I’m the manager of Manchester United.”]

Jupp Heynckes’ eyes spotted a newspaper article. It was about Alex Ferguson.

Upon reading the article, a fiery gleam sparked in Heynckes’ eyes.

Alex Ferguson, who was older than him, was still vigorously fulfilling his managerial role.

The dwindling fire within Jupp Heynckes started to reignite.

He still didn’t want to leave the pitch. Even though he became a manager, he still loved the ground.

Jupp Heynckes no longer ignored the inner voice he had turned away from due to his health issues.

He acted on his heart rather than his rational mind. Picking up the phone, he called the person who had urged him against retirement.

“Is your offer still valid?”

***

– Thank you for accommodating the whims of an old man.

“Having the manager continue at the helm is exactly what we’ve been hoping for.”

Matthias Sammer finished his late-night phone call with Jupp Heynckes.

He received the unexpected gift of Jupp Heynckes reversing his retirement.

– What’s up with this at this hour?

With a smile, he called Uli Hoeness, the president of Bayern Munich, to inform him of Jupp Heynckes’ change of heart.

“Just now, Heynckes decided to continue managing.”

Matthias Sammer’s words made Hoeness burst into laughter.

– Come to think of it, Rummenigge said that football is like a drug. Once addicted, you’ll find a way to return to the pitch as long as your body allows, and it seems Rummenigge was right again this time.

As Heynckes’ contract extension was the number one priority for Bayern’s board, they had continuously been trying to persuade him even while discussing with Pep Guardiola.

The news of Jupp Heynckes’ reversal felt like a reward for their efforts.

– By the way, is there no issue with Guardiola’s contract since Heynckes is staying on?

“Not a problem, as we were just in the midst of negotiations regarding the contract.”

If they had signed a contract with Pep Guardiola, it could have raised several issues, but fortunately, Bayern Munich had not yet finalized the contract with him.

The deal was delayed because they weren’t able to acquire either Neymar or Son Jinho, who Guardiola wanted.

Despite Neymar dominating the Brazilian league now, Bayern’s board felt skeptical about investing astronomical transfer fees for Neymar due to the many failed transfers of Brazilian players to Germany.

Under normal circumstances, they would have promised to recruit Mario Götze instead of Neymar and proceeded with signing Guardiola.

However, in this altered history with Son Jinho, they delayed the contract as they focused on acquiring Son Jinho, the player Guardiola had requested.

Bayern Munich was doing their utmost to secure Son Jinho’s transfer.

Yet, Son Jinho had made it clear he had no intention of transferring to any Bundesliga team other than Dortmund.

– If Heynckes wants a player, make every effort to bring him in.

“Understood.”

Focusing their energies on Son Jinho’s transfer was turning out to be a fortuitous moment for Bayern Munich.

***

“The upcoming home match against Hannover will be a rotation to prepare for the Champions League, so those not on the list should rest well.”

After Dortmund’s victory in the DFB-Pokal quarterfinal against Bayern Munich, Jürgen Klopp granted the players a vacation.

I spent most of my vacation at home.

– Gu Jachil: Honestly, don’t I have a stake in this victory too?

– Lee Cheong-ryong: ???

– Lee Cheong-ryong: What did you even do?

– Gu Jachil: Thanks to me, Ribery got suspended!

– Lee Cheong-ryong: What do you mean?

– Gu Jachil: (Gu Jachil getting slapped gif).

– Ho-woo: Hahahahahahahaha!

– Gu Jachil: Hey, Son Jinho, don’t just laugh, acknowledge it, will you?

– Ho-woo: Hyung.

– Ho-woo: It’s the elders who recognize it.

– Ho-woo: Elderly care~

– Lee Cheong-ryong: Wow.

– Lee Cheong-ryong: That guy is making a name for himself in the Bundesliga and now his humor has become German-quality as well.

– Ki Sung-ryong: That would probably frighten even the Germans.

– Ho-woo: Cheong-ryong hyung, that’s racist!

At that moment, while the lively group chat was buzzing,

– Gu Jachil: Hey, what’s this?

– Gu Jachil: [Bayern Munich’s Jupp Heynckes reverses retirement. ‘He’ll continue to manage even after this season.’]

The news of Jupp Heynckes reversing his retirement surfaced.

I read the article and could do nothing but respond. I sensed my life was turning upside down.

After Carlo Ancelotti was sacked due to poor performance, Jupp Heynckes, who rushed in as an emergency replacement, showcased overwhelming performance despite an aging, broken squad, claiming the league title, reaching the Champions League semifinals, and finishing as runners-up in the Cup.

Unlike that aging team, Bayern Munich was now entering its prime.

“Ah, crap.”

A foul word escaped my lips.

Was it a sin to thwart Alex Ferguson’s retirement and give Dortmund a gift?

Facing the Champions League warriors Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) and prime Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) was already overwhelming enough.

Now it seemed Jupp Heynckes’ Bayern Munich would also enter the fray.

‘Wait, what happens to Pep Guardiola then?’

While I let out a hollow laugh at the news of Jupp Heynckes’ reversal, Pep Guardiola suddenly crossed my mind.

“Glory Glory Man U~ Manchester United is invincible as long as Ferguson is around!”

Watching the scene of Manchester United riding high at the top of the league was strangely disheartening, especially for a fan like me.

***

At that very moment when Son Jinho felt a sense of foreboding.

“What’s happening with Mancini?”

“We’ll have to part ways at the end of this season. Not just us, but most of the starting players find it difficult to continue with Mancini.”

Manchester City began searching for a new manager.

Roberto Mancini, who gifted them with a miraculous league title last season, unfortunately saw his side struggling in the 12/13 season, resulting in trouble with the board as well as the starting players.

Despite barely securing second place in the league through the contributions of world-class players, their performances were pathetic and decaying.

As Manchester City scanned the radar for a new manager, Pep Guardiola came into view.

“What about Guardiola?”

Pep Guardiola, who had achieved everything at FC Barcelona, announced he would take a year off, stating he was physically and mentally drained.

Now, he indicated a desire to return after his promised rest.

Following his declaration, major clubs like Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Manchester United reached out to him.

Among them, Bayern Munich was initially ahead, but with Jupp Heynckes’ decision to stay, they suddenly fell behind, and Manchester United also declared there would be no retirement for Alex Ferguson, distancing themselves from the competition.

“Isn’t his career too short?”

“Isn’t it safer to trust Pellegrini?”

Given that Guardiola’s experience was solely with Barcelona, there were plenty of opinions favoring Pellegrini for a stable appointment.

“The Prince wants this.”

Just one word was enough to silence the opposing voices.

 

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