00012 Studying Abroad ------------------------------------------------------------------------=
German youth soccer is divided very systematically and meticulously from F-League to A-League, proceeding across a total of six leagues.
F-League – 9 years old and under
E-League – 10 to 11 years old
D-League – 12 to 13 years old
C-League – 14 to 15 years old
B-League – 16 to 17 years old
A-League – 18 to 19 years old
Furthermore, it was not merely divided in this way; even in training, sessions were not held every day but were conducted two to three times a week, and instructors were required to teach theory, practical skills, and manners in accordance with the Youth Development Charter.
The broad framework of the Youth Development Charter was to develop youth players individually through long-term plans, with training proceeding based on established educational plans.
Additionally, training content was tailored to age and developmental status, and success was defined only when victory was achieved through fair play.
As youths possess boundless potential, they are educated through diverse experiences in various match positions, and from B-League—that is, U16 and above—position-specific specialized training is emphasized based on data.
To ideally cultivate a player’s talent, transparency by age group must be maintained, abundant praise and positive coaching are given to foster sound character, and players are educated to have respect for coaches, other staff members, opposing players, referees, and so on.
This was the broad framework of the Youth Development Charter, and Minjun, who had previously trained and practiced merely byreading books, was honestly in great admiration of the soccer instruction that taught him so many theoretical things different from what he had imagined.
Though it was different from what he had pictured, he came to learn of soccer’s origins, history, flow, and various other things, and the more he learned, the deeper he fell into soccer’s charm.
Because this shattered Minjun’s preconception that he would only continue soccer training, it served as an opportunity for him to grow into a child who could think more broadly rather than focusing on only one thing.
Gradually soaking into and melting into Frankfurt, Minjun began to lead a very enjoyable and happy life in Germany. With a desire to know more about Germany and about soccer, he strove to quickly overcome the single greatest obstacle: the language.
As a result, his language proficiency rose every week and every month, and the study he had thought would take over a year was completed in exactly six months.
He spoke clean German that could be shown anywhere and understood by anyone. Although he would occasionally stumble on difficult words, he mixed in English and spoke very fluently, growing even closer to the children he trained with and attended school with—the school arranged by the club.
The club’s youth staff, who had been meticulously monitoring Minjun, acknowledged him as a remarkable talent—not only for his team adaptability—and believed he should be allowed to play at a level higher than his current league.
“He’s truly incredible. There’s no one in the E-League who can match Minjun. We put him in the E-League so he could adapt alongside children his own age, thinking he might struggle with the language; honestly, if he were a German child, he would have started straight from the D-League.”
“That’s true. The language issue held him back.”
“His physical growth is outstanding as well... and his approach to soccer is considerably different from the other children. He exudes a certain steadfastness. I keep thinking that our Frankfurt is raising an incredible superstar.”
Bernhardt, the youth director of Frankfurt, actively agreed with the staff’s opinions.
He was a child who, once risen, never fell back down. And more than anything, he showed the makings of a leader—he possessed a power that drew children to his side.
Of course, he had gained favor and approached them by virtue of coming from Cha Bum’s country, but the fact that he firmly seized that goodwill with his not-so-excellent language skills, solidified it, and became the center was undeniable proof that he was leadership material.
“Well, he’s still a youth player, so don’t say such things directly in front of the child or give him differentiated education. How many people in this football world have become ordinary players because they fell into arrogance?”
“You’re right. But... that kid doesn’t seem like he’d ever become that way.”
“That’s only our opinion. By the way, his face has been very bright these days... is something going on?”
“Ah! I was curious too, so I asked him discreetly, and he said his parents came from Korea.”
“Parents? Haha, then they should be grateful to us. A child needs to see his parents’ faces often to be mentally stable, you know. Wait. Hmm? If they’re from Korea... isn’t it noisy over there right now with the IMF and whatnot?”
“Well... is it? I don’t really know about that. They must be a fairly well-off family. And since Mr. Daniel is a relative, you see.”
Well, since there was nothing he could help with or do about that, Bernhardt brushed it off, thinking that even if times were hard, a wealthy family would remain wealthy, just as the staff member had said.
He figured that if they could send their child to Germany for soccer studies, they certainly must be well-off enough.
“Well, I suppose so. By the way, as you said, it wouldn’t be bad to talk about promoting him to the D-League. The D-League situation hasn’t been good lately—do you think things might change?”
“Umm... the overall player pool is thin. There are already five children who moved to other clubs due to relocating. This is the first time in the club’s history... we don’t know what to do about it.”
“Hah, what a ridiculous situation.”
“Yes. We’ve patched things up under the pretext of giving the children position training they need right away, but... the dissatisfaction is great. If Minjun comes, it should be fine. As an all-rounder type, he can hold his own in any position, so it feels like we’ll be able to breathe a little easier.”
Upon hearing that the D-League situation was not favorable, Director Bernhardt furrowed his brows slightly. Thinking it best to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, he patted the staff member on the shoulder and spoke.
“You wrap up the training. I’ll go make the proposal regarding this matter. Well, they say Minjun’s parents are here from Korea right now, so if I say I’ll persuade them quickly, the club side will likely make a decision too.”
“Hmm... but I think the C-League side will be disappointed. After Minjun joined, the rise in scoring has been visibly noticeable.”
“The C-League is... well, we can’t exactly call him a replacement, but the other kids weren’t incompetent, so it’ll be fine. We have to put out the most urgent fire first. You know we’ve both been anxious lately, right?”
“...I know very well. Haha. The youth league is practically no different from friendly exchange matches. It’s enough just to be in the upper ranks rather than winning. Instead... the fact that they need to grow comprehensively and evenly is what leaves us suffocated.”
At those words about being suffocated, the staff member could only let out a bitter smile.
The reason he was even saying such things was because an acquaintance working for the club had subtly informed him of the situation.
“Then I’ll leave it in your hands, Director.”
“Well, I’m just doing this to survive as well, so I’ll handle it. And really... what could go wrong? It’s because his skills are so outstanding that he needs to move up to grow further.”
“Haha, is that so?”
* * *
“Minjun is that good at soccer?”
“Of course! He’s the team’s ace right now. He rotates through various positions, but on days when Minjun plays as a striker, he’s incredibly active. Ugh... I even recorded videos to show you all.”
Daniel took out about ten tapes onto the table and explained them one by one.
“This is a Blue-White match between teammates, and this is from when Minjun first played as a starter. He was a midfielder. And this is when he started as a striker and scored his first goal in the 15th minute—I shouted my lungs out, I tell you. Hehe.”
Watching Daniel explain the tapes one by one with a very pleased smile, Suman and Yeonhui thought that Minjun was truly doing well here.
When they occasionally spoke on the phone, there had been no trace of hardship in his voice, so they had been relieved, but coming to Germany and confirming it directly like this was truly wonderful.
“By the way... we apologize, Uncle. We were planning to come during the Lunar New Year, but... the situation in Korea was a bit complicated, wasn’t it? The visa situation brought us here at such an awkward date.”
“Ah—don’t say that. Aren’t we family? If Gyeongsuk had heard it, she would have started nagging long ago. Hehe. You’re getting off easy because it’s me.”
After the sly Daniel gently brushed off Suman’s words and began playing Minjun’s first match on the TV, the moment he tried to talk more, a phone ringing forced everything to pause briefly.
“Hm? Is it Gyeongsuk...”
She had gone out grocery shopping saying they needed to eat Korean food; wondering if something was wrong, he answered the phone, but it was an unexpected call.
It was none other than Frankfurt Club, asking if they could visit to discuss Minjun’s league promotion. Daniel ended the call by saying that Minjun’s parents, the Sumans, happened to be there, so he would hear their opinion and they would visit tomorrow.
Then, striding over like a victorious general with his head held high, he burst into a cheerful laugh toward the Suman couple watching the video.
“Ugh! Your son has caused a stir. Minjun has finally gone and done it.”
“What?! An... an incident?”
“Wh-what kind of incident? Minjun... he’s not that kind of child.”
At their reaction, Daniel roared with hearty laughter for quite a while, then quickly reined in his laughter upon seeing the anxious Suman couple and told them what he had heard over the phone.
“Your son... they called to consult about promoting him to the league one level up because he’s too good at soccer. They say there’s no equal among his peers. Hehe. As expected... incredible. Absolutely incredible. Hehe.”
“Whaaat?! Really?”
“Yes. I agreed to visit together tomorrow after hearing your opinion... so let’s share a drink later and talk about it pleasantly. Oh Lord... a soccer player with incredible talent has been born into our family. Ugh...”
Daniel exclaimed with joy, but for the moment, the Suman couple were simply astonished that their son had grown this much.
The soccer skills they remembered Minjun having were merely at the level of being good in the neighborhood. Yet hearing the story of Minjun’s soccer talent—that he was so outstanding at a place considered elite even in Germany that he had to skip a league—they maintained only a dazed state of mind until Gyeongsuk returned.
---------------------------= Author's Afterword ---------------------------=
Nodding off.