00015 Drawing Attention ------------------------------------------------------------------------=
Like a Thousand-Li Torrent (一瀉千里)
With Minjun’s resolve firm, the adults likewise guided the discussion toward accommodating his wishes as much as possible.
These accommodations were nothing out of the ordinary for the club; they simply concerned Minjun’s mental care, so Frankfurt naturally accepted.
One of the club’s duties was to honor Minjun’s requests, and since the club itself was already watching him with keen interest, they had planned to observe him even more meticulously without being asked.
Particularly since they had promoted him to a higher league this time, it was only natural.
From Frankfurt’s perspective, Minjun—who had been an appealing prospect from the very beginning—was growing into an even more captivating presence.
Talent far surpassing his peers, the earnestness characteristic of Easterners, and the star power to craft a compelling narrative.
Minjun possessed all three qualities in equal measure, and if he continued to demonstrate such remarkable growth, there would be no issue with nurturing him as the club’s next franchise star.
Of course, that was still a distant prospect, but from Frankfurt’s perspective, Minjun was a beacon of hope for those desperate for attacking players. True to their word, they meticulously looked after him and aided his growth.
With the club’s support and his family’s attention, Minjun quickly acclimated to everything associated with the D-League during the break. By mid-February, he had notched two assists in the Blue-White scrimmage and began radiating an extraordinary brilliance.
And Minjun’s talent… though Frankfurt did its utmost to suppress the rumors, word eventually began to spread. Officials from countless leagues and clubs started arriving in Frankfurt to see him.
* * *
Beep—
Beep— Beeeeeep—
As the final whistle blew, Minjun broke into a broad grin.
The very person who had led the team to victory over the youth powerhouse FC Cologne was none other than Minjun himself.
Having trailed 0–1 since the first half, the team brought on Minjun—who had been slated for a second-half appearance. He scored the equalizer with a clean shot inside the penalty box, then sealed the victory with a splendid header off a corner kick in the forty-second minute of the second half, securing a 2–1 comeback win.
The children swarmed Minjun, shouting in celebration, and this win was a precious one that snapped a four-match losing streak in the first half of the season.
What was more, it was a victory achieved by defeating FC Cologne—a true giant in youth football. It reinvigorated the children, whose spirits had sunk after a string of defeats, and Coach Bernhardt pumped his fist in exhilaration.
“Hah… I knew it! This was the best decision.”
“The club will look upon this very favorably. He delivered such a magnificent win in his very first match after coming up.”
“Cologne made a mistake by not marking Minjun, and he looked a bit overwhelmed late in the match. But the way he decisively finished with a header off that set piece proves our judgment was spot-on. Heh heh.”
“Naturally. He lacks nothing in the physical department. Well, the same could be said for every other aspect too. Haha.”
The staff seemed inwardly ecstatic about the long-awaited victory.
After all, their precarious livelihoods had just been extended.
“By the way… there are a lot of them. From other clubs… so damn many have come to scout.”
Coach Bernhardt’s joy was short-lived. He was irritated by people scribbling notes throughout the stands and even some lowlifes filming videos.
“Hmm… quite a few, it seems. From our rough count… seven teams from within Germany alone, and roughly the same number of unidentified football personnel.”
“Well, I’ll be. Those damned bastards.”
Just as a sharp awl hidden in a pocket eventually pierces through the cloth, Bernhardt had known Minjun’s exceptional talent would inevitably be discovered.
However, he had assumed it would take much longer for that to happen, yet Minjun’s presence had been revealed in less than a year.
If things had come to this… they would have to fight an arduous battle to keep him, meaning exhausting times were beginning on multiple fronts.
“A nerve-wracking battle is about to begin. You’re keeping a close eye on Minjun, aren’t you?”
“Of course. You can consider the staff practically attached to him at all times.”
“Hmm… Mr. Daniel won’t try to send Minjun elsewhere. He knows full well how much effort our club is putting in… and he’s a longtime fan of the club, after all. So we just need to keep a close watch on Minjun. Prevent any outsiders from contacting him as much as possible.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Five have been poached from the D-League. Well, they say only two left because they received offers… but regardless, they ended up on other youth teams. If any more are taken, not only will the fragile balance we’ve managed to establish collapse… but our future will be over. Keep that in mind.”
The bottom line was to block any outside contact with Minjun completely, and the staff nodded as though it went without saying.
“…He’s fine during football academy hours, but what about school? We can’t exactly ask for their cooperation in that regard.”
“Hmm, that is a problem…”
“Even if we block them here… if they’re determined to make contact, they’re hardly the type to fail, are they?”
“Well, we’ll report to the club that we’re making every effort on that front… and hope Minjun doesn’t have a change of heart. For now… he’s not facing any particular difficulties, is he?”
“Of course. We deliberately grouped the children who were promoted from the E-League to the D-League last year together, so they’ve adapted quickly. They also have some overlapping training sessions with the E-League kids… so he’s doing perfectly fine.”
Bernhardt nodded, visibly relieved. He then turned a menacing glare on those muttering as they watched the exchange and said,
“Tch, I wish only club-affiliated staff had shown up. Damn good-for-nothings.”
After grumbling for some time, Bernhardt applauded and encouraged the children as they came off drenched in sweat, offering them words of praise. He moved with an aura that dared anyone to try and take his kids away.
* * *
“So there’s a reason Frankfurt is wrapping him up so tightly.”
“Yes, the issue is the guardian. The great-aunt and great-uncle on Minjun’s side are founding fans of Frankfurt with exceptional loyalty to the club. Unless it’s the child’s own wish, they won’t even entertain the idea of transferring.”
“Hmm, well then… he certainly is tempting.”
“Many teams besides ours are already keeping tabs on him. They say he’s quite proficient in English, so several Premier League clubs are showing considerable interest. If communication isn’t an issue, he’ll show his true ability the moment he adapts to the team.”
Schumacher, the youth team director at Dortmund, surveyed the sea of competitors and let out a sigh.
“We were the ones who spotted him first.”
“That’s right. We went to verify the moment we heard an East Asian boy was playing youth football at Frankfurt, didn’t we?”
“Exactly. We gathered an enormous amount of data on him.”
“And rumor has it that Minjun’s guardian intervened, canceled his original study-abroad destination, and brought him to his current team. So… the clubs that had been in talks with him originally could use that to… push their way in.”
This was his way of saying that Dortmund had no existing connection to exploit, making approach difficult. Schumacher could only sigh.
At present, Dortmund was a deceptively glamorous prospect.
They had posted tremendous records the previous year, but the club was in turmoil after management attempted a stock listing. There had been numerous attempts to poach not only key senior players but youth prospects as well, and many had indeed departed.
Given the circumstances, they couldn’t offer Minjun any guarantees, and rather than having an advantage over the competition, they were barely in a position to even initiate talks.
“Until last year… no, just a few months ago, we could have established solid contact and pushed for him. Those damned management bastards. Tch.”
“Hoo… at this rate, I worry we might be in danger. The finances to maintain our youth team are strained as it is. Tsk. The more I see of him, the more it pains me to let him slip away.”
“Exactly. Hoo… still, we must find some way… to establish contact. We truly can’t afford to wait any longer.”
“Yes, I’ll look for a way.”
However, Director Schumacher’s determination never reached Minjun…
…because Dortmund’s finances had been rocked by the failed stock listing, and he was sacked on the absurd pretext of having caused financial losses by poaching a youth player from another team—a move that showed he had failed to read the room.
And so Director Schumacher was removed from the picture due to circumstances… but coaches from other teams continued to scrutinize Minjun with piercing gazes, and Frankfurt remained in a throbbing headache of a situation.
---------------------------= Afterword ---------------------------=
I’ll move things along a bit more quickly.^^;