My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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2012, May 12th.

Olympia Stadium.

Emblems symbolizing Bayern Munich and Dortmund were placed at both ends of the stands, with flags representing both teams fluttering in the wind.

Fans were raising their voices competitively, singing cheers even before the game started.

Amidst a war-like atmosphere divided into left and right, familiar chants echoed in my ears.

“Who is the champion of Germany!?”

In the future, with Dortmund not winning the league for over ten years, other teams sang this chant mockingly.

However, Dortmund was different now, having achieved back-to-back league victories in the 11-12 season.

This season, we were the German champions.

As I listened to the cheers from the Dortmund supporters, the game time was approaching.

The referee led the players into the field, and the German national anthem rang out.

“Unity and justice and freedom!”

Fans who had been singing the team’s anthems and German players united as one, passionately singing the national anthem at that very moment.

Of course, I was just blankly staring into space.

I instinctively felt that if I joined in, it would end badly.

Having announced my retirement from the South Korea National Team, there was a risk of being labeled a traitor if I wasn’t careful.

Didn’t my senior, Park Jisong, say something about the body of a nation rather than an individual?

It was an era that took individual sacrifice for patriotism for granted.

After a one minute and thirty-second performance of the anthem concluded, I exchanged greetings with the Bayern Munich players.

“Good luck.”

“You too.”

I could see the determined expressions on the Bayern Munich players’ faces.

Since they had surrendered the league title to Dortmund, Bayern Munich seemed to be putting in their all to secure victory in the Pokal.

‘Best 11, huh.’

The starting lineup showed just how serious Bayern Munich was about this match.

Bayern had a week’s time between the DFB Pokal final and the Champions League final, so they had no physical issues, allowing them to field their full-strength squad.

Well, that was the same for us too.

As Dortmund was out of the Champions League, this match was the conclusion of our season, so we also put our best effort into it.

However, the media and experts claimed that in the DFB Pokal final, Bayern Munich held a slight advantage over Dortmund.

Their assertions weren’t entirely wrong.

Unlike Bayern Munich’s full squad, Dortmund was missing a key player, Mario Götze, who had just returned from injury and wasn’t back to form yet.

However, I didn’t think we would lose just because Götze was absent.

In my opinion, Dortmund was a slightly better team than Bayern Munich this season.

In fact, even after Götze was ruled out for the second half of the season, we still took the league title, didn’t we?

‘Seems like Ferguson didn’t show up this time, unlike in history. Will Kagawa Shinji stay with Dortmund next season?’

While I surveyed the stands of the stadium—

Whistle—!

With the sound of the referee’s whistle, the DFB Pokal final kicked off.

*

In the early stages of the match, perhaps because both teams were tense about the final, they made ridiculous mistakes they wouldn’t typically commit.

Due to Schmelzer’s passing error, Dortmund found itself in a dangerous situation, but fortunately, Bayern Munich’s attack was thwarted as Mario Gómez’s shot flew above the crossbar.

Dortmund continued its attack.

During the offensive, Shinji Kagawa and Robert Lewandowski lost the ball, but Luiz Gustavo’s horror show played out twice in quick succession.

The second passing blunder was delivered perfectly as a through ball to Ivan Perišić.

“Ahh! Pass!”

Rushing in quickly, just as Manuel Neuer was about to clear the ball, Ivan Perišić, who managed to touch the ball, had already checked his position and made a cutback pass.

Boateng hurriedly approached to intervene, but putting the ball into the empty net was easier than lying down to eat rice cakes.

‘Why can’t they score this easy one?’

I connected with the pass I received and shot directly, the ball flew off my toes and successfully shook the net of the goal that had lost its owner.

“Hejaaaaaaa!!!”

As I scored, the Dortmund fans jumped from their seats, bursting into cheers.

“Ho-woo-woo-woo-wooo—!”

I rushed straight to the corner flag to celebrate. Behind me, the Dortmund players ran up and roared.

Pah—!

“Scheiße!! My glasses!”

Jürgen Klopp, who had sprinted from the bench to the corner flag, began searching for the glasses that had flown off his face due to a hit from someone else’s hand during the celebration.

I quickly glanced at the players’ expressions.

Thanks to Jürgen Klopp searching for his glasses on the field, the Dortmund players seemed to relax a bit, unlike Luiz Gustavo, who appeared shaken by conceding so early due to his mistake in such an important final.

It seemed like it was time to put into practice what I had learned from FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi in the Champions League quarter-finals.

After the game resumed, I doggedly targeted the exposed weaknesses of Luiz Gustavo.

Dortmund managed to eat away at the shaking Bayern Munich and ended the first half with a score of 3-1.

*

With a 3-1 scoreline at halftime, Dortmund scored two more goals in the second half to secure a 5-1 victory.

As the game ended, the following trophy ceremony for Dortmund took place.

‘A trophy. A trophy!’

I gazed at the Pokal Cup trophy with a greed-filled expression.

‘I need to hold back.’

I wanted to rush right now and lift the trophy, but recalling the obscenities thrown at the goalie Boswing by Chelsea fans worldwide, I managed to endure.

Starting with Sebastian Kehl lifting the trophy, the Dortmund players took turns lifting the trophy while celebrating their victory.

*

While Dortmund was in a festive mood with ongoing championship celebrations, the atmosphere around Bayern Munich was heavy.

[Bayern Munich, ending the 11-12 season without a title? The only remaining trophy is the Big Ear!]

Gossip media continued to blame Jupp Heynckes after losing both the league and the Pokal to Dortmund.

[Bayern Munich President: “The quick recovery of a faltering team owed everything to Jupp Heynckes’ skill.”]

[Jupp Heynckes: “It’s time to quickly forget today’s game result and focus solely on the Champions League final.”]

Having finished as runners-up in both the league and the Pokal, Bayern Munich made a statement that they would give it their all to avoid ending the season without a title, calming the angry media.

I had to admit, albeit reluctantly, that Bayern Munich was indeed a strong team.

How could they use the term “without a title” just because they couldn’t lift a trophy for a season? If Tottenham had been in that position, it would have led to tears of blood!

Well, that wasn’t particularly important.

“Chelsea’s chance at Champions League victory!”

My mother-in-law started basking in happiness from Dortmund’s victory.

“Impossible!”

“Gahh—!”

“Impossi—buuul!”

Seeing a familiar sight, I nodded my head.

“Jinho, why is your party suddenly fighting?”

“It’s not a party.”

…Seems like Gyeouri resembles my mother-in-law a lot.

*

[Title: Dortmund Achieves Double Victory!]

(Dortmund completely wipes out Bayern 5-1 .jpg)

Dortmund knocks Bayern out, who made it to the Champions League final ㄷㄷ;;

And at the center of it all—

(Our hero Son Jinho shouting Ho-woo during the opening goal in the 3rd minute .gif)

(Executing a clean tackle, only touching the ball to thwart Bayern Munich’s counterattack .gif)

Total domination.

(Raising the trophy Son Jinho .gif)

Due to recent controversies over racial discrimination, it seems there wasn’t even an Asian passing ㄷㄷ

Perfect in itself.

└ While keeping this Dortmund locked up, what the fans of Barcelona are doing is a mystery ㄷㄷ

└ Chelsea, who beat that Barcelona and made it to the final ㄷㄷ

└ Seems like the Champions League victory belongs to Chelsea, right?

└ Bayern Munich < Dortmund < FC Barcelona < Chelsea ㅋㅋㅋㅋ └ Seriously, how did Chelsea beat that Barcelona? So strange;;; └ Tsk, tsk, it’s because they parked the bus and played anti-football. └ Statistically, Barcelona would have won if we counted possession, right? ㅇㅇ └ By that measure, football isn’t a sport played on possession, is it? └ Maybe it’s a different kind of football played in another world ㅋㅋㅋㅋ └ But Son Jinho is great, though these guys seem to be overhyping him too much, right? └ What’s wrong with Son Jinho’s fans hyping him up in the gallery? └ Huh? Wasn't the Ho-woo gallery the Son Jinho gallery? └ What is this idiot talking about? └ Agreed, Son Jinho is full of hype ㅋㅋ I bet that hype will burst soon, right? └ Isn’t that the same with the first half of the Bundesliga and WK? Keep talking about bubbles, huh? └ Yeahㅋ WK from the first half was a fluke, right? It’s obvious it will be uncovered in the second half and drop. └ With his current performance, he should be able to earn WK in the second half too. └ Wow…. If he gets WK in the 11-12 season, doesn’t that make him the German Player of the Year for sure? └ Who are the competitors? └ Marco Reus from Mönchengladbach. └ Who’s that? └ There’s a good-looking guy. └ Damn, Reus is super good-looking;; └ Hah… Fk, if only Dortmund had beaten FC Barcelona and made it to the Champions League final, it would’ve been a treble.

└ If they had achieved a treble, the German Player of the Year would be a given, and even the Ballon d’Or would be solid possible.

└ Ballon d’Or? Ha, fk that.

└ Does the 73 goals scored by Messi this season look insignificant to you? 23 assists too? Can he surpass that?

└ Fkㅋㅋ My brother was saying he’s world-class for getting 29 assists this season; he burst into laughter at Messi’s stats ㅋㅋ

└ Messi isn’t a human being.

└ Wait, my brother has more assists than Messi? Ah, lol then that makes him world-class, right?