Nicholas Marjan, known as Niels, was an Asian football-obsessed loner in the modern world. A master of FIFA Career Mode, addicted to YouTube tactics videos, and followed every twist of the transfer window like it was life or death, he lived the beautiful game from behind a screen.
Until the day he died.
And woke up in the late 2000s, in the body of a once-promising young player at a lower-league English club. A player whose career had been cut short by a brutal ACL injury. With his playing career over before it could truly begin, his second life offers no glory on the pitch.
But Niels still has one weapon: his mind.
Armed with future knowledge of football's evolution, and guided by a mysterious, almost cheat-like instinct for scouting raw talent, Niels steps into the world of coaching. As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.
His methods are unorthodox. His instincts, uncanny. And soon, whispers about the "young coach with a gift" begin to spread.
This isn’t the story of a player chasing glory. It’s about someone reborn to change the game from the sidelines. From forgotten training grounds to Europe’s biggest stages, Niels is on a mission, 
not just to win, but to rewrite what it means to lead.
He once dreamed of lifting trophies as a player.
Now, he'll do it as a coach.

The morning sun warmed the canals of Milan's Navigli district as Niels walked along the cobbled paths, his boots gently scraping the uneven stones. After the excitement of last night's Champions League final, he was looking for stillness no matches, no attention, just the quiet of a place where he could blend in.


His backpack hung loosely over one shoulder, holding a few clothes, a worn novel, and the notebook now filled with tactical ideas and promises from the night before. The chants, the signs, the voices from home were behind him now, replaced by quiet streets, drifting canal water, and the smell of fresh cornetti.


Milan was his pause, a moment to breathe before facing the empty pitches and heavy expectations of the season ahead.


Chapter 100 - The Game Within the Game