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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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.

Niels woke to the soft light of dawn coming through the curtains of his Milan hotel room. Outside, the canal shimmered with silver and gold in the early morning.


The quiet of the Navigli district surrounded him, a peaceful contrast to the excitement of the Champions League final and the heavy thoughts Matteo had left him with the night before.


Today, he would leave for Genoa, his final stop before heading to the Netherlands, a brief visit before returning to Crawley, where the season waited. For now, he lingered in the stillness, savoring the calm before it all began again.


He packed his worn backpack with a few clothes, an old novel, and the football psychology book he'd found the day before, the pages still crisp with new ideas. With a final glance around his room, he stepped out and headed to a corner café for a quick espresso, savoring the rich aroma as a quiet moment before the day's journey began.


Chapter 101 - What We’re Building