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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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 lit up Crawley with a golden glow, but the air was still cold as Niels walked to the club's training ground. His boots crunched on the gravel, each step reminding him of the pressure he felt. He could still picture Sunday's victory parade the crowd shouting "Craw-ley! Craw-ley!", Max holding up the FA Cup, Luka dancing on top of the bus, and red scarves waving everywhere like flags.


But after the talk about his contract extension, the surprise emails from Barnsley and Nottingham Forest left Niels feeling uncertain. A tight knot formed in his chest. His phone buzzed non-stop in his pocket, each notification a sharp reminder of the big decision he now faced, as heavy as the trophy they had just lifted.


Chapter 95 - Rumors and Realities