Chapter 76 Bundesliga And Cup Champions, I Want Them All!

The previous two times Su Luo went out to make breakfast, he felt a bit at a loss. Meeting Josephine was his first time, and he didn't have much experience in his previous life, so he didn't know how to handle it. Meeting Taylor Swift was mostly a shock. Such a well-known star, and himself? It felt like a dream.

Now, with two experiences—well, more than two—under his belt, Su Luo felt more at ease. Instead of leaving, he reached over and brushed Erica's blonde hair. Compared to Josephine's emerald green eyes, Erica's pupils were a clear sky blue.

Erica had already woken up and was quietly staring at Su Luo. She vaguely remembered drinking a bit too much last night. At the end of the evening, her teammates were taken away by Su Luo's teammates, Grealish and Quinine. Erica was left alone and overwhelmed, so Su Luo proposed to take her to her hotel. They ended up in the back seat of a taxi, and under the influence of alcohol, they kissed on the spot. Their destination changed to Su Luo's mansion, leading to the current scene.

Erica, though drunk, remembered everything clearly. Now, she felt a bit overwhelmed, as this was her first time encountering such a situation.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Su Luo asked with a smile.

His warm demeanor put Erica at ease, and her uneasiness soon dissipated.

"Sure, big football stars cook breakfast too?"

"Of course, just wait."

"I can help you... ouch!"

Erica tried to get out of bed but stopped suddenly, a pained expression on her face.

"It's okay, you can lie down for a while. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Okay, then I'll just lie here!"

Compared to the gentle and shy Josephine and the free-spirited Taylor Swift, Erica, an Aries, was the youngest but also the most enthusiastic and straightforward. Since she was attracted to Su Luo yesterday, she wouldn't hold back. Regardless of what might happen between them in the future, she wanted to enjoy the present.

There was no training that day, so the two snuggled up in the spacious living room, watching movies on a giant screen. They watched the classic romance film Titanic. When the plot reached the scene with Jack and Rose in the car, Su Luo and Erica couldn't help but imitate it.

A day of vacation passed quickly. The next day, Su Luo drove Erica to her hotel and then headed to the training base in his recently purchased McLaren P1. These two orange McLarens were the top supercars of 2014, according to British media. As a supercar enthusiast, Su Luo couldn't miss it.

As soon as he arrived at the parking lot, Grealish parked next to him and rolled down his window excitedly.

"Su! Let me tell you, girls who practice track and field are just... Wait, have you...?"

Grealish paused, seeing Su Luo's knowing smile.

"What do you think?"

Grealish's expression turned into a pained one. Among the three girls, Erica Schmidt was undoubtedly the most beautiful. And she was only 16 years old.

"We agreed not to flirt with girls, and once you make a move, it's a knockout."

Grealish's mood to show off suddenly evaporated.

"Let's go, we have a tough game in 4 days," Su Luo said, patting him on the shoulder and walking into the training ground.

The upcoming match indeed promised to be tough. Last season, Union Berlin reached the quarter-finals of the German Cup before facing a Bundesliga team. This season, they faced Wolfsburg in the second round, presenting a difficult choice.

The coaching staff had delayed making a decision, but now, before the morning training session ended, they had to resolve it. They held a core meeting with team management, while captain Matuschka led daily training.

The atmosphere was tense, each player lost in thought. Grealish broke the silence.

"Do you think we'll really give up the cup this time?"

"Maybe. We've had a great league performance, so we need to focus on it," the substitute midfielder Ozbeck said.

"I feel we shouldn't use all our main players in the League Cup. A big rotation is needed," Ozbeck continued. The gap between the starting lineup and the bench was huge, and bench players like Ozbeck had no playing time unless the main players got injured. He hoped the team would give up the League Cup so he could get some playtime.

The young player Quinine couldn't hold back.

"I think we should try our best to win the cup! We might have a chance to win the championship!"

Backup guard Ejman snorted.

"Champion? The German Cup final is always Bayern vs. Dortmund. Do you think we can beat them?"

With the current team strength, beating Bayern was possible in a single match, but two-line combat was difficult. The gap in bench depth became more evident as the season progressed. Winning the championship was a miracle for a grassroots team. The wealth of bigger teams translated into stronger bench lineups.

Ejman's words silenced the group again. Su Luo spoke up.

"No matter what, we should support the coaching staff's decision. If we play, we should aim to win. People need dreams, or they're no better than idlers."

Su Luo couldn't remember the German word for "salted fish," so he used "Nichtstuer," meaning an idle or lazy person. No athlete wanted to be called a Nichtstuer.

His words stirred something in his teammates. They felt excited and motivated. Playing football wasn't just a job for them; it was about surpassing themselves and challenging their limits.

Suddenly, the next game against Wolfsburg didn't seem so daunting. If Bayern didn't intimidate them, why should Wolfsburg?

Matuschka noticed the sudden energy in his teammates, who ran faster and pushed harder in training.

"Hey, this is just a warm-up, what's got you all so excited?" he called out.

Meanwhile, in Union Berlin's conference room, the coaching staff, football director Schaffer, and board chief Dirk Singler discussed their strategy. The main topic was the team's approach to the cup. Should they give up and use a substitute lineup for the next cup game, focusing on the league, or should they aim for the cup, risking injury and fatigue?

Neuhaus, the coach, had a serious face.

"I'm confident that if we beat Wolfsburg, we can win the championship," he said.

Schaffer shook his head with a wry smile.

"This is just the second round. We still have the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Last season, fighting Bayern so hard left us exhausted, and we lost many league points. Upgrading to the Bundesliga was thrilling but tough."

Neuhaus remained firm.

"Our coaching staff analyzed that while last season's Su Luo might not have managed, this season he's grown significantly and can help us."

Schaffer wanted to argue, but board chief Singler waved his hand.

"Okay, enough. According to Uwe, our goal this season is to win the German Cup. If we succeed, everyone gets a championship bonus of 60,000 euros, including the coaching staff!"

Everyone gasped.

There are only 22 first-team players and 8 coaches, making a total of 1.8 million euros in bonuses. For a wealthy club, this amount is insignificant, but for Union Berlin, over a million euros is a big deal!

The board's decision reflects the sentiments of the fans and the steel alliance. With that settled, everyone made up their minds.

"Fight for Wolfsburg! Sword for the championship!"

"Championship!"

When Neuhaus announced the news to the team, he didn't expect the players to accept it so quickly. They were more excited than he was.

"Champions! Our goal is to be champions!"

After the initial excitement, the real challenges became apparent.

"Since we're aiming for the championship and competing on two fronts, we have to be stricter," Neuhaus said. "Training time will increase by two hours every day! Holidays are halved this season—only half a day! Any objections?"

"No!"

The players, including Su Luo, answered decisively.

After the day's training ended, everyone walked out of the training ground exhausted.

"I regret it," Grealish groaned, looking like a dead dog from exhaustion.

"Just grit your teeth and persevere. It's only one season," Su Luo encouraged. "How about we go to a nightclub and relax?"

"Yes! Let's go!" Grealish's eyes lit up.

Since Magath was sacked for the second time in 2012, Wolfsburg's coach Dieter Hecking had maintained a stable position. Last season, Wolfsburg ranked 5th, and this season, they showed strong fighting power. They defeated Leverkusen 4:1, Bremen 2:1, Mainz 3:0, and Dortmund 2:1. In January, Wolfsburg even beat Bayern Munich 4:1 at home.

In Su Luo's previous life, they finished as Bundesliga runners-up in the 14/15 season and won the German Cup by defeating Dortmund 3:1 in the final. This was Wolfsburg's strongest season in years!

Theoretically, they shouldn't prioritize a newly promoted team like Union Berlin. Any bench lineup could win. But Union Berlin was no ordinary newly promoted team.

The Wolfsburg coaching staff was conflicted. They believed the Bundesliga championship was out of reach and aimed to focus on cup competitions. For stronger teams, winning the cup was essential, at least for the first three rounds to train players.

"Should we send the main force? I'm afraid the opposite side won't," Wolfsburg assistant coach Jonke speculated. "Their league momentum is strong. They must be focusing on the league!"

"I have a bad feeling," Coach Hecking frowned. "Let's play with all our strength this time! Our next game against Freiburg isn't a big problem."

"Okay, let's go all out!"

Before the second round of the German Cup, both sides announced their starting lineups simultaneously, surprising the German media.

"What are they doing? Why go all out in the second round of the Cup?"

"Are both teams crazy? They must be aiming for the championship."

"Wolfsburg going for the championship makes sense, but why is Union Berlin, a newly promoted team, doing the same?"

In the public eye, both teams going all out for a win in this round seemed irrational. At least Wolfsburg had a deep bench, ranking in the top fifth of the league. Union Berlin's starting lineup was cobbled together, so how could they fight on two fronts?

The German media, "Kicker," commented: "This game is like two gamblers going all-in. Wealthy gamblers can leave the table decently, but propertyless gamblers can only gamble with everything they have."

The world is sometimes like that. No one cares about your aspirations; they just judge you by conventional standards. Union Berlin, in everyone's eyes, was a red-eyed gambler risking their league momentum for an illusory cup championship. This public opinion affected the players.

At the pre-game press conference, head coach Neuhaus took Su Luo along. When a reporter raised this question, Neuhaus was about to speak, but Su Luo interrupted.

"I think everyone is forgetting a fundamental issue. Why do we set up professional clubs, hold professional games and cup competitions, and let fans watch them?"

The reporters looked at each other. Of course, games are for entertainment, passion, and team and fan honor, right?

"Exactly," Su Luo continued, looking at the reporters with contempt. "Since it's a professional event, we fight hard for every win. Is there a problem with that? As for the league results, do we need to teach you how to do your jobs?"

Su Luo's questioning echoed through the room, even making Neuhaus look sideways. Su Luo, usually sunny and cheerful, showed his temper.

A player destined to become a world superstar should have a temper! Whoever disagrees can deal with it!

Soon, Su Luo's words made headlines in major media outlets.

"Do We Have a Problem Winning?"

"Su Luo: Union Berlin Aims for the Championship!"

"Su Luo: We Want Both the Cup and League Championships!"

"Bild" even went with a headline: "That's Right! I Want Them All!"

Before the game against Wolfsburg, Su Luo stood in the tunnel, clenching his fists. He knew Wolfsburg was the cup champion. If they could beat Wolfsburg, did that mean they could intercept the championship?

This could be the first golden trophy in the top league since joining the first team!

"Come on! I'm not afraid of Bayern, let alone Wolfsburg!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you've liked my work so far and would like to support me, your contribution would be greatly appreciated. since this is labor work and I'm not receiving any payment. your support means a lot to me to continue this fanfic. even a small amount, like 10rs. can make a significant difference.

Please consider using UPI id divyrajsinhsodha5167@ybl

Or you can visit my Patreon page:

patreon.com/PhoeniXcel

patreon have 10+ advanced chapters for you guys

Your help will be greatly appreciated.