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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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 referee's whistle pierced the air at exactly 3:00 p.m.


The ball rolled across the slick Wembley turf, gleaming under the bright floodlights. 


Ninety thousand voices thundered through the stadium most in Chelsea blue, chanting as one: "Chels-ea! Chels-ea!"


But in one fiery corner of the stands, crawley fans voices stood their ground, red scarves waving like banners in a storm:


The scent of damp grass, sweat, and muscle rub drifted from the benches. 


Under the noise, there was something sacred in the air like a stage set for destiny.


Max Simons stood tall in the box, captain's armband tight around his bicep. 


The roar of the crowd faded for a moment as he whispered to himself, "For home." He thought of the small stone taped inside his locker back at Broadfield the one he hadn't touched, only trusted.


Chapter 87 - FA Cup Final [2]