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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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

Crisp morning air hung over Broadfield Stadium, where the muddy pitch glistened beneath a pale sun breaking through Crawley's thinning clouds.


Niels arrived early, his boots crunching on the gravel path, the sharp scent of wet grass and damp earth filling his lungs. 


A restless energy surged through him, a fire to shape a squad that could carry the town's dreams into the season.


With the season looming, the squad needed new talent to face League One's brutal grind.


Niels clutched his notebook, its pages creased from late-night planning. 


Names like Paul Pogba and Luke Freeman were circled in bold red ink, each one a potential key to unlocking Crawley's fight for the season ahead.


Chapter 116 - Midfield Maestro