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 As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room.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 after a tough week of training was cold and gray. Bramall Lane loomed like an old fortress as Crawley's team bus rolled into Sheffield, the air filled with the smell of wet metal and the quiet buzz of fans arriving.


Niels stepped off the bus, his boots splashing in puddles, a mix of determination and nerves tightening in his chest.


Their second League One match was about to begin, and Sheffield United, known for their toughness felt like a test that could either bring Crawley together or break them apart.


The media hadn't eased off. That morning, a pundit's voice crackled through the bus radio, sharp and dismissive: "Niels' magic can't keep covering up Crawley's messy midfield. They look lost."


The words hit hard, adding to a week full of doubt, and Niels could feel the weight pressing on the whole squad.


Chapter 126 - Out of Sync