Blue Dream Trail (Soccer) - Episode 39

──Wednesday, October 4, 2028

UEFA Champions League League Phase 2

*Olympique Marseille vs Augsburg (at Stade Velodrome)

This is a strong team representing France, having defeated PSG last season and won the championship for the first time since the 2009-2010 season.

The velodrome was burning like fire at night.

Blue and white flags covering the stands, roaring chants,

And then – ear-splitting booing.

(This is… Marseille’s “heat”)

Ren calmly took a deep breath as he stepped onto the pitch.

My companions seemed somewhat intimidated.

There is little conversation, and even eye contact is vague.

(I have to support him)

With that thought in mind, Ren walked towards the center circle.

In the first half, Marseille launched a truly relentless onslaught.

Sharp pressing and side attacks that combine speed and power.

Accurate build-up from the back line.

And above all, there is no hesitation in his play.

They conceded goals in quick succession in the 15th and 27th minutes.

The first goal was scored after a breakthrough down the wing, and the second goal came after a pass was intercepted in the midfield and a counterattack.

Both were lacking in preparation and quality.

Ren raised his voice from behind, yelling for them to adjust their positions, but–

It didn’t arrive.

To begin with, the quality of each individual is so different…

Five minutes into the second half, Ren finally turned the tide.

He trapped a vertical pass from the CB liner.

He lifted the ball with the outside of his right foot, leaving his marker behind, and dribbled forward.

This is a play that hasn’t been seen much from Ren until now.

The opposing CB was worried about the forward and delayed for a moment,

A flick of the left foot – a sharp mid-range shot was sucked into the top right corner of the goal!

Ren’s first goal of the season.

2-1. The start of a counterattack.

But the stands didn’t sink.

On the contrary, it got even hotter.

(I haven’t ruined anything yet)

After 60 minutes.

Marseille were broken through again down the side and scored their third goal.

In the 75th minute, they conceded a header from a corner kick, giving them the fourth goal.

Ren put his hands on his knees and stood up.

My feet move, but the voices around me are far away.

(One goal. I did well. But–)

(He was not an easy opponent to defeat with words.)

The game ended with a score of 4-1, a crushing defeat.

Everyone was silent in the locker room.

Even the coach’s angry voice doesn’t reach them.

Ren remained silent as he removed the laces from his spikes.

And then, the words that had been sunk deep in his heart surfaced.

(If this continues, we’ll be separated from the world.)

(It’s not just the “team” — something has to change for me, too.)

That night, alone in my hotel room, I opened the notebook.

As Ren reflects on the match, he makes a note of something.

“The goals were scored individually.

But, in the end, victory can only be achieved through organization.”

Another line on the next page.

“I need to become a player who can create an ‘organization’.”

Next → Episode 40 “Voices that cannot be heard”

In the match against Dortmund, Ren is once again overwhelmed by the difference in strength between them and faces the reality that even though he tries to make his voice heard, it doesn’t reach anyone.

———-

*Olympique de Marseille

Commonly known as “OM”

✨ In one word…

“A proud and passionate French beast club with a raw soul.”

Calm play? Stable management?

Instead of that, “Fight with your heart, like an OM.”

Marseille is a city that lives and breathes football.

 Culture, atmosphere, and characteristics of Olympique de Marseille

1. The only French club to have won the Champions League

– Won the UEFA Champions League in the 1992-93 season (the only French team to achieve this).

-This gives the club the pride of being “the only French club to have won a European title.”

– The club has won the domestic league championship more than 10 times and has also achieved numerous victories in cup competitions.

② A passionate club with a “Mediterranean spirit”

– Marseille is a port city in the south of France, a city characterized by its cheerfulness, roughness, and pride.

– The same goes for clubs, where passion is valued over logic and soul over technique.

・The style is something like “Attack, fall, but get up!”

3. Super, super, super enthusiastic supporters

– Every game at the Velodrome stadium is as hot as a battlefield.

-By far the most passionate in France.

　→ Choreography, flares, chants, drums, shouts…passion pushed to the limits.

– In particular, the ultras (South Winners, Commando Ultra, etc.) are world famous.

– Pressure from supporters can be both a motivating factor and a source of pressure for players.

4. Eternal rival “Paris Saint-Germain”

・“Le Classique” = A match known as the French version of El Clásico.

“Capitalist Paris” vs “Commoner’s Marseille”

　→ France’s greatest rivalry contains cultural and social conflicts.

-OM fans pride themselves on being “a club that wins with heart, not money.”

5. A history full of chaos and drama

-The club is constantly plagued by incidents, such as a change of manager every few years, turmoil among executives, protests from supporters, and player exodus.

・Still, OM is loved because of the drama.

– When they are in good form, they have the explosive power to be in the top eight of the Champions League, but when they are in bad form, they fill stadiums even if they are mid-table in the league.

🏟Stade Vélodrome

・Capacity: Approximately 67,000 people. One of the largest in France.

– The undulating roof provides excellent acoustic reflections.

・Especially during night games, a “holy heat” is created. It is one of the leading “pressure stadiums” in Europe.