June 12, 2006:
Thomas Krahn sat across from Marco in a quiet café near Signal Iduna Park. Between them lay a folder with contract details, newspaper clippings, and scouting reports.
"U19 champion, top scorer in the league, top assist provider in the league. Considering you are only sixteen, these achievements are indeed spectacular." Krahn shook his head with a slight smile. "You're making my job very easy, Marco."
"You got something good?"
"And Dortmund wants to renegotiate your extension."
"There are also multiple offers from other clubs. Bayern again—€4,000 monthly, €75,000 signing bonus. Schalke—€3,500 monthly. Stuttgart interested." Krahn paused.
Marco sipped his water. "I signed through 2012 in December. Why renegotiate?"
"Obviously because you've outperformed that contract already. You're worth more now than you were six months ago." Krahn leaned forward. "Dortmund knows it. They want to increase your wages, add first-team clauses, tie you down longer before bigger clubs offer stupid money."
"What do I need to do?"
"Honestly? Nothing. You can take the meeting with me if you want. Otherwise I can negotiate, reach an agreement, then you can finalize it."
Krahn's expression turned serious. "You're sixteen. You turn seventeen in three weeks. The next contract you sign will define your path for years. We need to get it right."
"Then, will you negotiate for me?"
"Of course. I will notify you of the terms after a meeting." Krahn smiled. "But I need to know: Are you still committed to Dortmund? Really committed? Because I can get you more money elsewhere."
Marco didn't hesitate. "I'm staying at Dortmund."
"Why? And don't give me a PR answer. The truth."
Marco considered his words carefully. He couldn't explain time travel or future knowledge. But he could explain logic.
"In two years, I'll be eighteen, nineteen. First team age. If I go to Bayern or somewhere else now, I'm just another academy kid. I'd have to prove myself all over again. But at Dortmund, I've built relationships. The coaches know me. The club trusts me. And..." he paused, "I believe Dortmund can still win titles. Maybe not next year, but soon. But I don't want to jump ships without giving this club a chance. After all, I grew up as a Dortmund fan, and grew from its academy. If they can rebuild it, I want to be part of building that."
Krahn studied him for a long moment.
"I see that you have thought it through. I won't persuade you to change your decision. I don't know if I have told you this. But I was a semi professional player in my youth. I had some talent in me. If everything had gone right, I could have even played for second division clubs."
"But my agent, at that time persuaded me to transfer to a better club. But that one wrong decision ruined my career. I never played for them. And when I realised my situation it was too late to change anything."
"Honestly Marco, the number of clients I represent are less than eight. Others either play in the lower division or are still at the academy."
"They won't waste any chance to earn a higher salary. I was the one who persuaded them to focus on stability and growth. But in your case, it's the opposite— I didn't even get a chance to be the bad guy."
He let out a slow chuckle"You are the youngest among them. But somehow, you are the most mature one."
Marco could only let out a wry smile,'if only he knew.'
* *
After two weeks of negotiations, Krahn delivered the promised results.
#New contract terms:
- €3,500 monthly, rising to €5,000 by 2010
- €30,000 signing bonus
- First-team promotion clause: Automatic raise to €15,000 monthly if promoted
- Performance bonuses: €10,000 per first-team goal, €5,000 per assist
-Image rights: 60/40 split (player/club)
Marco signed. His parents signed. Dortmund was satisfied.
Krahn took no commission—still waiting for that first senior contract.
"This is a good deal, Marco," Krahn said after. "But more importantly, it's flexibility. If you break into the first team at eighteen, your wages jump immediately. If not, you're still well-compensated for youth level."
"Thank you, Thomas."
"Just keep developing. Make me look smart for believing in you."
* * *
June 2006 - Preparation:
The summer stretched ahead—two months before preseason with Dortmund II.
Marco's plan was methodical:
June: Rest, recovery, family time. His body needed a break after a grueling season. Light training only—jogging, yoga, touch work.
Early July: Individual intensive training. The system provided a detailed program:
-Strength training: Building on growth spurt gains
-Speed work: Maximizing new power
-Skill refinement: Pushing Cut Inside to 9.6+, Through Balls to 9.8+
-Tactical study: Watching 3. Liga matches, familiarise with it for better adaptation
In late July, Dortmund II preseason begins. He will get two weeks prove that he can handle adult football.
Coach Werner provided one final piece of advice before summer break:
"You've dominated youth football, Marco. U17, U19 Bundesliga champion. But that's over now. Next season, you're playing against men. Twenty-five, thirty-year-olds with families, careers on the line. They are desperate for their spot. If you want to play with them, you first show them that you won't hold them back. They'll kick you, elbow you, test you mentally. Youth reputation means nothing there."
"I understand, Coach."
"Do you? Because I've seen talented kids break when they hit adult football. The physicality, the pressure, the loneliness of not being the star anymore." Werner's gaze was intense. "Can you handle being the kid again?"
Marco thought about his previous life. About watching Reus struggle with injuries, with pressure, with expectations. About knowing what peak performance felt like and having to build back to it.
"I can handle it," he said. "I've been through worse."
Werner seemed satisfied. "Good. Then go rest, train smart, and come back ready. Dortmund II is your next mountain. Climb it."
June 30, 2006:
Marco sat in his room, reviewing the development plan for the next year from his personal notebook:
#Phase 1 (July-December 2006): Dortmund II Integration
- Target: Establish as regular starter
- Key focus: Physical adaptation, defensive work rate
#Phase 2 (January-June 2007):
- Target: Dominant performances, first-team training
#Skills Priority:
- Cut Inside: 9.4 → 9.7 (elite mastery)
- Finishing: 8.5 → 9.0 (clinical)
- Defensive Work Rate: 7.8 → 8.5
- Physical Strength: 6.9 → 7.5
He had planned everything with the help of the system. You have to know, that each athlete has their own personal style and body language.
The same training, done by two different people will have varying results in each of them.
So, to tailor the most perfect training plan for a player is a very difficult task requiring much cost and time. But the system can entirely bypass these hurdles. It can design the most suitable training plan for him—always adapting according to circumstances and very efficient.
If he were to follow the plan, everything was achievable.
Outside, Dortmund was alive with summer evening sounds. Children playing football in the streets. Families grilling. Life continued normally.
But for Marco, nothing was normal. He was living a second chance, armed with knowledge of the future, guided by a system that prevented the injuries that had destroyed his original career.
It was all there, waiting. He just had to keep working, keep improving, and keep believing.
Seventeen years old. The journey was just beginning.