Chapter I
As I stepped out of the club registered Audi A5 Coupé, I took a hold of my folder crammed with notes and locked the door - checking it before I made my way across the road to the main entrance. The air was warm - not such of a scorching summers day, but modest enough to warrant leaving my suit jacket at home. Plan trousers, shirt and tie was my choice for today - keeping it both smart and casual. As I entered the building, my favourite doorman - Felix - greeted me with a smile and a nod of the head as I passed. A distinct air of respect follows me through the building. I demand excellence; and whilst I wasn't first-team manager here, players and staff - including myself - knew what I was about. It was close-season and I wasn't here on social business.
I was, of course, Bayern München U-19 Manager and this was the clubs' headquarters. My name is Jason Mann; a 27-year-old football manager from Northern England. I demand respect and tolerance from my players and work colleagues. As a confident young man, I led my team out to win the U-19 Bundesliga in the previous season. As a dominating team - we played the beautiful game; and we played it ****** well. Strength, pace and resilience alone powered us onto the league title and I didn't intend on letting our control over German youth football decrease anytime soon. I keep my personal life and work life very much separated in the hope that the two paths will never cross. Despite this - I want to travel the world; and I want to do that through the beautiful game. Sometime in the future, I intend on leaving this fantastic youth set-up and taking up a role with more responsibility - something a little more: 'in the eye of the public'. But, for now, I'm happy where I am - and I only want to further extend my winning run here in Germany.
As I reached my office, I took a seat in the chair behind my computer screen - dumping my notes onto the desk in front of me, I sat back. Glancing up - a beautiful ray of sunlight engulfed much of the training complex. As my clock ticked on, I browsed through the extensive notes I'd had chief scouts compile and sorted them into what I wanted and what I didn't want. I'd hate to damage a young player's dreams, but I had a respectable position within this football club and I was employed to make these calls. As I came to an end of my research, I heard a slight knock on the door - with club Director Uli Hoeneß entering.
"Hello there," - Uli spoke softly - as he always did - but everybody around the football club recognized his great achievements
"Hi, Uli. How are you today?" I replied, sharply feeling as though I was under intense scrutiny
"I'm feeling good, thank you. Wife's having a struggle at the moment but she's improving," he gave a short, sharp smile - something wasn't right
"This isn't about me, though, son. This is about you. We've been contacted with a great offer for you. An offer which brings with it history and responsibility. I think it's right for you, Jason," his eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at me straight in the face
"Where's the offer come from?" I questioned
"Denmark."