"Damn it, I can't stay at Juventus any longer. I've done well enough, but Capello just won't give me a chance. I've been with Juventus for almost half a season and only got to play twice. Capello doesn't let me push forward—he thinks I'm crowding Ibrahimović's space. That arrogant Swedish dog won't even look people in the eye."
Inside Suker's villa, Šrna was venting his frustration.
Life at Juventus had been miserable for him.
The downside of joining a powerhouse club had hit him hard.
Faced with a lineup of top-tier players, his competitiveness was extremely weak.
He wanted to prove himself, but first, he needed to get on the pitch, didn't he?But Capello just wouldn't give him the chance.
Their relationship had become strained over the matter.
With tensions rising, Šrna's chances of playing diminished further.
Šrna bit into the bread in his hand."Where did you buy this? Give me the address. I'll bring some back for my wife." Then he took another savage bite. "Damn dog!"
Suker looked at Šrna and sighed."So, what are you going to do?"
"Still in talks," Šrna said. "Transfer! What else can I do? Milan's interested in me."
"Milan?" Suker was surprised. "You're joining Milan?"
Šrna paused and pointed outside. "The other Milan."
Suker nodded in understanding. "Please call them Inter Milan, thank you very much."
Šrna laughed. "Already buying in to the culture?"
Suker shrugged. "Real Milanistas are like that. And as for a future Interista—get out!"
HAHAHAHA!
Šrna burst out laughing.
He knew Suker was joking.
"When's the transfer happening?" Suker asked.
"Not sure yet, still negotiating. I need to make sure the terms are right this time. Can't rush into it again."
This whole ordeal had made Šrna understand just how difficult life at a top club could be.
Suker said, "It's not easy at Inter either!"
Šrna nodded. "But they're willing to give me a chance. That's enough for me."
Suker nodded. "Alright, do what you think is best. Just know—I'm going to crush you!"
Šrna retorted, "If anyone's doing the crushing, it'll be me. We'll be playing opposite positions—I'll destroy you!"
After trading a few barbs, Šrna checked the time.
"I should get going."
Suker looked outside—it was still broad daylight.
"Leaving already?"
Šrna winked. "Yup."
Suker was momentarily stunned, then laughed. "Alright, good luck!"
Clearly, this visit wasn't just to see Suker—Šrna had other business to attend to.
As he watched Šrna leave, Suker had just stepped back inside when his phone rang.
It was Gisele Bündchen calling.
He answered the call.
"Congratulate me—I've ended my contract with Victoria's Secret!"
Gisele's voice was light and cheerful.
"Congratulations!" Suker replied. "But why end the contract? Weren't you their top model?"
"Top model? It's called opening model, thank you!"
Gisele still had that 'queen of the world' tone in her voice.
But she had the credentials to back it up.
"Victoria's Secret's designs have gotten weirder and weirder. They used to at least have capes—now there aren't even capes. It's starting to feel more like a tacky strip show, totally disconnected from actual fashion."
"I thought it looked fine."
"You know nothing!"
"Fair enough. Then walk for me, let me see," Suker teased.
On the streets of New York, Gisele Bündchen stood out in a crowd, wearing beige loose-fit trousers paired with a form-fitting gray knit tank top.
She smirked.
"If you want me to walk a runway—$450,000 per step, thank you!"
Suker paused. "As a broke man, I might consider $45 per step."
Gisele exhaled. "You doing anything during the winter break?"
Suker: "You know about winter break?"
Gisele: "I'm Brazilian. You think Brazilians don't know football?"
"Alright, I've got nothing going on."
"I know a little island. Want to go vacation together?"
Suker: "Is this the sleep-together kind of vacation?"
"Get lost! But I can treat you."
Suker: "Boss lady, generous!"
After hanging up, Gisele turned to her assistant."Book me a resort on Ibiza. I'm not taking any gigs for the next few months—I need a break."
The assistant nodded, then teased, "Going to Italy to see your little boyfriend?"
Gisele smiled. "First Brazil, then Italy."
November 20, AC Milan away vs. Fiorentina.
Suker didn't start this match.
Even though he had repeatedly insisted he was in good form, Ancelotti kept him on the bench.
Part of the reason was to manage his fitness over the season and not overuse him.
The other part was to give other players some minutes.
Ever since Suker's arrival and brilliant performances, he had locked down a starting role.
This had pushed players like Rui Costa, Ambrosini, and Seedorf into competition for one spot.
Ambrosini in particular had barely played recently.
Ancelotti wanted to keep their morale up.
They hadn't been playing badly—Suker had just been too good.
Suker sat obediently on the bench in his warm-up bib.
On the pitch, the score was 1–1.
Fiorentina and Milan were tied.
Fiorentina's striker, Luca Toni, had scored one goal.
Inzaghi had netted Milan's goal.
Toni, who had just joined Fiorentina this season and was playing his first year in Serie A, was exploding with goals.
After 11 rounds, he had scored 12 goals.
He was leading the Serie A scoring chart.
In a league known for its defensive play, averaging more than one goal per game was extremely difficult.
But this no-name player had blown up and shown what it meant to become famous with a single goal.
The game was tense.
Milan's backline was under immense pressure, and even their midfield was forced to retreat.
Toni kept hammering at the defense.
"Defend! Defend!"
"Hold the line!"
"Watch the left!"
Milan players shouted desperately.
Playing away, a draw wasn't the worst outcome.
Defense was key.
Ancelotti watched the field, not yet making changes.
He just wanted to survive the first half.
Halftime: 1–1.
"Good." Ancelotti exhaled.
As long as they held out!
In the 56th minute, Milan made defensive substitutions.
Kaladze and Simic came on.
Two defenders—clearly Ancelotti was reinforcing the defense to hold the draw.
"Let's go, Simic!" Suker cheered.
Simic smiled and high-fived him.
Dario Simic, another Croatian, had been with Milan since 2001.
Despite both being Croatian, he and Suker weren't that close.
Simic didn't move in Suker's elite circles.
Suker hung out with the starters—Simic, though a national team starter, was a backup at Milan.
Suker was now a clear starter and approaching core-player status.
Simic was still stuck behind Cafu.
With the changes, Milan's defense regained some composure.
But Fiorentina's offense didn't let up.
In the 70th minute, they pushed even harder and began pressing Milan back.
Pirlo became confused.
Kaká dropped deep.
Milan lost all counterattack threats.
They could only hang on!
"Stay strong!"
Ancelotti clenched his fists.
Losing midfield control worried him.
But if they could just hold on…
76th minute—disaster.
Fiorentina's midfielder Donadel crossed from the flank.
The ball flew past the crowd to the back post—Toni appeared like a ghost and slid in the ball.
Milan conceded!
"Damn!"
Ancelotti pressed his lips.
They couldn't hold on after all.
He sighed and turned."Suker, get in for the last ten minutes!"
Suker got up and jogged along the sideline to warm up.
While warming up, he watched the game unfold.
After scoring, Fiorentina's offense got even fiercer.
They wanted another.
Milan's defense began to bunch together.
Suker knew what that meant—when defenders bunch up, it means trouble. A pass out wide could be fatal.
And sure enough, the ball got passed out of the crowd.
Toni received it again on the edge of the box and smashed it in.
79th minute—another goal! Milan down 3–1.
"Milan's midfield is in chaos! Wake up, Pirlo!"Commentator Aldo Serena sounded anxious.
Just then, the fourth official raised the substitution board.
Camera cut to the sideline—Suker stood beside Ancelotti.
"Don't worry about it. If we lose, so be it. Just go on and stay sharp," Ancelotti said.
Suker turned and said, "What if I help us equalize?"
Ancelotti froze.
Suker grinned, slapped Rui Costa's hand hard—SLAP!
Rui Costa blew on his reddened hand."Why hit so hard, man?!"
Suker ran onto the pitch and shouted at his downcast teammates:"Come on! Come on!"
"Why so down? The game's not over. I'm here to save the day—thank me later!"
He jogged to the center circle, full of energy.
Pirlo scowled. "There's only ten minutes left!"
"Five minutes, one goal!" Suker clapped. "That's enough!"