"Come here!"
At the end of the match, Gattuso walked up to Suker demanding a celebratory hug.
Now imagine this — a burly man with a scruffy beard, arms wide open, coming at you for an overly intimate embrace. It's disgusting, really.
Suker tried to sidestep him, but Gattuso had his eyes locked on him like a hawk. If Suker ran, the man looked ready to chase him down and tackle him into a hug.
"Fine…"
With no other choice, Suker went up to him.
Gattuso grabbed him in a tight embrace — full body contact, no gaps. Suker knew this was just Gattuso's way of celebrating, but truth be told, no one enjoyed being hugged like that by another man, especially not when said man's beard was so damn prickly.
Still, worse than hugs? Being picked up like a trophy.
Just like that time when Milnar lifted him up like Rafiki presenting baby Simba in The Lion King. Absolutely awful.
Everyone got a Gattuso hug that day — even Coach Ancelotti wasn't spared. Only Maldini seemed exempt from the full-on bear attack.
Within the AC Milan squad, aside from Maldini, Gattuso pretty much ran wild.
AC Milan secured a clean 4–0 victory against Reggina.
It was their first win after the winter break.
Suker also scored one in this match.
That's 19 goals in 19 games.
After the match, a Milan Gazette reporter interviewed him.
"First of all, congratulations on the victory. You've now scored 19 goals in 19 rounds. How does that feel?"
Suker: "Feels great! I'm proud of both our performance and our results! And of course, as an AC Milan player, I consider myself a very qualified employee!"
His comment drew laughter from the reporters.
"Qualified"? Suker's performance was nothing short of phenomenal.
"Recently, a reporter from Evening Apennines called you the best striker in Serie A and said Shevchenko's departure made room for your rise. What do you think about that?"
Suke actually agreed. Shevchenko's exit had created space for him to shine.
It gave him more responsibility in Milan's tactical setup.
Still, he couldn't say that out loud — it'd come off as arrogant, which didn't match the image he'd been carefully building.
"I admit, I got some opportunities — and I made the most of them. But that doesn't mean I'm truly the best. Serie A has a lot of great players. Maybe I've just been a little better than most, haha. But honestly, I still have a long way to go to match players who've achieved so much — like Totti."
"I'm still a challenger. I keep that mindset. I respect those legends, but the best way for me to pay tribute is to keep pushing forward and try to beat them on the field."
He was saying the "right" thing — but deep down, if he had the chance, Suker would've loved to drag every last one of them down, stand atop the mountain, and roar, "I'm the best in the world!"
But that would just make him a target. The fanboys would tear him apart.
For now, he was still in the growth phase. He needed a healthy environment to develop.
On the other side, Ronaldo was also being interviewed.
Two goals in his Serie A debut — he was clearly thrilled.
"This is a great team, I mean it. I love the vibe here in Milan. Suker is a natural energy guy — he makes everyone smile. And his performances on the field? Incredible."
"If I were younger, I'd definitely compete with him. But now… forget it. I'm not in the shape I used to be."
The reporters didn't take his "bad form" comment seriously.
Two goals in your debut and that's bad?
But what they didn't understand was that this version of Ronaldo was nowhere near the "Phenomenon" of old.
Even so, he was still better than most strikers in the world.
Milan Gazette reporter: "In four weeks, the Champions League Round of 16 begins. Milan faces Real Madrid. Any thoughts on that matchup?"
"I used to play for Madrid," Ronaldo smiled, "but now I wear the red and black. Of course, I want Milan to win."
Then, smiling even wider, he added, "But what's it got to do with me? I can't play in the Champions League!"
He was a bit dejected.
A downside of winter transfers — no Champions League eligibility.
Throughout his career, Ronaldo had never touched that damn "Big-Eared" trophy.
That remained his one regret.
Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid…
Through all of that, aside from the money, what he really wanted — was the Champions League.
But it seemed like fate had cursed him in that regard.
Champions League Round of 16:
Group A: Chelsea, Barcelona
Group B: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan
Group C: Liverpool, PSV Eindhoven
Group D: Valencia, Roma
Group E: Lyon, Real Madrid
Group F: Manchester United, Celtic
Group G: Porto, Arsenal
Group H: AC Milan, Lille
AC Milan remained a pillar of Serie A.
Even though the media was constantly dooming them.
After Shevchenko left, many predicted Milan's collapse.
Then when Suker exploded, they said the squad was too thin and predicted a second-half breakdown.
In short, the media atmosphere around AC Milan was overwhelmingly negative.
There was a time Milan was Europe's most talked-about club — generating endless headlines and traffic.
Now, with Serie A in decline, Milan was suffering too.
Losing buzz, losing fans, losing media attention…
And when the walls start to fall, everyone rushes in to stomp on the bricks.
Plenty of people wanted to step on Milan to boost their own relevance.
But that was easier said than done.
Let's talk about Real Madrid.
Capello's purge was still in full swing.
During the winter break, Ronaldo was let go and Beckham was frozen out.
Meanwhile, they brought in dual Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year winner Cannavaro.
Yet Madrid continued to struggle — falling behind Barcelona in La Liga, and being dominated again by Lyon in the Champions League.
Now in the Round of 16, they were set to face AC Milan.
Suker honestly felt Capello had drawn a nightmare bracket.
Of course, Capello might not see Milan as all that strong.
"Party at my place tonight!"
Suker raised his hand and shouted, "Boss, bring a case of that juice you brought last time! Ivan, Kaka — get here early and help with the prep!"
He was inviting the core starters to a get-together at his house.
Relationships need nurturing.
The benchwarmers looked over hopefully, but Suker clearly had no intention of inviting them.
Simunic wondered if he should volunteer to help — but Simic quickly stopped him.
"What would you do there? You wouldn't even be able to join the conversation."
Simic shook his head.
The stuff Suker and the others talked about was way beyond them. Just being there would be awkward.
He knew Simunic was ambitious, eager to integrate into Milan's inner circle.
But without solid performances on the pitch, you weren't getting in.
If you didn't have a guaranteed starting spot, what were you even doing there?
Suker hadn't even looked their way.
Later that evening, the smell of food filled Suker's villa.
He was in the kitchen, playing head chef and managing the dinner prep.
Gattuso, Kaka, and Pirlo were his assistants, busy running around under his orders.
Gisele Bündchen, as the hostess, was handling the reception duties.
A natural at socializing, she got along with everyone instantly.
Inzaghi's new model girlfriend looked at her with admiration.
As a newcomer, Gisele was someone to look up to.
Now here they were, sitting face-to-face, chatting away happily.
Still, Gisele's dominant presence was unmistakable — every gesture radiated "I'm the queen here."
Before long, Maldini, Cafu, and the rest of the squad arrived.
Dinner was nearly ready.
Around 7 p.m., everyone sat down together.
"Cheers!"
Suker raised his juice, and the group drank together.