Chapter 192: End of the Season

Two days later, at Dinamo Zagreb's training base.

The players were all fully engaged in training.

The aftermath of their Champions League elimination wasn't as severe as expected—maybe because they had mentally prepared for it.

Or maybe deep down, they knew their journey had reached its limit.

Of course, that match was rarely mentioned among them now.

There was regret.There was also unwillingness.

But realistically, beating AC Milan with their current strength was nearly impossible—an unattainable goal.

Unless AC Milan suffered a wave of injuries, there might be a glimmer of hope.

Even though Dinamo Zagreb had been knocked out of the Champions League, their name was still circulating across Europe.

Especially the young talents on the team—they were the subject of widespread media attention.

As May approached, all leagues were entering their closing stages.

With the season ending, the summer transfer window was about to open.

By then, Dinamo Zagreb's "supermarket" would officially launch.

As the poster team for "youth storm," nearly all of Dinamo's main players were on the radar of top-tier European clubs.

Some deals were already close to being finalized.

For example, Mario Mandžukić was set to join Borussia Dortmund.

Even though Bayern Munich had also made an offer, they couldn't reach an agreement on income, playtime, and other factors.

Compared to the competitive environment at Bayern, Mandžukić preferred the opportunity to start regularly at Dortmund.

Dortmund had assured him of a starting role as center forward—virtually a done deal.

Plus, performing well at Dortmund might open the door for a future move to Bayern.

In any case, Mandžukić had achieved his dream of playing in the Bundesliga.

Next was Dujmović.

Even while recovering from injury, he didn't sit idle.

He was the first to finalize a transfer—to Lyon in France.

At the moment, Lyon was the dominant force in Ligue 1, and Dujmović would have great opportunities for growth there.

Then came Luka Modrić.

His transfer was finalized very swiftly.

Sir Alex Ferguson flew to Zagreb in person to invite him.

Ferguson's personal visit was a tremendous sign of respect.

He stated his intention to build Modrić into the core of Manchester United's midfield, and said he would clear out some players next season to make space for him.

Salary and other aspects of the contract fully met Modrić's expectations.

With Ferguson's mentorship, there was no reason to refuse.

Ferguson's quick move to secure Modrić caught everyone off guard.

During his trip, Ferguson also tried to recruit Suker—but was shot down by one question:

"In the future, I want to play as a center forward!"

Ferguson's response was, "You're joking, right?"

To him, Suker was best suited as a left winger or left midfielder—that's the position he could guarantee.

That was the "right path."

The two talked extensively about this topic, but in the end couldn't come to an agreement. Ferguson gave up.

Their philosophies didn't align.

You can't force a square peg into a round hole.

With those three transfers secured, the ones still pending were Suker, Vukojević, Srna, and Pranjić.

"Come to Dortmund with me!"

Mandžukić was relentless in his persuasion. "We can reunite at Dortmund and take down Bayern Munich together!"

Lately, Mandžukić had been constantly bugging Suker.

Probably because his new club had given him a recruitment task.

Suker, annoyed, complained: "Can Dortmund even afford my transfer fee?"

This wasn't arrogance.

Suker's current transfer value was nearing €30 million.

Was Dortmund really willing to pay that?

Mandžukić awkwardly responded, "So… could you lower it a little, you know, for me?"

Suker grabbed Mandžukić's cheeks and pulled in both directions to vent: "Let me see just how much your face is worth!"

"Ow ow ow!"

Mandžukić winced in pain.

"You don't need to bother convincing him," said Modrić, walking over. "He probably already has a target club in mind."

He turned to Suker. "Right?"

Suker let go of Mandžukić and nodded. "Pretty much."

"AC Milan?"

Suker nodded again—he had no reason to hide anything from his brothers.

Modrić asked curiously, "What did Ancelotti promise you to make you so committed to Milan?"

The others also looked over, intrigued.

Suker was one of the hottest prospects in Europe right now.

Top clubs were scrambling for him—some to the point of public messaging in the media, and some even enlisting club legends to woo him.

Real Madrid went so far as to have Ronaldo Nazário publicly recruit Suker during an interview.

His awkward performance made Suker cringe with secondhand embarrassment.

He wasn't going to Madrid—at least not the current version.

They were becoming known as the "Round of 16 exits" in the Champions League—and this trend was just beginning.

Only once their defense stabilized would he consider them.

So why AC Milan?

Simple.

Ancelotti's promise.

If Suker joined Milan, he would eventually have the chance to play as a center forward.

Even if it couldn't happen right away, he could still pair with Kaká as dual attacking midfielders in a Christmas Tree formation.

Ancelotti was the only coach who promised Suker the chance to play striker.

Other clubs were vague, noncommittal, or clearly just planning to bait and switch once he signed.

Suker wasn't stupid—he could see through these tactics.

Ancelotti not only gave a clear yes, but also laid out his vision and plans, even describing potential development paths.

He genuinely respected the player's wishes.

He wasn't a coach who bulldozed over players with rigid tactics.

Mourinho's transformation style was forceful, imposing his will on players.

Ancelotti's was gradual and collaborative, shaped around the players' traits and goals.

Naturally, Suker preferred the latter.

He wasn't aiming to become a physical beast like Drogba.

At that moment, Zorančić arrived at the sidelines and called for Suker and Modrić.

The two immediately got up.

"Where are you going?" asked Mandžukić.

Suker: "Italian lessons!"

Modrić: "English lessons!"

Joining a new team wasn't just about playing well—language was essential.

It helped team integration and ensured smooth communication.

Suker's move to AC Milan was practically a done deal. All that remained was signing the contract.

There was no need for drawn-out games—both sides were being extremely sincere.

AC Milan offered €29.5 million, and although other clubs had higher offers, they didn't score well on other important factors.

Suker would also receive a significant salary boost.

Everything was falling into place naturally.

Zorančić had hired an Italian tutor for Suker to begin intensive lessons.

Suker took it seriously.

Italian and Croatian are both Indo-European languages—not the same, but with many phonetic and structural similarities.

Some words are even identical.

That made Italian relatively easy for Suker to learn.

Within a week, he was already reading full sentences fluently. His accent wasn't perfect, but it was good enough.

Meanwhile, Modrić was still buried in English vocabulary.

Suker peeked at his thick notebook and felt sleepy just looking at it.

Modrić grumbled constantly, but he had no choice but to keep going.

He channeled his frustration into performances on the pitch.

May 6th, 2004/05 Croatian League Round 33, Dinamo Zagreb played Osijek away.

In the first half, Dinamo scored three goals.

Suker scored two, and Modrić contributed two assists and a goal.

Both were subbed off in the second half.

Besić was giving more playing time to the substitutes.

He was preparing them to step up once the starters left.

Suker and Modrić didn't object at all.

Sitting on the bench, Modrić resumed memorizing vocabulary.

"Is it really that hard?" Suker asked with a laugh.

Modrić replied, "I'm starting to regret joining Manchester United. I should've gone to an Italian club—at least Italian is easier to learn."

Suker raised his chin: "That's because I have talent."

"Bullshit!"

Modrić shot back and continued studying.

Suker shrugged.

He really did think he had a knack for languages—his tutor even said so.

He learned fast.

He could already handle basic conversations in Italian.

Of course, if someone spoke too fast or used complex sentences, he'd be lost.

But if they slowed down, he could more or less understand through context.

"Full time! Dinamo Zagreb wins 5–1 away. They're just one match away from clinching the league title!"

"In their next home game, Dinamo's boys could lift their second league trophy."

"Though they were eliminated from the Champions League, it hasn't affected their form. They continue to shine on the field."

"But for us fans, it's time to start cherishing these moments."

"Only three games remain until they say goodbye to Maksimir Stadium."