Chapter 208: Starting at Home

It was Suker's first time being tailed by paparazzi. Although he had been quite well-known during his time at Zagreb, living in the club dorms and rarely going out meant he hadn't been harassed by the media or paparazzi.

How to put it?

Suker actually quite enjoyed this feeling.

After the first round of Serie A ended, Suker's performance became a hot topic.

As the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot winner joining AC Milan, he already attracted a great deal of attention. Naturally, his debut was highly anticipated.

And Suker's performance exceeded expectations!

With one assist and one goal, he helped AC Milan take control of the game and secure their first win of the season.

Throughout the match, Suker's impact was crucial.

After he came on, AC Milan's overall dynamics changed noticeably.

At the post-match press conference, Ancelotti spoke highly of Suker's performance. He revealed that Suker was originally scheduled to debut at the second round home match, but due to immense pressure, they had no choice but to let him debut early in an away game.

Suker didn't let them down and delivered a brilliant performance.

This topic alone won Suker tremendous favor among AC Milan fans.

As a debutant, he could have chosen not to play under such uncertain conditions.

But Suker didn't refuse. Instead, he embraced the pressure and gave a stunning debut performance.

This made the AC Milan fans particularly fond of the talented young man.

Especially notable was a statement from the die-hard South Stand supporters, who said: "We'll make it up to him with a fantastic home debut—that's what we all want!"

Clearly, Suker's exceptional away debut had won over even the most demanding die-hards of the South Stand—AC Milan's "Rossoneri" faithful.

September 10th: The Second Round of the 2005/2006 Serie A Season

AC Milan was set to face Siena at home!

Siena had finished 14th in Serie A the previous season—not exactly a strong team.

But even though Serie A no longer held the former glory of its "Little World Cup" era, the league's overall competitiveness was still very high.

Among the top five European leagues, Serie A remained near the top in both quality and intensity.

Back in the '90s, Serie A was called the "Little World Cup," attracting top-tier players from all over the globe.

At that time, the newly established Premier League was more like a retirement home for players, and La Liga hadn't yet risen to prominence.

After 2000, Serie A began to decline, while the Premier League and La Liga gained momentum.

Yet Serie A remained one of the most influential leagues in the world.

Starting Lineups for the Match:

AC Milan (4-3-2-1):Goalkeeper: DidaDefenders: Costacurta, Nesta, Stam, MaldiniMidfielders: Gattuso, Pirlo, SeedorfForwards: Kaká, Inzaghi, Suker

Siena (5-3-2):Goalkeeper: MiranteDefenders: Colonnese, Larrouturrey, Portanova, Negro, TudorMidfielders: Alberto, Thomas Locatelli, VergassolaForwards: Bogdani, Enrico Chiesa

"We're into the second round of Serie A! In the first match, AC Milan defeated newly promoted Ascoli 3–1, thanks to an outstanding second-half performance by Suker!"

"That match exposed some issues for Milan, which they quickly corrected, but the biggest surprise was the new signing, Suker. At just 19 years old, he joined AC Milan and delivered one assist and one goal in his debut, saving the team!"

"This Croatian youngster has carried over his excellent form from the Champions League. And today, he makes his first start!"

"Ancelotti is once again using his classic Christmas tree formation."

"Kaká and Suker play behind the striker, forming the creative and attacking core of the team!"

"Inzaghi starts as the striker, primarily because of Serie A's three-foreign-player limit. Kaká, Suker, and Dida occupy the three slots, so Cafu and Shevchenko are benched."

On the sidelines, Ancelotti rubbed his forehead and asked, "Dida, Cafu, and Kaká still haven't received their Italian citizenship?"

Serie A's foreign-player restriction was limiting Ancelotti's tactical options.

Especially with Suke, Kaká, and Shevchenko all classified as foreign players.

"The court only passed judgment on Dida's 'fake passport case' two months ago."

Ancelotti grimaced.

To bypass the foreign-player cap, many non-EU players tried to exploit loopholes with the help of their agents—creating fake passports.

Dida, for instance, had forged a Portuguese passport to free up a non-EU slot.

But the scheme was soon uncovered and caused a major scandal.

After an investigation, over 50 players were found to have falsified documents, including big names like Cafu, Dida, and Verón.

While the courts gave them relatively lenient punishments, sparing them the full seven-month ban, they had lost the immigration authority's trust.

Even the normally well-behaved Kaká encountered significant problems applying for a green card, which remained pending.

"Let's see if Suke can apply at the end of the season," Ancelotti muttered, turning his attention back to the field.

The players were already entering the pitch.

San Siro was absolutely buzzing.

AC Milan fans were roaring in full force.

In the South Stand, the die-hard "Rossoneri" supporters were especially loud, chanting Suker's name again and again:

"Suker!!! — Suker!!! — Suker!!!"

They had promised to give him the home debut he deserved.

And this was it.

For a player stepping into San Siro for the first time, receiving such overwhelming cheers was incredibly rare.

Suker beamed and waved to the crowd.

It seemed his away debut had truly paid off.

These fans remembered what he did for them!

"First time on the pitch and the fans are already chanting your name. You lucky brat," Inzaghi chuckled as he ruffled Suker's hair.

Suker replied, "I earned it with my performance!"

WHAM!

"Give it your all, you punk!"

Who else could it be? Of course it was Gattuso.

Suker retaliated with a kick to Gattuso's rear end.

Gattuso brushed it off like it was nothing.

The captains met for the coin toss.

Suker tucked his jersey into his shorts—back then, jerseys were still baggy and loose, far from the modern slim-fit design.

The fabric wasn't great either—sweat made it stick to the skin, which was very uncomfortable.

But that was the limit of the technology back then, and Suke couldn't expect much more.

The new season's AC Milan kit—red-and-black vertical stripes with a turned-down collar, paired with black shorts—was one of the most iconic in fan memory.

Suker wore a black compression shirt underneath—not to show off, but because it helped prevent the jersey from clinging to sweaty skin.

He wasn't alone—Kaká, Inzaghi, and many others did the same.

Soon, the coin toss was over.

AC Milan had possession first.

Suker walked to the center circle alongside Inzaghi to prepare for the kickoff.

"Good luck, kid!" Inzaghi grinned, foot on the ball.

"Good luck, old man!" Suker shot back with a smirk.

Inzaghi chuckled. Suker always had a sharp tongue.

He'd have scolded anyone else—but this was Suker. He'd earned the right to talk like that.

BEEP!!

The whistle blew.

Inzaghi tapped the ball to Suker, then sprinted forward.

Suker immediately returned the ball and stepped into the opponent's half.

"And we're off! AC Milan kicks off the first half. Siena is playing ultra-defensive—only two forwards pushing up, the rest holding deep!"

"Siena has made it clear—they're not here to win, but to play for a draw!"

That was a common strategy against AC Milan.

Suker roamed laterally across the field, occasionally touching the ball and passing.

But most of his passes were backpasses as he studied Siena's defensive shape.

When he received the ball, the five-man backline didn't move up at all.

Suker immediately understood—they were dead set on parking the bus.

"Let's probe a bit more!"

Suker made a run into space, calling for the ball. Seedorf lobbed it over.

Suker didn't wait—he took two quick steps, leapt up to chest the ball, and on landing, used his right foot to flick and pull it away from a pressing defender.

But he didn't pass forward—only Inzaghi and Kaká were ahead.

There just weren't enough attacking options.

Suker passed back again and shouted:

"Push the midfield up—they're not coming out!"

Pirlo heard him and immediately pushed forward.

If Siena wasn't going to press, Milan would press forward instead.

Suker glanced ahead, turned sideways toward the left flank, and shouted to Maldini:

"Captain! Overlap more—I'll drag defenders away for you!"

Hearing that, Maldini lit up.

A fullback who didn't love overlapping wasn't a true fullback.

Though usually calm and reserved, Maldini had an attacking heart too.