Chapter 259: Transformation

Thanks to Shevchenko's outstanding performance, AC Milan secured victory in this Round 26 league match.

But what made AC Milan fans even happier was that Juventus was held to a draw at Messina's home ground.

What was originally a four-point gap has now narrowed to two.

This naturally made AC Milan fans even more hopeful about the league title.

However, following this match, AC Milan couldn't afford to relax.

Their focus shifted toward the Champions League.

The knockout stages were about to begin.

In the first leg of the 2005/2006 UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Bayern Munich hosted AC Milan at home.

The Bundesliga giants and the Rossoneri were set to face off at the Allianz Arena.

But bad news came from Bayern Munich ahead of the match.

Bayern's captain Oliver Kahn would miss the game due to a finger injury.

German warrior Michael Ballack would wear the captain's armband and lead the team against the Rossoneri.

AC Milan also had issues.

Paolo Maldini's ankle injury had flared up again, so Shevchenko would captain the team in the Champions League fixture.

Both teams had some unexpected problems.

The absence of both captains would undoubtedly affect the teams' performances in the match.

But it also signaled that the eras of Kahn and Maldini were coming to a close.

Now, players like Shevchenko and Ballack, part of the younger generation, were stepping up to lead their teams.

In Kaká's villa courtyard, his wife hosted a gathering for the entire AC Milan squad.

It was Caroline's first appearance in Kaká's professional circle, and also her first time showing support in her role as his wife.

The gathering was relaxing, with small groups chatting together.

Some players even brought their families—Suker showed up with Gisele Bündchen.

"Can you even grill properly?" Suker asked, watching Gattuso struggle to flip steaks.

Gattuso was sweating profusely—grilling was clearly not this brute's thing.

"Just wait and eat!" Gattuso retorted casually.

Nearby, Kaká held a plate and fork, looking anxious. "How about letting Suker handle the grill?"

"You don't trust my skills?" Gattuso raised a fist in mock threat. "Give me ten more minutes!"

Suker rolled his eyes, grabbed a bottle of juice, and walked toward Gisele.

At that moment, she and Caroline were deep in conversation, clearly hitting it off.

"What are you two chatting about?" Suker asked.

Gisele smiled. "Caroline said Kaká talks about you so much, it's like he married you instead of her."

Suker glanced at Caroline, a stunning woman.

"Tell her this for me—her husband, aside from being handsome, good at football, and rich, is completely useless!" Suker joked.

After Gisele translated, Caroline burst into laughter and raised her glass toward Suker.

They clinked glasses and sipped.

"It looks busy over there—aren't you going to check it out?" Gisele pointed to the grilling area where Gattuso and Kaká were still sweating.

Suker shook his head. "No way we're eating anything decent. I'll go once they tire themselves out."

Half an hour later, the meat was charred beyond saving.

Maldini personally pulled Kaká and Gattuso from the grill and took over.

Finally, they had edible steak.

The gathering lasted until about 8 PM before winding down.

Suker downed a large gulp of wine, refilled his and Gisele's glasses.

Looking at the full glass, Gisele laughed, "How are we supposed to drink all this?"

Suker replied, "Where I'm from, we drink it in five gulps—bottoms up!"

Gisele rolled her eyes.

Still, she followed Suker's lead, sipping in larger gulps as her eyes began to glaze.

Suker sneakily pulled out his phone under the table and texted Zorancic.

"Don't come back tonight."

Gisele propped her chin on her hand, staring at Suker through her wine glass.

"I've been thinking about us. Are we really compatible?" she asked.

"And the conclusion?" Suker asked back.

Gisele smiled. "If I asked you to give up football and come home, what would you choose?"

Suker took another gulp. "Are you crazy?"

Hahahahaha!!Gisele burst into laughter. "Exactly! That's the problem. I want a career and a family—so the answer is obvious."

Suker didn't respond.

Gisele took another big sip, exhaled slowly, and flipped her hair.

"I'm getting curious about your bedroom..."

Suker: "The bed's huge! Super soft!"

"Want to try?" Gisele gave him a seductive look and beckoned.

Suker downed the rest of his wine, stood up, and carried her upstairs.

From boy to man—his transformation had begun.

Accompanied by low male grunts and soft, sultry moans, the bed creaked rhythmically.

Their primal instincts were fully unleashed.

The next morning, Suker woke up feeling incredibly refreshed.

Beside him, the beauty was still deep asleep—she probably wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Suker went downstairs. The air reeked of alcohol.

He opened the windows to air it out and began cleaning up the messy dining table.

Holding an empty wine bottle, Suker smiled."This stuff really works."

After breakfast, Gisele still showed no signs of waking.

Suker didn't rush her—she might not be able to get out of bed today anyway.

He started packing his bags.

Today, the team was flying to Germany for their crucial Champions League Round of 16 clash—no room for sloppiness.

Once packed, he stepped out and found Kaká waiting in his car.

"Morning!""Morning!"

Suker had a bright smile on his face.

Kaká gave him a quick look and blinked—something about him seemed slightly different, though he couldn't quite say what.

He didn't press.

By the time they reached the training ground, most players were ready.

The team bus waited outside the locker room.

"All match equipment is loaded. Everyone double-check your personal items—don't forget anything!" Coach Ancelotti reminded them.

After rounds of preparation, the team finally boarded the bus.

They headed to a Milan suburb airport and took a direct flight to Munich, Bavaria.

February 20th, 1 PMAC Milan landed in Munich.

Waiting journalists swarmed them like a tide.

Ancelotti refused interviews, and the players followed suit.

Under the blinding flashes, they boarded the team bus and headed to their hotel.

In the hotel lobby:

"I'm not rooming with Pirlo!" Gattuso shouted, raising his hand.

Suker quickly followed, "I'll take a room with Tusso!"

"I'm not rooming with you either!" Gattuso snapped. "I'm rooming with Kaká!"

Suker blinked. "Then who do I room with?"

Gattuso won the protest. He got to room with Kaká. Suker was paired with Pirlo.

In their room:

Suker and Pirlo stared at each other—two pranksters sharing a room. Who would prank who?

"How about... we sneak into Kaká's room?" Pirlo suggested.

"Let's go!" Suker jumped up.

Ten minutes later, in the hallway...

CRASH! THUD! BAM BAM BAM!

Gattuso was furiously chasing Suker and Pirlo.

"What's going on?" Gilardino jumped up in bed hearing the chaos.

Shevchenko, calm as ever: "They're just fooling around. Don't worry about it."

BANG! SMASH! CRACK!

"That's 'fooling around'??" Gilardino asked, dumbfounded.

Shevchenko nodded. "That's fooling around."

Suker and Pirlo limped back into their room—bruised but satisfied.

"That felt great!" Pirlo sighed, sprawled on the bed.

Suker flopped onto his own bed, pulled out his newly bought laptop, and started browsing.

He opened a site called 'Goal', full of stats and European match data.

"We're playing the same time as Manchester United vs. Liverpool!" Suker said.

This season, Manchester United barely scraped through the group stage.

If not for Modrić's through pass to Rooney in the Benfica match, they would've dropped to the Europa League.

But they weren't exactly lucky—they'd drawn Liverpool!

Riding the wave of their Istanbul miracle, Liverpool had been fierce in both the league and Champions League.

"I hope Liverpool wins," Pirlo suddenly said.

Suker glanced at him—every AC Milan player still couldn't let go of that Istanbul night.

They were all aching for revenge.

But first, they had to beat their current opponent—

The Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich!