Chapter 269: Maguire Is a Real Man

"Best! Best!"

In the locker room, Suker was shirtless, shouting "best" while rubbing Kaka's chin, mimicking a goat's beard.

Goats are often referred to as "GOAT."

And "Greatest Of All Time" happens to shorten to GOAT.

So the term "goat" is often used to represent the greatest.

"Rub your own chin!" Kaka complained and jerked his head away, only for Pirlo to run over, pin Kaka down, and continue stroking his chin like petting a puppy.

Maldini's powerful declaration in front of the media had invigorated the AC Milan players.

With their current form, they fully deserved such confidence.

Maldini himself was the symbolic figure of AC Milan!

Hearing him say such things gave the team a tremendous boost in morale.

After the match ended, the players didn't leave but instead stayed in the locker room to watch the Champions League quarterfinal draw.

With the conclusion of tonight's Champions League matches, all second-leg round of 16 games had ended.

The final eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals were:

AC Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, Lyon, Manchester United, Villarreal, Juventus, and Inter Milan.

In the quarterfinals, Serie A claimed three spots, La Liga and the Premier League each had two, and Ligue 1 had one.

This showed that Serie A still had solid strength and prestige.

Soon, the draw began.

The locker room fell quiet.

Suk and the others looked up at the TV.

The first team drawn was—

AC Milan!

Milan was the first team drawn.

The players showed no emotion. For them, they were ready to face anyone. The current Milan squad was overflowing with confidence.

But the remaining seven teams didn't look so relaxed.

Drawing Milan in the quarterfinals…

For any team, that was a daunting challenge.

Finally, the draw result came in.

When the guest presenter held the second team's logo up to the camera, Suk raised an eyebrow.

Lyon, from Ligue 1!

Between 2000–2005, Lyon had already achieved five consecutive league titles.

They were true French football royalty!

Five-time champions, a shining constellation on the banks of the Rhône River.

The Lions of Gerland were also formidable in European competitions.

Even Real Madrid's infamous "Round of 16 curse" in the Champions League had Lyon to thank!

Their backline was manned by Cris, Squillaci, and Abidal, forming a solid French wall.

In midfield, Juninho Pernambucano was the linchpin connecting their attack and defense.

Though Ghanaian beast Essien had transferred to Chelsea in the summer, newcomer Vukojević had stepped up with impressive performances, quickly locking down the defensive midfield position and becoming the shield in front of Lyon's backline.

The forward line of Carew, Wiltord, and Malouda couldn't be underestimated either.

In recent years, Lyon had been fierce in the Champions League. AC Milan would need to be on high alert.

Ding-dong!

A phone rang.

Suker looked down.

A message from Vukojević.

[Tomi says he's going to destroy you!]

Suker grinned.

[Tell him: substitutes don't get to trash talk!]

Meanwhile, at Lyon's training base—

In the tactical room, the players erupted when the draw result came in.

"What kind of draw is this?"

"Why Milan?!"

"The worst possible one!"

"Damn it! We're so unlucky!"

As the room buzzed with complaints, Vukojević quietly pocketed his phone.

Next to him, a young bald-headed player with a youthful face groaned, "Milan… this is the worst draw!"

Vukojević turned to him. "So what? We can't play just because it's Milan? That's nonsense. They have 11 players, we have 11. No one has an extra leg. Why can't we take them on?"

The bald youth blinked and mumbled, "But it's Milan…"

"Already giving up before the match even starts? Shame on you!" Vukojević rolled his eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that! I'm just saying… they're really tough."

"Tough? Sure. But you can't fear your opponents. Karim, do you want to be sent to the B team again?"

Karim Benzema shook his head quickly, "No! I don't!"

"Then go out there and show what you've got!" Vukojević shrugged. "If you even get the chance to play, that is."

Champions League Quarterfinal Draw:

AC Milan vs Lyon

Juventus vs Arsenal

Manchester United vs Barcelona

Inter Milan vs Villarreal

No domestic matchups—this made the quarterfinals even more intense.

There were still 20 days until the first leg of the quarterfinals.

In the meantime, AC Milan shifted focus back to league and cup matches.

"Here! Pass it here!"

On the training field, Suker made a sudden sprint forward.

After receiving a cross from Kaka, Suker adjusted his position and leapt up with one bent leg.

With his explosive strength, Suker seemed to soar in the air, rising sharply to the peak.

Nesta stood behind Suker, his mouth slightly agape.

"What the hell?!"

In midair, Suker maintained his balance and powered a header toward goal.

Swish!!

The ball flew straight into the net.

Suker landed, turned to the goal, and raised his arm.

"Hell yeah!!!"

Nesta stared in awe. "You jumped so high!"

For most players, a vertical leap over 50cm is already considered impressive. But Nesta was sure Suker's leap was way beyond that.

"Suker's explosive power is insane. Did you think his vertical jump would be weak?" Shevchenko chuckled. "But he's clearly found his heading rhythm! The timing on that jump was perfect."

Inzaghi remained silent.

His eyes were glued to Suker, filled with envy!

Suker, thrilled with his goal, celebrated. Heading goals really were exhilarating!

After the second leg of the Round of 16, Suker dove straight back into his "card grinding."

This time, the rewards were big!

He got five cards, including two incredibly valuable ones:

[Platinum Card (Special)] Maguire's Positional Awareness – A meme doesn't mean he's a joke. Maguire is a real man. As a defender, his positioning and anticipation are top-notch!

At first glance, this looked like a defender's card, but used correctly, it was a lethal weapon.

Suk had always lacked heading ability.

To be fair, with his explosive power and inherited Lautaro's heading ability, he should've been decent.

But his timing was off—always a beat too late.

What he lacked was positional anticipation!

Judging where the ball would land and knowing when to jump—those were critical.

With this card, that weakness was filled, allowing his explosive power to fully shine.

Combining this with Lautaro's heading ability made Suk's aerial threat even more terrifying.

The second was an attribute card!

He got one from a Champions League match!!!

Suker almost jumped in excitement.

The chances were low, but the possibility alone was worth it!

He applied the card directly to his agility stat, pushing it to 90 points.

After all that, Suk felt amazing.

With his new heading ability, he now had another way to score.

In the upcoming league match, Inter Milan would be the first to feel his wrath.

Time to "beat up my old teammates—two birds with one stone!"

After a day of training, AC Milan started preparing for the new Milan Derby.

Since their loss before Christmas, Inter had been desperate to get revenge.

Of course, they probably still wouldn't win—but that didn't stop them from dreaming.

"Come with me tonight, okay? Selina said she'll only bring Yveena if you come."

Outside the locker room, Inzaghi was trying to persuade Suker.

Suker: "I'm not interested in being your wingman. I might even have to sacrifice myself."

"Sleeping with women isn't a sacrifice!" Inzaghi argued.

Suker shook his head. "I really can't go."

"Why not? If there's a problem, I'll fix it!"

"The problem is me."

A cold voice came from behind.

Inzaghi turned and saw Gisele Bündchen, wearing loose white trousers and a beige crop top, arms folded, sunglasses on, her figure striking.

"You're trying to take my boyfriend to pick up other girls?"

Faced with Gisele's sharp glare, Inzaghi awkwardly muttered an excuse and quickly left.

A red Ferrari sped down the road.

Gisele was driving in silence.

Suker turned his head. "I didn't plan to go."

Gisele nodded. "I didn't say anything."

"You're mad?"

"No! I'm happy that my boyfriend is so popular. Why would I be mad?" Gisele said coldly. "Selina, that bitch—she's not even worth getting mad over."

Suker nodded, remaining silent.

A moment later, Gisele suddenly yelled—

"Get out! Right now! Don't dirty my car!"

The Ferrari sped off.

Suker stood on the side of the road, smiling.

Don't be fooled by Gisele's strong-woman attitude—she got jealous too.

When Suker got home, Gisele was wearing yoga clothes, working out in the exercise area.

Without saying anything, Suker went straight to the kitchen.

Soon, the whole house was filled with a delicious aroma.

Gisele sniffed the air. Her stomach grumbled.

Half an hour later, Gisele walked up to Suker.

"What's for dinner?"

Suker pointed to the table.

"Your favorite—secret recipe seared steak!"