Chapter 384: The Thigh Has Arrived

After a thrilling and satisfying match, AC Milan secured a win in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Of course, for Real Madrid fans, this was a terrible outcome.

Ever since Capello took over this season, things have felt like they've only gotten worse.

In the past, even if the team didn't win many titles, at least their football was attractive!

Real Madrid knew how to entertain their fans and how to play beautifully.

But now, not only is the football unattractive, they're also not winning, which is extremely frustrating.

At the very least, shouldn't you excel at one of those?

Yet clearly, right now, neither Capello nor Real Madrid can manage even that.

At the same time, Suker's performance in this match was enough to alert everyone.

In the first half of the season, Suker was already performing brilliantly.

But heading into the second half, his form hasn't dropped in the slightest—if anything, it's only gotten better.

In this match, Suker scored twice, bringing his Champions League tally to 8 goals.

In an era where 8–9 goals usually wins the Golden Boot, Suker's sudden rise has intensified the competition among strikers.

This season, the Champions League Golden Boot is almost certain to break into double digits.

Suker's performance and credibility have skyrocketed.

After the match, a large number of journalists crowded around him—even in a star-studded lineup, Suker still shone the brightest with his stellar performance.

The media rushed to interview him.

His teammates praised him enthusiastically.

Even opponents like Carlos acknowledged Suker's brilliance.

At the post-match press conference, Ancelotti spared no effort in singing his praises.

Suker was without question the best player of the match.

That night, Italy's Turin Daily published a feature centered on Suker.

They detailed his stats and performances this season, calling him the "Best Mid-Season Player" and predicting his "continued rise."

Italian outlets like Gazzetta dello Sport and Evening Apennines all jumped on the bandwagon to endorse him.

In just half a season, Suker had become the most talked-about star in Serie A—and now, its last remaining poster boy.

"So many reports about me…"

At his villa, Suker watched news coverage about himself. Not just newspapers—now even TV stations were promoting him.

"Croatian star,"

"Milan's ace striker,"

"Serie A prodigy"—these headlines were everywhere. Some were so exaggerated they made even Suker feel embarrassed.

"I contacted a lot of media to promote you. Even Berlusconi is going all-out to market and package you," Zorancic said with a grin. "The Italian Football Federation wants to promote you too."

Suker looked at him, surprised.

Zorancic shrugged. "It's an undeniable fact that Serie A is in decline. The federation wants to reverse this, but they can't fix the issues of player exodus, weak transfer appeal, or league instability. They need a new angle."

"You're that angle. They want to make you a brand, a symbol, and use you to attract young players to the league."

Serie A is in crisis mode.

Back in the day, Serie A was the pinnacle of world football. Players would do anything to play in Italy—even join non-elite teams—just to feature in Serie A.

It was so dominant, they didn't need any marketing at all.

But times have changed. The league has declined, and the Calciopoli (match-fixing scandal) only accelerated that downfall.

With star players leaving, Serie A has started promoting a new message.

They want to rebrand as a youth-focused league—attracting young talent to rebuild competitiveness. Though it won't happen overnight, they are actively trying to plug the leaks.

The most direct strategy is to amplify Suker's success to attract young players.

One message: Young players, come to Serie A and you'll get your chance!

Because of that, Suker must not fail—Serie A cannot allow him to fail.

With Suker doing so well, they're doing everything to keep his momentum going. They've even adjusted the fixture schedule to give AC Milan an indirect advantage—avoiding a string of tough matches in both the league and Europe.

It's all about keeping Suker in top form.

He's now the most valuable player in Milan—and maybe all of Serie A.

Of course, Serie A officials would never admit this publicly. When questioned about the schedule change, all they said was "due to certain factors."

They never clarified those "factors" or gave any further explanation.

Even Roma accepted it.

After all, they're also playing in the Champions League—against Lyon, no less. And although they drew at home, they're not in great form.

You could say this fixture change was a win-win.

It prevented domestic burnout and boosted Italy's performance in Europe.

February 28 – Serie A Matchday 26

AC Milan faced Torino away.

Now that Juventus were relegated to Serie B, Torino became the only Serie A team in town.

Facing the mighty Milan, Torino were well prepared.

AC Milan rotated heavily for this game.

Gilardino and Ronaldo started up front.

Only Kaka remained unchanged in midfield.

Maldini rested, and Nesta led the defense.

But facing Torino's parked bus defense was giving Milan a massive headache.

Ever since Mourinho developed his "bus-parking" tactics in the Premier League, it's actually hurt Serie A the most.

Serie A, once proud of its "catenaccio" (chain defense), gradually evolved into full-on bus-parking.

With Mourinho's success, they copied him without shame. Anytime they faced a strong team—they parked the bus.

AC Milan had lost count of how many teams had done this to them.

"I really should tell them: chain defense and bus parking are not the same thing."

On the bench, Suker leaned on his hand, looking at Torino's dense formation.

Damn, this is frustrating!

Every team looks like this!

Compared to these defensive cowards, Reggina seemed downright lovable.

But attacking-style teams like that were becoming rare.

Mourinho's fault!

At the 70th minute, Maldini elbowed Suker.

"Time to warm up!"

Suker grinned.

Here we go again—time to get kicked.

At times like this, his dribbling and quick footwork were the only real weapon—either drawing fouls or winning penalties.

Ronaldo couldn't do it anymore, and Gilardino wasn't that type of player.

Kaka could try, but against tight defenses, Suker's short-space agility was far more effective.

"Suker!"

Right on cue, Ancelotti called out.

At minute 75, Suke started warming up along the sidelines.

Suddenly, the crowd noise spiked.

Torino fans began whistling and booing loudly.

They were trying to rattle the Milan players—and especially Suker.

"The boos are deafening. The cameras show Suker warming up!"

"Clearly, the Torino fans feel enormous pressure from Suker's presence—they're trying to boo him back to the bench."

—Aldo Serena, joking on commentary.

But Suker was already at the touchline, wearing his number 10 jersey.

Minute 77, AC Milan used their second substitution.

Gilardino came off. Suker came on.

Clap!

Suker high-fived Gilardino.

He saw the frustration in Gilardino's face.

This season hadn't been kind to him.

Injured for most of it, and when he returned, his form never bounced back.

At first, he wanted to compete with Suker.

Now? That idea is long gone.

Suker's performances are just too insane.

On the pitch, even Ronaldo—panting heavily—smiled when he saw Suker come on.

So did the rest of the Milan players.

"The thigh has arrived!"

In that moment, Suker carried the hopes of every teammate and Milan fan.

"Come on! Pass me the ball! If you give it, there'll be results!"

Suker pumped his fist.

His confident attitude inspired every AC Milan player, lifting the previously gloomy mood.