CHAPTER TWELVE — The Space Between

September 28, 2003 — San Siro, Matchday 4

The September sun dipped low over San Siro, casting long shadows across the pitch as AC Milan prepared to host Ancona. It was a match many had already marked down as a foregone conclusion — Ancona were bottom of the table, without a single point — but Luca Bellini had learned enough already to treat every minute like gold.

For him, this match wasn't just another home game. It was the quiet stretch of the season that often separated the promising from the proven.

In the locker room, the atmosphere was almost relaxed. Inzaghi hummed a song no one recognized, Pirlo flipped through the sports section of Corriere dello Sport, and Gattuso finished taping his wrists with the precision of a surgeon.

"You think Ancona will sit back?" Luca asked, sitting down beside Gattuso.

"They'll sit back until we score," Gattuso muttered. "Then they'll panic."

Pirlo looked up from his paper. "Two lines of four, maybe even five at the back. Long balls to Delli Carri or Ganz if they're desperate."

Luca nodded, absorbing every word. He'd started to find his rhythm with them — not just on the pitch, but here, in these little moments. Gattuso, rough as sandpaper, had begun inviting him to post-match dinners with a few players. Pirlo had lent him a book on defensive geometry and spatial compression. Kaká remained his closest connection, but now Luca was starting to grow roots among the old guard.

He didn't say much back — he preferred listening — but when he did speak, the veterans listened too.

That afternoon, Ancelotti fielded a strong squad, intent on keeping the momentum. Dida in goal. Cafu and Pancaro as fullbacks. Nesta and Maldini in central defense. The midfield trio of Pirlo, Gattuso, and Seedorf, with Kaká just ahead. Up front, Shevchenko and Inzaghi.

Ancona, as predicted, set up conservatively. A 5-3-2 that morphed into a 5-4-1 when Milan advanced. Their back line huddled tightly in front of goalkeeper Scarpi, with Budan and Delli Carri ready to chase down long balls.

Luca started on the bench, legs bouncing with restless energy.

From the first whistle, Milan controlled everything — tempo, space, possession. In the 16th minute, Pirlo lofted a pass into Shevchenko's path, who brought it down and finished low into the corner. 1–0.

Luca clapped from the bench but barely looked up from his mental notes. Ancona's back line had drifted out of sync. If he played later, there would be gaps to exploit, especially with overlapping fullbacks.

At halftime, Ancelotti gave the expected message: stay focused, don't drop intensity. Then, with a glance toward the bench, he added, "Bellini — be ready. Maldini may rest after 60."

Luca felt the familiar surge in his chest — nerves, excitement, a current of clarity that always came before stepping on.

The second half opened with Milan dominating even more. Inzaghi missed a sitter, then made up for it ten minutes later with a poacher's finish from a Cafu cross.

Ancelotti stood and gestured toward Luca.

"You're in for Maldini. Left center-back."

Luca jogged to the touchline, nodding to his captain as they crossed paths. Maldini gave him a firm squeeze on the shoulder.

"Keep them silent," he said.

Luca entered the pitch with thirty minutes to play.

He didn't need to make a statement. Just to continue the flow.

He slotted in next to Nesta, exchanged a glance, then tightened his shoulders and stepped into position.

The first ten minutes passed quietly. Ancona barely made it past midfield. But in the 78th minute, a turnover in midfield allowed Delli Carri to charge down the right side.

Luca read the angle, drifted across, and cut off the channel. No risky tackle — just presence. He shadowed the forward out wide, forcing him to the sideline, then calmly won a goal kick as the ball drifted out.

Nesta jogged past him. "Good shape," he said.

Luca didn't smile. But his pulse eased.

In the final minute of stoppage time, Milan added a third — a long-range strike from Seedorf that pinged in off the post. A flourish to seal the evening.

Final score: AC Milan 3 – Ancona 0

Back in the dressing room, the mood was celebratory. Inzaghi joked about his missed sitter, Seedorf re-enacted his goal like a street performer, and Gattuso challenged anyone who could eat more pasta than him at dinner.

Luca sat beside Kaká, unwrapping his tape slowly.

"You did well," Kaká said. "Clean. No hero moves. That's harder than it looks."

"Thanks," Luca said.

"Gattuso's inviting everyone to that old trattoria again. You coming?"

"I think I will."

Kaká blinked, pleasantly surprised. "Finally!"

Later, as the team spilled into the narrow side streets of Milan, Luca found himself walking beside Pirlo.

"You don't talk much," Pirlo said, lighting a cigarette.

"Maybe I'm just listening."

"Good. You'll learn quicker that way. But don't let us forget you're here. You've got weight now."

Luca nodded slowly.

He felt it too.

That night, at home, he didn't write much. Just a single page.

September 28 — Milan 3, Ancona 0

Minutes: 30

Zone coverage: clean

Positioning: sound

Nesta: positive feedback

Pirlo: real conversation

Kaká: always there

They're starting to look at me different.

I have to look at myself the same.

Tomorrow, the newspaper would come. Another paragraph, maybe a small rating. But tonight, Luca let the silence settle. Not in a lonely way — in a full one.

Because the space between each match was where he was really growing.