After finishing the national team's friendly match, Suker was bombarded by a barrage of phone calls from Carlo Ancelotti.Ancelotti urgently requested that Suker immediately fly to Germany to join AC Milan for their second friendly match.
In the previous warm-up match, AC Milan had been slaughtered by Bayern Munich in Germany.That's right—after 90 minutes, Bayern beat AC Milan 7–2.Currently, AC Milan was still reeling from the World Cup, with players unable to rest properly, resulting in extremely poor physical condition.To make matters worse, a string of injuries plagued the team: Gattuso, Kaká, Nesta, Inzaghi... The squad couldn't perform anywhere near their full potential.
What's more, Bayern Munich held a grudge from being thrashed by Milan in the Champions League. So even though it was just a friendly, they didn't hold back at all—going full throttle with a "score as many as possible" attitude that completely tore Milan's defense apart.
When Suker finally arrived in Germany, AC Milan's players were visibly deflated.
"What genius scheduled Bayern as our friendly opponent? You wanted to get thrashed?"Suker grumbled.Didn't they know Bayern had a bone to pick with Milan and were just waiting for a chance to humiliate them?Facing Bayern at this stage was practically suicide!
He rushed in overnight to save the day. Once he joined the squad, he finally understood the situation.All the younger players were injured—Kaká, Gilardino, Seedorf, Gattuso, and so on.What remained were aging veterans who could barely last 90 minutes.
Despite some summer window transfers, they were all minor additions—no game-changing signings.This was precisely why Ancelotti had urgently called for Suke.
"So… who's playing striker?"Suker asked curiously."Borriello," Pirlo replied with a glum face.Suker was speechless.
They even had to call up Borriello, a perpetual fringe player at Milan—proof Ancelotti had literally no one left to use.
Back in the hotel, as Suker unpacked, he asked:
"So we didn't make any big signings this season?""Who would want to join a Serie A team right now?" Pirlo shook his head. "We tried to finalize the deal for Argentine striker Crespo, but it fell through. Ibrahimović's transfer also collapsed. Now the transfer window is closing, and who knows who we're even targeting."He sighed. "Losing Andriy [Shevchenko] really hit our frontline hard."
"So what?" Suker pointed to himself. "Don't we still have the Croatian 'nuke' right here?""You?" Pirlo shook his head."I admit you're explosive on the wings, but as a central striker, your finishing and other skills just aren't good enough. Better be a backup and stick to your usual wing role—that's where you shine."
"Look who's talking!" Suker smirked slyly. "Wanna bet I can match Andriy's performance from center forward?"Pirlo chuckled, "If you can match him, I'll eat this table."Pirlo paused mid-sentence.Suker's squinting eyes and foxy grin made Pirlo wary—if Suker had a tail, he'd look exactly like a scheming fox.
Pirlo knew Suker well. He quickly backtracked:
"Your goals have nothing to do with me!"
The Next Day – AC Milan vs. Bochum Friendly Match
Milan was still plagued with injuries, but they scraped together a starting lineup:
Goalkeeper: Kalac
Defenders: Simic, Kaladze, Stam, Maldini
Midfielders: Ambrosini, Serginho, Pirlo, Brocchi
Forwards: Borriello, Suker
Ancelotti stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, face weary.The once-chubby, round face now appeared gaunt and sharp.
Looking at the lineup:Old or inexperienced—this was all he had.The only dependable players now were Suker and Pirlo.
"Damn it, I've never fought a battle this miserable," Ancelotti muttered.He thought back to last season, when even Milan's bench could beat most Serie A teams.
But now?Injuries everywhere.A broken front line.A World Cup and the Calciopoli scandal were threatening to destroy AC Milan.
"Any news from Real Betis?" Ancelotti asked.After several failed transfers, he had set his sights on Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira, hoping he could fill the void left by Shevchenko.
The assistant coach hesitated and sighed:
"Betis suddenly raised the price. They're demanding 3 million more to sell Oliveira!"Ancelotti spun around, voice raised."What?!"
Even the normally gentle Ancelotti was furious.Real Betis had backtracked and raised the price at the last minute—they knew Milan was desperate.
"Let's deal with it after the game," Ancelotti said irritably.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, players were ready.Suker shouted to Pirlo:
"Pass it to me, Andrea!"
He even stopped calling him "Sleepy Pirlo"—he had to humble himself now.
"I got it!" Pirlo waved him off, annoyed.
Suker was frustrated.It was like falling from being a client to a beggar.
He turned to Borriello:
"Create some space for me!"Borriello nodded immediately—he couldn't afford to offend Suker.
Now donning AC Milan's number 10 jersey, Suker was without a doubt one of the team's core players this season, possibly even more central than Kaká.His voice carried real weight in the dressing room.Even captain Maldini was a staunch supporter.Had Suker insisted on taking Inzaghi's number 9, Maldini might have fought for it.
After all, when Suker had said, "I'll play Serie B with you," the whole team owed him a debt they could never repay.
Bochum, for their part, were on high alert.Even though Milan had just been humiliated, Suker's return posed a serious threat.
With the whistle, the match began.
"Stay calm! Stay calm!" Maldini shouted.
In the previous match, they'd been ripped apart by Bayern right after kickoff.
But Bochum lacked such attacking prowess.
Suker hovered on the defensive line, watching Pirlo pass to Ambrosini.
Despite being a defensive midfielder, Ambrosini had accurate long passes.
Suker motioned to his head, signaling for a cross.Ambrosini looked at him… and passed the ball backward.
"Dammit! Pass the damn ball!" Suker cursed loudly.What, you don't trust the Croatian nuke?
Bochum's defenders hesitated.They were ready to follow Suker, but Milan never sent a cross.
After several passes and switches, still no ball for Suker.He was fuming.
Such a big nuclear warhead and you're not using it?!
Then Maldini shouted:
"Suker!"
Instantly energized, Suker praised:
Captain, you're the best!
He sprinted forward, yelling to Borriello:
"Pull wide!"Borriello obeyed, dragging a center-back with him.
Now Suker only had one defender to beat.
Maldini launched a high cross.Suker tracked the ball, jumped with explosive power, and spread his arms to block interference.He twisted mid-air and fired a powerful header.
Swoosh!!
The ball bounced off the ground and slipped right through the keeper's fingers!
The stadium fell silent.
Pirlo's eyes widened.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
Ambrosini blinked—was Suker always this dangerous in front of goal?
Maldini froze.He had only meant to humor Suker—but it resulted in a goal.And it looked exactly like Shevchenko!
Even Ancelotti was stunned.For a moment, it felt like Shevchenko never left.
"Tell me—doesn't his style look like Andriy's?" Ancelotti asked.The assistant nodded. "He's definitely mimicking Shevchenko's playstyle."
On the pitch, Suker began wreaking havoc.
He started deep and often dropped back to orchestrate play.This opened chances for Ambrosini and Brocchi to attack from the wings.
Milan's entire formation pushed higher.After dropping to help organize, Suker would instantly sprint into attack—making it near impossible for Bochum's defense to contain him.
"Andriy never played like this," the assistant muttered.Ancelotti replied:"Exactly… this is what happens when Suker fuses Shevchenko's style with his own. This is Suker's role on the front line."