"Come on, Suker!"
"Do your best in the next Champions League match!"
"We'll all be cheering for you!"
"You're the unstoppable Suker! Lead us to defend the Champions League title!"
In Milan Park at sunset, fans were shouting loudly to encourage Suker.
Suker held the dog leash; Luna was striding ahead proudly. The cheers seemed to excite the dog even more, who barked occasionally.
"Don't bark!"
Suker gently kicked the dog, but Giselle Bonchien wasn't happy.
"She's just a kid!"
With that, she took the leash from him.
The two strolled through the park while fans kept calling out to Suker.
Since Milan reached the Champions League final and confirmed Liverpool as the opponent, the Milan fans had become very enthusiastic.
Not only in the park — some fans even found Suker's house through unknown channels and sent him gifts.
Suker didn't touch those things, and dared not eat any food — who knew what was inside?
To him, when the world is dirty, it's truly dirty.
Still, he kept those gifts carefully — after all, it was a kind gesture.
"Nervous?" Giselle asked.
"Nervous about what?" Suker shrugged. "It's not the first time."
"Lately, all the European coverage is about your match."
This Champions League final was extremely hyped.
Not only because it related to the Istanbul night two years ago, a chance for Milan's revenge.
It was also the key moment since the Champions League's restructuring, whether Milan could defend their title.
If Milan won this match, both team and player honors would soar.
For Suker, competing for the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player awards would become a natural outcome.
So this was a match they had to win at all costs.
Besides, Suker thought the current Liverpool wasn't that threatening.
Their threat level couldn't compare to Manchester United, whom they had just played.
Manchester United was damn strong!
Even now, Suker recalled that game — thrilling, full of unpredictability and surprises. Exciting, yes, but it also drained their energy.
Thankfully, now only two key matches remained for them to focus on.
After the dog walk, Suker began packing.
Tomorrow they would depart for Athens, Greece, to play the Champions League final.
Recently, Athens was the hottest city in Europe.
Countless fans flooded in, igniting the local atmosphere.
Every year, the Champions League final city would go through a fever pitch — a reason many countries and cities wanted to host it.
Of course, compared to the European Championship and World Cup, the fan attraction was slightly less.
But those events happened only every four years.
The Champions League final happened every year!
By May 20th, aside from Serie A, most leagues had finished.
In the English Premier League, although Manchester United was out of the Champions League, they won the FA Cup and the league, releasing three years' worth of frustration from Chelsea's suppression.
The La Liga champion was Real Madrid.
They defeated Barcelona in the second half of the season, showing the resilience of Capello's team.
However, Real Madrid fans were still unsatisfied; calls for Capello's resignation remained loud.
In the Bundesliga, an unexpected situation occurred.
Bayern Munich, the "Southern King," had a poor season.
Their Champions League, league, and German Cup performances were all terrible.
In the league, they had their worst finish in nearly a decade.
They were pushed out of the championship fight and finished fourth, missing next season's Champions League.
This season, Bayern had been continuously crushed by Milan in the Champions League and hit hard in the league — even losing Champions League qualification.
In Ligue 1, Lyon remained dominant.
Before PSG rose to prominence, they were the undisputed kings.
For Suker and Croatia, these were all good things.
Modric grew rapidly at Manchester United.
After this season's Champions League experience, Manchester United was set to explode next season.
By then, even Milan would have to avoid clashing with them.
Cristiano Ronaldo was also beginning to shine.
The greats of '07 (Ronaldo) and '08 (Messi) were entering their fast growth phase.
In the next two years, Suker thought his chances for club glory might shrink.
His focus would shift more toward domestic leagues and the national team.
After 2010, the football world order would be completely rewritten.
Would it be a battle of three kings,or one emperor suppressing two kings?That remained to be seen.
Suker wasn't the type to be sidelined.
He wouldn't easily hand over core attacking or scoring rights to others.
Ronaldo and Messi were the same.
The three simply couldn't coexist.
"This Champions League must be won!"
Suker zipped his backpack and exhaled slowly.
The European Championship and World Cup also brought great expectations.
He had a diamond card for the Champions League final.
What about the Euros or the World Cup?
These two were even more significant.
If he couldn't reap rewards from the Champions League, he'd go for the Euros and World Cup!
The next day, Suker got up early and prepared two breakfasts.
One for himself and one for Kaká. Giselle Bonchien had been sleeping in lately and didn't wake early.
At mealtime, Kaká arrived punctually.
"Sandwiches again? No meat buns?" Kaká sighed. "Vegetable buns would do too!"
"Don't be picky, you should be glad I'm making food for you," Suker retorted.
"You're weak if you eat like that. I was helping you build strength for nothing."
The two finished quickly, grabbed their bags, and left.
Suker looked at the empty street and raised an eyebrow.
"Where's the car?"
Kaká scratched his cheek awkwardly:
"Out of gas."
"Out of gas? Completely?" Suker scolded, "You freeload without a ride — that's too much!"
"You don't even own a car! Wouldn't it be easier if you had one?"
"I don't have a driver's license."
"Three years already!" Kaká complained. "Can't you just get one?"
Suker wasn't interested in the topic and pointed ahead:
"The bus is coming."
They hurried to the bus stop.
As soon as they got on, the driver blocked the card reader.
"Free ride today!"
The driver winked at them.
Suker was surprised: "That good?"
"You're off to battle. Consider this my send-off!" The driver laughed and clapped: "Go ahead, score a few goals in the final and pay for the ride!"
"That's not the price!" Suker said. "I need to freeload a few more times."
Driver: "."
Kaká laughed dryly and pushed Suker to sit.
"You're so sharp-tongued."
"You're no better." Suker teased. "You cause the most trouble during matches."
"Have I been annoying you lately?"
Kaká rubbed his head, headache coming on.
Suker looked seriously at Kaká and nodded.
"Big time."
While they chatted, suddenly a small fist appeared in front of Suker.
An about 8-year-old boy held out two candies in his palm, speaking shyly:
"For you! Good luck in the match!"
Seeing them hesitate, the boy gently placed the candies into Suker's hand, then turned and hugged his father.
The father gently stroked the boy's head and smiled:
"He's your fan."
Suker and Kaká exchanged a glance.
Suker unwrapped a candy and popped it in his mouth — surprisingly sweet.
"Any requests? Like special celebration moves?"
The boy's face lit up as he peeked out:
"Really?"
Suker shrugged, "You can try!"
Five minutes later, the bus arrived.
They got off.
Suker walked ahead, candy in his mouth, while Kaká followed looking injured.
"He didn't say a word to me," Kaká felt hurt.
He used to be popular too.
But standing with Suker, he always felt overshadowed.
Suker turned back:
"That's because he thinks you won't score!"
"You think so!" Kaká complained, "Seriously? You complain every day!"
"Hmph!"
Suker turned away.
If you don't explode, I'll nag all day!