On July 29th, the Milanello training base grew lively.
Milan had issued the call to prepare for the new season.
Since Milan had won the Serie A championship, they would also compete in the Italian Super Cup against the Coppa Italia champions, Inter Milan.
This time, the Italian Super Cup final would be held far away in the East — in the capital of China.
Usually, the Super Cup was held in Italy, but this time the hosting rights were outsourced abroad.
The reason was simple: Serie A was running out of money, desperately needing funds, so they sold anything that could bring cash.
The Milan Derby, plus the Italian Super Cup final — such great hype — was not something they would let slip.
Šuker didn't know exactly how much was sold for, but the final venue was confirmed:
The Workers' Stadium in Beijing, China.
Returning to his homeland stirred excitement in Šuker's heart.
He was already looking forward to enjoying Jin-flavored pork buns, Lu Zhu (stewed offal), Peking duck, Sichuan hot pot, Cantonese cuisine, Sichuan cuisine…
Players gradually returned to the training base.
After the holiday, their overall mental state noticeably improved.
But when Ronaldo walked in, Šuker couldn't help sighing.
He had transformed into "Fat Ronaldo."
His bald head was now covered with curly hair, and his physique was noticeably heavier than last season.
Though Šuker understood it was probably due to hormones, he still worried — with that figure, could he still run effectively?
"New guy coming?" Gattuso entered loudly.
"Brazilian? Another 'student'?" he joked, making everyone laugh heartily.
Only Kaká looked helpless.
When Kaká first joined Milan, his delicate appearance had caused many doubts.
Šuker smiled at Gattuso.
"He's a silly kid, you'll like him!"
Gattuso raised his eyebrows.
"Then I better give him a proper welcome."
"When that kid comes in, let's scare him a bit — can't let him underestimate Milan."
Soon, Alexandre Pato walked in.
But it wasn't Maldini who led him — it was Ambrosini.
This made Šuker sigh again.
Looks like Maldini was really ready to retire and was passing on the captain's responsibilities.
Clap, clap!
Ambrosini clapped to get everyone's attention.
Everyone turned around.
Pato grew nervous.
He saw cold stares from Inzaghi, Nesta looking down his nose, silent Seedorf, and a fierce glare from Gattuso.
He instinctively looked at Šuker.
Šuker nodded slightly, then took out his phone.
"I'm Alexandre Pato, 17 years old, from São Paulo, Brazil. I really like AC Milan, and I'm very happy to join AC Milan. I—"
Suddenly, Gattuso interrupted with a growl.
"Rookie! It's Milan!" he corrected harshly.
Pato trembled.
Gattuso saw Pato shrink and stood up, ready to continue intimidating him.
Just as he raised his finger, Pato shouted loudly:
"My idol is Ivan Gattuso!"
The room instantly went silent.
Inzaghi and others wore "What the hell?" expressions.
Someone actually likes Gattuso?
Gattuso himself was stunned.
My fan?
He froze.
If he kept scaring this guy, wouldn't that be weird?
So he just stood there dumbfounded.
Unbeknownst to him, Šuker pointed his phone at Gattuso, covering his mouth as he laughed uncontrollably.
Kaká glanced at Šuker.
"You're so cruel!"
Pato and Gattuso stared each other down.
Everyone sensed something off.
They instinctively looked to Šuker, and when they saw his barely contained smile, they understood immediately.
No doubt about it:
Šuker taught Pato that!
Pato was overwhelmed by Gattuso's stare and almost broke.
At 17, Pato's voice wavered with tears as he pointed to Šuker.
"He made me say that!"
Gattuso slowly lowered his finger.
The locker room fell silent.
"Šuker!"
Gattuso's deep voice was full of rage.
He charged at Šuker.
"I knew it was you! Damn it! You bastard! Hand me that damn phone! I swear I'll smash your computer to bits!"
Chaos broke out instantly.
Ambrosini covered his face with his hand.
After Maldini retired, he doubted if he could still keep order.
During training, Pato ran in front.
Šuker's back was still burning from Gattuso's slap.
Gattuso was truly angry, giving Šuker a loud slap that left a clear mark.
"You sell me out! You sell me out!"
Šuker kicked Pato's rear lightly.
From behind came Ambrosini's voice.
"Don't bully people!"
Šuker turned, flashing a brilliant smile.
"Sure thing, Captain!"
Then he slapped Pato's back again.
Ambrosini shook his head.
He really couldn't control Šuker.
He shifted his gaze toward the sidelines, where Maldini and Ancelotti stood.
"No new ready-made players this season, same squad," Maldini said, looking at Ancelotti.
Ancelotti, noticeably thinner and yawning often, looked exhausted.
"Thanks for your hard work, boss!" Maldini sighed.
Without immediate reinforcements, the pressure on Ancelotti was evident.
Ancelotti waved it off.
"It's just the job. Now we look forward to Pato's performance in the second half of the season to add some firepower."
"What about defense?" Maldini asked.
He sighed again.
"This season I'll move Yankulovski back to midfield, pairing him with Gattuso to protect Pirlo. Meanwhile, we'll use Eastern European defenders like Simunic and Simic. Oddo's performance is good too."
"Under Nesta's command, the defense should hold steady — as long as pressure isn't too heavy."
"Marek still has national team matches, right?" Maldini asked.
Ancelotti nodded.
"He promised me he'll retire from the national team after Euro 2008. I can't make him quit now."
"That's a debt we owe Marek," Maldini sighed.
Their gaze shifted to Yankulovski warming up.
But soon Maldini shouted angrily:
"Šuker!"
The shout made Šuker lower his raised right hand.
"Got it, boss!"
He quickly replied, then stopped bothering Pato.
Ambrosini shook his head.
Only Maldini could control Šuker.
Pato felt miserable inside.
This wasn't how he imagined life at Milan.
He thought, as a genius signing, he'd be greeted by throngs of fans, be close friends with top stars, become the media focus.
He'd chat and joke with Šuker, walking the path of a top star.
But after just half a month, Pato already felt exhausted.
The locker room of a top club was not easy to blend into.
Kaká watched Šuker torment Pato but didn't intervene.
Partly because of his relationship with Šuker.
Also, he didn't think Šuker was truly harming Pato.
Pato was too cocky.
Though they'd only known each other briefly, Kaká saw Pato's major flaw was lack of self-control.
Maybe it was sudden fame and skyrocketing success that made him restless.
Or simply his personality.
Anyway, Kaká thought Šuker's tough approach was good — at least it gave Pato someone or something to fear, helping him settle down.
Of course, Kaká wasn't sure if Šuker was really helping Pato or just messing around for fun.
If it were others, they'd probably help seriously.
But Šuker? Not guaranteed.
After warm-ups, Ancelotti arranged internal scrimmages.
The first team split into three squads for matches.
Šuker and Kaká wore red vests, while Pato wore blue — the opponents.
"You bully me? Just wait and see!"
Pato stared fiercely at Šuker, ready to show him what he was made of.