"Did you see my header? Did you see how I positioned myself? I just brushed it slightly—cool, right? Awesome, huh?"
On the team bus, Suker was waving his arms excitedly, beaming with satisfaction.
He was standing in the aisle, gesturing animatedly, clearly proud of himself.
This was his first-ever header attempt at goal!
For someone who used to be considered "short," heading the ball had always been an obsession.
And now, Suker finally got his first header on target.
And it was a beautiful one.
"That was all thanks to Kaka's pass!"
Gattuso teased, "If Kaka hadn't sent the ball to the back post, with your height, how would you compete for a header?"
Suker widened his eyes. "I'm 1.80 meters tall!"
Inzaghi burst into laughter. "Are you tkidding me? You're shorter than me!"
"Nonsense! Want to compare right now?"
Suker refused to back down.
Inzaghi immediately stood up. Suker glanced at him and quickly sat down.
"Never mind!" Suker waved his hand. "What are we, kids? Competing for height?"
Inzaghi snapped back, "You were the one who wanted to compare!"
Suker: "What are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying!"
Inzaghi lunged forward, grabbing Suker's cheeks and pulling them apart.
Suke punched Inzaghi in the stomach in return.
The whole bus erupted with laughter as the two fooled around.
After Inzaghi had vented and walked away, Suker rubbed his reddened cheeks to ease the pain.
From behind, Nesta leaned over Suker's seat and playfully rubbed his head. "If you grow any taller, Filippo will have to give up his spot."
Suker's efficiency had certainly caught everyone's attention.
He was playing as an attacking midfielder, but even from there, he was wreaking havoc.
What if they moved him up front? What kind of performance would he deliver then?
But playing center-forward required good finishing skills and physical battles, which would reduce his touches on the ball. That's why AC Milan preferred to keep him in the attacking midfield role for now—where he was most threatening.
"If Suker plays striker, I'm all for it!"
Kaka said, playing with Nesta's hair and grinning.
Suker glanced over.
Nesta still had a full head of hair now, but in the future… he was going bald!
"I object!" Inzaghi immediately shouted. "I strongly object!"
Everyone burst out laughing again.
Suker simply shrugged.
Right now, regardless of which position he played, he was a guaranteed starter. Eventually, someone would lose their spot to him.
As the team bus approached the training ground, the driver suddenly turned around and said:
"Boss, the road ahead is blocked!"
Ancelotti leaned forward to look. Through the windshield, he saw a large crowd of AC Milan fans gathered.
They were neatly lined up at the entrance to the training ground, with a figure leading them at the front.
"That's Bob!"
Maldini recognized him at once.
As the leader of the Curva Sud (South Stand), Maldini had had many encounters with Bob.
Bob was the head of AC Milan's Curva Sud and one of the most loyal Rossoneri. He was highly respected in the fan community.
He was a chubby man around 40 years old, wearing an AC Milan jersey and holding a megaphone.
He stood right at the front of the crowd.
Raising the megaphone, he shouted: "Listen up, Milan brothers! You've played great these past few games!"
Inside the bus, the players surged forward.
They were curious and looked out the windows.
Suker stared wide-eyed at the crowd outside, all in red and black—about a thousand fans.
"We're here to make sure you hear our voices!"
"Let's go, boys!"
Boom!!!
Everyone clapped in unison—thousands of hands creating a thunderous sound.
"Suker!!——"
Bob's voice echoed through the megaphone.
And suddenly, the entire crowd roared.
"Suker!!——"
Suker!
"Suker!!——"
Suker!
"Suker!!——"
Suker looked in surprise, then turned and asked, "Are they calling my name?"
Maldini affectionately ruffled Suker's hair. "They came for you!"
Maldini was deeply moved.
Winning over Milan's picky fans wasn't easy.
Even Kaka had needed almost an entire season to win them over.
But none had been as loved as Suker was right now.
These fans had specially gathered outside the training base just to chant his name.
Suker turned to look again.
More than a thousand people chanting his name—but the chant was getting a bit repetitive.
Suker quietly pressed the door release and slipped out of the bus through a gap in the crowd.
Maldini felt a sudden lightness in front of him, looked down, and realized Suker was gone.
"Where's Suker?"
Maldini turned and asked.
Gattuso pointed ahead.
"There he is!"
Maldini looked and saw Suker jogging toward the crowd.
The fans erupted in wild cheers.
Suker walked straight up to Bob and pointed at the megaphone.
Bob chuckled, "You want the megaphone?"
Suke nodded eagerly.
Bob shrugged and handed it over, making space for him.
Suker tested the megaphone.
"Woooo... wah wah—"
Then he pointed at the crowd.
"Alright guys, when I shout one, you stomp your feet. When I shout two, you clap your hands. Got it?"
The AC Milan fans smiled and responded loudly, "Got it!"
"Let's try it!"
"One!"
Boom! (stomping)
"Two!"
Clap! (clapping)
"That's the rhythm! Let's connect it. One! Two!"
Boom! Clap!
Suke walked to the right side and shouted again: "One! Two!"
Boom! Clap!
"Again!"
Boom! Clap!
"Louder! What, didn't you eat today?!"
BOOM!! CLAP!!
"Good! Let's welcome the Milan warriors!"
Suker pointed at the bus. "This is our beloved boss. Some say he's got one big eye and one small eye—but no one can deny his keen vision."
The fans burst into laughter.
Suker continued, "His name is Carlo—"
Ancelotti!!!
The fans erupted in cheers.
Ancelotti looked confused.
"What do I do now?"
Suker turned around, "See? The boss isn't getting off the bus. He thinks you're too quiet! Come on guys, louder!"
"Carlo!!"
Ancelotti!!!!!!
Amid deafening cheers, Ancelotti slowly stepped off the bus.
Applause broke out immediately.
"Next is our eternal captain, Paolo—"
Maldini!!!
Maldini sighed and stepped down as well.
Suker called out the names one by one, pulling every player—including the bus driver—off the bus.
They stood in a line facing the fans.
Suke shouted into the mic:
"Alright, folks! We're standing right here. If you have complaints, say them. If you're unhappy, speak up. But—" Suker added sternly, "No hitting!"
Hahahahaha!!
Laughter broke out across the crowd.
Maldini and the others shook their heads helplessly.
Under the setting sun, the AC Milan players and fans engaged in a rare moment of close interaction.
The fans expressed their concerns and offered suggestions.
The players listened sincerely.
Over the course of half an hour, the two sides talked about matches, past glories, old wounds—even Istanbul.
Nothing was off the table.
Fans voiced opinions, players shared their perspective.
This dialogue brought them closer together.
Soon, with the crowd applauding, the team boarded the bus again.
They entered the training base amid cheers.
"I always thought they still held a grudge over Istanbul," Gattuso said with a sigh.
During the conversation, the subject came up.
It was a sore spot neither players nor fans liked to revisit.
But this time, they confronted it head-on.
Maldini publicly apologized on behalf of the team.
And the fans accepted it—offering support in return.
Despite the Istanbul disaster and all the shame and pain, they remained loyal AC Milan fans.
From the moment they donned the red-and-black kit—it became a lifelong bond.
There had been anger and sorrow—but in the end, they were family.
AC Milan promoted a "family culture"—and the connection between fans and players had to be strong.
This time, they talked it out—and resolved many misunderstandings and emotional knots.
With Maldini's apology accepted, the Istanbul incident was finally laid to rest.
At the very least, they no longer had to worry about the fans' resentment.
"Communication is key. We're family—why talk like strangers? Sitting down and talking works better than anything," Suker quipped. "You want the media to keep laughing at us? No better time than now—our form is good, the fans are happy, so let's settle things. Isn't that great?"
Maldini smiled and ruffled Suker's hair again.
He agreed—it had been a healing conversation.
At least the guilt and emotional knots had eased.
Of course, they still had revenge to take on Liverpool—but the rift with their own fans was gone.
Suker also breathed a sigh of relief.
Some things, left unresolved, would only fester and cause trouble later.
Given the opportunity, he was happy to play peacemaker.
And of course—it was his performance that had earned him the right to do so.