Morning in Milan.
Pato got up from his small room.
It was a modest villa rented by AC Milan for him. Not big, but comfortable enough for his daily life.
The Milan dorms were under renovation, so he was temporarily housed close to the training ground.
Even though it was far from the grand "live in a mansion, make big money" dream he had, Pato wasn't in a rush. He believed in himself. His talent would lead him to a better life.
He pulled on a brand-new Milan training kit and jogged to a nearby park for his morning run.
Why the park?
Because it was crowded!And he had a new training kit to show off.
There were many people jogging. When they saw the Milan jersey, quite a few greeted him.
Pato loved the attention — it made him more energetic.
The only downside was… none of the beautiful young women seemed interested.
Tap tap!A graceful figure jogged past him, bringing a fragrant breeze.
Pato's nose twitched — he could smell a beauty from the scent alone.
And that body — wow.
Black yoga pants that highlighted her long, straight legs; a tight white athletic tank top that showed off a slim waist.She wore a black cap and sporty sunglasses.Her face looked… strangely familiar.
Her ponytail swung behind her — a stunning view.
Pato sped up immediately.
"Hey beautiful, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before!"
Gisele Bündchen turned to look at Pato.
Where did this silly kid come from?
"That's the oldest pickup line in the book."
"No really! Don't you feel it too?"
Pato stuck with her, jogging alongside.
Gisele frowned slightly but looked again — noticing his AC Milan training kit.
"You play for Milan?"
Pato beamed proudly:
"Yup!"
She smiled faintly and picked up the pace.
Pato followed immediately.
They ran for about 300 meters before Gisele finally slowed down.
Pato was just about to speak — but she suddenly walked over to a bench and snuggled up to a man holding a dog.
Pato was stunned.
No way — it was Šuker?!
So that meant... this woman was Gisele Bündchen?
He was just hitting on Gisele Bündchen??
Everyone knew she was Šuker's girlfriend.
That familiar feeling came from… the posters he'd seen of her.
"I'm so screwed."
Gisele leaned on Šuker and said sweetly:
"Honey, isn't this your teammate?"
Šuker looked up:
"Pato?"
Pato broke into a cold sweat.
"Honey, he told me…"
Gisele dragged out the sentence, teasingly.
Pato was frozen in place.
It's over.
He just joined Milan, and he'd already offended the top dog — and flirted with his girlfriend.
All his dreams of big houses and big money? Up in smoke.
"He told me… he loves walking dogs!" Gisele said with a wink.
Šuker looked surprised:
"That's your thing?"
Pato nodded furiously:
"I love dogs. Really love them!"
Then he looked down — at the snarling beast that was Luna, the dog.
Damn, this dog was huge!
Woof! Woof!
Luna barked madly.
"Quiet!"
Luna whimpered miserably.
Šuker handed the leash to Pato.
"Here you go. Take her out — she's got tons of energy, needs a long walk. Good timing with your run too."
Pato reluctantly took the leash.
Second day in Milan: Walking the boss's dog.
So embarrassing.
As Pato walked away with Luna, Šuker turned to Gisele:
"You seem interested in him?"
Gisele smiled:
"A little."
Šuker nodded:
"He's very talented, but…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Pato's talent was obvious — he'd already shown his potential soon after joining Milan.
He wasn't a flop like Oliveira. Pato even won the Golden Boy Award and was once the brightest young star.
But what ruined him, aside from injuries, was…
a lack of discipline.
Especially after Ronaldinho joined Milan and took Pato partying every night, hopping bars and clubs — ultimately destroying this Brazilian genius.
If Pato had stayed on track, no one knew how far his potential could've gone.
Half an hour later.
Luna returned first.
Pato came running back, panting like crazy.
Šuker patted the dog's head, speechless:
"Were you walking the dog, or racing her?"
"T-The park's huge… I wanted her to run wild — almost couldn't keep up!"
Šuker: "…"
So he really raced the dog.
Šuker scratched his head and stood up:
"Let's go."
He didn't speak to Pato again, just walked off with Gisele.
Pato stood there catching his breath, chest tight with frustration.
"This is… the worst!"
Back at Milan HQ.
"You bumped into Šuker again?" Ancelotti laughed."Lucky you."
Bullshit.Pato complained internally.
Getting dragged around by a dog in the early morning — some luck!
Milan Medical Center.
Pato completed his medical exam.
Ancelotti greeted the staff, then walked over with the results.
"All done. Congratulations — welcome to Milan!"
Pato shook hands happily.
"I'm honored!"
Ancelotti smiled — he had high hopes for Pato.
Then came some bad news.
"Because of regulations, Brazilian minors can't play in foreign leagues. So your debut will have to wait until after the winter break. But during that time, you'll train with the first team. And now that you've officially signed, you can use all Milan's facilities. I'll arrange someone to give you a tour."
"As for your jersey number — it's still to be decided."
Ancelotti looked at Pato with expectation.
This next half-year would be an observation period. If Pato trained well, Ancelotti had a surprise in mind.
"Someday, I want to wear Milan's number 9!" Pato said excitedly.
Ancelotti silently patted his shoulder.
Pato thought it was encouragement.
At a photo studio in Milan.
A stylist was fixing Šuker's hair.
He sat in a chair, talking on the phone.
"We've got a new idiot. Dumber than you."
"Hey! Who're you calling dumb?!" Kaká protested."I know Pato. He's pretty famous in Brazil. He'll be a good addition."
Šuker:
"When are you coming back?"
Kaká:
"Two more weeks, I think."
"Make it one. I'll cook you my signature seafood rice with special sauce."
A pause. Then some muffled voices: "Cancel," "Return ticket," etc.
A moment later, Kaká said:
"One week. See you in Milan."
Šuker chuckled. He knew this trick would work.
He wanted Kaká back early to prepare for the new season and build chemistry.
There was no word from Ancelotti yet — the "fat coach" claimed he was working on new tactics.
Šuker didn't know the details.
But he believed that he and Kaká also needed to put in the effort.
Success is a two-way street.
Ancelotti would bring the tactics — but he and Kaká needed real chemistry.
What if they sparked some magical synergy?
One week flew by.
Kaká returned right on time.
His first stop?
"Where's my special sauce seafood rice?"
Šuker didn't hesitate — straight to the kitchen.
While Kaká ate, the two discussed how to coexist tactically.
Kaká understood Šuker better than anyone.
Šuker wanted his opinion — whether something else might work.
But Kaká's answer disappointed him:
"Without tactical resources, I can't shine."
Šuker was discouraged — but understood.
Last season, if Shevchenko hadn't left, he'd still be stuck supporting him.
No tactical resources — no breakout moment.