"Damn that big-mouthed show-off! Just wait till I kick his ass tomorrow!"
Inside the AC Milan locker room, Pato was passionately shouting. But despite his fighting spirit, the response around him was lukewarm.
"Sure, it's infuriating, but what he said is true," Nesta shook his head.
Under Mourinho's tenure at Inter Milan, his record in the Milan Derby had more wins than losses.
"Hey! We can't lose our spirit! We need to show some fight!"Pato continued shouting.
Smack!!
Gattuso whacked Pato on the back of the head.
"Quiet down!"
Pato instantly shut up.
He rubbed the back of his head, feeling wronged.
They were all supposed to be team leaders, but the gap between them was so wide.
When Suker spoke, the whole team responded and got fired up.When Kaka gave a pre-match speech, everyone listened seriously.
Now that it was his turn as a core player, whatever he said felt like hot air.
He couldn't understand why. His performance wasn't bad—so why such a huge difference?
Inzaghi rolled his eyes at Pato.
He really couldn't stand him.
He hadn't before, and he still couldn't now.
If Suker hadn't brought him in, Pato would have struggled to fit into Milan's locker room. Even if he did, it would've taken a painful adjustment.
Lately, Pato had been imitating Suker.
Copying Suker's every move—joking around like him, mimicking his communication style.
He even tried pulling down Gattuso's pants like Suker once did, but got slapped twice in the face. The kid almost cried.
Suker knew where the line was. Once he proved himself, the veterans let things slide.
But Pato hadn't achieved anything yet and already wanted to act like a boss in the locker room? No way they'd let that slide.
"Tomorrow we're facing Suker and Kaka!" Inzaghi suddenly said.
At those words, Nesta and the others sighed.
Last season, it was already tough enough to deal with just Kaka when he led the team against Suker.
Now both of them were at Real Madrid.
And Milan? All they had left was the fool Pato as their "core." Of course, they were worried.
They still had a bit of confidence left. On one hand, Pato had been on fire recently. On the other, they still had Robinho and Ibrahimović up front.
As for defense? That was a real headache.
"No matter what, we're facing Real Madrid tomorrow. We need to get our heads in the game," Gattuso said, then looked at Pirlo. "We're counting on you tomorrow!"
Pirlo shrugged, "Does it really matter whether I perform or not? Allegri doesn't think I'm important anyway."
Gattuso opened his mouth, then shook his head and sighed. "You…"
He felt exhausted.
Milan now was like a scattered pile of sand.
With Maldini retired, Suker and Kaka gone, it was just them old-timers holding the team together.
When they left too, who knew what state Milan would be in?
Pato was playing well.
But did he really want to stay at Milan?
The guy had wild ambitions!He hadn't said it outright, but he kept negotiating salary raises with the club.
You could say he was already thinking about leaving.
If Real Madrid made an offer, he'd probably leave without even looking back.
Gattuso had never found it so hard to manage the locker room atmosphere.
In the past, they had Maldini, Ambrosini—and even if things got rough, there was always Suker.
Suker may have been playful, but he was decisive when it mattered. His words carried weight, and people listened.
Now it was up to him, a rough brawler, to do the delicate work? Ridiculous.
He used to have Kaka to vent to.
Now Kaka was gone, and Gattuso felt like he couldn't hold on much longer either.
Sometimes, he felt like giving up completely.
Slap everyone once and let them deal with it.
When morale breaks, the team becomes impossible to lead!
That evening, Gattuso pulled out his phone, thinking about calling Suker or Kaka for a chat—but in the end, he put it down.
They were on different sides now. Too much contact wouldn't be good.
Ding-dong!
A text notification rang.
Gattuso opened it. It was a message from Suker.
A photo message.
The image showed a laptop on a bed, with the caption: "Come steal it~ (beckoning emoji)"
"You bastard!" Gattuso cursed out loud.
At the Milan hotel, Kaka walked out of the bathroom and saw Suker's laptop on the bed.
"You brought your laptop?"
Suker: "For taking pictures."
"Pictures?"
Suker nodded, then hit the group-send button, messaging Gattuso, Inzaghi, Nesta, Pirlo, and others.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
The group's phones went off like crazy the next second.
Suker muted his phone and tossed it aside.
Kaka was confused: "You're not going to check them?"
Suker rolled his eyes: "Why would I? I know they're cursing me out. Why read it?"
Kaka muttered under his breath.You're already sick in the head!
"A little pre-match mind game. Mess with their heads so they don't sleep well!"
"You call that a mind game? Feels more like stirring up hate!" Kaka shook his head. "Tomorrow Ivan's going to slide tackle you!"
Suker: "He'll tackle you. You hold onto the ball too much."
With that, Suker pulled the blanket over his head. "Sleep!"
Kaka shook his head. "Tomorrow's match, we—"
Whoo… whoo…
Suker was already asleep, his breathing deep and steady.
Kaka scratched his head."How does he do that—fall asleep instantly?"
He shook his head, got into bed, turned off the light, and tried to sleep too.
The Champions League was here, and AC Milan fans in the city were ecstatic.
Milan itself was buzzing with excitement.
Still, there was a heaviness in their hearts.
Their first group-stage match was against the mighty Real Madrid.
And Real now had Suker and Kaka—former Milan darlings—making fans feel both proud and heartbroken.
San Siro Stadium lit up the night.
Over 60,000 AC Milan fans packed the stands to cheer their team on.
Even facing their former heroes, they were determined to show high spirits.
ROAR!!!
During warm-ups, when Suker and Kaka walked onto the pitch, the stadium erupted.
Though wearing the opponent's colors now, to Milan fans, they would always be beloved.
Suker and Kaka waved and greeted the crowd.
As they walked onto the field, Gattuso happened to look over at Suker.
Suker winked at him.
Gattuso glared back.
Suker pouted: "So stingy!"
Nearby, Pato also looked at Suker and Kaka—but neither of them looked back at him, which made him a little sad.
"Suker and Kaka have returned to San Siro—but this time, as opponents!"
Italian commentator Aldo Serena shouted,"For AC Milan, they know exactly how dangerous the 'Milan Twins' are. In Real Madrid, they're both key players. If Allegri's AC Milan can contain them, that will be the key to this match!"
Hearing this, Mourinho curled his lips.
Contain Suker and Kaka?Not even he, a defensive mastermind, could hold down both at once.
Especially now, when their synergy was shockingly good.
As long as the defense held up, with their counterattack skills, Real Madrid would have no reason to lose.
Even away from home, Mourinho was gunning for three points.
Not a draw—a win.
Soon, warm-ups ended.
Players returned to the locker rooms, then came out into the tunnel.
Silence filled the tunnel.
No one spoke.
Suker saw Gattuso wearing the captain's armband.
Ambrosini had basically lost his starting spot and was barely making the matchday squad.
Now, Gattuso was captain on the pitch.
Suker looked at Gattuso and said to Casillas, "Not gonna shout?"
Before Casillas could reply, Gattuso suddenly turned his head, "Shou—"
He stopped mid-sentence and turned back forward.
It was a reflex.Suker had always said "Let's shout!" before games. It became muscle memory.
His reaction made both teams a little awkward.
Casillas turned to him, "Wanna shout?"
Suker waved it off. "Forget it."
At that moment, the ref called out, "Get ready!" which helped ease the tension.
The players walked onto the field, met by thunderous cheers.
Starting Lineups:
AC Milan (4-3-3):Goalkeeper: AbbiatiDefenders: Antonini, Nesta, Jankulovski, ZambrottaMidfielders: Gattuso, Pirlo, SeedorfForwards: Pato, Ibrahimović, Ronaldinho
Real Madrid (4-4-2):Goalkeeper: CasillasDefenders: Srna, Ramos, Pepe, MarceloMidfielders: Kaka, Khedira, Alonso, DiarraForwards: Benzema, Suker
"Milan has chosen Ronaldinho up front, while Robinho is on the bench. The midfield and defense remain the old guard."
"This will be a huge test for Gattuso and Nesta—they'll need to stop Suker and Kaka from breaking through!"
"Milan will rely on quick counters through Pato, Ibrahimović, and Pirlo!"
"Allegri's 4-3-3 suggests an aggressive approach—he's not planning to bunker down!"
"Real Madrid's formation leans more defensive, which fits Mourinho's style."
As the commentator spoke, both sides finished the pre-match ceremonies and took their positions.
First half begins.Real Madrid kicks off. Suker and Benzema stand at midfield.
San Siro bursts with waves of cheers from the Milan faithful.
A few Real Madrid fans are scattered in the stands—but their voices are drowned out.
The referee blows the whistle.
Beep!!!
"Kickoff! This is the 2010/2011 Champions League group-stage match: AC Milan vs. Real Madrid!"
Right from the whistle, Milan players surged forward. Pato charged straight at Diarra.
Diarra looked like he wanted to pass back—but oh! A huge mistake!
Diarra faked a backpass, tried to spin away—but Pato stuck out a leg and stole the ball cleanly, launching a counterattack.
Diarra, caught off guard, stumbled and fell.
Pato surged toward the box.
ROAAARRRR!!!
Milan fans went wild.
"Pato! Can he seize the chance?"
Pato rushed the box and passed to Ibrahimović, then kept running forward—wanting a one-two.
But Ibrahimović spun the other way and fired a left-footed shot.
The ball grazed the post and went wide.
"Ibrahimović with a dangerous shot! Milan immediately forced an error and created a chance!"
Commentator Aldo Serena shouted with excitement.
No goal, but morale surged.
Ibra shook his head in frustration, while Pato fumed.
"Pass it back! You should've passed!"
Ibra ignored him and jogged back.
Pato flailed his arms in frustration.
He had created the opportunity, and that guy was just too selfish!
On the sidelines, Mourinho frowned hard.
His eyes locked onto Diarra.
That error had nearly cost them a goal—and it should have been a pass.
Sure, beating Pato would've been great—but he got stripped instead.
In top clubs like Real Madrid, this was what they called "the disease."
Midfielders rarely played safe.
They wanted to show off their skills—long passes, fancy moves—even when unnecessary.
This brought risk.
Lately, Real had been playing more like a team, but some still wanted the spotlight—like Diarra.
Beating a man is fine—if you succeed.
But fail? That's a problem.
Two blunders later, Diarra's expression turned awkward.
His teammates glared.
Failing a dribble once? Fine.Twice? You're benched.
"Focus!" Casillas shouted while hugging the ball. "Settle down and find our rhythm!"
It was clearly directed at Diarra.
Casillas placed the ball on the goal-line and passed to Srna—not Marcelo.
He likely sensed Diarra's instability and chose the right flank instead.
Otherwise, Real's attack usually favored the left.
After that steal, Milan's confidence surged.
Pato chased hard.
When Kaka passed to Suker, Suker passed quickly to Alonso.
Alonso nudged it toward Diarra, then pointed for a return pass.
Diarra should have passed right away.
But… he hesitated!
Pato saw his chance and pounced again.
His explosive speed was too much—he reached Diarra in an instant.
Diarra tried an "elastico" fake—but under pressure, he mis-touched the ball.
It bounced off Pato's leg and ricocheted behind them.
"Chance!!"
Pato barreled past Diarra, took the ball, feinted, and whipped in a cross.
Ibrahimović cut to the near post and poked it gently.
The ball slid right through Casillas' legs and into the net!
8th minute: AC Milan 1 - 0 Real Madrid!
"GOAL!!!! Incredible!!! Ibrahimović scores!!"
"Only 8 minutes in, and he's already put us ahead! Pato's two steals created golden chances!"
"Fantastic!!!"
San Siro erupted.
Milan fans roared in unison.
Suker stood at midfield, hands on hips."They're insane! Two turnovers already. Sub him off."
Before he finished talking, the ref pointed to the sideline.
Di María stood waiting.Fourth official raised the board.
Substitution—8 minutes in.
Diarra off. Di María on!
"Only 8 minutes in, and Real Madrid makes a substitution! Diarra's performance was disastrous—two costly turnovers, including the goal. He's completely lost trust!"
"Mourinho made a quick, ruthless decision!"
Diarra looked dazed.
Two failed dribbles—game over for him.
Mourinho might tolerate one mistake—but two of the same kind? Enjoy the bench.
Meanwhile, Di María was fired up.
He had been waiting for this—and now, his chance had come!