"Luka! Congratulations!"
"Champions League winner! Both of you have it now!"
"Mario, doesn't Bayern want to snatch you away too?"
"They just want me as a substitute to weaken Dortmund indirectly. I'm not that stupid!"
Everyone was chatting around Suker.
Since Suker's return, he naturally became the team's center.
After Suker won the Ballon d'Or and the World Footballer of the Year, his fame and influence made him Croatia's biggest player, and the teammates naturally accepted it.
Of course, some didn't accept it.
For example, Perišić.
Perišić stood alone in a corner. Since joining the national team, he had been slow to integrate.
Currently, the Croatian national team was basically Dinamo Zagreb's second team.
The starting lineup and main players all came from Dinamo Zagreb.
Thus, Perišić, who came from Hajduk, felt a bit isolated.
Of course, he didn't actively try to fit in either.
His gaze fixed on Suker.
Four years passed quickly.
When he first saw Suker, Suker was beating up his own old captain.
At that time, Perišić swore to surpass Suker.
Back then, Suker was a milestone goal for Perišić.
But after four years, the gap hadn't narrowed—it even grew larger.
He was still playing at Hajduk, while Suker had become AC Milan's attacking core, a back-to-back Champions League winner and historical player bathed in the glory of the Ballon d'Or and World Footballer of the Year.
That milestone goal seemed to have become a lifelong goal, possibly never to be caught.
But—he still didn't accept it.
Suker turned and saw Perišić, who quickly turned his head away, pretending to train.
"What's wrong with that guy?" Suker asked.
Though most players came from Dinamo Zagreb, the Croatian team did not exclude others.
Once in the national team, they were all teammates, no cliques.
Perhaps Suker's circle was closer, but it never affected the coach's decisions or pressured others.
So while not everyone was perfectly united, nobody was isolated either.
But Perišić now seemed a bit isolated.
"He's too stubborn!" Mandžukić sneered. "We invited him to hang out; he refused. Invited him to train together a second time; he refused again."
Dujićmovic said: "He's too pretentious. Fine, let him be. We just ignore him."
Even Modrić frowned: "He's hard to approach."
Suker was surprised to hear Modrić say that.
If even Modrić said it, Perišić really had a problem.
But a problem was a problem.
For the sake of the team, they wouldn't pamper Perišić.
Training resumed.
Suker and others trained together; Perišić remained alone.
Šimunić, who had also played for Hajduk, was like an older brother to Perišić and had tried persuading him—but to no avail.
He was just too stubborn!
Having character was good, but being obstinate was not.
During an intra-squad training match, Perišić played confusedly.
No one passed to him; no one cooperated with him.
After a while, he didn't know what to do.
In contrast, Suker went all out.
From the start of the scrimmage, Suker's shots frustrated starting goalkeeper Pletikosa.
After Suker scored the fourth goal, Pletikosa gave up.
"No more. If you keep this up, I'll lose my form."
Pletikosa looked frustrated.
How hungry for goals was Suker!
This was only a training match, but Suker played like it was a real game.
In fact, Suker was really fired up.
During the league, to fit Milan's rhythm and older teammates' stamina, he often had to suppress himself.
He could press aggressively but had to hold his position.
He could counterattack directly but hesitated, fearing teammates couldn't keep up.
After too many such moments, Suker felt frustrated.
So after returning to the national team, he started to release that energy.
Here, he didn't have to slow down for teammates. He could run and press freely.
Most importantly, teammates could keep up.
Croatia's teammates were young and fast runners.
Suker played with full power, forcing Pletikosa to quit.
"Awesome!"
After the fifth goal, Suker sighed deeply.
He gave Modrić a thumbs-up, praising the last assist.
Modrić smiled back.
Meanwhile, Perišić stood bewildered in the middle of the field.
He had no clue what to do.
Even after training ended, he only came to his senses as teammates grouped and headed to the cafeteria.
He lowered his head and left the field alone.
"In the group stage, if we can beat Germany, the qualification will be clear."
"Stubborn Germans are solid on defense!"
"Why be afraid? I'm here!"
Mandžukić looked confident: "I score two goals against Bayern every season; just watch!"
Everyone showed disdain.
"Forget it," Dujićmovic said. "Our main striker hasn't even spoken."
Mandžukić retorted: "You're just a dead substitute, no right to talk!"
"Better than you, the 'kangaroo' who only heads the ball."
Mandžukić's nickname in the Bundesliga was Kangaroo because he always jumped high to win headers.
"You're just a wild shooter, your shots always hit the stands!"
"I scored five long shots this season!"
"Yeah, five long shots and only five goals!"
"You really watch the Russian league?"
"Of course, I watch to embarrass you, loser!"
Mandžukić and Dujićmovic kept bickering.
This was their way of playing around.
Almost the whole Croatian team liked to 'argue' with Dujićmovi.
The guy was stubborn and slow-witted.
Mandžukić couldn't out-argue him, let alone Suker and others.
Modrić watched them and turned to Suker: "I'm not worried about the group stage."
Suker nodded.
Although Germany was strong, the other two teams, Austria and Poland, were noticeably weaker.
In the qualifiers, they didn't look very strong either.
This was relative to Croatia and Germany.
Group B in the Euros showed a gap in strength.
Croatia and Germany were definitely first-tier strong teams.
Poland and Austria were more like third and fourth-tier.
Suker and Modrić shared the same view.
"But we still need to be careful, after all it's a single knockout game!"
Unlike the Champions League with home-and-away group stages, the Euros had four groups playing round-robin, three matches each.
The top two teams from each group qualified directly for the knockout stage.
Knockouts were single elimination.
The Euros lasted about a month.
The schedule was tight and thrilling.
Any small factor could cause huge changes.
Thus, Croatia had to be cautious while maintaining form.
On June 2, the whole Croatian team gathered at the training center.
After dressing, they boarded the bus to the tournament venues.
The whole country watched.
Main roads were blocked, police motorcycles opened the way, and police cars escorted them.
Along the route, crowds of fans gathered on both sides.
When the bus appeared, the cheers were deafening.
Even ten minutes before the airport, both sides were packed with fans from across Croatia.
They painted their faces in Croatian flag colors, wore strange costumes, and looked fanatic.
Cheers and applause never stopped.
Even when the players entered the airport, fans kept cheering loudly.
They cheered for Croatia's warriors.
These were the brave souls about to fight for this small nation.
They carried the hopes of 4 million Croatians and stepped onto their battlefield.
The Euros were officially in countdown!