The European Championship had ended, but the heat around Croatia was only just beginning.
With Croatia's historic first-ever European Championship victory, they had become the focus of sports media worldwide.
Many people liked to call Croatia's performance at this tournament the "Croatian Rhapsody."
A group of young, inexperienced players—many of whom had never played in an international tournament before—had fought their way through tough challenges and defeated strong opponents to stand at the pinnacle of Europe.
At this moment, applause, flowers, and cheers were all focused on them.
Croatia had become the "miracle team" everyone talked about.
The Croatian official channels even rushed to produce a documentary about Croatia's championship journey overnight.
Match highlights, training footage, locker room speeches—all except for Šuker's internal power struggle story, everything that could be shared was displayed on the big screen.
Fans worldwide could clearly see the challenges Croatia faced and the joy after overcoming them.
Meanwhile, Šuker had become the undisputed "hero" of Croatia.
It wasn't to say his status had completely surpassed his predecessor, Davor Šuker, but his contributions had gone beyond him.
Now, in Croatia, the only voice was praise for Šuker. Any discordant voices didn't need media intervention—angry citizens would teach them a lesson.
For example, one Croatian fan sarcastically criticized Šuker and was ultimately caught by angry locals.
It was said that his neighbors personally reported him and, along with other neighbors, administered a wave of righteous punishment.
The video went viral on YouTube.
Although the local police were only about 100 meters away, they ignored the one-sided beating until it was almost over, then slowly came over to handle the scene.
The Croatian police reported that the attackers had been detained.
But some fans said they saw those neighbors returning to their homes that very night, apparently never actually detained.
How influential was Šuker in Croatia now?
Including the capital Zagreb, every public space and crowded venue displayed massive portraits of Šuker.
Even on the tall building opposite the Zagreb train station exit hung a giant poster of Šuker.
Croatians proudly showed the world their superstar!
On July 1st, the entire Croatian national team arrived at Zagreb airport.
They were warmly welcomed by citizens nationwide.
From the airport to downtown, and then to Maksimir Stadium, roads were packed with people.
The entire city and country were swept up in a wave of frenzy.
Croatian President Mesić personally received the returning heroes.
The victory parade was in full swing.
Croatian players rode on an open-top double-decker bus, celebrating and shouting with the fans along the streets.
Meanwhile, Šuker, still undergoing treatment in Vienna, missed this celebration.
Watching the live broadcast of the Croatian victory parade on satellite TV, Šuker couldn't help but smile.
Modrić, Duimović, Srna all took off their shirts, waving them in celebration.
Šimunić proudly raised the European Championship trophy.
Vukojević leaned against a railing, waving his crutches, shouting loudly.
The camera turned back to the bus driver's seat.
Šuker's smile disappeared instantly; his face darkened.
"Damn it!"
He immediately grabbed his phone and furiously dialed Mandžukić's number.
"You stupid idiot! Are you looking for death?!"
On TV, Mandžukić stood at the front, holding a black-and-white photo of Šuker.
Zorančic leaned in to take a closer look and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "That's not a photo, it's a sketch, isn't it?"
Šuker glanced over—it was indeed a sketch.
Damn it!
It was pretty accurate!
Šuker called several people but none answered, so he gave up helplessly.
He sighed: "I'll get ready to return to Milan tomorrow."
In the past two days, Šuker's hospital room had been lively, with visitors coming one after another. Some Šuker couldn't refuse.
He knew they meant well, though some had their own motives. Still, he needed to rest and recuperate.
Fortunately, Berlusconi had sent a private jet to pick him up, so Šuker could return to Milan for better treatment.
Regarding his transfer, Šuker had already confronted the club at season's end.
The club was probably panicked but hadn't given up trying to keep him.
Still, it was almost impossible.
Šuker had made a few symbolic demands—such as transfer budget and squad strengthening.
When money was mentioned, Milan immediately fell silent.
Obviously, Milan was broke!
They couldn't even raise his salary.
His salary was actually less than Ibrahimović's.
But Milan couldn't pay more, which was one reason pushing Šuker to leave.
The biggest reason was his pursuit of achievements.
The future Milan team wouldn't win anything.
Šuker wanted more honors; leaving was the only choice.
On his third day in hospital in Vienna, Šuker completed discharge procedures.
The Milan medical center directly connected with the Vienna hospital, taking over Šuker's injury treatment.
From the hospital to the airport, from the airport to Milan—
Šuker was almost pushed around lying flat on a stretcher.
News of Šuker's return to Milan spread quickly, and reporters soon swarmed the airport, desperate for first-hand updates on his condition.
But Šuker left through a private channel, so they couldn't catch him.
Eventually, they rushed to the Milan medical center to wait.
"Are these people annoying or what!"
At the Milan medical center, Šuker still lay on his bed, peering through the floor-to-ceiling window at the dense crowd of reporters outside.
Not just local Italian media, but many foreign journalists were there as well.
This showed just how big an impact Šuker's injury had.
At that moment, the door to Šuker's ward opened.
The Milan medical center doctor and the current AC Milan head coach Tassotti entered.
"After a series of exams, the injury is not as severe as initially thought. After the winter break, you can begin rehabilitation training, and you should be able to return to competition by February."
The doctor said.
Šuker was stunned: "February? Seven months?"
Doctor: "That's a conservative estimate. Injuries are no joke. Only when fully healed can you participate in matches, and I won't clear you for play until then."
In professional football, players need a strict medical clearance process to participate. The doctor's fitness certificate is a key step.
Šuker sighed: "Alright, if my recovery is good at the re-exam, I can start rehab training?"
"Exactly."
Beside them, Milan coach Tassotti was even more anxious than Šuker.
"Is there any way to speed this up?"
The room suddenly fell silent.
The doctor frowned at Tassotti.
Šuker smiled wryly.
Tassotti hurried to clarify: "No no no! I'm not suggesting Šuker play injured. I just want to know if there's a possibility!"
Tassotti felt the pain—Ancelotti just left, leaving him a mess to handle.
Now Šuker was injured too.
The team's superstar was out, and as interim coach, how could he arrange the matches?
"We'll do our best!"
The doctor finished and left.
Tassotti, feeling helpless, made a reassuring gesture to Šuker, then rushed out to make more inquiries.
Watching Tassotti hurry away, Šuker could already picture the chaotic Milan locker room.
Maldini was gone!
Ancelotti was gone!
Šuker was injured!
And rumors said Ronaldinho would soon join AC Milan.
Can Tassotti handle this mess?