"Captain is lying!"
Suker grinned.
Although he didn't know exactly how Maldini had done it, he was definitely lying.
Maldini was absolutely involved in this and may even have been one of the reasons Ancelotti was forced to leave.
Suker put down his phone and shook his head.
This Milan was no longer the Milan of old.
Even a hero can be stumped by a lack of money!
Despite once being a top-tier football powerhouse, AC Milan, after repeated financial deficits and multiple shocks, had long lost its former glory.
But for Suker, he was finally free from the public storm surrounding him.
From here on, he wouldn't make any more comments.
Since Galliani had voluntarily taken responsibility for this transfer incident, Suker had no reason to add fuel to the fire.
Let the matter continue to ferment until people gradually come to accept it.
Time is the best healer.
At first, Milan's city center was filled with AC Milan fans protesting with banners.
Their slogan was "Galliani Step Down!"
They didn't want Galliani, but they wanted Suker.
But no matter how hard they shouted, it had no effect on Galliani—he remained Milan's vice president.
This alone showed that Galliani was merely Berlusconi's scapegoat.
There was definitely Berlusconi's approval behind this. Otherwise, Galliani would never have survived the storm.
Galliani's confidence came from the fact that Berlusconi had his back.
As expected, the protests gradually lost momentum and were soon drowned out by events like Christmas, the derby, and the Europa League.
Italian media also began steering public opinion.
Suker's transfer was a huge sensation across Europe, especially in Spain.
But in Italy and in Milan itself, the hype began to fade.
Perhaps Milan fans had come to terms with one harsh truth:
They couldn't keep Suker.
Suker's departure would bring in a significant sum of money, giving them hope for a rebuild.
In the future, they might even be able to buy Suker back.
With this thought in mind, protests began to dwindle, and fans gradually started to accept the reality of Suker's impending transfer.
However, AC Milan's performance was indeed terrible.
On Christmas Eve, during the Milan Derby—
They were absolutely crushed by Inter Milan.
Under Mourinho, Inter completely dominated AC Milan in this match.
In the 90 minutes, AC Milan failed to score a single goal. Inter Milan secured the win with a header from Ibrahimović.
This was Mourinho's team!
The best defense in the world!
For a defensive master, any mistake is shameful. They only need one goal to secure the win with their solid defense.
This hard-earned victory had Inter fans celebrating long into the night.
They could finally enjoy a comfortable Christmas!
In contrast, Milan fans drooped their heads in disappointment—they were crushed.
Time flew like a white horse passing a gap.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
After the winter break and the first match of the second half of the season, Milan fans finally received some good news.
After being absent from the pitch since August—six whole months—Suker had finally recovered and would rejoin training at the Milanello training ground this week.
This uplifting news thrilled Milan fans.
Suker's return was a massive boost of confidence for them.
At the Milan medical center, under the watchful eyes of Milan executives and coaching staff, Suker completed his final medical examination.
"Suker's injury has fully healed. From this exam, he has completely recovered and is in perfect condition!"The doctor smiled and extended his hand. "Congratulations, Suker!"
Suker smiled and shook his hand.
After being away from the pitch for six long months, Suker was understandably excited to rejoin the squad.
"Thank you for taking care of me during this time."
After thanking the doctor, Suker shook hands with head coach Tassotti and the club's top brass.
The most excited person in the room was clearly Tassotti.
Six whole months!
He had been anxiously awaiting Suker's return from injury.
Suker's comeback would significantly strengthen the team's lineup.
"How do you feel? When can you play?" Tassotti asked eagerly.
Suker shrugged. "Feels like I could play in the next match."
Tassotti turned to the doctor.
The doctor replied, "He should first go through a week of rehabilitation training. Assess him during training. It's best if he doesn't start immediately."
Tassotti nodded in agreement.
Even if he didn't start, having Suker on the bench was like holding a trump card—he could turn the game around at any moment!
At that moment, Tassotti finally felt he could breathe easy again.
That night, all the major media outlets were reporting on Suker's imminent return from injury.
Reporters flocked to the training base the next day to capture the moment.
To celebrate Suker's return, Milan held a special open training session.
At 9 a.m., Suker arrived at the training ground in Kaká's car—right on time.
Inside Milan's locker room, the atmosphere was heavy.
Perhaps it was due to their poor recent performances, or perhaps internal divisions.
The locker room had split into three factions: the Italian locals, the Brazilian clique, and the Eastern European group.
There was almost no interaction between them.
Gattuso sat on a bench, Pirlo balanced a ball under his foot, deep in thought.
Inzaghi and Nesta chatted quietly.
On the other side, Ronaldinho stretched his waist and said to Pato, "I found another great spot. Want to come tonight?"
Pato firmly shook his head. "Not going."
Ronaldinho shrugged.
Pato had started distancing himself from Ronaldinho two months ago.
At first, he enjoyed going out to clubs with Ronaldinho. But something had changed.
He began running and training daily, focusing on improving his performance.
Ronaldinho didn't know what had happened to Pato, but he didn't mind—Pato was just a party buddy anyway.
Pato, however, felt uneasy.
Recently, he had been repeatedly exposed in the media for partying.
At first, everything seemed fine. But soon, problems emerged.
Barbara wanted to break up with him.
His form on the pitch started to decline.
But what scared Pato the most was that Suker stopped talking to him.
Several times he tried to approach Suker, but Suker turned him away.
That terrified Pato more than anything.
At first, he thought it was fear.
But later he realized—it was respect.
He truly respected Suker, and he was afraid Suker was disappointed in him.
So, Pato stopped going to clubs and began training hard to redeem himself.
Then, one day not long ago, Suker made him breakfast again.
He didn't say much, but Pato understood—Suker had forgiven him.
From that day on, Pato never went to a nightclub again.
Of course, Barbara still broke up with him.
But now, Pato's full attention was on football.
The Milan locker room was quiet.
Soon, the sound of footsteps and chatter could be heard outside.
Gattuso's ears perked up, and a grin appeared on his face.
Nesta and Inzaghi turned toward the locker room door.
Even Pirlo's sleepy eyes lit up.
Not just them—Simunic, Simic, Oddo, and the others all looked toward the entrance.
Creak!
The door opened.
Sunlight poured in.
Bathed in the light, Suker walked into the locker room and shouted loudly:
"My babies! Did you miss me?"
Suddenly, the entire locker room burst into life.
Almost everyone gathered around Suker, grinning from ear to ear.
Suker cracked jokes, and laughter filled the room.
After a terrible half-season, everything suddenly felt right again.
The moment they saw Suker, peace returned to their hearts. All the negative emotions faded, replaced by hope for the future.
Milan's superstar had returned!