On January 18, 2009, in the 19th round of Italy's Serie A, AC Milan hosted Fiorentina at the San Siro.
After 19 rounds, AC Milan was in fifth place on the league table, while Fiorentina sat in third.
Fiorentina had a record of 11 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses, totaling 37 points.AC Milan had 10 wins, 3 draws, and 6 losses, totaling 33 points.
There was a 4-point gap between the two teams.
For this match, a large number of AC Milan fans flocked to the San Siro—far more than usual.Even many fans who couldn't get tickets still came to the area around the stadium.
They all had one reason.
For this match, Suker, who had been absent from the pitch for six months, returned to the matchday squad and was possibly going to come on as a substitute.
This was what every AC Milan fan had been waiting for.They couldn't miss this moment.
WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH——
A thunderous cheer suddenly erupted.
At the entrance of San Siro Stadium, Milan fans were instantly in a frenzy.
Seeing the team bus driving slowly toward them, the fans had already started cheering.
Suker!!! Suker!!! Suker!!!
The loud chants of his name shook the sky.
Fans shouted "Suker" in perfect unison—he was Milan's top star.Each chant was filled with burning passion.
As the team bus reached the entrance, AC Milan's head coach Tassotti was the first to step off, followed by the players.
Nesta, Kaká, Gattuso, Cafu, and others.Though the fans also shouted their names, it was clearly not as intense—as if everyone was holding their breath for someone else.
One by one, the Milan players got off the bus, and then—They saw the man they had longed to see.
Wearing a Milan training suit, carrying a backpack.Suker had cut his hair. In his last public appearance, it was still long. Now, he had a clean, short haircut.
At the sight of Suker, it felt like a fire had been lit inside every fan.
SUKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The cheers echoed into the sky and rippled outward from the stadium.
Suker waved to the fans on both sides and then walked into the venue with a smile.
"Suker has indeed arrived at the stadium. After a six-month recovery period, this means he can finally return to the pitch again. I believe every Milan fan feels just like us right now. The man who was unstoppable on the field is finally back!"
A sideline reporter for Sky Italia shouted excitedly into the camera.
His voice spread from the television across Milan, throughout Italy, and even all over Europe.
At this moment, everyone knew it—the super striker who once topped the European scoring charts was back.
Suker!!! Suker!!! Suker!!!
At the San Siro, both teams were warming up.
Milan fans kept chanting Suker's name.
Even though Suker was only in training gear and most likely not in the starting eleven, that didn't matter.
As long as Suker was present, they felt an unmatched sense of excitement.
Coach Tassotti's plan was simple. Suker hadn't played in six months. Despite a week of recovery training, he was still far from top form.
He wanted Suker to gradually get back into rhythm and rebuild his form.
After all, coming back from a major injury—you couldn't just throw a player straight into a high-stakes match.
Suker accepted Tassotti's thoughtful approach.
On the other side, Fiorentina (La Viola) glanced over at Milan's half.
Even if Suker didn't start, his presence alone added tremendous pressure.
Gilardino, wearing the number 11 shirt, had recently transferred to Fiorentina during the winter window.
He had been unable to secure a spot at Milan and left to seek a fresh opportunity.
In the previous match, Gilardino scored his first goal for Fiorentina. But this match marked Suker's return.
Even though Suker was on the bench, the possibility of him coming on created heavy pressure for both Gilardino and Fiorentina.
Starting Lineups:
AC Milan (4-3-2-1):Goalkeeper: AbbiatiDefenders: Favalli, Nesta, Jankulovski, ZambrottaMidfielders: Gattuso, Pirlo, BeckhamAttackers: Kaká, Pato, Seedorf
Fiorentina (4-3-1-2):Goalkeeper: StorariDefenders: Vargas, Comotto, Kroldrup, GamberiniMidfielders: Kuzmanović, Melo, MontolivoAttackers: Gilardino, Santana, Jovetić
Suker sat on the bench, resting his chin on his hand as he looked out onto the pitch.
There were some new yet familiar faces in Milan this season—like Beckham and Zambrotta.
But this was now an "old boys" team.
Beckham had been loaned from MLS. Zambrotta had been cast off by Barcelona.
And Serie A still insisted on playing with central attacking midfielders ("trequartista").
Unlike Serie A, the Bundesliga, Premier League, and La Liga were gradually phasing out this role.
With the rise of possession-based football, match tempos had increased.
Attacking midfielders could no longer handle the defensive pressure, and their role became awkward.
Once, attacking midfielders were the core—the classic "number 10".
Now, they were often the primary target of opposing defenses.
This showed how Italian tactics were gradually falling out of sync with the rest of Europe—one reason why Serie A had declined.
Other leagues were evolving tactically.
But Serie A clung to "catenaccio" (chain defense), unwilling to adapt.
There's nothing wrong with sticking to your style, but you still have to learn and adopt new things.
Instead, Serie A had become closed-off, stubbornly playing with outdated tactics—still acting as though it was the glory days of the "mini World Cup" era, when the world supposedly looked up to Serie A.
That pride and unwillingness to adapt caused Italian football to fall behind in tactical innovation—
Even leading to missing out on future World Cup qualifications.
A cold breeze swept through. Suker rubbed his calves to stay warm.Coach Tassotti rushed over nervously.
"What's wrong? Your leg hurts? Has the injury not fully healed?"
Seeing Tassotti's anxious expression, Suker smiled:
"Just a little cold, that's all."
Without hesitation, Tassotti took off his long down coat and placed it over Suker's knees.
Suker looked speechlessly at Tassotti, who was now shivering from the cold.
"It's not that cold…"
Tassotti shook his head:
"You're just recovering from a serious injury. We must be extra cautious. If you're ready, let me know—we can sub you in anytime!"
Tassotti had once been Ancelotti's assistant.
Ancelotti loved communicating with players and valued their input.
But Tassotti seemed to misunderstand this philosophy. He lacked decisiveness—as people say, he was a bit "soft-eared" and easily swayed by his players.
Just like now—as a coach, he didn't decide when Suker should come on. He left that up to Suker himself.
Of course, Suker understood it was Tassotti's way of showing goodwill—but it still felt a bit strange.
Ancelotti was good at communication.Tassotti… just listened a lot.
As the match was about to begin—
Suker opened his system panel.
[Diamond Card – Special Type] – Inzaghi's Positioning Instincts[Diamond Card – Special Type] – Ronaldo's Shooting Technique[Diamond Card – Special Type] – Ronaldo's Dribbling Skills[Diamond Card – Special Type] – Maldini's Willpower
Suker currently owned seven diamond cards—five of them were usable.
Among them, "Ronaldo's Shooting" and "Shevchenko's Shooting" conflicted—only one could be equipped at a time.Suker chose the former, hoping for a combo bonus effect.
Status Panel:
Name: Suker
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 80 kg
Speed: 93
Agility: 86
Acceleration: 92
Strength: 88
After lying in bed for six months, his overall stats had declined.
His weight had gone up.
Agility, speed, and acceleration had all dropped slightly.
Suker sighed and used his three available stat cards—putting them all into speed and acceleration.
Speed: 94
Acceleration: 94
Still not quite his peak—but close enough.
Now, it was time to gradually earn more stat cards and recover his peak form.
And most importantly—be cautious with the "Status Recovery Card".
After this injury, Suker swore he wouldn't repeat the same mistake.
He didn't want to be sidelined for another six months due to injury.