Chapter 116: The Persistent Zorančić

"He's trying really hard!" In the taxi, Modrić said to Suker. Suker nodded, "I can see he's putting in a lot of effort. He really worked hard to get our agent contract." "He gives off a very sincere vibe." Hearing Modrić's words, Suker grinned. This guy really doesn't understand how cruel the world is. You can't just pick any agent; in the end, the one who gets hurt is yourself. No matter how fanciful Zorančić's words sounded, Suker felt uneasy listening. This guy kept talking about the future, the future— Isn't he just painting a "big pie" for them? Suker also values the future, but he focuses more on the present. What Suker wants to hear is about the now, not the future! Still, Zorančić isn't completely without ability. Just from the word "commercialization," you can tell he has some vision. But since it's about signing an important agent contract, Suker won't agree lightly. "Let's wait and see." The next day, the team trained. "Great header! Mario!" Mandžukić made a diving header to score a goal. The passing and coordination throughout the move were extremely skillful. That was the result of past training. Although Mandžukić's head is still a bit dull and rigid, he's ingrained many tactical runs into muscle memory—where to run, how to handle the ball—imprinted after countless drills. Because of this, he performs exceptionally well in certain situations, especially his chemistry with Suker was very smooth. "You finally got it!" Suer laughed, patting Mandžukić's head. Mandžukić didn't feel offended—if it were someone else, he might have shown a bad face, but Suker was different. He genuinely appreciated this roommate who helped him a lot in many ways. "Are we training extra tonight?" Mandžukić asked. Suker shook his head, "I'm going to practice shooting tonight. You can train on your own." After the day's training and dinner, Suker grabbed a net full of balls and headed to the training field. The sky was slightly darkening, but the field was still brightly lit by the side lights. Suker scattered the balls on the ground, ready to practice shooting. After the match two days ago, he had received another yellow card. [White Card (Skill Card): Busquets' Diving] Busquets' diving is notorious. Of course, Suć wasn't here to practice diving! [Yellow Card (Skill Card): Mata's Shooting] - [3%] Due to limited training time these two days, Suker hadn't absorbed much percentage. He planned to train more in the evening to catch up. Mata's shooting skill greatly improves Suker's shooting precision. Once fully absorbed, Suker would be able to threaten the goal from outside the penalty area. That way, he wouldn't have to always rush the defense desperately. He'd have more options in attack. As a forward, superb shooting skills are critical. Placing the ball in front of him, Suker took a shot. With every shot, the absorption percentage slowly increased. Suker was immersed in the sense of progress. Bang!!! Suddenly, a figure appeared on the goal line and kicked the ball away. Suker looked up. "Good evening, Suker!" Zorančić was still wearing a suit, sleeves rolled up, standing on the goal line. "Training alone is so boring, I'll be your goalkeeper. I used to be a goalkeeper in Dinamo Zagreb's youth academy, you know, although..." Bang! Swish! The ball hit the net before Zorančić could even react. "Your reaction was too slow!" Zorančić coughed, "You should've warned me to get ready." Suker shrugged. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Suker kept shooting. Zorančić made save attempts repeatedly but with a very poor success rate. If what he said was true, this guy deserved to be dropped by the academy. The balls scattered everywhere. Suker went to pick them up. "I'll help you." Zorančić volunteered, quickly running to gather balls, kicking and grabbing them together. Suker said nothing and quickly went into the next round of training. At first, Zorančić was the goalkeeper, but soon he couldn't stand it anymore. But he didn't want to leave, so he started picking up balls actively. Suker was happy not to have to pick them himself. With shot after shot, Suker's absorption rate kept climbing. Zorančić stood aside watching, getting more and more alarmed. At first, Suker's shooting precision and feeling were soft and weak. But with repeated practice, Suker was improving visibly. The sound of the shots changed from a dull "bang" to a crisp "ping." That was the sound of his foot perfectly connecting with the ball. Unconsciously, it began to drizzle. "Suker, it's raining, be careful not to catch a cold!" Zorančić shouted, hands behind his head. Sker ignored him, his eyes locked on the goal. Before long, Zorančić's figure disappeared from the field. "Finally gone?" Suker looked toward the field entrance. That guy really was stubborn. Just as Suker was about to continue shooting, footsteps came near. He looked again. Zorančić had returned, now wearing sportswear instead of the suit. He picked up a ball from the corner and tossed it to Suker. "My suit's expensive," he smiled, "So I changed to a cheap one!" Suker was speechless, "Your family's so rich, what's a suit to you!" Suker knew about Mamich. He used to be a player but was now a Croatian tycoon. His family owned farms, horse farms, vineyards, and more. Zorančić was a rich second-generation heir. "It's my father's money, not mine!" Zorančić kicked the ball back to Suker, "Shoot again!" Suker shot. "Nice!" Clap! Clap! Clap! Suker shot again. "Great!" Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Suker smiled and shot once more. "Stop yelling!" Suker turned his head irritably, "What exactly do you want?" Zorančić rubbed his hands and grinned, "I'm keeping you company while you train." Suker sighed. "You still don't get it!" He started gathering balls, and Zorančić tried to help but was pushed aside. Suker warned, "Don't bother me anymore. Since I agreed to have dinner with you for Davor's sake, it doesn't mean you can mess with my life and training." Suker picked up the balls and left the field. Zorančić stood there with a disappointed expression. "I messed up again!" He sighed, slapped his cheeks, and shouted as he ran after him: "Suker, remember to drink hot water when you get home, or you'll catch a cold, and it'll affect your game!" Shameless is invincible. Zorančić was now locked in a battle with Suker. No matter where Suker went, Zorančić mysteriously appeared. Suker even complained to the coach that strangers were always at the training field, hoping to get rid of Zorančić. But the guy still swaggered into the club. Later, Suker learned Mamich was a Dinamo Zagreb board member, and Zorančić represented the board. In a way, he was the club's boss, so nobody could stop him. So Suker had no choice. As training and matches went by, time flew. December, 2003/2004 Croatian League Round 18. Dinamo Zagreb hosted Hajduk. This was their second round meeting. In the first round, Hajduk was in a slump, the whole team still unadjusted. So they played very passively and lost. Now Hajduk had finally recovered form, ready to challenge Dinamo Zagreb for the top spot again. After 18 rounds, Dinamo Zagreb was undefeated. Their record was 15 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses, leading the Croatian League. The Croatian media hailed it as the return of the blue army dominating the league. This time, they won games more excellently and passionately. Dinamo Zagreb's strong performance owed much to Suker. As the team's number 10 core, since Bešić handed him the number 10 shirt and confirmed his core status, Suker's performance was like a wild horse unleashed, driving Dinamo Zagreb forward wildly. In 18 league matches, Suker scored 17 goals and had 9 assists. Now Suker was the team's top scorer and also led the Croatian League's scoring chart. Most importantly, all his goals were without penalties. That made it even more terrifying. After half a season, Davor Suker's performance was average, but Suker was outstanding. Suker's spotlight had already surpassed Davor Suker. Especially his unique playing style made Dinamo Zagreb fans deeply adore him. Blazing speed! Excellent ball skills! Crazy dribbling shows! Countless clutch performances! All these made 18-year-old Suker the first star of Dinamo Zagreb. Not only Dinamo Zagreb, across Croatia "Tiny Suker" had become the most watched name. The Croatian News Agency, the official media, released a TV report a few days ago. The report focused on Suker. "The 1998 World Cup left us deeply hurt because we cared too much." "But what comforts us is that in this war-torn land, hope has sprouted again!" "From Davor Suker to Suker, yes! We never lost Suker!"