Chapter 199: The Real Milan

Words : 1384 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

"Right now, a lot of media are waiting to laugh at us, so they'll make things difficult for you too!" Araujo patted Suk's shoulder and smiled, "You did great, you little rascal!" Suker: "I'm not a rascal... I really didn't understand!". Araujo rolled his eyes. "Alright, everything is settled now. Congratulations on joining AC Milan!" "Oh right, give me your address." Suker looked confused: "Address?" He turned to Zorancic. Zorancic went ahead and gave it to him directly. "What do you want my address for?" Suk asked. Araujo grinned, "Paolo asked for it." "The captain?" Suker was surprised, then nodded. "Alright. Can I go now?" "Go ahead!" Suker said goodbye to Araujo and Zorancic, then got into the same business van to head to his new home. His new home was a detached villa about three kilometers from the training base. The entire street was very clean, with rows of villas. Many of the homes had their lights on. The car sped along and stopped in front of one villa. The villa was a cube-shaped modern house made up of three interconnected blocks. Besides the villa itself, there was a lawn roughly ten meters in diameter surrounding the house. The perimeter was lined with thick greenery for privacy, and there was even an outdoor pool. Having never lived in a luxury home before, Suk immediately fell in love with the place. "Boban sure is rich!" Suker couldn't help but sigh. Zorancic said, "These houses aren't that expensive, since it's in the suburbs. You can afford one too." Suker shook his head. At the moment, he had no plans to buy a home in Milan. After saying goodbye to the driver, the two of them entered the villa through the front gate. Inside, the place was pitch black. Once they turned on the lights, everything lit up. The left side of the villa was spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides that made it incredibly bright. The right side and the center were connected — a long living room and an open-concept kitchen. The only downside was that apart from a bed bought for the upstairs bedroom, there was no furniture. No sofa, TV, fridge, or even training equipment. It seemed Boban bought the house but never actually lived in it. The entire space felt very empty. "We came too fast, no time to furnish. Tomorrow I'll get someone to buy the essentials — just tell me everything you need," said Zorancic. Suker nodded immediately. "A cleaning crew has been hired to take care of the place. They'll clean during training days when you're not home, so they won't disturb your life." "And also—" Ding-dong! The doorbell rang. Suker and Zorancic exchanged a look. "Someone you called?" Suk asked. Zorancic shook his head. Suker thought for a moment, walked to the door, and asked, "Who is it?" There was no sound from outside. Suker frowned and nodded toward Zorancic. Zorancic walked over to the security system panel, which could contact the local patrol police directly if needed. Suker put on the chain lock and slowly opened the door. "WHO—?!" Suker jumped back, startled by a fierce-looking face suddenly in front of him. A cheerful voice called out. "Open the door, kid!" It was Gattuso. Suker quickly unlocked the door. "Welcome to Milan!" "Welcome to AC Milan!" "Welcome, Suker!" Maldini, Gattuso, Pirlo, Nesta, Kaka, and others came rushing in carrying bags and packages. Maldini even had a camcorder in hand, threw an arm around Suker's shoulders, and said: "Look here and say hi." Suker waved dumbly: "Hello." Maldini grinned into the camera: "This is Suker's welcome party! Rossoneri fans, here's our new No. 99! I think you all know him well!" Everyone flooded into the room. The once-empty house was suddenly full of life. "No furniture at all?" "He must've just moved in." "I told you we should've waited a day to let him rest." "A new teammate needs to be welcomed right away. Punch for you!" "Isn't this Boban's old villa?" They wandered around while Suker stood there dumbfounded. Maldini put away the camera and smiled, "It's your first day in Milan. We wanted you to feel the warmth of the club." "You haven't had dinner, have you?" Suker instinctively nodded. "We brought a ton of food!" Maldini raised the bags in his hand with a smile. Because Suker's place was still empty, they all sat on the floor. Forming a circle, Maldini and Gattuso sat on either side of Suker. "After playing against you, I knew you belonged in Milan. See? Now you're here!" Gattuso laughed heartily. Suker waved his hands, "Slow down — I don't understand!" "Quit pretending. We saw the press conference — you understand just fine!" Suker sighed, "Too fast... I can't keep up!" "Here, take this punch!" Gattuso raised a fist but ended up just ruffling Suk's hair. Maldini poured red wine for everyone and raised his glass: "Let's welcome our new teammate. I think we all know him well." Nesta chuckled, "He gave us a hard time on the pitch." Kaka pointed at Suker: "He nutmegged Ivan with an Elastico!" "Punch for you!" Gattuso decked Kaka with a punch. Kaka lay on the floor, laughing hysterically. Suker still hadn't quite processed everything. How to describe it? It was chaotic! So loud! "Let's welcome Suker — cheers!" "Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses and drank. Suker looked around and asked, "Where's Inzaghi?" "Filippo?" Gattuso replied, "Out picking up girls!" Suker: "..." Everyone chatted and laughed, the noise rising with each round of drinks. Suker kept observing. How to say it? This wasn't the AC Milan he had imagined. It wasn't all stern and distant. It was full of laughter and even a captain, Maldini, who would joke around. Nesta, known for being fierce, was actually very quiet. Pirlo kept provoking Gattuso and getting beat up for it. Kaka looked gentle but was even more mischievous than Pirlo. And Gattuso, who looked the scariest, was actually the team's punching bag. Suker sat cross-legged with arms folded. This AC Milan felt... off. It didn't match the image of a cold, power-struggling football giant. Was this really the legendary AC Milan? No... this was just a bunch of clowns! "Suker!" Kaka suddenly called him. Suker looked up. "What's your 30-meter sprint time?" In football, sprint distance is usually measured over 30 meters or less. Suker tilted his head: "I haven't measured it exactly." "He's fast. Cafu got burned by him multiple times. I had to cover a lot," said Nesta, frowning at first, then smiling. "But now, it's someone else's problem." Kaka grinned, "Let's race sometime. I'm pretty fast too." Suker nodded. Kaka was clearly feeling competitive. "Why did you arrive so early?" Maldini asked. Suker: "Nothing to do in Zagreb. All my teammates had left." Maldini nodded. "Not taking a vacation?" Suker shook his head. "Never taken one." Gattuso clapped his shoulder. "Next time, I'll take you to a great spot." They had some idea about Suker's background. "Suker still doesn't know Milan well — Kaka, keep an eye on him," said Maldini. Kaka nodded with a smile, "I live three villas to your left. If you need anything, just ask." Suker suddenly asked, "Do you have a car?" "Huh?" Kaka nodded. "Yeah, of course." Suker immediately raised his glass, "Good brother — cheers!" Kaka stupidly took a sip with him. "Lately, the club's been... having issues. Be careful with the media — don't say too much," Maldini reminded him. Suker nodded quickly. As drinks flowed, the atmosphere got more and more lively. A bunch of goofballs — but none of them had bad intentions. They were all as honest as they came. Joking, drinking, laughing — the vibe was incredibly relaxed. Suker let his guard down. Even if it wasn't what he expected, it was better than politicking and power plays. And just like that, Suker was already integrated into the team on his second day in Milan. It was a great start for him.

Chapter 199: The Real Milan

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