Chapter 77: An Offer from Zagreb

Walking out of Davor Šuker's house, Bešić let out a long breath. Despite his best efforts to persuade him, Davor Šuker still hadn't given a clear answer. Now, all he could hope for was that the documents would do their job. Inside the folder were profiles of many young players Bešić had picked out—Modrić, Šuker, Mandžukić, Vukojević, and others. Ring ring! His phone rang. Bešić answered. "Okay, I'll head back tonight. I'll deal with it once I return." Hanging up, Bešić rubbed his temples—he had been dizzy from all the recent busyness. Back inside, Davor Šuker sipped his drink, occasionally glancing at the folder on the table. After a while, he put the bottle aside and opened the folder. He spent the entire night going through the materials and watching the tapes inside. The next day, once Bešić returned to Dinamo Zagreb, he received a call from Davor Šuker. "My contract expires this year. I can transfer as a free agent, but can you afford my salary?" Upon hearing this, Bešić's face lit up with joy. "I've sold quite a few players. We've got plenty of funds now," he paused, then added, recalling Šuker's current wages, "as long as your demands aren't too outrageous!" Šuker couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry. It'll definitely be within your budget. See you next season, then!" Bešić nodded, "See you next season!" After hanging up, Bešić pumped his fist with excitement. "Finally, some good news!" Securing Davor Šuker was a huge step forward and lifted Bešić's spirits immensely. Soon, he shared the news with Jategenić, who was far away in Mostar. "Oh my God! Davor Šuker is coming back?" Jategenić exclaimed. "You've pulled off something big! The fans will be thrilled!" "Yes!" Bešić replied excitedly. "How's your side doing?" Jategenić was watching a match at Zrinjski Stadium. Seeing the scoreboard showing a commanding Zrinjski Mostar 5:1 NK Široki Brijeg, he exclaimed, "It's fantastic here!" After the call ended, Jategenić saw Šuker about to move into the middle, when coach Van Stroyak shouted from the sidelines: "Go wide! The flank!" Under his coach's orders, Šuker had to change direction. After a few failed attempts to break through, he was forced to pass the ball back. This made Jategenić very unhappy. "Why not let him go through the middle?! What the hell is this!" Jategenić shouted from the sidelines. But his voice didn't reach coach Van Stroyak. Since the match against Sarajevo, Šuker had been playing on the wing. At first, Jategenić thought it was Šuker's own choice, until the coach repeatedly called him back whenever he moved central—then he realized it was all tactical. They had made Šuker a traditional winger! Sure, Šuker had pace and great off-the-ball movement, but his best role was as an attacking commander. Using a strategist as a wide dribbler was a complete waste of talent. Though moving Šuker wide did open up more room for Modrić, allowing him to operate more freely, the tactic was clearly clunkier than when the two operated as dual central organizers. You couldn't just expand Modrić's role at the cost of sacrificing Šuker's. Of course, even as a winger, Šuker made an impact with his pace and attacking runs. But his role was more limited, and he wasn't playing as comfortably. His movement was restricted, and the opposing fullbacks found it easier to mark him. When the match ended in a 5–1 victory, Šuker looked battered but wore a radiant smile. Despite the many fouls, fewer touches, and more limited role, coach Van stroyak hadn't restricted his shooting. As a winger, Šuker was tasked with making forward runs and either shooting or assisting Kosović. In this match, he didn't score but recorded an assist—and he was thrilled. Because he got to shoot more. Even if a few were off-target, the chance to shoot made him happy. "Are we placing too many restrictions on Šuker tactically?" asked assistant coach Vandir, worried that Šuker might be dissatisfied. Šuker was no longer the obedient little kid who would follow any instructions without question. For Zrinjski Mostar, Šuker and Modrić were arguably the two most crucial players. Vandir was concerned that they might upset him. Coach Van Stroyak was silent for a moment before pointing at Šuker ahead: "Does he look unhappy?" Vandir looked over. Šuker was beating his chest and stomping his feet. "That forward run in the 15th minute! If I were stronger, I could've pushed through and scored!" "And the one at 30 minutes too! I stayed up but couldn't finish! And in the 63rd minute of the second half..." Šuker was dramatically acting it all out—but he looked thrilled. With this win, Zrinjski Mostar moved one step closer to the title. The whole team was brimming with morale. The hunger for their first Bosnian Premier League title was driving everyone forward. They had already broken Sarajevo's dominance in the league. And for coach Van Stroyak, it marked a major success. As a foreign coach, delivering the club's first league title in just his second year was a major achievement. Support for him was at an all-time high. However, Van Stroyak had his worries. Dinamo Zagreb had just issued a recall for Modrić. That meant Modrić would return after the season ended. Losing this midfield genius was a huge blow, and Van Stroyak was deeply frustrated. He had spoken with Modrić several times, but it was clear the player was eager to return. Before that issue had even settled, another one arose. The day after Modrić's recall notice, Dinamo Zagreb sent a transfer offer. €500,000! Dinamo Zagreb wanted to buy Šuker for €500,000! The news hit Van stroyak like a hammer. He immediately rushed to see the club's sporting director, Kelly Vekmanžić. "€500,000?! That's a complete insult to what Šuker brings to the team! We can't sell him—not a chance!" Van Stroyak was nervous. Zrinjski Mostar wasn't in a good financial position. He feared the club might be tempted. Losing one key player was already bad enough—losing both would be a disaster. Seeing Vekmanžić's silence only made him more uneasy. "We didn't accept it," Vekmanžić finally said, calming Vranješ. "That was a wise decision," he replied, nodding. "Yes! We thought so too... because they upped the offer by another €300,000!" Vranješ: "?? What do you mean??" Vekmanžić pulled out a fax. "This afternoon's fax. They move fast. After we rejected the morning offer, they sent a new one in the afternoon—€800,000! We couldn't say no." Vranješ stared blankly. He had lost two of his team's key players in a single day. Seeing the coach's grim expression, Vekmanžić quickly tried to calm him. "Even though we lost Šuker, we got €800,000! The club still supports you—we're allocating €500,000 for transfers. Bosnian players are cheap. With this budget, you can bring in whoever you want." Hearing that, Van Stroyak's face lightened. Vekmanžić pressed on, "Look, man, we have to face reality. With their performance this season, they were never going to stay in Bosnia. They're destined for more. If we had refused, do you really think Šuker would sit quietly? That kid's a firecracker!" A bitter smile appeared on Van stroyak's face. He didn't want to admit it, but Vekmanžić was right. If they tried to block it, who knows what Šuker would do. What they didn't know was—Šuker already knew. "Dinamo Zagreb made an offer for me?!" Šuker jumped out of bed. Modrić nodded, "Coach told me on the phone!" This was a huge step up! Even though Dinamo Zagreb wasn't in the top five leagues, it ranked 16th in Europe, firmly mid-upper tier. Its league was much more competitive and offered far more opportunities than Bosnia. Šuker wasn't like Mazic, who could afford to reject offers from Russia. Šuker needed better competition to grow—and to rack up achievements.