Chapter 89 - 3: Davor Suker

Chapter 89: Chapter 3: Davor Suker

On his first night at Dinamo Zagreb, Suk had a good dream.

In the dream, he wore the red and black jersey of AC Milan and played alongside Maldini, Gattuso, Kaka, and Inzaghi.

Even though it was just a dream, it put Suk in a very good mood.

Moving from the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League to Dinamo Zagreb—wasn’t that a huge leap forward?

The day after joining Dinamo Zagreb, Suk, Modric, and Mandzukic were led by a staff member to a local hospital in Zagreb for their physicals.

The whole process wasn’t very complicated. The club probably had a partnership with the hospital, so the entire procedure only took half an hour.

Afterward, Suk, Modric, Mandzukic, and the others could choose their jersey numbers.

Because Dinamo Zagreb was rebuilding, apart from a few veterans, a whole slew of jersey numbers were available.

Numbers 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11—all key player numbers—were all up for grabs.

After confirming multiple times that the number 9 jersey was unavailable, Suk chose number 7.

This was also the number Be?i? had suggested for Suk.

Based on the number choice, Suk was basically positioned as a winger.

Modric chose number 8.

In the end, Suk chose number 7, Modric number 8, Mandzukic number 11, and Vukojevic, another new signing, chose number 5.

As for the number 10 jersey, which represented the core of the team, Be?i? chose to keep it reserved.

After all this was taken care of, Dinamo Zagreb announced their signings through the media.

However, the announcement didn’t receive much attention. Aside from Modric, who was familiar to the local fans, the rest of the players were unknown.

Because of this, there wasn’t much of a reaction.

Besides, news of Davor Suker’s return to Dinamo Zagreb had already flooded Croatia, making their signings even more inconspicuous.

The Croatian League started early; the first round’s opening match was scheduled for July 17th.

As a result, the entire holiday break was compressed and very tight.

Moreover, Dinamo Zagreb had just finished rebuilding. The team was almost entirely new and needed more time to gel.

Head Coach Be?i? required the players to assemble on June 1st for a month of intensive training and team building.

Suk and the others had basically no time to rest.

On May 29th, Dinamo Zagreb held a grand welcoming ceremony for Davor Suker.

As Croatia’s superstar, Davor Suker’s return injected a dose of hope into the hearts of Dinamo Zagreb’s fans.

Especially when, during the signing ceremony, Be?i? placed the captain’s armband on Davor Suker’s arm, the crowd erupted.

No one was more suitable to be the team’s captain than Davor Suker.

On May 31st, with only one day left before training camp, Suk, Mandzukic, and Vukojevic were heading back after eating at a restaurant near the training ground.

"Tomorrow’s the first day of training camp. We have to make a good impression."

Mandzukic was already full of energy.

Ever since joining Dinamo Zagreb, the guy had been in a state of excitement.

Having Davor Suker as his rival didn’t diminish his fighting spirit at all; on the contrary, it made him even more thrilled.

Vukojevic nodded lightly without speaking.

From their interactions over the past two days, it was clear this guy was the quiet, introverted type.

Apart from being able to communicate normally during a match, he said as little as possible the rest of the time.

"Should we train a bit more tonight to prepare for tomorrow?" Mandzukic suggested.

Vukojevic, at his side, seemed tempted.

But Suk waved his hand and said, "Tomorrow’s the first day of camp. Based on past training patterns, the first day is almost all conditioning—the kind that makes you run until you puke. We should save some energy."

Hearing this, the other two thought it made sense and had to calm their slightly excited moods.

Suk glanced at Mandzukic and Vukojevic.

’According to news from within the team, there are also Duimovic, Planic, and Serna.’

’Not counting the three old-timers—Davor Suker, Jarni, and Stimac—the rest are all young players. The oldest, Duimovic, is only 22.’

’You could say this is the template for a youth squad.’

’The most crucial part is that these guys will all be future members of the Croatia National Team!’

’That’s enough to prove the caliber of this lineup.’

Just as the three of them were walking towards the training base, the roar of an engine suddenly echoed.

VROOOOM~~~~~~~

The three of them turned their heads in unison.

A red Ferrari, the latest Enzo model, came speeding from the end of the road.

In an era where classic cars ruled the road, this Ferrari supercar was an absolute attention-grabber.

With just one glance, Mandzukic and Vukojevic were captivated by the brilliant chassis, unable to look away.

Suk was a little better, but he also looked curiously at the Ferrari supercar, an extremely rare sight in Zagreb.

SCREECH~~~~

The sound of a sudden stop, of tires grinding against the pavement.

The red Ferrari stopped beside the three of them. The window slowly rolled down, and Davor Suker, wearing sunglasses and a brown jacket in the driver’s seat, reached a hand out the window.

He had some expensive-looking accessories on his fingers. Suk couldn’t name them, but they looked very valuable at a glance.

He wore a gold Rolex watch on his wrist.

Davor Suker looked at the envious expressions on the three young rookies’ faces and couldn’t help but pat his car.

"Good afternoon, lads. Is the Dinamo Zagreb training base up ahead?"

Suk turned his head and looked ahead. ’There’s a huge road sign right there.’

’This guy definitely stopped just to show off.’

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly put on a bright smile and said, "Just go straight ahead!"

Davor Suker snapped his fingers and smiled. "Alright, Suk, see you in a bit!"

Suk looked at him in surprise. ’The guy knows who I am!’

The red Ferrari sped forward again with a roar.

At that moment, Mandzukic and Vukojevic also reacted.

"Oh no!" Mandzukic said suddenly. "The road ahead is under construction! He should’ve taken the side entrance!"

Suk suddenly slapped his forehead.

"I forgot to tell him!"

Although he said that, there wasn’t the slightest hint of regret on Suk’s face.

Vukojevic, who was standing to the side, saw this, and a peculiar expression appeared in his eyes as he looked at Suk.

’This guy definitely did it on purpose!’

Sure enough, after they walked a little further, they saw the red Ferrari parked on the side of the road.

Davor Suker was squatting by the roadside, on the phone. When he saw the three of them approaching, a hint of embarrassment showed on his face.

"You didn’t tell me the road was under construction."

Davor Suker said to Suk resentfully.

Suk scratched his head, looking quite apologetic. "Sorry, I was too excited, so it didn’t cross my mind."

Suk’s act was very convincing. Davor Suker just waved his hand, not planning to hold it against him.

The four of them waited by the roadside for road assistance.

Mandzukic and Vukojevic had already entered fanboy mode, firing off one question after another.

"What’s it like to play in the FIFA World Cup?"

"Is it tiring playing for Real Madrid?"

"What’s the difference between playing for a giant club versus a regular team?"

The two of them were full of questions, asking them nonstop.

They had finally managed to corner a top superstar, and naturally, they didn’t want to waste the opportunity.

Suk was also squatting to one side, but he didn’t have as many questions.

When Davor Suker mentioned certain star players, Suk would react, but not as intensely.

While answering questions, Davor Suker was also paying attention to Suk.

Be?i?’s information packet had contained details on many young players, but only two had left a deep impression on Davor Suker.

One was Suk, and the other was Modric.

Their tangible talent made him extremely excited.

He even sometimes wondered if these two had been born a few years earlier, could they have made another breakthrough at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, reaching the finals or even lifting the FIFA World Cup Trophy?

Of course, Suk knew nothing about any of this.

Soon, road assistance arrived. A flatbed truck towed the red Ferrari away, and the four of them walked to the training base on foot.

"Tomorrow’s the first day of training. I’ll be looking forward to your performance."

Davor Suker smiled and waved at the three of them.

Mandzukic and Vukojevic reacted with great excitement.

Suk was also looking forward to it, but his feelings were more weighted with solemnity.

After saying goodbye to the three youngsters, Davor Suker went to Be?i?’s office.

"You need to get the road at the entrance fixed. My car just got towed."

Davor Suker plopped down in Be?i?’s office chair, and the latter didn’t object at all.

In public, they were Head Coach and player, but in private, they were friends.

"But this little accident also let me have a brief chat with Suk, Mandzukic, and Vukojevic," Davor Suker said with a laugh. "Those three kids are all fired up, wanting to put us old-timers in our place!"

It’s a good thing for young players to have a strong fighting spirit.

Competition is fundamental to the world of football.

A player who doesn’t know how to compete can never reach greater heights.

"What was your impression?" Be?i? asked.

Davor Suker stroked his chin and said, "Well, how should I put it? Mandzukic and Vukojevic were mostly staring at my watch and my sports car. It’s understandable for young people to aspire to a better life. I show these things off partly to motivate them."

"As for Suk..." Davor Suker’s expression turned odd. "He kept staring at my legs, especially my left one!"

Be?i? was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "His focus is always a bit strange. He was probably wondering why you’re known as the ’Golden Left Foot’!"

Davor Suker also smiled and said, "Tomorrow’s the first day of training camp. Let me see for myself what this next generation of Croatia you’ve gathered is capable of!"