The All-Around Center Forward

"Ronaldinho dribbles in from the left… ohhhhhh~~~~~"

Aldo Serena suddenly exclaimed.

"Elastico! That movement was so smooth and elegant. Although he couldn't quite control his acceleration and the ball ricocheted off his shin out of bounds—it was still a brilliant dribbling attempt."

Ronaldinho shook his head with a smile, his ponytail swaying behind him.

Suker was right next to him and had a front-row seat to the entire move.

To be honest, Suker could pull off an elastico too, but it never looked as stylish as Ronaldinho's.

Damn, that was smooth!

Suker admired silently.

Though Ronaldinho's body had long been hollowed out by alcohol and women,his talent was still absurdly high.

His feel for the ball was borderline inhuman.

His dribbling was a perfect blend of competitiveness and showmanship—watching him on the ball felt like watching a dancer.

Suker's dribbling was more practical, functional.He could show off too—like passing with his shoulder—but he could never match Ronaldinho's flair.

Damn this insane ball feel! I want it so badly!

Suker stared wide-eyed at Ronaldinho with visible envy.

Ronaldinho noticed the stare and was startled for a moment.

Scratching his head, he chuckled,

"Sorry, I should've passed to you earlier!"

He thought Suker was mad at him for not passing.

Ronaldinho knew his place at Milan—If he wanted to stay, Suker was someone he absolutely couldn't afford to offend.

In reality, Suker wasn't mad.He was just jealous.

"No problem," Suker waved. "Keep going. We're ahead."

In fact, Suker was happy to let Ronaldinho keep dribbling.Even if he lost the ball, it'd usually be for a throw-in or corner—nothing dangerous.

In this phase of the match, Ronaldinho's dribbling was exactly what they needed.

Hearing that, Ronaldinho smiled even wider.

He no longer played with the same intensity as before—But he now truly enjoyed football for what it was.

…Although, yes—he loved alcohol and women more.

Ronaldinho's constant pressure from the wing was piling stress on Inter Milan.

Mourinho frowned on the sidelines—He felt it was time to make another change.

Just then, Zanetti intercepted a pass and quickly played it to Cambiasso.

Cambiasso dribbled horizontally to shake off Pirlo, then made a diagonal pass to Balotelli.

Balotelli received it and flicked the ball just right, sending it through Gattuso's legs.

He then raced around from the other side.

Facing Kaladze, Balotelli started pedaling the ball in stepovers,using Kaladze's shifting balance to juke him and carve out space.

"Pass it here!"

Zlatan Ibrahimović surged forward.

But a second later—Balotelli fired a shot straight into the side netting.

Everyone froze.

Was there even an angle?He shot that? With no angle??

Even Ibrahimović was stunned.Then he spread his arms and shook his head in frustration.

"What an idiot."

Balotelli clutched his head, deep in thought—rethinking life.

Suker turned to look at him too—He really wanted to know what Balotelli was thinking.

He remembered he had a special card in his player database—[Balotelli's Awareness]—but he never used it.

Why? Because I don't want to turn into an idiot.

If Suker had been in Zlatan's position, he would've probably gone over and kicked Balotelli.

Zlatan's just too nice.

"Substitutions!"

Mourinho made his final changes.

He beefed up the midfield by swapping out the underwhelming Stanković for Figo.

Also a defensive switch—Rivas off, Cordoba on.

With that, Inter launched their final charge.

Figo's cannon-like long shots began hammering the Milan goal—But Dida was in top form, saving them all.

Meanwhile, AC Milan's counterattacks, led by Suker, remained lethal.

Suker's runs were unpredictable, and the rest of the team adjusted their positioning around him.

That's the essence of being a true focal point.

Suker could do whatever he wanted,but everyone else had to move in sync with him.

88th minute.Time was running out.

Suker suddenly burst forward, charging into the space behind Cordoba.

At the same time, Ronaldinho smoothly used the outside of his foot to slot the ball into the penalty area.

Inter keeper César charged out decisively.

But Suker was just too fast.

He nudged the ball away just before César could reach it.

Chasing the ball, Suker reached it near the edge of the six-yard box at a sharp angle.

Chivu stood guard at the near post.

But Suker wasn't Balotelli—he wasn't going to shoot from an impossible angle.

He calmly rolled the ball back across the box.

Kaká sprinted in and smashed it into the net.

AC Milan's third goal.

89th minute. Game over.

Inter pushed hard in the final moments,but with a two-goal deficit, they had no hope.

They had to admit—This season's Derby della Madonnina ended one win each.

Full time.

AC Milan 3–1 Inter Milan.

Victory for Milan.

Suker—two goals and one assist—was named Man of the Match.

After the game, Mourinho was surrounded by reporters.

"Mr. Mourinho, before the game, you said Suker had no defining qualities. Do you still believe that after today?"

"Suker had two goals and an assist. How would you rate his performance?"

"Suker or Drogba?"

"Do you still think your judgment is authoritative?"

Faced with a swarm of smug Italian journalists, Mourinho snorted.

He took the gum from his mouth and stuck it on a camera,then walked off without a word.

Typical Mourinho—Always dramatic. Always unpredictable.

One persistent reporter tried to follow—but Mourinho turned and spat.

Ptooey!"Get lost! Beat it! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

Suker watched from the tunnel, stunned by Mourinho's behavior.

This guy was such a loose cannon when he was young…

As Mourinho passed by, he paused briefly.

"You played really well. I take back what I said before the match."

Suker smiled.

"Not trying to antagonize me anymore?"

Mourinho replied coldly:

"Don't make me spit on you."

"Be my guest."

Suker immediately stepped aside.

Best not to mess with a maniac like him.

The match wasn't too exhausting—Mainly because Inter hadn't yet fully clicked.

Their squad still had clear weaknesses.

But next season, that would change.

With the arrival of Eto'o, Milito, and Sneijder,this Inter team would finally become a real threat.

But by then—Suker would already be playing for Real Madrid.

For now, AC Milan fans could rejoice in the derby win.

But they also had to accept—Inter would only get stronger in the future.

Especially after Suker's departure,Milan might even be dominated by Inter.

Their immediate concern?Finding a proper manager.

Tassotti was only a stopgap—not capable of leading Milan's revival.

They had tried to recruit some big-name managers,but when those coaches learned that Suker was leaving,none of them wanted the job anymore.

With Suker, Milan still had a chance to compete.Without him, they had no confidence at all.

Their previous coach, Ancelotti, was doing great at Chelsea.He had already led them to the Champions League semifinals.

Chelsea was about to face Barcelona again.

But what Suker looked forward to most was the final: Barcelona vs. Manchester United.

Messi vs. Ronaldo.

Could Modrić hold his own against Xavi + Iniesta?

All of it…Would be incredibly fun to watch.