The All-Around Center Forward

Bang!

Kucher tried to chest the ball but failed to control it well; the ball dropped about two meters in front of him.

He hurried to chase it, but someone had already stepped in.

Suker controlled the ball, using his back to shield Kucher, then flicked the ball forward with his right foot and immediately accelerated, breaking through the double press of Kucher and Vyacheslav.

He looked up at the goal, pushed the ball with the instep, sending it curling toward the far post, and the ball sailed into the net.

"Goal!!!!!!!!!!"

The Turkish commentator shouted excitedly, "That's Suker! Any small mistake in front of this top striker can turn into a goal!"

"Kucher's miscontrol created an attacking opportunity for AC Milan, and Suker seized it, turning it into a goal."

"Shakhtar Donetsk's defense is clearly nervous and unstable in the opening minutes."

"Only 8 minutes into the match, and Suker has already scored a crucial goal, AC Milan leads Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0!"

The stadium erupted.

Fans all chanted Suker's name.

Suker! Suker! Suker!

Suker sprinted to the corner, dropped to his knees sliding in celebration.

His teammates quickly swarmed him.

The first goal in the final was precious—it allowed AC Milan to build their tactics around this lead.

On the other side, Jelavić looked toward Suker.

Since Suker and others had left Dinamo Zagreb, Jelavić took over the No.9 shirt, but his performances couldn't compare.

Not terrible, but not enough to meet fans' expectations for the number 9.

For a long time, Jelavić had been labeled a disappointment.

Years had passed, and he had drifted through Europe's major leagues, eventually landing in the Ukrainian league, aiming to return to a top European league—but it wasn't easy.

So far, no club from the "Big Five" leagues had made him an offer.

He thought he had matured enough.

Until he saw Suker's goal—he realized the gap was widening.

Whether it was chance conversion, shooting skills, or other aspects, Suker had made great progress since his Dinamo Zagreb days, and Jelavić saw no hope of catching up or surpassing him.

Conceding so early was painful for Shakhtar.

But the game must go on.

Shakhtar launched an immediate attack to equalize.

But AC Milan didn't give them a chance.

With tight defense, Shakhtar's forwards struggled to make an impact.

As their defense was occupied, Suker quietly made a forward run.

Pirlo won the ball and quickly passed to Beckham.

Beckham fired a precise long pass behind the defenders.

Suker accelerated sharply, darting past the defender.

"Oh~~ One-on-one!!"

Suker lightly stopped the ball with his right foot, letting it roll forward, keeping his speed.

He adjusted his footing, turned toward goal, and struck sharply with his right foot.

Swish!Another goal.

At 11 minutes, just 3 minutes after his first, Suker scored again.

His crazy form ignited wild cheers throughout the stadium.

Roars swept the pitch.

Suker became the center of attention.

In the stands, Maldini smiled and applauded, his face full of pride.

Suker's performance was as brilliant as ever, his powerful goals repeatedly giving AC Milan the lead.

Sadly, Suker was about to leave AC Milan.

Maldini felt bittersweet.

If not for the "phone-gate" scandal, if Serie A hadn't declined, if Milan had enough funds, Suker might have stayed.

In Maldini's mind, Suker succeeding him as AC Milan's next captain would have been ideal.

But now, it was too late.

"Suker! Suker!"

Maldini's two kids pumped fists, shouting excitedly from the stands.

On the coaching bench, Tassotti waved his fists enthusiastically.

This might be his first championship as AC Milan's head coach.

Of course, Suker's role was bigger.

But it was also recognition of Tassotti's work.

If it were some other interim coach, it wouldn't have been as good.

Costacurta watched the pitch, full of emotions.

The once immature youngster had grown into a top star.

He had hoped this day would come but hadn't expected it so soon.

Costacurta's expression was a bit melancholy.

The better Suker and his teammates performed, the faster their era was ending.

The future belonged to the younger generation!

After scoring two goals, AC Milan slowed the pace.

Shakhtar launched several threatening attacks but failed to score.

The match entered the second half.

After leading by two goals at halftime, AC Milan pushed forward again early in the second half.

At 52 minutes, AC Milan got a corner kick.

Pirlo delivered a smooth ball into the penalty area.

Suker and others charged in for the header.

Amid fierce physical contact, Suker used his arms to hold off two defenders.

While they focused on marking him, he suddenly stopped and leapt straight up.

Though not reaching the highest point, it was enough.

Suker rose fiercely in the crowd and headed the ball.

The ball hit the side of his forehead, then glanced off the far post.

Ping!The ball rebounded into the net.

Boom!!!!!!!!!!

The stadium erupted again.

At 53 minutes, Suker completed a hat-trick.

He had scored three goals alone, dominating the match.

Facing Suker's madness, Shakhtar was helpless.

At 56 minutes, both teams made substitutions.

AC Milan shifted to defense.

Shakhtar launched an all-out attack.

It was a final—losing meant nothing left.

Whether they lost by one goal or ten, a loss was a loss.

So they attacked.

They thought AC Milan's defense was poor and that they could storm through.

But after facing it for real, they realized Milan's defensive issues were serious, but not so vulnerable that they could break through at will.

Compared to Champions League teams with stronger lineups and attacks, Shakhtar's strength was insufficient to threaten Milan repeatedly.

Jelavić jumped for headers again and again.

But against 190 cm tall Šimunić, his aerial advantage was almost nonexistent.

Time ticked on.

The Europa League final gradually neared its end.

The crowd was reluctant for the match to finish, feeling time had flown by.

Almost the entire match was AC Milan pressing.

Shakhtar's counterattacks were rare and ineffective.

At 90+2 minutes, Shakhtar finally won a penalty.

Fernandinho's desperate breakthrough earned it.

Ruiz took the penalty and accurately hit the bottom right corner, scoring.

But it was too little too late.

Less than a minute remained.

Ruiz knew they had no chance to overturn.

They could only bitterly accept defeat.

Finally, full time was called.

The 2008/2009 Europa League final ended with AC Milan 3:1 Shakhtar Donetsk.

AC Milan won their first trophy of the season.

At the roaring Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, AC Milan lifted their first-ever Europa League trophy.

But among the joy, Milan fans felt some sadness.

They were about to bid farewell to Suker.

In the coming days, this all-powerful Milan No.10 would leave San Siro and begin a new journey.