The All-Around Center Forward

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and Suker gradually adapted to life in Madrid.

In the suburbs, the rhythm of life hadn't changed much — still relatively slow-paced. For example, the first bus of the day didn't even start until around 8 AM.

Sometimes Suker wanted to get to training early but simply couldn't.

Because of this, he accelerated his driving license process. Fortunately, getting a license in Spain wasn't too difficult.

So while preparing for the test, Suker also continued training.

His integration into Real Madrid was swift—or rather, he had no tactical issues at all.

Although some of the chemistry was still developing, Suker's positional awareness and tactical movement always placed him where he needed to be.

For the whole week—except the first few days—training was focused on ball work.

This signaled that Real Madrid was beginning to prepare for the new season.

Before the league kicked off, the team would play a few warm-up matches.

Pellegrini arranged three preseason friendlies, against clubs from the Premier League, Serie A, and Bundesliga.

On August 3, the entire Real Madrid squad set out for London, where they would face Arsenal in a friendly.

Despite the departure of Thierry Henry, Arsenal remained a force to be reckoned with, especially with the rise of Cesc Fàbregas.

The Gunners had once again found strong attacking momentum.

Many now regarded Fàbregas and Modrić as the two strongest young midfielders in the Premier League:

Fàbregas: agile, creative

Modrić: composed, mature

Though their styles differed, both showed the signs of true midfield maestros.

By afternoon, the team arrived in London.

The next day, they would face Arsenal in a preseason test.

This would be a good way to gauge their current form.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Pellegrini stood on the sideline, watching as Suker repeatedly sent the ball into the net.

His precise technique and excellent form gave Pellegrini great confidence.

He had been looking forward to coaching Suker—but now, Suker was even better than expected.

Especially with Suker's frequent dropping back, Real Madrid's attack became more fluid and sharp.

He could break down defenses on his own, or act as a pivot supporting the wings.

The perfect striker template.

"Suker's in top form!" Pellegrini squinted with a smile.

Over the past few days, he'd had Suker try out multiple positions:

Center forward

Left-wing forward

Right-wing forward

Even central midfield

Suker performed brilliantly in every role.

He even linked up well with Xabi Alonso and Guti, acting as a channel for offensive buildup.

Under Suker's influence, players like Higuaín, Benzema, and Raúl also began performing beyond expectations.

"That's it for today!"

Pellegrini called an end to training and shouted:

"We've gone over all tactics. Tomorrow is our first preseason match. Everyone will get playing time.But don't test my patience."

After the pep talk, everyone returned to the hotel.

The hotel had two players per room.Suker's roommate was Karim Benzema.

Benzema seemed a little shy—After all, Suker was the team's new star, and they hadn't spoken yet.Suddenly being assigned to the same room felt a bit awkward.

Suker, on the other hand, was unfazed.After his shower, he emerged drying his hair and asked:

"You not gonna shower?"

"Just about to!"

Benzema grabbed his change of clothes and rushed into the bathroom.

Suker glanced at the time—it was dinnertime.

He didn't go alone but waited a moment.

When Benzema came out of the bathroom, Suker gestured:

"Come on, let's eat!"

Benzema quickly followed, looking visibly happy.

He was emotionally intelligent and understood the dynamics.Getting along with Suker could help solidify his place at Real Madrid.

"You were teammates with Vukojević, right? That guy always hitting up nightclubs in Paris?"

Suker couldn't forget Vukojević's VIP nightclub card from Paris.

Benzema blinked:

"I'm not sure. I wasn't that close to him. I'm tighter with Dujmović."

"Tomi?" Suker was surprised."You're close with Tomi?"

Benzema nodded and smiled:

"We clicked personality-wise. And he always talked about you."

"Let me guess, trash-talking me all day?" Suker grinned.

"Why would he trash-talk you?" Benzema looked confused."He always said how amazing you were. Before you even won the Euros, he said if anyone would become a Croatian hero, it'd be you."

Suker was stunned.

He didn't expect his buddy to speak so highly of him.

He immediately took out his phone and dialed Dujmović.

Once the call connected, Suker blurted:

"Heard you worship me?"

On the other end:

"??? Are you crazy?! I swear I—"

Click. Suker hung up.

"He admitted it."

Benzema was completely puzzled.

At the dining hall, the players picked out their food buffet-style.

Suker loaded up his plate—his recent intense training had increased his appetite.

Benzema was watching his weight, so he only picked what he needed for basic nutrition.

After getting his food, Suker walked straight over to the Spanish players, like Casillas.

Benzema hesitated—he wasn't familiar with them yet.

But in the end, he followed Suker anyway.

"That's all you're eating?"

Suker sat across from Casillas and looked at the nearly empty plate.

Casillas looked at Suker's overflowing tray and laughed:

"Aren't you eating a bit too much? Watch your weight."

Suker shrugged:

"Young guys digest well. If I'm still eating like this at 30-something, then you can worry."

Cough cough cough!From the next table, Raúl started violently coughing—clearly feeling attacked.

He quietly slid his overloaded plate to the side and used his body to block it—trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Tomorrow's match won't be easy. Arsenal's no joke," said Casillas.

Suker nodded:

"Which La Liga team would you say Arsenal is most like?"

Casillas looked at him.

No preseason opponent was chosen at random—especially for a club like Real Madrid.

Their preseason rivals often had tactical equivalents in La Liga.

Arsenal? They were the proxy for Barcelona.

"Barcelona," Casillas answered.

Both teams emphasized possession-based play.

Though their styles differed:

Barcelona focused on true possession—Patient passing, stretching the pitch, probing the defense.

Arsenal leaned more on pass-and-move combinations,More direct and entertaining—thanks to Wenger's "beautiful football" philosophy.

After a satisfying dinner, and after replenishing their energy, the players returned to their rooms.

Benzema clearly wanted to chat more—he was trying to grow closer to Suker.

Suker didn't mind, but his body clock kicked in.

Around 10 PM, he was already getting sleepy.

After exchanging a few lines, he fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing that Suker had stopped responding, Benzema got out of bed, turned off the lights, and lay down too.

In the dark, he quietly made a wish:

Tomorrow's friendly — I have to deliver.