"Cristiano Ronaldo scores 30 goals in a single season, wins Premier League Player of the Year and the Golden Boot!"
"Inter Milan triggers Lionel Messi's release clause — if Messi agrees, the Argentine prodigy will join the Nerazzurri!"
"Barcelona changes managers! Legendary captain Guardiola appointed first-team head coach!"
On a small island near Milan — the set of a commercial shoot — Šuker sat under a beach umbrella in beach shorts and a tank top, reading a newspaper.
He clearly remembered: Cristiano Ronaldo's breakout season was supposed to be 2007/08 — the season he evolved into the "Golden Ronaldo" and scored over 30 goals, winning Premier League Player of the Year.
But now… that timeline seemed to have accelerated.
Coincidentally, after a poor season, Barcelona had also completed a managerial switch.
Guardiola had made his debut a year early on the European stage.
Šuker thought he was the only one improving — the only one developing ahead of schedule.
But these two freaks just wouldn't stop chasing.
He could accept Ronaldo's early rise… but Guardiola?!With this guy showing up early, didn't that mean the Barça Dream Team Era (Dream Team 3.0) was starting ahead of time too?
As of now, there was no news of Ronaldinho leaving yet, so who knew how things would play out.
Šuker had heard of the term "Butterfly Effect" — a butterfly flapping its wings could trigger a storm in another part of the world.
Now, it seemed that his own wings had begun to stir chaos.
He wasn't the only one improving anymore.
He could no longer use memories of the original timeline to predict what might happen — things had changed, and anything could happen.
A peak-form Manchester United vs the Dream Team Barcelona.
Ronaldo and Messi starting their double-king era early?
Šuker put down the newspaper and took a sip of iced coffee to cool his nerves.
It wasn't anger — more like a pressing anxiety.
In this world, only he truly understood how monstrous those two would become.
And now they were maturing even faster.
As for Milan's condition next season? Šuker wasn't sure. He couldn't predict how much form legends like Maldini would retain.
Previously, he dared to aim for the Champions League because even in decline, Milan could still burst into brilliance.
But now? He wasn't so sure.
If he was scoring at the front, and Milan's defense was leaking goals at the back, who knew how those matches would end.
It was fine against weak teams, but what if it was the Champions League semifinals?
Even if Šuker went full god-mode, Milan still might lose — unless you threw in a "Godslayer" Kaká.
But the final league match had already made one thing clear:
God-Mode Šuker and Godslayer Kaká couldn't coexist.
Tactical resources could only lean toward one player.
Which meant: only one of them could shine at a time.
Šuker sighed and shook his head. He couldn't solve this one — better to leave it to the professionals.
Surely Ancelotti was already researching it.
He was a master tactician — not only great with systems but also good at nurturing players, always giving tailored development advice.
Unlike Mourinho with his "workhorse" transformations, Ancelotti's approach was more creative and communicative.
"Hope Fat Carlo can figure it out," Šuker muttered, looking up at the clear blue sky.
"Feels like… it's time to leave."
Šuker had come to Milan for the benefits — to leap into stardom from a platform of glory.
After last season's exceptional performances, it was almost guaranteed he would take Ballon d'Or 2007 and FIFA World Player of the Year from Kaká's hands.
At least, as things stood, he was the undisputed frontrunner.
As long as there weren't any scandalous mishaps — the awards were his.
Now that he had gotten what he came for — the red carpet had been walked, the gold had been mined — Šuker felt it was time to prepare for departure.
He didn't yet have a clear destination…
But one thing was certain:
He wouldn't join any team with Messi or Ronaldo on it.
That ruled out Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich — the three strongest clubs of the future.
His sights were on one of those three.
Messi was at Barça — scratch that.
Ronaldo would end up at Real — scratch that.
So, the answer seemed obvious.
That said, he had his reservations about Bayern Munich too.
When it came to winning Ballon d'Ors… Bayern really didn't deliver.
Ribéry? Robbed.Lewandowski? Robbed.
In terms of commercial promotion, Bayern trailed Real and Barça by ten miles.
That was one of the reasons Šuker was hesitant about joining Bayern.
"What if I just push Messi out of Barcelona?"
He thought about it — impossible.
"Kick Ronaldo out of Real?"
Sigh…
He scratched his head in frustration.
"Šuker, it's time!"
From afar, Zorančić called him over.
Šuker put down the iced coffee and trudged forward with a helpless expression.
So much for a vacation…
Meanwhile, in the AC Milan manager's office:
Thick cigarette smoke filled the air.
Through the haze, a shadowy figure leaned over the desk, writing furiously.
The trash can beside him was overflowing with crumpled paper, scattered across the floor.
Still, Ancelotti kept working, deep in thought.
He had assumed last season was the toughest.
But the new season looked even harder.
With a tight transfer budget, he couldn't get the players he wanted.He couldn't rebuild the backline.He couldn't reinforce other positions either.
He'd tried negotiating.
But with lowball offers and slashed salaries, most players walked away.Talks broke down completely.
Now, Ancelotti finally understood Arsène Wenger's pain.
Why did Wenger love youngsters so much?People called him a "child lover" — screw that!
He was just broke.
Now, Ancelotti had no choice but to turn to cheap youth players too.
Right now, he was in talks with Internacional (Brazil) — trying to sign their top talent for AC Milan.
But Internacional was asking €30 million!
"Screw you!"
Ancelotti immediately cursed.
Even Šuker, with a Champions League Golden Boot, only cost Milan €30 million!
They were out of their minds.
€19 million. That's it.Take it or leave it.
That was Ancelotti's bottom line — and Milan's limit.
They weren't rich — they had to spend smart.
At the same time, Ancelotti was working on tactical solutions.
If he couldn't buy from outside, he'd have to develop from within.
Not from Milan's academy — but by retooling the first team.
Specifically, reworking Šuker and Kaká.
Kaká's explosive performance in the final match had been a pleasant surprise.
Now, with no new reinforcements, Ancelotti had to make it work with these two.
How to make them coexist?
How to share tactical resources?
He wanted both Godslayer Kaká and God-mode Šuker.
But they couldn't coexist.
That was the problem.
After much thought, Ancelotti accepted the truth:
Only one could exist.
So he changed his mindset:
If Šuker + Kaká = 4…Then instead of trying to get 4 out of 2,maybe he should aim for 3… or at least 2.5.
To do that, both players needed to adapt.
Šuker needed to produce the same results with fewer resources.
Kaká needed to deliver more if given slightly more focus.
If that could be done — Milan would regain its edge.
But progress so far?
Not great.
Click.
Ancelotti lit another cigarette and took a deep drag.
His eyes were full of fatigue.
To preserve Milan's competitiveness, to keep the glory alive — he had to work even harder.
He needed creativity.He needed to think outside the box.He needed a revolutionary rework of the team.
But how exactly?
Even though he had ideas, they were all scattered.
In silence, Ancelotti suddenly snapped and roared:
"Screw your €40 million!"
The man was pissed.
If they had enough money — he wouldn't have to suffer like this.