AC Milan returned to Milan Airport on August 16.
At Šuker's request, the whole team stayed an extra day in China — and during that day, Šuker treated the entire squad to a proper Sichuan hot pot meal.
Stubborn as always, Šuker just had to get his favorite food.
Ancelotti could only shake his head in resignation.
Šuker didn't have many hobbies — but eating was definitely one of them.
Ancelotti knew all too well that if he didn't let Šuker get his fix in China, the guy would go around Milan hunting down Sichuan hot pot restaurants.
And once he found one, it wouldn't be just one or two meals — he'd go there constantly.
For a professional athlete, greasy and oily food like authentic Chinese cuisine couldn't be consumed frequently.
After Milan returned to their training base, the media also began their coverage.
But the main focus wasn't the hot pot — it was Šuker's outrageous Pendulum and Body Feint combo from the Italian Super Cup.
Šuker once again became the talk of all Europe.
By now, he was media gold — even if he did nothing, he was still front-page material.
Why? Because he generated buzz. People bought it. People loved it.
Back home, Šuker enjoyed a good sleep.
The next day, he and Kaká arrived at the training base a bit later than others.
By the time they arrived, training had already begun. One person, Pato, was being punished with laps.
Pato, still underage due to Brazilian regulations, was not allowed to play for AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup.
So he had to stay behind at the training base for solo training.
Ancelotti valued Pato highly — he'd arranged for dedicated coaching for him.
But Pato's personality was too wild.
Not surprising. At 17 years old, already signed by AC Milan — it's natural for someone to get a little carried away.
And Pato certainly did — barely a month after signing, he went clubbing all night on his own.
Worse still, he got into a verbal altercation over a girl — and got photographed by the media.
The next day, Milan Sports Daily harshly criticized him.
"A young player already indulging in such reckless behavior, neglecting proper training — not a talent worth investing in."
Even many AC Milan fans were disappointed in him.
A genius, it seemed, was already on the road to wasting his potential.
"Milan is a team with strict discipline. You just joined, and you're already hitting nightclubs? Don't you know the rules — no drinking, no clubbing during competition periods?"In the locker room, Ambrosini scolded Pato harshly.
Pato leaned against the wall, sulking:
"The season hasn't even started yet…"
"Talking back?! Still have the guts to argue? If it were me, I'd slap him! Slap him hard!"someone chimed in loudly.
Ambrosini's face twitched.
He kept a serious tone:
"You're being punished with laps today — do you accept it?"
"I accept! I know I was wrong!"
Another voice piped up:
"He doesn't accept it! Look at his face — totally unconvinced! Slap him!"
Ambrosini took a deep breath, calming his frustration. He looked at Pato and said sincerely:
"Pato, you've got talent. We all expect big things from you. Life offers a lot of temptations, but you need to stay focused if you want to succeed."
Off to the side, Šuker lay sprawled on the bench, head resting on his hand, and added fuel to the fire:
"Classic tactic — scold him first, then throw him a sugar cube. Pato, if you back down, I'll lose all respect for you!"
"Šuker! Shut up!"Ambrosini shouted.
Šuker grinned:
"Okay okay, shutting up, Captain. Don't get mad."
Ambrosini stared at Šuker, helpless.
This was the biggest troublemaker in the dressing room — apart from Maldini, no one could keep him in check.
Ambrosini wanted to establish authority over him, but that wasn't an easy task.
Kaká, Gattuso, Inzaghi, and Nesta also glanced at Šuker, all of them looking a little exasperated.
They had no idea why Šuker always clashed with Ambrosini.
The two didn't have a particularly bad relationship — but they certainly weren't friends.
And Ambrosini had never really offended him either.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Šuker packed up and left the locker room.
Ambrosini kept his gaze on him until he walked out.
Kaká immediately followed.
"Why do you always push Massimo's buttons? He's the new captain — doing this only destabilizes the team."
Kaká sighed.
If it were anyone else causing trouble, Ambrosini could manage.
But not Šuker.
Šuker had too much influence.
If conflict broke out between Šuker and Ambrosini, the Milan locker room would fall apart.
Players like Kaká, Inzaghi, Gattuso, Nesta — they'd be caught in the middle.
"I just don't like the way he does things,"Šuker replied casually.
"He's doing a good job!"Kaká argued.
Šuker turned to him:
"A classic Italian authoritarian. That's 'good' to you?"
"Just the other day, that guy criticized Simunic right in front of me. Fine — if someone makes a mistake, they should be called out.But did he really have to say, 'You Eastern Europeans are all like this'?That's just a low comment."
Kaká frowned:
"This is all because of that?"
Šuker:
"I'm not a saint. There are people in Milan who can criticize me — but Massimo isn't one of them.The only captain I recognize at Milan is Maldini — because he never cared whether I was Croatian or not."
"I never wanted to be the boss here.But if someone's going to throw dirt at me, I won't just sit and take it."
Šuker patted Kaká on the chest:
"Don't worry — I won't make things hard for you guys."
He smiled and shrugged:
"Worst case, I'll just leave."
Kaká's expression changed instantly.
Things were spiraling out of control.
"Šuker really said that?"Ancelotti asked, cigarette in hand, brow tightly furrowed.
In the room were Maldini, Ambrosini, and Milan vice chairman Galliani.
This showed how serious the situation had become.
Kaká was nervous — he knew he shouldn't have tattled,but Šuker's words made him very uneasy.
He felt the club needed to know.
"I never targeted Šuker — I didn't mean it like that!" Ambrosini spoke up immediately.
"I admit, I've been a bit tense lately — but I just want to stabilize the dressing room after Paolo's departure. I never wanted to divide it!"
The room fell silent.
Everyone was conflicted.
Ambrosini had been chosen as Maldini's successor as captain.
But Šuker was Milan's most high-profile, marketable, and influential player.
Both of them were major forces in the dressing room.
A conflict between them could cause a major internal earthquake.
After a long silence, Ambrosini stood up and said:
"If I really caused this tension, then I'll talk to Šuker myself.I never intended to harm team unity."
Galliani said nothing.
Ancelotti sighed.
Maybe that was the right move.
The next day, Ambrosini walked into the office all smiles.
"We had a great talk! Šuker told me there's no conflict anymore.He said he won't challenge me again, the locker room is mine to manage, and he won't interfere." Ambrosini beamed.
"Turns out Šuker is easier to talk to than I thought!"
Easier to talk to?
Seriously?
Galliani and Ancelotti looked at each other.
Was it really that simple?
Only Maldini sighed and shook his head:
"I'll go talk to him."
Everyone looked at Maldini.
"But… didn't I already resolve it?" Ambrosini asked in confusion.
Maldini sighed:
"If I don't go now, by the end of this season, Šuker might be gone."
Everyone turned pale.
Ambrosini muttered:
"But… we really did have a good talk…"
Maldini shook his head.
That wasn't a 'good talk'.
Ambrosini had gone in as the new Milan captain to confront Šuker — that alone put Šuker on the opposite side of the dressing room.
It wasn't a conversation — it was a power play, an attempt to pressure him.
And worse — it was using the entire Milan system to suppress him.
But Šuker wasn't someone you could pressure.
The only reason things seemed "resolved" was because Šuker flipped the table.
He was washing his hands of Milan.
His attitude was clear:
"Do what you want. I'm out."
Right now, Šuker had probably already called his agent to Milan.
If Maldini didn't act fast, the guy would soon be talking to other clubs.
And Maldini couldn't let that happen.