"That's the whole story."
Šuker conveyed Ancelotti's request over the phone.
On the other end, Vukojević fell silent for a long time.
"Was this your idea?"
Šuker replied calmly:
"I respect whatever decision you make — don't worry about me."
He knew that if this request had seemed like it was coming from him personally, Vukojević would feel torn.
So he took himself completely out of it.
He wanted any decision to be based purely on Vukojević's own wishes.
Hearing that, Vukojević let out a long breath of relief.
"Then my answer is: 'Sorry.'"
Šuker smiled and nodded.
"Got it."
To be honest, Šuker felt awkward even making the call.
On one hand, Milan couldn't offer Vukojević better financial terms — not even much of a transfer fee.
On the other, Milan's competitive strength in Europe had clearly declined.
Vukojević was a starter at Lyon, playing as a solo defensive midfielder — why should he leave that role to come to Milan and fight for a spot?
Even a transfer should come with some upside.
No money. No guaranteed success. Why bother?
Ancelotti had hoped Šuker would use his influence — but Šuker wasn't going to do that.
"How'd the last two matches go?"
Šuker changed the subject — he didn't want to linger on the awkwardness.
"Pretty well! Mario scored three goals across both games, mostly coming off the bench."
"Even without you and Luka, if we couldn't beat Andorra and Estonia, we'd deserve to be eliminated early," Vukojević chuckled.
Šuker could hear the confidence in his friend's voice.
"Only one season left," Šuker suddenly said.
Vukojević's tone turned serious:
"Yeah. By Christmas, the Euro 2008 qualifiers will be done. After that, it's the real tournament — our first major international competition."
For the likes of Šuker, Modrić, Vukojević, and Mandžukić — aside from Srna — this would be their first taste of a big international tournament.
Naturally, they were highly motivated.
"Alright, I'll pass your message along," Šuker said before hanging up.
At Šuker's villa, Zorancic was peeling an apple and asked:
"So, Ognen's not interested in the transfer?"
Šuker replied:
"He's playing well at Lyon, and Milan can't offer much in return. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't transfer either. No point in adding more challenges to your career."
Zorancic sighed.
"Milan's really in that bad a shape?"
"If we stuck to our old style, we might still have some fight left in us," Šuker said."But Ancelotti wants a long-term rebuild. Kaká's role change is just the beginning."
Zorancic shrugged.
"What was wrong with the old style?"
"You think Ancelotti's the kind of guy who'll sit back and watch his team slide into mediocrity?"
Zorancic shook his head.
Ancelotti was ambitious — he wasn't the type to stand by and let the team lose its edge.
Even if he had to shake things up, he'd inject new life into Milan's system.
Of course, Ancelotti had no idea that Šuker was already considering a move away.
"How are the negotiations going?" Šuker asked suddenly.
Zorancic sighed.
"I sent an assistant to Madrid. But he was hijacked at the airport."
"Hijacked?" Šuker was shocked. "Is Madrid's public safety that bad?"
Zorancic rubbed his temples.
"No, no — not by robbers. Someone found out you might be planning a transfer."
Šuker frowned.
"Impossible."
He hadn't told anyone outside his inner circle about possibly leaving.Even Maldini only knew it was a possibility — not the details.
Only Šuker and Zorancic knew the rough outline of the next step.
"That's what I thought too," Zorancic said."Until I found out who hijacked my assistant: Florentino Pérez."
Šuker was stunned.
"The former president of Real Madrid?"
"They knew your assistant?"
"Because of my father," Zorancic cocsaid darkly."I thought I was free of their control. But I guess not — he's still meddling."
Zorancic looked annoyed. Even if it was his father, he had no right to interfere with his professional life.
"Just your father?" Šuker narrowed his eyes.
"He wouldn't leak something like this."
"True. But don't forget — my dad has a best friend."
"A big-mouthed best friend."
Šuker paused.
Then he growled:
"Davor Šuker! You damn traitor!"
Davor Šuker — one of the most influential people in Šuker's early career.
He'd helped him get noticed when no one else would.He'd paved the way for his big transfers — including the one that (accidentally) took him to AC Milan instead of Arsenal.
Despite that mishap, Davor was a key benefactor.
His one regret?
That he never got Šuker to Real Madrid.
He believed Madrid — commercially and competitively — was the best fit for Šuker.
In that regard, he wasn't wrong.
So once he heard rumors about a possible transfer…
He contacted Florentino Pérez himself.
That led to the "hijacking" incident.
Currently, Ramón Calderón was Real Madrid's sitting president.
Florentino and Calderón were political rivals — they couldn't stand each other.
Now Florentino was eager to unseat him.
Hijacking the assistant was step one.
He sent a message through the assistant to Šuker:
"Florentino believes you are crucial to Real Madrid's future. You'll be his most important signing —
…but he hopes you can wait one more year, until Calderón's term ends."
Šuker frowned.
"That means waiting until 2009."
Real Madrid's presidential term was four years.Calderón took office in 2006 — his term would end in 2009.
"Not quite that long," Zorancic said."Florentino is already planning to oust Calderón during the 2008/2009 winter break. Once he regains power, he'll move immediately to sign you."
Šuker fell silent.
He began weighing the pros and cons.
Real Madrid was the ideal destination for him.
Bayern's commercial potential wasn't great — they were a backup plan at best.
If a Madrid move became realistic, there was no way he'd pass it up.
"I want to talk to Florentino face to face," Šuker said.
"He wants that too," Zorancic nodded."He's hoping to meet after the Ballon d'Or ceremony."
Šuker nodded.
"Alright. Got it."
"What about Calderón?" Zoran asked.
"We keep talking to him, of course," Šuker shrugged.
"No rush."
Who knows what the future holds?
Yes, technically Florentino wins the 2009 election in the original timeline…
But if they ignored Calderón now, it could backfire.
If Florentino failed, they'd still need Calderón's connections.
As Šuker had always said:
Real Madrid is his optimal path forward.
Without Madrid's backing, how could he ever compete with Messi?
As for Cristiano Ronaldo?
If Šuker was joining Madrid, CR7 had to go.
Šuker didn't care about Ronaldo's future.
He only cared about his own best outcome — even if it meant taking someone else's place.
Florentino could say whatever he wanted, but in truth…
It was Calderón who first pushed for Ronaldo's transfer.
At this stage, Calderón likely still wanted CR7.
Especially if United dominated this season and Ronaldo won the 2008 Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year.
That would make him even more attractive.
Šuker figured he should remind Florentino of that risk.