Cold rain pattered down, soaking the bodies of the England players.
Rooney lifted his head to look at the scoreboard with its merciless scoreline.
England 0:3 Croatia.
The final whistle still echoed in his ears —sharp and soul-piercing.
They had lost their chance at the European Championship —on home turf.
They lost.
And not just lost — they were humiliated.
Tactically outplayed.Individually disappointing.
Everything was a disaster.
They lost —completely.
"Wayne, you guys already played your hearts out."
Modrić offered a warm hug to his club teammate.
Rooney gave a bitter smile, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
"Congratulations."
Modrić patted Rooney on the shoulder.
"Don't get discouraged. Look ahead — even though we lost here, we still have club football. We're going to fight for the Champions League!"
Rooney's eyes slowly regained focus, then turned to look far across the field.
Following his gaze, Modrić smiled:
"When we're back at the club — let's go get him together!"
Rooney nodded firmly.
"Let's go get him!"
After comforting all his club teammates, Modrić returned to the Croatian group.
He saw Suker poking Dujmović's forehead, teasing:
"Cleanup specialist! Flat-track bully! Nowhere to be found when we're trailing —but when it's time to seal the deal, you're right there! You only show up when we're already winning!"
"Don't poke me! Or I'll bite you!" Dujmović swatted his hand away, smugly adding, "Extending the scoreline and scoring when I can — that's my strength!"
"Bullshit!" Mandžukić chimed in. "You're just a coward in big matches!"
"Rubbish! You didn't see how fierce I was in the Russian league!"
Pranjić added:
"Pretty sure you missed a one-on-one last round."
Everyone froze.
"Wait — you watch the Russian league?" Dujmović asked, horrified.
"I don't. But you made the Croatian headlines," Pranjić grinned."You're such a wildcard. Two straight hat tricks to start the season… then ten matches without a goal!"
"Were those hat tricks against weak teams?"
"Weak?! One finished 15th last season, the other 13th!"
"Relegation candidates — totally understandable!"
"Don't underestimate bottom-table teams," Dujmović pointed at Modrić. "Ask Luka — are bottom-table teams easy to play against?"
"In the Premier League? They're beasts. Russia… I'm not sure."
Everyone burst into laughter.
After the win, the team atmosphere was lighthearted and jubilant.
And it wasn't just the win —they had eliminated England, at Wembley.
After the match, Croatia disbanded on the spot.
The Euro 2008 qualifiers were officially over. They had qualified for the finals as Group 1 winners.
Once the season ended, they would begin preparations for the tournament.
For many of them, this would be their first major international competition since joining the national team.
Suker didn't stay in London.Once the team disbanded, he and Šimić caught the earliest flight back to Milan.
They didn't dare linger in England —beating England in their own stadium…Given the reputation of English football hooligans, who knew what might happen.
All the Croatian players slipped away quietly.
But the English players were stuck.
They had lost Euro qualification at home —The media would surely crucify them.
Worse, in the storm of angry fans and media backlash, the FA acted fast.
Head coach Steve McClaren was fired for his disastrous Euro qualifying campaign.
He was made the scapegoat.
Not that he deserved sympathy.
In both matches against Croatia, his tactical plans and on-field decisions were completely outclassed by Bilic.
These two defeats? McClaren bore major responsibility.
The English media tore into him.They re-aired both matches, analyzing every detail —Where things went wrong,Which decisions cost the game…
McClaren was slammed mercilessly,while Bilic's reputation soared.
Since taking over as Croatia's head coach, Bilic had only faltered in his first match.After that, his tactical brilliance consistently shone.
Not only could he match opposing coaches,he even seemed to outthink and dominate them.
Especially in the second match against Russia —even facing the legendary Hiddink,Bilic held his own.
Tactically flawless,Croatia's superior squad helped them earn the win.
Now, Croatian fans were eagerly awaiting Euro 2008.
Croatia's performance in the qualifiers was outstanding:
12 matches
10 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss
Only drew against Russia in round one
Lost to North Macedonia in round eleven while already qualified (with a reserve squad)
Croatia won every key match they needed.
With that form — and Golden Ball winner Suker in the squad —Croatia was gaining massive attention.
Croatian fans had a reason to celebrate.
After Davor Suker's generation retired, from 2002 to 2006, the national team had endured painful years:
Eliminated in Euro 2004
Failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup
A string of failures had left fans dejected.
But now, their wait was rewarded.
The young players who had once dazzled in the Champions League were now grown up and leading the national team's resurgence.
Croatian fans were no longer satisfied with the nickname "The Checkered Army."
They now called themselves the:
"Eastern European Knights."
The only Eastern European Knights!
"Look! Here's the latest issue of Zagreb Sports News!"
Suker took the newspaper from Zorančić.
There was an illustration on the cover —A knight in full armor, lance in his right hand, shield on his left.The shield bore the red-and-white checkerboard.
Below it, a bold headline read:
"The Reawakening of the Eastern European Knights!"
"All this flashy stuff, huh?" Suker grinned. "Would be better if they did some commercial marketing instead!"
Western European teams had excelled at that.Their commercial success was miles ahead.
As for Croatia — this felt a bit like self-hype.
Why not release a full-team glamour shoot, promote themselves as the "Croatian boy band"?
Or ride the wave of popularity to boost the national team brand?
Wouldn't that be more effective than this corny magazine cover?
Could even make a ton of money.
"Winter break's almost here. I can finally rest for a bit!" Suker stretched.
"Rest? What rest?" Zorančić said. "You still have work!"
"Didn't I finish all the commercials?"
"Events! In Croatia, Italy… several appearances.There's even a club event in Milan."
"Summer then! I'll rest in summer!" Suker said.
"Rest my ass!" Zorančić snorted. "The Euros are in summer!"
"Then next winter?"
"Depends — are you still taking endorsement deals?"
Suker sighed deeply.
"Feels like I never get a break anymore."
Since joining Milan, he had only had one proper vacation — and that was it.
"Well, technically, you've got two days free coming up."
"Two days? What the hell can I do with two days?I can't even go on vacation!"
Suker waved it off, then asked:
"So what about that other award?"
Zorančić gave him an OK sign.
"It'll be presented December 17th at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland."
Suker smiled.
His second major award was on the way:
FIFA World Player of the Year.
The last two years had gone to Ronaldinho and Cannavaro.
This year —It was Suker's turn.
Not only the Ballon d'Or —He was also World Player of the Year.
A fitting reward for all his relentless work and growth over the past few years.