"Good morning!"
Inside the locker room, Pato greeted everyone cheerfully.
The others turned to look at him,but no one responded.
In truth, Pato's behavior over the past few days had already annoyed quite a few teammates.
To the players of AC Milan, they were all there to chase honor and glory,to create value for the team —not to babysit a spoiled kid.
Faced with the cold silence, Pato didn't know what to do for a moment.
But then he gritted his teeth and said loudly:"I'm sorry!"
His sudden apology stunned the entire locker room —including Suker and Kaká.
"This guy…"Kaká cracked a smile.
Pato always did things that caught people off guard —like this totally unexpected apology.
"Why are you shouting like that?"Suker broke the silence.
"I'm sincerely apologizing!"Pato declared."I raised my voice so everyone can hear my sincerity!"
Everyone fell silent again. This guy…
Pato stomped over to Gattuso.
"I get it now!"
Gattuso gave a slight smile.
"Good. I slapped you because I believe in you.If it had been someone else, I wouldn't have bothered."
Pato nodded earnestly.
"I figured it out. So I'm really grateful to you."
Gattuso's smile grew wider.
He slung his arm around Pato's shoulder.
"Do you know Costacurta? You probably never met him —he retired before you joined the team."
"He was a Milan legend. He once slapped me too.Out of the whole squad, he singled me out —guess why?"
With a smug grin, Gattuso said:
"Because I had talent! He believed in me!"
He gave Pato's shoulder a firm pat.
"Only the talented ones get slapped.Keep it up, kid — I believe in you!One day I'll take you fishing."
Suker grinned from the side.
(Truth was, Costacurta just couldn't stand Gattuso slacking off in training.What are you so proud of?)
But it looked like Pato really took the message to heart.
Even Ambrosini gave a small approving smile.
Despite throwing a bit of a tantrum, Pato had turned things around quickly.
To Ambrosini, though Pato was a young Brazilian,his talent was undeniable, and he could genuinely contribute to Milan's success.
"Alright, everyone, get ready for training."
Bang bang bang!The training match was underway.
Ancelotti again paired Pato and Suker together.
Their chemistry was still off,but this time, Pato didn't complain,didn't slack —instead, he ran hard the whole time.
If Suker didn't pass to him,he kept making runs.He observed how everyone played.He watched the whole structure.
During training, Suker still worked with teammates,but it was on his terms.
When Suker called for the ball,teammates would pass to him — no questions asked.
When they asked for the ball,Suker would evaluate the situation,and might or might not pass.
Even if he didn't, no one complained —Suker always had his reasons.
Pato realized how childish he had been.
Ancelotti was right.
Suker wasn't someone who should accommodate others.
At AC Milan, Suker was the undisputed core.Others adjusted to him — not the other way around.
"Damn," Pato clenched his fist."That's badass…"
He too wanted to become a player with that kind of presence one day.
But for now, he focused on making good runs and drawing defenders to free up space for Suker.
He dragged his run wide to the right to pull defenders away from Suker.
But then he noticed defenders were swarming Suker.
Pato frowned.
What can I do to help him?
He turned his eyes toward a gap in front of him.
"Will he pass?"
Just then, Suker shouted:
"Run!"
Pato instinctively made a forward run.
The moment he accelerated,the ball pierced through three defenders and landed perfectly at his feet.
He slotted it into the goal with ease.
He stood there dumbfounded.
"So… you do pass after all!"
Pato stared at Suker like a fool.
The others burst out laughing.
"Suker doesn't pass? What kind of joke is that?"
Suker rolled his eyes.
"Don't get cocky!"
"I only pass to the right place.If you stop running, I won't pass.If you find dangerous space, I will pass."
"So… I made the right run?"
"No shit!" Suker snapped."I had three men on me — no space to shoot.I had to pass."
"Opportunities are created.I'm not going to force passes to you.You're not important enough tactically."
"Keep running, get into good spots —and I'll pass when it makes sense."
"Then why didn't you pass to me before?"
"Because I didn't want to. Is that a crime?"
Pato shut up.
Damn, this guy really is a jerk…
But he didn't argue —he returned to training, and gradually started fitting in.
Truth be told, Pato was different from the average bench player.
His talent was clear.His explosiveness was dangerous.
Suker intentionally started coordinating with him,but only after making sure Pato understood:this was a team,but also a battlefield full of rivals.
Pato had always had a smooth ride.
He was a prodigy in youth football,debuted in Brazil's top flight at a young age,played in the Club World Cup — he was always in the spotlight.
Everyone protected him, helped him,which made him develop bad habits.
In other words, he'd never been humbled by the real world.
Suker didn't believe people had to suffer to succeed —but you had to grow up.
This was AC Milan.This was a European giant.It was nothing like the small clubs he used to play for.
January 20 – Matchday 19 of Serie A.
AC Milan traveled to Udine, a city in northeast Italy.
They were set to face Udinese away.
"Udinese is a very solid defensive team,"Ancelotti said."Their defenders have excellent positioning.That means we need to be quicker when attacking and countering."
He then continued:
"Now I'll announce the starting lineup."
Pato tensed up.
He had been outstanding in his debut,but his training drama made him uncertain about getting picked again.
Ancelotti first listed the defense and midfield.
They were using a 4-4-2 formation, with two forwards.
"Suker and… Pato!"
"Yes!"Pato clenched his fist in excitement.
He was thrilled.
Another start — this meant Ancelotti was happy with his performance.
But even as he celebrated,he could feel a few icy stares.
He realized:this team was full of rivals.And people would be watching him.
But Pato wasn't scared.
He was ready to compete —ready to show them what he was made of.
Starting XI
Udinese (4-4-2):
GK: Handanović
DF: Luković, Mesto, Zapata, Andrea Coda
MF: Yarmolenko, D'Agostino, Dossena, Simone Pepe
FW: Quagliarella, Di Natale
AC Milan (4-4-2):
GK: Kalac
DF: Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski
MF: Kaká, Ambrosini, Pirlo, Seedorf
FW: Pato, Suker
"Welcome to Matchday 19 of the 2007/2008 Serie A season!"
"We're in Udine where Udinese hosts AC Milan!"
"Once again, we see the young Pato in the starting lineup after his dazzling debut."
"He's paired up front with Suker."
Can he repeat his brilliance and inject fresh energy into this Milan squad?"
On camera, Pato was full of energy —waving enthusiastically at the crowd, bouncing with excitement.
Even though the Udinese fans booed him,he still smiled and waved like an overly friendly pup.
Suker, standing behind him,couldn't stand it anymore.
Thud!
Suker kicked him lightly in the butt.
"Calm down!"
"Oh~"
Pato pouted and put his hands down like a scolded kid.