"Suker with another brilliant escape —his footwork is simply too fast!Udinese can't contain him at all!"
Suker received a pass from Kaká and turned to charge at Udinese's defense.
As he turned, he dipped his shoulder to throw off one defender,then exploded forward, squeezing between two closing defenders.
Before the final defender could arrive, Suker unleashed a low shot.
The ball skimmed the grass, shot straight toward the goal,and pierced past the keeper's outstretched fingers —
Swish!
The net rippled cleanly.
11th minute — a brilliant solo goal by Suker.
"Suker!!! Three defenders beaten in one run —he's torn Udinese's defense to shreds!They simply can't stop him!"commentator Aldo Serena yelled excitedly.
Even in the second half of the season,Suker's attacking form remained unstoppable.
He was a nightmare for Udinese's backline.
After scoring, Suker ran to the corner flag to celebrate.
The stadium erupted in a wave of boos.
Boooooooooooooooo!!!
Udinese fans booed violently.
Pato remained frozen in place, his whole body trembling.
He had been right there next to Suker during the goal,witnessing the entire play up close.
This was his first time seeing Suker in a real match.
It was nothing like training.The real Suker was something else entirely.
Even under fierce defensive pressure,his foot speed, aggression, and decision-making were on another level —he tore open defenses like they were made of paper.
Pato always thought of himself as a genius —he had great confidence in his skills.
But after seeing that goal…
For the first time, he began to doubt himself.
How do you beat a guy like that?
"I don't need to cooperate with you."When Suker had said that in training,Pato thought he was just being arrogant.
Now, on the field, Pato realized —Suker wasn't bluffing.
He genuinely didn't need Pato's help.Not even the other way around.
As long as the ball was delivered to him,Suker alone could tear the defense apart.
This was why he had the confidence to say those things.
Who wouldn't want to pass to a guy like that?
"Pato must be feeling the pressure now."
The assistant coach chuckled,watching Pato stare blankly at the pitch.
Ancelotti responded calmly:
"This is good.Let him see what top players are really like —that's a great first step."
"I paired him with Suker not just to help relieve attacking pressurewith his speed and explosiveness,but also to learn how Suker plays."
The assistant coach frowned:
"But they're not the same style at all."
Ancelotti tapped his own head:
"Use your brain.I'm not asking Pato to copy Suker's playstyle —I want him to learn how Suker wins games."
For a striker, what matters mostis turning your strengths into goals and wins.
That's the true key.
Ancelotti hoped Pato could absorb those traits from Suker.
"Boss! Teach me!That elastico move was sick!And the pendulum fake — that was unreal!Teach me! Come on!"
"Get lost. Why the hell should I teach you?"
"If you don't, I'll just stick to you like glue!"
"Oh? Gonna cling to me, huh?You really don't know who you're messing with!"
Suker gave a dark smirk.
Kaká pulled Pato aside and sighed:
"Stop bullying the kid."
Suker glanced at Kaká:
"There you go again, Mr. Savior Complex.Always trying to 'warm everyone's heart'."
Suker pointed to Pato:
"Hey, brat — come here!"
Pato rushed over excitedly.
"You're gonna teach me?"
Suker smiled,then gave him a light punch in the gut.
"Work hard."
41st minute — AC Milan launched a counterattack.
Kaká carried the ball past midfield,but saw that Suker was swarmed and had no space.
"Over here!"
Pato yelled from the right flank.
Kaká passed immediately —a smooth, perfect delivery.
Pato controlled the ball, burst forward,and instantly left the fullback in the dust.
"Ohhhhhh!! Pato!!!That acceleration is insane!"
Pato sprinted to the byline,glanced toward the center,and whipped in a cross.
Suker, arriving at the penalty spot,saw the ball fly behind him.
"Damn it!"
He thought Pato had messed up the cross.
He was about to attempt a bicycle kick,but was held back by a defender — couldn't move.
He watched helplessly as the ball curled to the far post.
"Seedorf!"
Seedorf had slipped into the back post area.He took the ball with his left, tapped it to the right,and fired a vicious shot with his right foot.
The ball rocketed into the top left corner!
Swish!!
"Seedorf!! Milan's second goal!"
"Udinese's defense is collapsing under pressure!"
"Two first-half goals — one from Suker, one from Seedorf.And young Pato with an excellent assist!"
After the goal, Seedorf ran over to Pato,grinning as he rubbed the kid's head.
"Great job, kid!"
Pato pumped his fist in joy.
At that moment, he finally understoodhow to survive in the first team.
Nothing else mattered — only performance did.
Not just scoring —assists, team play, contribution — that's what earned you respect.
His performances would secure his place in the locker room.
Suker quietly jogged back.
Kaká walked up and asked:
"You're acting strange."
"Huh?" Suker blinked.
"Shouldn't you be mad Pato didn't pass to you?"
Suker scoffed:
"You really think that small?"
Kaká rolled his eyes:
"Like you're some selfless saint…"
Suker smiled and glanced at Pato, still celebrating.
"That kid is for the Champions League.Let him get used to things now."
Suker had been training with Pato all this timenot just to develop a successor after he left,but also to boost Milan's firepower in Europe.
Milan's situation wasn't great.
The defense couldn't be relied on —so the only option was to keep doubling down on attack.
Pato, though young, was explosively talented.
More importantly —no European club had studied him yet.
Unlike Kaká and Suker, who were known quantities,Pato was an unknown threat.
He could help tear open opposing defenses.
So yes — Suker's mentorship came at a cost.
He grinned as he looked at Pato:
"Second half of the season — you better run your ass off for me!"
Kaká used to be his partner,but with age and injury concerns, he needed to transition roles.
Pato was different.
At just 18, with the right physical conditioning,he could still thrive on raw athleticism — the "youth-style" of play.
This kind of approach might shorten a career,but it's a lethal weapon early on.
Use pure physical dominance to break through defenses —no tricks, just power and speed.
If you feed the horse, you better make it run.
Halftime: AC Milan 2–0 Udinese.
Milan had the game in their grasp.
65th minute, Milan made substitutions.
Suker was subbed off early —Ancelotti wanted to preserve him for tougher battles.
It also signaled a shift to a more defensive approach.
But Pato stayed on the pitch.
He played the full 90 minutes.
That made two full matches as a starter since his debut.
Ancelotti wasn't going easy — he was going all in.
Clearly, the manager wanted Pato to quickly adapt to Serie A,get into shape — so he could shine in the Champions League.
That's right.
Ancelotti never saw Pato as a "prospect".He saw him as a first-team weapon.
And Pato would be appearing in this season's Champions League.