When Suker and the others returned to the villa, the Champions League quarterfinal draw ceremony was playing on TV.
Pato and Kaká decided to stay behind to watch the draw before leaving.
Champions League Quarterfinalists:
AC Milan
Liverpool
Fenerbahçe
Chelsea
Schalke 04
Barcelona
Arsenal
Manchester United
That's four English Premier League clubs, one Italian, one Spanish, one German, and one Turkish.
Clearly, this year's Premier League was incredibly strong.
In fact, since last season, the EPL had been entering an explosive era, while Serie A's decline made the Premier League the biggest winner.
La Liga was still in its growth phase, not yet at full strength.
"None of those four English teams are easy," Kaká said as he watched the screen.
Suker nodded.
"Especially Manchester United—they were tough last year, and they're even stronger now."
Pato chimed in:
"What if Manchester United and Barcelona face each other first, and then we play the winner?"
Suker pointed at him:
"Smart thinking!"
Pato chuckled.
"But honestly, I want to face Barcelona!"
"Shut up!"
"Shut your damn mouth!"
Both Suker and Kaká scolded him in unison.
Even Kaká, normally calm, raised his voice—showing just how much they dreaded facing Barcelona.
AC Milan vs. Barcelona?Only about a 10% chance of winning—slim at best.
To Milan, Barcelona was an even tougher opponent than Manchester United.
Pato turned away and muttered:
"I just kinda want to go head-to-head with Bojan…"
"He might not even play," Suker waved dismissively.
Bojan and Messi had overlapping roles.Guardiola would only pick one.And Messi's priority was obviously higher.
Kaká suddenly asked:
"Don't you want to play against Messi?"
"Nope," Suker replied bluntly.
If it were prime Milan, he would love to face them.But the current Milan could easily be shattered by them.
No one likes to lose.
And Suker still had cards to collect and goals to achieve.
As the three chatted, the screen entered the live draw segment.
They all sat up straight.
One by one, the matchups appeared.
So far, the biggest draw was Arsenal vs. Liverpool—an all-English showdown.
Then came Chelsea vs. Fenerbahçe.
Which left AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United, and Schalke 04 still unpaired.
Suker leaned forward slightly, starting to feel hopeful.
Maybe it really would happen—
Barcelona vs. Manchester United in the quarterfinals!
Then, the Man United badge appeared on the screen.
"Barcelona…""Please, let it be Barcelona…"Suker whispered repeatedly.
Finally, United's opponent was drawn—
Schalke 04 from Germany.
Suker froze.
Third pairing: Manchester United vs. Schalke 04.
Which meant—AC Milan were automatically drawn against Barcelona!
"Son of a…!"
Suker immediately turned and kicked Pato to the ground.
"You freaking jinx!"
He was so angry he kicked him a few more times.
Kaká rubbed his temples in frustration.
It was the one team they least wanted to face.
Why did it have to be Barcelona?
Suker flopped onto the sofa, face full of helplessness.
"What kind of cursed luck is this?"
On one side stood the rising Dream Team era of Barcelona.On the other, the fading Milan dynasty.
A clash of kings.
Only one empire could survive.
Not just that.
This matchup was also:Suker vs. MessiThe Dream Team vs. the Old GuardKing vs. King!
The Next Day – AC Milan Training Ground
Everyone's expression was serious.
Their worst nightmare draw had come true.
Among the final eight, there were many strong teams—but Barcelona was the most strategically troublesome for AC Milan.
Before the training match, Ancelotti stood before the players.
"The next round of the Champions League has been decided. From now on, we'll focus our tactics around this opponent."
He paused.
"The assistant coaches will run the training for the next few days."
Then turned and left.
Suker watched the back of "Fat Ancelotti" with heavy emotions.
He knew exactly what kind of threat Barcelona posed.And as a top manager, Ancelotti knew even better.
He had half a month to find a solution.
Suker wasn't sure if Ancelotti could manage it.
Tiki-Taka was legendary.
To counter it, you needed very specific conditions—even just tactically, without accounting for player performance:
High pressing
Physical strength
Dense defensive shape
Rapid counterattacks
This required:
Exceptional stamina
Strong physiques
Tactical discipline
A striker capable of breaking through on his own
AC Milan met some of those criteria… but lacked others.
For example—stamina.
These "old geezers" of Milan ran out of gas after 60 minutes.
If they tried to play a high-press, physical game, they'd collapse before halftime.
That was the crux of the problem.
It was the difference between prime Milan and the current team.
Milan was fading due to an aging roster and lack of fresh blood.
If it were prime Milan, Suker would've taken them head-on.
But now? He could only hope Ancelotti figured something out.
Otherwise—they were doomed.
March 9th – Serie A: Empoli vs. AC Milan
This was Milan's first league match after the UCL draw.
Empoli put intense, borderline insane defensive pressure on Suker.Two players shadowed him all game.
They clearly thought: "We can lose the match—but Suker must not score."
As a result, Suker only got two shots on target—neither found the net.
But Suker's silence triggered an explosive performance from Pato.
Maybe it was Bojan's performance that provoked him, or just pure rivalry.
This kid was on fire.
Repeated sprints and dribbles torched Empoli's defense.
With 2 goals and 1 assist, he carried AC Milan to a 3:1 win.
Pato became the star of the match
—and landed on the front page of Gazzetta dello Sport.
But the headline made Suker burst into laughter and rage:
"Pato: Without this performance, how can I be Suker's successor?"
Suker froze when he read it.
"Since when were you my successor?" he asked, eyes wide.
Pato grinned awkwardly:
"Well, Bojan is Messi's heir, so I figured I needed a flashy title too—gotta match it, right?"
Suker blinked:
"So… you gave yourself that title?"
Pato shrugged:
"No one's arguing. Even the media agrees."
Inzaghi, Nesta, and the others couldn't stop shaking with laughter.
If Suker's face hadn't looked like a thundercloud, they would've burst out completely.
Suker looked genuinely disturbed.
Pato—his successor?
A "mutt" as his heir?
Worse yet—no one questioned it?
So if Pato's a mutt, and he's Suker's successor…
Does that make Suker a mutt too?!
"Where do you get this confidence?""I don't accept it! You are not my successor!"He pointed around:"Anyone here agree with this nonsense?"
Whoosh!The whole team raised their hands.
Pato's eyes lit up:
"See!"
"Screw you all!"
Suker lost it.
The AC Milan squad was delighted.
Whether Pato was truly Suker's heir was up for debate.
Suker's record was monumental.Pato was talented but had just begun his journey.
So far, he had only broken the youngest debut record.
He hadn't touched any of the more prestigious records.
Still, the team was ecstatic seeing Suker finally get roasted.
After years of suffering under Suker's torment, they were overjoyed to watch him "break down."
They didn't even mind letting Pato claim the title—
As long as someone could keep Suker in check.