"My locker!"
"This one's mine!"
"Wow! It's almost exactly the same as a year ago!"
"Are you mocking the team for being poor?"
Suker and the others were choosing their lockers. Regardless of whether there was an official assignment process, they followed a first-come, first-served principle.
They each went for the lockers they used previously.
Naturally, Suker chose the one in the very center!
After all, during his time at Dinamo Zagreb, he was the undisputed core of the team.
Flanking Suker were Mandžukić and Modrić.
When Rakitić came in, he found his old locker had already been claimed by Suker.
"That's mine!"
Rakitić pointed at the locker.
Suker pointed back at it. "That was mine before you used it. Just returning it to the rightful owner!"
These days, Rakitić was a core player for Dinamo Zagreb and held a high status in the squad.
But with these earlier-generation stars around, he lacked the confidence to argue further.
Soon, the other national team players also entered.
Many of them were unfamiliar to Suker and his crew.
After all, they were the "newcomers."
But these newcomers were not a weak party by any means.
Coach Bilić clearly intended to build the national team around last year's Dinamo Zagreb core, so these players had high standing within the team.
Most of the others, seeing that Suker and the others had claimed lockers, didn't try to challenge them.
Instead, they greeted Suker and the others naturally, then casually chose a locker elsewhere to sit.
"Suker!"
Šimić entered the room with a smile and greeted Suker.
Suker stood up for a hug.
Both were playing for AC Milan. While they weren't close at the club, now that they were in the national team, naturally, they needed to build a good relationship.
"We probably won't make the first warm-up match," Šimić said to Suker.
Suker nodded. "Right now, the focus is the national team. There are two warm-up games this week, and the club has another warm-up coming up, so no rush."
Šimić nodded again.
He was deliberately trying to bond with Suker.
Staying close to Suker could help him gain more stability back at the club.
Shamefully, despite having been at the club for several years, Šimić hadn't achieved even a year's worth of what Suker had.
Then, the locker room door was pushed open again.
The room fell into sudden silence.
Simunić walked in.
Simunić was a mainstay center-back of the Croatian national team—a key figure from the previous generation.
After the team's restructuring, he was one of the players who faced the biggest changes.
Suker and the others turned to look at him.
Simunić glanced around, then walked straight toward Suker.
"This guy's looking for trouble!" Mandžukić immediately stood up.
Suker quickly pulled him back.
"Let's see what he does first."
"Good morning, Suker!"
To everyone's surprise, Simunić smiled and extended his hand to Suker.
The two belonged to different factions and were expected to be at odds, yet Simunić took the initiative to be friendly.
Suker was slightly confused, but as the saying goes, you don't hit someone who's smiling at you.
"Good morning."
They exchanged simple greetings, and Simunić casually found a locker to sit at—completely low-key.
"He's not here to cause trouble?" Mandžukić sat down, suspicious.
Suker shook his head. "Not sure yet."
Suker turned and noticed Modrić gripping a mop handle.
"What are you doing?" Suker was surprised.
Modrić slowly let go of the mop and exhaled. "I thought a fight was about to break out."
Suker: "..."
Pfft!
Šimić burst out laughing.
"Relax, none of us has a problem with you. Even if many people were unhappy about the national team selections, they still have to admit that your club performances were better," Šimić said. "Don't worry, Simunić isn't here to pick a fight."
Suker turned to him. "Why?"
Šimić smiled. "It's simple—he wants to build a good relationship with you. He wants to join AC Milan!"
With Šimić's explanation, everything became clear to Suker.
Simunić had caught the eye of AC Milan's legendary Maldini during the summer transfer window, who wanted to bring him in. But due to the phone-tapping scandal and other issues, the deal fell through.
However, Simunić clearly hadn't given up.
He still hoped to transfer to a big club at the peak of his career and add a highlight to his resume.
Given Suker's growing influence and status at Milan, he might be the key to opening that door.
That's why Simunić was trying to win Suker over, not become enemies.
Suker was stunned.
He hadn't expected things to unfold this way.
Simunić's submission only served to solidify Suker and his group's dominance in the locker room.
Undoubtedly, Suker and his cohort had become the top dogs of the Croatian national team!
Dinamo Zagreb Training Ground
Outside the barricades, a swarm of journalists.
Not just Croatian reporters—many from across Europe had arrived as well.
With the addition of players like Suker and Modrić, the Croatian national team was drawing intense media attention.
National team coach Bilić stood proudly in front of the squad.
Not only had he just taken over as head coach, but he was also thrilled at the talent in front of him.
The previous Croatian teams were often cobbled together with fringe players from major clubs.
But now?
Suker and Modrić were starters—and core players—at top clubs.
Vukojević was also a starter for French side Lyon.
Add in Mandžukić, Srna, Šimić, Simunić—a well-assembled puzzle.
Bilić believed this Croatian team had immense potential.
"In my team, there are no guaranteed starters. Everything is based on performance and competition!"
Bilić shouted loudly.
"I've called you all together, but this is not the final list. After this week's training camp, some of you will still be cut. So if anyone is already slacking off, you can leave now!"
The field fell silent.
"Good!" Bilić roared. "Today is a full day of training. First, we warm up, then we go into intrasquad games. Stay focused—dismissed!"
Under the guidance of the fitness coach, the team began warming up.
And there was no denying—Croatian fitness training was grueling.
Eastern European teams had a strong obsession with endurance and defense.
They didn't call it the "Wall of Sighs" for nothing.
During the warm-up, photographers continued snapping shots.
At this time of year, any news about the national team was a hot topic—they wouldn't miss a thing.
Soon, warm-ups ended, and intrasquad games began.
A 7-vs-7 small-sided scrimmage.
Suker, Mandžukić, Modrić, Vukojević, Rakitić, Budan, and Klasnić formed the blue team.
The red team featured a solid defense: Šimić, Simunić, Ćorluka, Srna, Kovač, Knežević, and Niko Kovač.
This first scrimmage sparked immense interest from the media.
They wanted to see how much these young players had grown in a year—and whether they could still maintain their chemistry.
"Keep the ball moving—less dribbling, more passing!"
Suker turned and shouted.
Modrić responded with an OK gesture.
Mandžukić and the others looked eager and excited.
They were clearly raring to go.
On the sidelines, coach Bilić held a report.
It contained the performance stats of Suker and the others from last season—data he'd received from Dinamo Zagreb coach Bešić.
Since this national team was built around Dinamo's core, Bilić needed to understand those numbers.
Of course, these stats were only for reference.
After all, in a year, these players had all developed significantly.
But to what degree—they were about to find out.
As the whistle blew—
The scrimmage began.
Suker started with the ball, and the entire blue team sprang into motion.
Modrić passed back, then moved into space to receive again.
Šimić immediately pressed, but Modrić smoothly pulled and pushed the ball with a flick of his toes, dodging the challenge and quickly feeding it to Suker.
Suker switched the ball sideways to Mandžukić.
Mandžukić held off Simunić and laid it back to Suker.
Suker dribbled laterally for a moment—then suddenly lifted his head and launched a powerful left-footed shot.
It came out of nowhere.
Nobody reacted in time.
The ball skimmed the turf, drilled through the crowded defense, and shot into the far corner of the goal.
Even the red team's starting keeper Pletikosa didn't see it coming.
Mandžukić, who had just passed to Suker, turned to look at the goal.
"That sudden?"
Even he hadn't expected the shot.
And from that angle? Ridiculously precise!
On the sideline, coach Bilić was momentarily stunned. He looked down at Suker's shooting stats, then up at the pitch—and fell silent.
This is why stats are only for reference!