The World Cup European qualifiers successfully concluded, and the Croatia National Team players held an internal celebration banquet that evening.
Although it wasn't grand, they had an extremely lively time.
Everyone expressed their anticipation for the World Cup; although there was still some time, they were indeed impatient.
Even Suker drank heartily, uncharacteristically not using a State Recovery Card.
The next day, Suker's villa was filled with the smell of alcohol, and many team members were still sprawled out in various corners of the living room, completely out cold.
After a night of revelry, the accompanying result was physical fatigue.
However, when Suker woke up in the morning, he felt a splitting headache, which was the consequence of excessive drinking.
Using a State Recovery Card, the nausea and dizziness immediately disappeared. After a simple rinse to wash away the smell of alcohol, he put on his clothes and left the room.
Arriving in the living room, it was still a mess everywhere. Suker felt annoyed looking at it, so he simply walked into the manor and found a lounge chair to sit down.
Not long after he sat down, Modrić walked over, yawning.
"You're still up so early!" Modrić yawned and said, "Good morning!"
Suker nodded; "Good morning!"
Modrić slumped onto the lounge chair next to Suker. He didn't lie down but sat with a frown, clutching his stomach.
Suker turned his head and glanced at him, laughing, "Told you not to drink so much!"
Modrić usually doesn't drink much, and even if he does, he exercises restraint and doesn't drink excessively.
But yesterday was an exception, mainly because the atmosphere was too high, everyone was in high spirits, and furthermore, Modrić himself was extremely happy, so he naturally indulged.
Modrić waved his hand; he didn't dare to move his head. As soon as he moved, his head felt dizzy, and his stomach was churning.
"When are you leaving?"
Suker: "Afternoon flight."
Modrić nodded: "I'll leave tomorrow. I'll go home and rest for a day today."
Suker: "Let those guys rest here with me. I've already asked the servants to prepare some food and hangover remedies for them."
Modrić nodded again, then suddenly grinned and laughed.
Suker turned his head; "Are you crazy, laughing for no reason?"
Modrić laughed and waved his hand; "Mainly because I'm too happy. I feel like with our lineup, this World Cup really has a chance."
"Do you remember, when we were playing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a reporter asked us about our dreams?"
Suker blinked: "I don't remember!"
Modrić: "I remember, at that time you said winning the Champions League, and I said striving for the World Cup!"
"At that time, the reporter's eyes were full of doubt. If he is still following us now, I really want to know what his expression is like? That should be very interesting!"
Suker thought for a moment, then nodded; "It is indeed very interesting!"
"You've already won more than one Champions League, and you have five Ballon d'Or. On your resume, you only lack a World Cup. Are you going to give it your all next year?"
Suker looked at Modrić; "You don't need to provoke me. Next year's World Cup, as long as you guys don't have any issues, I'll carry you!"
Upon hearing this, Modrić laughed even harder.
Suker stretched and got up: "I'm going for a run. Are you coming?"
Modrić immediately shook his head. This sudden head shake instantly made his face change dramatically, and he darted towards the bathroom.
Suker watched Modrić's disheveled figure, shook his head with a smile, and then walked out to start his run.
He had his own running route, running along the track in the park near his house, but this time, Suker chose another route, running directly towards the city center.
Because he was wearing a hood and keeping his head down, it was hard to recognize him without a close look.
Even if he was recognized, the local Croatian fans wouldn't bother Suker too much; at most, they would cheer him on or ask for an autograph.
Moreover, there weren't many people on the streets early in the morning.
The local architecture of Zagreb had undergone tremendous changes; there was no trace of the ruins left by the war.
After many years of reconstruction, the city had begun to flourish with vitality.
Running forward along the main road, the low-rise buildings on both sides gradually faded, replaced mostly by high-rise buildings and commercial complexes.
In the morning, some diligent workers had already started their work.
They were putting up a giant poster on the wall of a building.
The entire poster was an epitome of the Croatia National Team, featuring Suker, Modrić, Mandžukić, and others as the core.
Modrić, Mandžukić, Rakitić were on the left!
Vukojević, Perisic, Vida were on the right.
At the very front was Srna, wearing the captain's armband.
And in the center of the poster, occupying the largest background, was a figure wearing a Croatia National Team jersey, with a large number 9 on the back, and the name Suker printed below.
While waiting for the traffic light, Suker admired the poster on the street for a while. He had to admit, putting himself in the center of this poster was very cool.
Although it was a back view, it gave more of a 'big shot' feeling.
At the very top was a line of text!
[From 1998 to 2014, sixteen years of waiting, just for the most brilliant glory!]
Croatian fans have an obsession with the World Cup!
Or rather, fans all over the world are like this.
And when they are very close to winning the World Cup, this expectation and ambition will burst forth.
The 2014 World Cup was the moment they believed was the most mature!
At this point, Suker, Modrić, and others had all reached their peak, and their form was excellent. As long as there were no accidents, they truly had the strength to challenge for the World Cup.
Sixteen years of honing a sword!
From Davor Šuker to Suker!
The National Team had changed three batches of players!
Finally, it was their moment to draw the sword, so how could they not be excited?
Continuing to run along the boulevard, more and more posters, all kinds of them, were about the World Cup and the National Team.
Of course, more of them were Suker's individual posters, almost filling every corner of the city.
Suker ran for about half an hour, and the crowd started to grow, so he began to turn back, returning the way he came.
By the time he returned to the villa, his teammates had basically woken up.
However, none of them were very energetic, sitting slumped on the sofa, and the bathroom was their most frequent haunt.
"You drank the most, why are you fine?" Mandžukić pointed at Suker weakly.
Srna, whose face was a bit pale, said, "Have you forgotten his nickname? Croatia's sewer, he only takes it in and never gets drunk!"
Suker rolled his eyes: "Who wants breakfast?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces changed dramatically.
Srna and Mandžukić even scrambled to their feet, rushing towards the bathroom, and finally, the two squeezed together and rushed into the bathroom.
Suker found that disgusting.
Suker was eating, while the others kept their distance.
Normally delicious food now served as an emetic.
After eating, Suker found Rakitić and Srna.
"I'm going back to Spain this afternoon. Are you coming with me?"
Srna shook his head: "I'll stay for two more days!"
Rakitić also shook his head; "I'll also stay a few more days!"
Suker nodded, then returned to the house to pack his luggage.
Around 1 PM, Zorancic drove to pick up Suker, and the two went to the airport together to fly to Spain.
"There were some other itineraries, but because you're doing joint promotions with Davor, they had to be pushed to the winter break."
Listening to Zorancic, Suker grinned; "Can't I just have a good vacation?"
"Wait until this is over, then I'll arrange fewer itineraries for you," Zorancic said.
Suker turned his head; "What if we win the World Cup?"
Zorancic paused, then grinned and said; "You tell me, do you want a vacation, or to win the World Cup?"
Suker rolled his eyes and turned to look out the window.
If he won the World Cup, Suker's commercial value would skyrocket.
All previously missing honors would be collected.
It could be said that once he won the World Cup, leading Croatia to their first ever World Cup trophy, Suker could be crowned with the title of 'King of Football' on the spot.
At that time, it would be impossible for Suker to rest!
The plane flew for a while and finally arrived in Madrid, the Capital of Spain.
By the time they returned to their villa in Madrid, it was already 4 PM.
No sooner had Suker arrived than Kaka came to Suker's villa.
"Congratulations on securing your World Cup spot!" Kaka smiled and raised the red wine in his hand: "A celebration?"
Suker immediately shook his head; "I've had enough to drink these past few days, I don't want any more alcohol."
"Then let's switch to juice!"
Kaka pulled another bottle of juice from a plastic bag, then turned to look at a larger package.
Suker peered inside: lamb, tripe, and various vegetables.
Well, that was hot pot ingredients!
Suker was in the kitchen mixing sesame paste, while Kaka watched intently from the side.
"I just can't get that taste right."
Kaka had also tried to mix sesame paste himself, but it was either too thick and dry, or too thin.
In contrast, the sesame paste Suker mixed was just right.
As for the oil dipping sauce, that was easy to buy. There were also hot pot restaurants in Madrid where he could buy it directly.
In the evening, Suker, Kaka, and their two children began to feast.
The hot pot was steaming, and chopsticks flew as the lamb quickly went into the pot.
Kaka and his son were already very skilled at using chopsticks.
Taking another bite of lamb, Kaka exhaled warmly and said, "This year is really relaxed; we don't have to play World Cup qualifiers."
As the host, Brazil naturally did not need to play World Cup qualifiers.
Moreover, with Brazil, a traditional strong team, vacating a spot in South America, other South American teams were incredibly happy.
Otherwise, traditional powerhouses like Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay would always hold a World Cup spot, making it very difficult for them to have a chance to stand out.
"This World Cup, Germany is the team we need to be most wary of!" Suker said casually, "Their performance in the European qualifiers this year has been outstanding, and they've maintained their form very well. They are definitely a strong contender for the World Cup, and the most hopeful team to win the championship!"
Hearing this, Kaka was stunned for a moment. He couldn't help but say, "The most hopeful team to win the championship, shouldn't it be you guy?"
That sentence made Suker freeze.
Kaka: "Germany is indeed strong, but in the recent years of head-to-head matches, you have consistently suppressed Germany."
"In the 2008 European Cup semifinals, you knocked Germany out!"
"In the 2012 European Cup final, it was also you who knocked Germany out!"
"The World Cup is the same!"
Kaka looked at Suker and said, "You are the biggest threat in this World Cup."
Suker grinned. He had indeed forgotten about himself.
Following his ingrained thinking, he had always been wary of Germany, the World Cup champions in the original timeline. But from the perspective of other teams, while Germany was strong, they had not yet reached the point of being fully armed with world-class players in every position.
Suker stopped talking, and Kaka also didn't continue the topic of the World Cup.
They were teammates at the club, but rivals in the National Team.
Especially for Brazil, 2014 was a home game, and as the host, winning the championship at home was the most important thing.
Since the 2002 World Cup, Brazil had missed out on the World Cup semifinals for two consecutive tournaments.
As the proud Five-Star Brazil, they were bound to reclaim their glory at home.
After dinner, Suker and Kaka chatted for a while longer before going home to rest.
Since Suker was exhausted from travel, Kaka didn't keep him for long.
After an early night's sleep, Suker arrived at the club's office building the next day.
The club was holding a training camp tomorrow to prepare for the season, and on this day, Suker needed to cooperate with the club for some promotional activities.
These were also part of his contract and obligations that Suker had to fulfill.
He spent the day participating in various promotional activities with the staff and the evening attending banquets with Florentino.
Suker spent the entire day working.
It wasn't until the second day, when the players began to return to the training base, that Suker finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Upon returning to the training base, they immediately had to prepare for the League and Champions League.
Due to the European qualifiers, the League schedule was congested, resulting in two matches per week for the next two weeks.
First, Real Madrid faced Málaga in the League.
As it was a home game and they had successfully completed the European qualifiers with a perfect result, their overall morale was high.
In this match, Bale was the most outstanding player.
After Wales was eliminated from the World Cup European qualifiers, he channeled his anger into the League, scoring two goals and assisting one within 90 minutes.
Real Madrid successfully defeated Málaga 3-0 at home.
Without Suker exerting himself, Bale tore apart Málaga's wing on the right, simultaneously announcing to the world that Real Madrid's powerful attacking threat was not limited to the left wing.
Málaga suffered a defeat, which made their situation very difficult.
Due to a poor start, they had now entered the relegation zone and needed future wins to escape this quagmire.
As for Real Madrid, they were still going strong.
After playing Málaga, Real Madrid began preparing for the Champions League at home.
Their opponent in the third round of the Champions League was Schalke 04 from the Bundesliga!
As Borussia Dortmund's arch-rivals, last season, Borussia Dortmund, under Klopp, won the Champions League runner-up title, and in the League, they defeated Bayern Munich multiple times and successfully won the League Championship.
Compared to the dramatic transformation of their 'brothers' in the Ruhr area, Schalke 04, despite being in good form, still had some distance from Borussia Dortmund.
On October 22nd, on the eve of the third round of the Champions League, the Brazil World Cup organizers released the World Cup theme song "We Are One"!
A theme song full of South American flair, incorporating samba elements, and unique passion.
Although it was not as popular or widely sung as "Waka Waka" from 2010, it further ignited football fever.
At the same time, the lineup for the 2014 Brazil Team was also released.
The Five-Star Brazil, led by captain Kaka, with top players such as Pato, Neymar, Oscar, Hulk, Paulinho, and Marcelo, clearly came into view.
After carefully observing Brazil's lineup, fans felt that Brazil was incredibly strong!
At Real Madrid's training base, Suker also looked at this roster, his eyelids twitching.
A successfully transformed Kaka!
A Pato who had realized his talent!
A brilliant Neymar!
These three alone were enough to give Suker a headache.
Not to mention Oscar, Casemiro, Marcelo, and a host of other good players.
The Brazil Team in the original timeline suffered a heartbreaking massacre in the 2014 home World Cup.
Facing a strong Germany, with their key player Neymar injured, they suffered a 7-1 massacre at home.
It could be said that the last goal was intentionally conceded.
In fact, the Brazil Team at that time also had many problems.
The first point was that they once again abandoned their inherent local playing style, mindlessly imitating European tactics, losing their original Brazilian style.
The last time this problem occurred was during the time of King Pelé, who, with his strong individual ability, once again made the art of dribbling the mainstream in Brazil.
The second point was the talent gap!
Due to Kaka's premature decline and complete loss of form, he missed the 2014 World Cup, and as a last resort, some young players had to fill in.
To put it nicely, it was a generational change; to put it bluntly, there was no other option.
Think about when Kaka debuted: Ronaldo, the alien, was at his peak; Rivaldo and Ronaldinho shone brightly, and every position had world-class players. Kaka couldn't even get a starting spot then.
With these older brothers leading the way, Kaka grew smoothly.
However, when it came to Neymar's era, Brazil experienced a clear talent gap.
The banner that should have been carried by Kaka was instead not carried due to physical and form reasons, leading him to miss the 2014 World Cup.
Maicon was there, but by this time, Maicon had already been broken by Bale's constant attacks and was no longer the world's best full-back.
In other positions, David Luiz, Thiago Silva, and Marcelo were all supporting players; they couldn't actively decide the outcome of matches.
Oscar was indeed talented, but he was too young.
They could only rely on Neymar, who had just arrived in Europe at the time, to fight intensely again and again, barely making it into the semifinals.
And in the semifinals, after Neymar's injury, Brazil revealed its true colors and suffered a massacre by Germany.
It resulted in the most tragic home defeat!
But now it's different.
Kaka has taken up the banner, and Pato is acting as the vanguard!
Plus the talented Neymar and Oscar, among others.
This Brazil is truly not to be underestimated!
Suker's flapping butterfly wings have indeed caused earth-shattering changes in the Brazil National Team.