The All-Around Center Forward

Gonzalez was right—That first goal was only the beginning.

With Suker exerting full pressure on the left wing, Real Madrid's entire attack became sharper and more aggressive.

Suker moved constantly between the middle and the left flank, his positioning so fluid that he kept appearing in spots that gave the Zurich defenders headaches.

He fully took advantage of the rigid moments during Zurich's transition to defense, continuously helping Real Madrid orchestrate the build-up and push forward.

From the sidelines, Pellegrini watched with delight.

He felt like Suker could be put anywhere on the field and still produce magic.

At first, he had been in awe of Suker's goal-scoring efficiency—that unmatched explosiveness inside the box.

But now, with Suker actively taking responsibility for transition and link-up play, his performance remained just as stunning.

It was as if there was nothing this man wasn't good at.

"Suker's at it again!"

Once more on the left wing, Suker received a pass with his back to goal from the full-back, then nudged the ball behind himself and exploded forward, instantly shaking off Okoko.

The Zurich defensive midfielder, usually seen as a defensive pillar, looked like a training cone against Suker.

He couldn't match Suker's rhythm and was dizzied by his footwork.

As Suker approached Zurich's full-back Stähli, he slowed down slightly.

Okoko, thinking it was a chance, accelerated to catch up—

But Suker suddenly cut inside with a horizontal shift, sprinting directly into the penalty area.

Okoko brushed past Suker—and smashed right into Stähli.

Both of them went down in a heap, while Suker danced into the box, clean and untouched.

"Is there a chance here?"

Gonzalez leaned forward, not even sitting on his seat anymore, staring wide-eyed at the scene.

Philippe Koch stood in Suker's way.

Suker faked a shot with a horizontal move.

Koch had no time to process whether it was a feint—he just instinctively followed Suker's pace and stuck out a foot.

But in the next second, Suker shifted again, creating more space and twisted his body to unleash a shot—

Boom!

The ball zipped low and fast along the ground—

Zurich's goalkeeper didn't even react in time before it slammed just inside the near post.

Goal!

Real Madrid led 2-0.

In just 27 minutes, Suker had one goal and one assist.

After scoring, Suker ran toward the away fans, pointing straight at them—and the stands erupted with thunderous cheers:

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Real Madrid fans were losing their minds.

Even though Zurich wasn't a top-tier opponent, Suker's performance was electrifying.

He was everywhere on the pitch.

And both goals had his fingerprints all over them.

"My God! Who can stop Suker?"

"No one can. He's a god!"

"Look at his performance—he might be the most complete player Real Madrid's ever had!"

"He's good everywhere on the field."

"Still, I prefer him as a center-forward—I love watching him score goals."

"True. If our midfield can gel, and Suker plays centrally, we'd be even more dangerous."

The Real Madrid fans were buzzing with anticipation.

"Damn it—with a striker this good, we'd be crazy not to squeeze every drop of goal-scoring out of him!"

In the 34th minute, Zurich attempted a furious counterattack, but Gago intercepted the ball and passed it directly to Suker.

Suker turned on the spot and chipped a diagonal pass into the space behind the right full-back.

Higuaín burst forward like a rocket, muscling past the defender.

Faced with a tight shooting angle and an unmarked Raúl nearby, Higuaín still chose to shoot.

Raúl angrily waved his hands.

But the ball struck the keeper's chest and rebounded—right to Raúl's feet.

His eyes lit up—a golden chance!

He aimed for the bottom left—

But maybe he got too relaxed, or tried to place it too precisely—the ball hit the post and bounced out.

"Ahhhh~ Raúl! How could you hit the post?!"

Before Gonzalez could finish his complaint, he saw a blazing silhouette charging in.

Like a sprinting cheetah, Suker didn't slow down—he just swung his right leg and let loose.

BOOM!

The ball shot like a missile, ripping toward Zurich's goal—

The net bulged violently, forming a sharp point from the force.

Gonzalez froze for a moment—then screamed:

"SUKER! It's Suker again! A thunderous rocket!"

"After Higuaín and Raúl failed to convert, Suker said 'screw it' and blasted it home himself!"

"Three goals up! Real Madrid's got this in the bag!"

Halftime.

Inside the Real Madrid locker room, the mood was joyful.

With a 3-goal lead in their Champions League opener, morale was sky-high.

Players kept glancing at Suker.

He was undoubtedly the MVP.

Two goals, one assist—he had basically dominated the entire first half.

Even the pickiest critic couldn't find a single flaw.

Suker rinsed his mouth on the bench—but felt a bit hungry.

He wandered the locker room looking for food.

"Any bananas?"

Suker asked.

He usually ate a banana during halftime to fill his stomach a bit.

But there were no bananas in the Real locker room.

"Got some biscuits. Want one?"Casillas offered his own stash.

Suker sighed and accepted. He munched while sipping water.

"Because of you, the second half will be a breeze,"Casillas chuckled.

Zurich hadn't posed much of a threat—only one real shot on target gave Casillas any action.

Most of the time, he was just watching the match up close.

It wasn't that the defense was amazing—the attack was just overwhelming, especially Suker on the left, who dragged so much attention that Zurich didn't even dare to push forward.

"See? Pre-match analysis helps," Suker said while chewing."That full-back Stähli turns like a snail. I got past him too easily."

Casillas blinked:"Weren't you praising him in the pre-match interview?"

Suker scowled:"What, you expect me to call him a snail? Say I can breeze past him like air?"

The whole locker room burst into laughter.

Ramos laughed loudest:"His face turned white! He looked traumatized near the end—he completely froze every time he saw Suker."

Ramos paused—then froze.

"Damn... that's exactly how I used to feel..."

Everyone went silent—then Casillas cracked up:"You saw your past self in him, didn't you?"

Ramos blushed.

Suker grinned:"When we get back, I'm doing 1v1 drills with you—gotta fix your defending."

Pepe laughed:"Careful you don't crush his confidence completely!"

HA HA HA HA—

The locker room was full of laughter and banter.

Everyone was in great spirits—except for Raúl, who sat silently in the middle.

He wanted to join in, but felt a strange sense of distance.

It was like he didn't quite belong anymore.

He sighed to himself.

"Am I really getting phased out of Real Madrid...?"

That thought hurt the most.

Second half began.

Real Madrid kept pressing.

Pellegrini didn't try to slow the pace.

He believed the team needed this.

Real Madrid had been under a lot of pressure in recent seasons—especially in the Champions League.

This was a chance to release the tension, and reignite their confidence.

And so, Real Madrid attacked in waves—like relentless tides battering Zurich's defense.

In the 65th minute, Guti scored at the near post from a pass that Suker intentionally dummied—4:0.

But then, Pepe lost his cool.

While challenging for a header, he elbowed Zurich striker Alphonse, leading to a massive brawl.

Pepe got a red card.

Zurich earned a penalty, and Alphonse converted—4:1.

Now down to 10 men, Pellegrini finally switched to defense.

Suker and Raúl were subbed off; Marcelo and Granero came in.

Real Madrid focused on holding the lead and sealed the victory.

"A red card in La Liga, now another in the Champions League—you've collected two already at the start of the season!"

Suker scolded.

Pepe shrugged:"That guy kept shoving me. I needed to send a message. Better I got a red now than let him keep pushing me around."

"And it's part of my plan! Miss the next game against Marseille, then come back for AC Milan."Pepe looked smug.

Suker retorted:"Some plan! What if they suspend you for two games? Elbowing is serious."

Pepe froze—clearly hadn't considered that.

Suker sighed.

He had never met anyone like Pepe.

He was rough—but sometimes shockingly perceptive.

But call him clever? The guy had a hot temper and zero impulse control.

Maybe it was Suker's fault—calling Ramos a "brawler" may have rubbed off on Pepe too.

Pepe already had 2 red cards this season!

And Ramos?

26 red cards in his career!

Together, they were walking explosives.

In the future, even during friendlies, the team had to worry about red cards from their own players.

Still, despite the red card, Real Madrid secured a comfortable win.

That in itself was a positive.

Pellegrini in the post-match press conference:

"We still need to improve squad chemistry—lots of new players this season. But overall, I'm happy. Two La Liga wins and a Champions League win—great start."

"Suker? Do I even need to say it? Anyone who saw the match knows—He was phenomenal. Our undisputed core."

"Why not play him as a center-forward?""Sorry, I can't answer that right now. Next question."

Pellegrini returned to the locker room in high spirits—And walked into a bizarre scene.

Marcelo, Suker, and Ramos were huddled around Benzema's phone, giggling.

Benzema was behind them, panicking.

"Your lips are as sweet as cherries,"Suker read aloud from a text message.

The whole room burst into whoops and laughter.

"I think our relationship is a match made in heaven, like a muse and her poetry."

OHHHHHH~~~

The teasing grew louder.

Benzema blushed furiously, trying to grab the phone.

Marcelo and Ramos shielded Suker like bodyguards.

Suker held up a finger:"Here comes the good part!"

Everyone leaned in.

Suker read with a smirk:

"I think... our relationship should take the next step. Will you come over to my place?"

ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!

The locker room exploded with laughter.

"My God, Karim! How do you send such corny stuff?"

Suker defended him:"It's not corny—it's romantic! He's French, it's in their blood, right, Karim?"

"Shut the hell up!"Benzema barked, beet red.

Suker grinned even wider:"So? Did it work?"

The room fell silent, all ears.

Everyone loved a bit of gossip.

Especially since Benzema's rumored love interest was a famous Spanish socialite—an OG influencer.

Benzema blushed again:"Not yet."

BOOOOOO~~~

Ramos looked especially disappointed.

Benzema shouted:"But we're going on a date next week!"

ROOOOAAAAARRR!!

The guys cheered like overgrown kids.

Benzema laughed too. He didn't mind.

Later that evening, the team flew back to Spain.

On the plane, Ramos turned to Suker:

"Benzema's got a date—what about you?"

"Since breaking up with Gisele Bündchen, you've had nothing! I heard lots of models are into you. Want to try?"

Suker shot him a look:

"You're really deep into the gossip, huh?"

"Just concerned, man."

"Bull. You're nosy."

"So? Nothing at all?"

"Nothing." Suker said firmly.

Seeing his serious face, Ramos dropped it.

But Suker couldn't help wondering:

Why had the locker room vibe gotten so weird lately?

This wasn't how things started.

He truly didn't get it.

When they reached the training facility, it was 11 PM.

Pellegrini dismissed everyone.

"Rest up—we'll review the match after you've recharged."

Suker rode the elevator with teammates to the underground parking lot, then climbed into his Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Easily one of the flashiest cars on the team.

Five minutes later, he was home.

Inside, Zorančić was lounging on the couch, watching TV.

"Planning to live in Madrid permanently?" Suker asked.

Zorančić sprawled out comfortably:

"Still got stuff to finish—your endorsement contracts, your security team... Oh, right!"

He suddenly sat up.

"It's happening again!"

"What is?" Suker asked.

Zorančić grinned:"Another collab offer from Anne Hathaway's team."

"Didn't we turn them down?"

"We did. But they still think you're the perfect match. Hathaway's pushing into the European market now, so…"

"They want to hype it up with me?"

**"Exactly." Zorančić added:"To be fair, they're offering a great price."

"What, am I a gigolo?" Suker scowled.

Zorančić smirked:"It's mutual benefit. If I were you, I'd take it."

"Why?"

"Because she's gorgeous! I've seen her in person—absolutely stunning!"

Suker waved him off:"Forget it. I don't have time for dating or playing PR games."

He was fully focused on football.

Even though he'd achieved a lot, two hungry wolves were chasing him hard.

He couldn't afford to slow down—not even for a second.

Brand deals and easy promos were fine.

But faking a romance or stirring up tabloids? No thanks.

That was asking for drama.