The arrival of Croatian talents has made the home game of Mostar Zlinski a bit more exciting.
Originally, it was a game with an attendance of around 600 people, but in a short time, it skyrocketed to over 900 people, almost filling the entire stand.
Most of the residents of the Mostar region come here for the so-called "Croatian genius."
Suker was also curious and bought tickets to see Luka Modric's debut in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Modric's impression: His playing style is tough, he runs actively, and despite his slender frame, he still takes on the defensive work of midfield and is the organizational core of the team, with extremely strong organizational and playmaking skills.
But in this debut match, Modric's performance was a bit unsatisfactory.
In the name of a genius, many people expected him to dominate the game and play better.
But in the 90 minutes of the match, Modric was decent, with occasional brilliant performances, but also moments of struggle.
Generally, he didn't feel like a super genius.
And from Suker's perspective, compared to the clean and clear ball control and organization in the future, Modric seemed more procrastinated with the pace, with a sense of irritability.
That's right! He's grumpy!
Suker wasn't sure if it was his own problem, but Modric's several passes weren't as precise.
Either he passed to an inexplicable position, or it came too fast, and a teammate couldn't reach it.
Of course, as far as spatial awareness goes, Modric was still very sensitive, but his teammates weren't thinking about following him.
As a result, Modric didn't score a single goal or provide an assist in his debut.
Although Mostar Zlinski won the game thanks to a goal from forward Kosopetz, the entire match was a bit dull.
After the match, Suker saw Modric quietly packing his things and turning to leave alone, not going with the others, feeling a bit lonely.
The heat of the Croatian genius quickly dissipated.
For the city of Mostar, they are interested in new things, but they are also quick to forget.
From the second game of Mostar Zlinski, attendance dropped to around 700, and by the third game, it had completely returned to its previous form.
People also stopped talking about the so-called Croatian genius and quickly left it behind.
In the course of two weeks, Mostar Rangers also played two rounds.
Suker didn't gain much from the two matches.
The main reason was that he had started being frequently interfered with by the opponents in recent games, and some teams even began to send people specifically to mark Suker.
It was star treatment, and it also showed that Suker was a threat.
Because of this change, Suker was a little happy in his heart, but also very helpless.
Fortunately, his performance had made others take him seriously; after all, he wasn't just a mediocre player to be envious of, but on the other hand, it made it more difficult for him to score.
Besides his awareness, the current Suker lacked the physical ability to shake off the confrontation.
In the end, his frail body remained the original sin.
For this reason, Suker started drinking milk more desperately to replenish his nutrition.
In the small town of Mostar, inside a restaurant.
Suker sat at the table, holding a huge steak and beginning to nibble at it.
The steak was bigger than his head, with fat overflowing, tender and delicious.
He combined it with a special sauce and rice, absolutely going with rice.
Suker took a bite of rice and a mouthful of beef, and it was extremely sweet.
The bald goalkeeper, Bakech, propped up his chin and looked at Suker.
He wondered how this small body could fit all this food into his stomach.
"Come on! Come on!"
"The next match... competition, I'm going to make that chimpanzee look good!"
Suker murmured indignantly, his mouth full of beef and rice.
The bald goalkeeper, Bakech, shook his head. "It's not a chimpanzee, his name is Dirac, and his skin is darker. Also, there are people who don't annoy you all the time; it's just that you can't fight him."
Tons and tons and tons of tons.
Suker lifted his head and drank the milk, even licking the milk spots at the corners of his mouth, and turned to look at Bakech. "Whose side are you on? Annoy the other team in the next game, I'll shoot!"
Then he muttered, "If you concede one less goal, we won't lose."
Bakech suddenly felt embarrassed.
In fact, Suker had still created a shot for them when they were under close control, and assisted Mlinar to score and take the lead.
But in the second half, Bakech's butter-fingered hand struck again, and he made two consecutive mistakes that allowed the opponent to equalize, and in the end, it was annulled.
"Alright, that's my problem. Why don't you find another goalkeeper?" Bakech shrugged.
Suker wasn't angry. "With our team's miserable salary, who would want to join?"
Most of the players in Mostar Rangers are residents of the city and the surrounding countryside, and they aren't even professionals. Although they are registered with the Football Association, they all have their own jobs, and playing football is just part-time.
Mlinar is a carpenter and runs a carpentry workshop in the city.
Bakech runs a restaurant and is a chef, and his ball-throwing skills are just like his work.
Dinner!
Head coach Olipe is a physical education teacher from a small village and the team's guest coach.
To be honest, Suker doubts whether Olipe even has a football coaching license, and this guy's approach clearly contradicts modern football philosophy.
In football, where explosiveness and speed are the answers, he always emphasizes the importance of physical fitness, even believing that physical fitness is the only element to win.
As a result, he prefers a mule with impressive endurance to a fast horse.
His tactical philosophy is "simply drag the opponent's physical strength, and victory is ours."
Suker continued to roast the rice and ate the last bite of rice with beef juice, then said with a bitter face, "Forget it, I'm working hard next season, there's no hope for promotion this season."
The second division of Bosnia and Herzegovina has just begun, and currently, there are only seven teams playing a round-robin format.
For this reason, there are only 18 rounds in a season.
With only four rounds left in the league, Mostar Rangers are 15 points behind the top team in points, and even if they win all four rounds and the opponent loses all four, they won't win the title and won't be promoted.
This means they will remain in the second division of Bosnia and Herzegovina next season.
"I have no chance next season, the captain won't play next season," Bakech sighed.
Suker's eyes suddenly widened. "No more kicking? Why?"
Mlinar was the heart of their midfield and the only teammate Suker trusted.
Mlinar was hanging up his boots, and the Mostar Rangers' attack collapsed, no one passed him the ball, and he scored a goal by accident.
"The captain is 35 years old, what else do you want?" Bakech shook his head and said, "Next season, it's your victory with us."
"Bring a fart!" Suker directly scolded, "When my contract expires this season, I'm running away!"
Bakech was speechless.
However, he believes Suker could actually do this, and to make it easier for player movement, the second division of Bosnia and Herzegovina signs contracts yearly, with no binding force for players, and staying with the team is voluntary and emotional.
Once Mlinar stops playing, Suker can leave.
"Where are you going? A 150 cm center, who would want him?" Bakech shook his head.
Suker pursed his lips. "When I go to Sarajevo, I'll sign a contract with Sarajevo FC first. Anyway, I've scored so many goals against them, and they also know I'm useful. And the most important thing is, it's a big city there, the football coaches are more professional, and they understand my value better, so… Then."
As he spoke, Suker lacked a bit of confidence.
Bakech was smiling. The whole football circle of Bosnia and Herzegovina advocates height, strength, and speed, and it's not an exaggeration to say that Inzaghi might not even get to play in Bosnia and Herzegovina without his halo and fame.
Suker lowered his head, extremely frustrated.
It's so hard to want to play football.
Through the reflective glass, he looked at his figure sitting on the bench, his legs too short to reach the ground.
Suker was even more frustrated!
Bang!
Suker jumped off the bench, turned around, and left the store.
"Hey! What about the food cost?"
—Bakech shouted urgently—
Suker turned around, entered the kitchen, took two iron basins from the kitchen, and left the restaurant with them.
"Let me borrow them first, I'll make money and give you the dinner money tonight!"
As April arrived, the weather in Mostar became warmer.
Under the midday sun, the body was hot.
It was the recovery season, and the tourist season in Mostar was also approaching, with a group of tourists arriving every day to play and boost the city's economy.
It was also during this season that the city became noticeably more lively.
Mostar is better known for its old bridge.
It is also a city named after the bridge.
The Neretva River flows through the city of Mostar, dividing it into two parts, and the famous Mostar Bridge connects the two sides.
The entire old bridge is arched, with the highest point 10 meters above the river.
This ancient bridge is the most beautiful sight in the city, and it's also the most attractive place for tourists.
Both sides of the old bridge are filled with tourists, and the weather today is good, with no clouds, making it a great day to play in the water.
Bang, bang, bang!!
Suddenly, a sharp sound broke the silence of the city.
Tourists turned their heads to look up, and doubts slowly appeared on their already wrinkled brows.
I saw a teenager, probably 13 or 14 years old, banging the two iron basins he held in his hands to get attention.
When everyone looked at the child, the boy said two sentences in broken English.
"Give me money!"
Immediately, he pointed to the river channel under the old bridge: "Jump!"
Everyone looked at the boy in surprise; his face was immature, and his body was a little thin.
They turned their heads again to look at the old bridge, which was more than ten meters high, and felt afraid of heights just by looking at it from above, but was this little one going to dive here?
End of Chapter