Chapter 38: The Young Lions
The two weeks between Madrid and Amsterdam felt like a strange limbo. The high of the Bernabéu still lingered—fans stopping Leo on the street, journalists calling for interviews, his face on magazine covers across Europe—but the machine rolled on. Ajax. A different kind of test.
Ancelotti drilled them on the Dutch side's strengths. Youth. Speed. Fearlessness. "They will run all night," he said in one tactical meeting, pointing at the screen. "Van der Vaart. Sneijder. Ibrahimović. They don't know they're supposed to lose. That makes them dangerous."
Leo watched tapes of Ibrahimović. Tall, gangly, technically absurd for his size. A 19-year-old who played like he'd already won everything. The system rated him at 86, climbing fast. Van der Vaart was 88. Sneijder 85. A team of future stars who didn't know their limits yet.
Mendes called. "Ajax's sporting director asked about you. Not now—they know they can't afford you. But they wanted me to know they're 'monitoring your situation.'" He laughed. "Everyone is monitoring your situation, Leo. Madrid. Barcelona. United. You're the most wanted teenager in football history."
"I'm happy at Milan."
"I know. That's why they want you more."
---
Champions League Quarter-Final, First Leg. Wednesday, 2nd April 2003. Amsterdam Arena.
The stadium was a modern bowl, all glass and steel, but the atmosphere was old-school. The Ajax fans packed the stands behind the goals, a wall of red and white, flags waving, a constant, rhythmic clapping. The famous Ajax, Ajax, Ajax chant echoed around the roof.
The away dressing room was comfortable but functional. Leo sat at his peg, pulling on his boots. The system populated the Ajax lineup.
Ajax (4-3-3):
Maarten Stekelenburg (GK) - 82
Hatem Trabelsi (RB) - 85
Petri Pasanen (CB) - 80
John Heitinga (CB) - 83
Maxwell (LB) - 86
Steven Pienaar (CM) - 84
Rafael van der Vaart (CM) - 88
Wesley Sneijder (CM) - 85
Andy van der Meyde (RW) - 84
Zlatan Ibrahimović (ST) - 86
Mido (LW) - 83
Van der Vaart. Eighty-eight. The captain, the creative heartbeat. Ibrahimović, raw but terrifying. Sneijder, the future metronome. A team built to attack.
Milan's lineup appeared.
AC Milan (4-3-1-2):
Dida (GK) - 87
Dario Šimić (RB) - 82
Alessandro Nesta (CB) - 93
Paolo Maldini (CB) - 94
Kakha Kaladze (LB) - 85
Gennaro Gattuso (CM) - 88
Andrea Pirlo (CM) - 91
Clarence Seedorf (CM) - 90
Leo Carter (AM) - 99
Filippo Inzaghi (ST) - 88
Andriy Shevchenko (ST) - 94
Ancelotti stood at the front. "They are young. They will press high. They will run. But they will leave space. Carter, find the space. Sheva, Pippo, make the runs. We leave here with an away goal. Minimum."
The teams walked out. The tunnel was wide, modern, but the noise from beyond was anything but. Fifty thousand Dutch fans, singing, clapping, a wall of red and white. The Champions League anthem played, and Leo felt the familiar shiver.
The announcer's voice boomed, Dutch rolling like waves.
"Dames en heren, welkom in de Amsterdam Arena voor de kwartfinale van de UEFA Champions League! Ajax tegen AC Milan!"
The roar was deafening. The whistle blew.
---
Ajax started like a team that had nothing to lose. They pressed high, swarmed the ball, and ran like their lives depended on it. Van der Vaart dropped deep, collecting from the centre-backs, spraying passes to the wings. Van der Meyde and Mido hugged the touchlines, stretching Milan's shape. Ibrahimović lurked, a giant among men, his touch surprisingly delicate.
In the sixth minute, Ajax had the first chance. Sneijder won the ball in midfield and played it immediately to van der Vaart. The captain took one touch and curled a shot toward the far corner. Dida flew across his goal and tipped it over.
The Ajax fans behind the goal erupted. "Van der Vaart! Van der Vaart!"
The small pocket of Milan fans, tucked in the upper tier, sang back. "Forza Milan! Forza Milan!"
Leo tracked back, helping Gattuso deal with van der Vaart. The Dutchman was slippery, always finding space. The system fed Leo information.
[Rafael van der Vaart: Playmaking Threat - High. Creativity - High. Deny space between lines. Force him wide.]
In the twelfth minute, Milan had their first moment. Pirlo collected the ball deep, looked up, and saw Leo drifting between Pienaar and Sneijder. The pass was a laser, curling around Maxwell and landing at Leo's feet.
[La Magie (Level 5) Activated. Touch Maximised.]
He killed it instantly. Heitinga lunged. Leo dropped a shoulder, left the Dutchman grasping, and drove toward the box. Pasanen came across to cover. Leo slipped a pass to Shevchenko. The Ukrainian's shot was low and hard. Stekelenburg got down well and held on.
The Milan fans applauded. "Dai, Leo! Dai!"
[Assist Opportunity Created. Match Rating: 6.8.]
---
The game was end-to-end. Ajax attacked with youthful abandon. Milan countered with experience. Van der Vaart hit the post with a free-kick. Shevchenko forced a diving save from Stekelenburg. Ibrahimović chested down a long ball and volleyed just wide.
Then, in the twenty-seventh minute, Milan broke through.
A throw-in deep in Ajax's half. Šimić launched it toward Shevchenko. The Ukrainian chested it down and laid it off to Seedorf. The Dutchman—playing against his former club—looked up and saw Leo making a run into the right channel.
[Vision (Level 5) Activated. Through Ball Perfection.]
Seedorf played the pass. A curling ball into the space behind Maxwell. Leo was off.
[Acceleration (Level 4) Activated.]
He reached the ball before Pasanen, cut inside, and looked up. Inzaghi was making a run to the near post. Shevchenko was arriving late.
[Crossing Opportunity: 72%. Recommended: Low driven cross to near post.]
He hit it. Hard and low, skidding across the wet grass. The ball flashed through the six-yard box. Inzaghi lunged, got a toe to it, and poked it past Stekelenburg.
The net bulged.
The Amsterdam Arena fell silent. The only sound was the tiny pocket of red and black, erupting with joy.
"Pippo! Pippo! Super Pippo!"
Inzaghi ran toward the away corner, arms outstretched, and Leo was right behind him. The striker grabbed him by the shoulders. "Perfect ball! Perfect!"
The announcer's voice was flat. "Doelpunt voor AC Milan. Filippo Inzaghi. Assist van Leo Carter."
MILAN SCORES! AJAX 0, MILAN 1.
[Assist Registered. Match Rating: 6.8 -> 8.0.]
---
The goal settled Milan. They passed with confidence, managing the tempo. Ajax, so energetic early on, began to look frustrated. Van der Vaart dropped deeper. Ibrahimović gesticulated at his teammates.
In the thirty-ninth minute, Milan doubled their lead.
A free-kick from Pirlo on the right, forty yards out. The system highlighted the gaps.
[Set Piece Analysis: Zonal Marking. Near Post Cluster. Far Post Space.]
Pirlo whipped it in, low and hard toward the near post. Shevchenko made a run, dragging Heitinga with him. The ball skimmed past the first defender.
Leo was already moving.
[Reading the Game (Level 4) Activated.]
[Power Header (Refined) Activated.]
[Clutch Gene (Refined) Activated.]
He launched himself at the ball, meeting it six yards out. The header was clean, powerful, aimed at the far corner. Stekelenburg dove, fingertips grazing, but the ball nestled in the net.
The Amsterdam Arena fell into a deeper silence.
"Leo! Leo! Il nostro fenomeno!"
Leo ran to the away corner, sliding on his knees, arms outstretched. Maldini grabbed his face. "Sei incredibile!"
The announcer's voice was defeated. "Doelpunt voor AC Milan. Leo Carter."
MILAN SCORES! AJAX 0, MILAN 2.
[Goal Scored. Match Rating: 8.0 -> 9.1.]
---
Half-time came. The Ajax players trudged off, heads down. In the away dressing room, Ancelotti was calm.
"Good half. But they will come at us now. They have nothing to lose. Stay compact. Hit them on the break. One more goal, and the tie is over."
The second half began. Ajax came out flying. Van der Vaart hit the bar with a curling shot. Ibrahimović forced a world-class save from Dida. Sneijder's long-range effort was tipped over.
In the fifty-eighth minute, Ajax pulled one back. A corner from van der Vaart. Pasanen rose above Nesta and thundered a header past Dida.
AJAX SCORES! AJAX 1, MILAN 2.
The Amsterdam Arena erupted. "Ajax! Ajax! Ajax!"
The home fans believed again. The noise was relentless.
But Milan held on. Leo dropped deep, helping defend. The system guided him into passing lanes, blocking angles. His Endless Engine kept him moving.
In the seventy-fourth minute, Milan sealed it. A counter-attack. Leo carried the ball from halfway, drew three defenders, and slipped a pass to Shevchenko. The Ukrainian didn't miss.
MILAN SCORES! AJAX 1, MILAN 3.
Shevchenko ran to the away corner, arms outstretched. The Milan fans were delirious.
The final whistle blew. A dominant away win. The tie was all but over.
[Match Complete. Ajax 1 - 3 AC Milan.]
[Goal: Carter (1). Assist: Carter (2). Match Rating: 9.4 (Man of the Match).]
[Charm Points Earned: 400. Total: 13,120.]
[Talent Absorption Available. Defeated Team: Ajax.]
[Select Talent:]
> Rafael van der Vaart (CM): [Creative Hub (Level 4)] - Upgrades Vision.
> Zlatan Ibrahimović (ST): [Warrior Spirit (Level 4)] - Upgrades Defiant Spirit.
Leo selected Ibrahimović's Warrior Spirit.
[Talent Enhanced: Defiant Spirit (Level 5 -> Refined). Performance under hostility maximised.]
---
Coppa Italia Semi-Final, First Leg. Wednesday, 9th April 2003. San Siro.
Juventus. Lippi's machine. Nedvěd. Del Piero. Trezeguet. Buffon. The team that had beaten Milan in the league and would likely win the Scudetto.
The San Siro was packed. Eighty thousand people, the Curva Sud a seething mass of red and black. The first half was a war. Tackles flew. Tempers flared. Nedvěd hit the post. Shevchenko forced a stunning save from Buffon.
In the thirty-fourth minute, Milan broke through. A free-kick from Pirlo. Leo rose, Power Header refined, and thundered it past Buffon.
MILAN SCORES! MILAN 1, JUVENTUS 0.
The San Siro erupted. Leo ran to the Curva Sud, arms outstretched.
Juventus equalised in the sixty-seventh minute. A counter-attack. Del Piero slipped a pass to Trezeguet. The Frenchman finished clinically.
JUVENTUS SCORES! MILAN 1, JUVENTUS 1.
The away corner, a pocket of black and white, erupted.
The match ended 1-1. A slender advantage for the second leg in Turin.
[Match Complete. AC Milan 1 - 1 Juventus.]
[Goal: Carter (1). Match Rating: 8.7.]
[Coppa Italia: Semi-Final First Leg. All to play for in Turin.]
---
After the Match
Leo sat in the dressing room, ice packs on his legs. Maldini sat beside him.
"You are carrying us," the captain said quietly. "I see it. Everyone sees it."
"We're a team."
"We are. But you are the difference." Maldini put a hand on his shoulder. "The second leg in Turin. It will be a war. Are you ready?"
Leo nodded. "I'm ready."
The system flickered.
[Next: Coppa Italia Semi-Final, Second Leg - Juventus vs. AC Milan. 23rd April 2003. Stadio delle Alpi.]
Leo closed his eyes. Turin. The old lady. Another mountain to climb.