I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 96: Chapter 14: The Treatment He Deserves

Spain, Madrid

This is a high-end hotel, where well-dressed men occasionally stop to gaze at Chen Zhong and then smile. At first, Chen Zhong didn’t know who these people were.

It wasn’t until one man revealed a handkerchief with the Real Madrid crest that Chen Zhong suddenly realized they were fans of Real Madrid; well, perhaps other teams’ fans might be observing him too.

He walked into the restaurant and sat at the pre-booked table. Chen Zhong felt slightly absent-minded; everything felt somewhat unreal. Whenever he went in and out, fans or reporters would be waiting for him, and no matter whether he was at the club, the Sports City, or outside, there were always people able to recognize him.

European World’s football culture seemed to have seeped into their very bones, something his homeland lacked.

Heavy footsteps sounded, and Chen Zhong looked up to see the man.

Chen Zhong imagined the other man’s outfit; the most likely was formal, making him seem as reliable as possible. However, in front of him was a guy in jeans, a Nike T-shirt, proudly showing off his Francisco-style solid abs.

He unreservedly flaunted his solid abs.

When he sat down, he even bumped his abs against the table in front of him.

Mino Raiola, an Italian football agent. After learning he would meet him, Chen Zhong specifically asked friends about this person. Among players, he had a good reputation, most famously for helping Zlatan Ibrahimovic escape Juventus.

”Put away that damn look,” Raiola muttered as he sat down. ”You’re making me think I’m here for a date, and you just want to see me dressed flamboyantly and say something interesting.”

”No, of course not...”

”Actually,” Chen Zhong wasn’t flustered at all, calmly saying, ”I’m just curious about how you got in here?”

There’s a sign at the hotel entrance denying entry to those dressed untidily. Raiola’s outfit didn’t quite fit ”untidy,” but coupled with his smug face, he looked like a streetwise character.

”You’re quite the obedient child.”

”Alright, enough of this nonsense, you don’t seem to like me very much.”

”It doesn’t matter; when I was young, my father told me that in life, half the people will love you and half will hate you. You’re not my family, nor my player, just someone else; I don’t care about that.”

Raiola tapped the table with a nonchalant expression. This demeanor, frankly, unknowingly reduced Chen Zhong’s wariness.

Since joining Real Madrid youth training, many agents wanted to sign him, all appearing amiable and then speaking eloquently. But Chen Zhong always felt like they viewed him as a piece of prime meat.

Raiola was different; when he sat in front of Chen Zhong, the atmosphere wasn’t quite as formal or rigid between the two.

”That sounds like we have nothing to discuss,” Chen Zhong said, but he didn’t show any intention of standing up. This surprised Raiola a bit, and he couldn’t help but laugh. Raiola laughed, Chen Zhong also couldn’t help but show a slight smile, and after they ordered some items, they began their ”negotiation” formally.

Raiola being able to sit here actually meant he had convinced Chen Zhong’s parents; now the only thing needed was Chen Zhong’s personal approval.

In fact, Raiola valued Chen Zhong as a player.

Once the 21st century arrived, World Football changed from various aspects, whether tactics, positions, or operational modes.

Once popular roles like the sweeper, the classical attacking midfielder began to wane, and once in World Football, agents moved from behind the scenes to the forefront becoming focal points, and gradually becoming a third force outside of clubs.

The Bosman ruling in 1995 gave players unprecedented autonomy, fundamentally increasing the possibility of player movement, utilizing the globalization era and football industry development, making the centralization trend of European football more apparent.

In 2005, ”Bosman 2.0” allowed some agents with massive top star resources to rise for the second time.

These super agents each had their own style, possessing their own ”base of operations,” the initial method of stockpiling players and taking transfer commissions gradually couldn’t satisfy the appetite of super agents.

Horabuchin from South America, Portugal’s upcoming tycoon Mendes, had already started to influence, even directly controlling top clubs’ transfers or team building, opening a new profit line.

Still, amongst super agents, Raiola was an ”outlier.”

He developed Bergkamp, Nedved, and currently had Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a marquee client, yet he showed no interest in controlling any club.

He took an unorthodox road, focusing on securing ”super contracts” for players, sparing no effort in calling upon media resources to create a series of news.