I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 258: Chapter 9: Nationwide Jubilation

Real Madrid has entered its most turbulent and chaotic moment, with Calderon dismissed, Schuster leaving, and the team suffering a heavy defeat against Barcelona.

If there is anything to hope for in this ”civilian” Real Madrid, it seems it can only rely on Florentino and Chen Zhong, who is far away in Milan, Italy.

However, Florentino has yet to express any intention to run, and Chen Zhong in faraway Milan seems to be targeted by the club, having not played in a game for almost a month after joining Milan.

January 25, 2009, Serie A Round 20

Bologna VS Milan

The name of Chen Zhong was prominently listed in the announced squad, which immediately drew the attention of a large number of fans, especially those back home who were eagerly spreading the news.

Last season, Chen Zhong scored double digits in goals and assists in a single season, was an absolute mainstay for Real Madrid, and at the age of 16, shocked the entire football community, setting numerous records in Asia and around the world.

Yet by the 08-09 season, halfway through, Chen Zhong has not yet played officially for the team, only appearing in preseason friendlies so far.

This has led some ”haters” at home to start speaking out, using various remarks to ”slander” during the times of sports giants like Yao from basketball and Liu from athletics, and now they’ve found their time to complain about Chen Zhong.

In fact, they even later contributed to the biggest failure of ”Black Myth Wukong” protagonist being called ’using a stick,’ such brainless comments making many discerning Chinese people directly question if they are even Chinese.

”Has Chen Zhong shown his true colors now?”

”Both at Real Madrid and Milan, he has no chances to play; the local media hyped him too much.”

”Chen Zhong is just like that, poor footwork, too tall, 190 cm height, good at everything, but nothing in depth.”

...

Such comments are not many, but every time they appear, they incur the wrath of netizens, leaving one to wonder why they make such remarks.

Perhaps it’s just because they lack a scolding?

And when Milan announced Chen Zhong’s inclusion in the team’s roster, it directly triggered a series of reactions.

First, it was the new coach of Real Madrid, Juan de la Cruz Ramos Cano, abbreviated ”Juan de Ramos,” who publicly expressed his desire for Chen Zhong in front of the media.

”When I was coaching Sevilla.”

”In the Spanish Super Cup final, I watched Chen.”

”At that time, he scored a diving header, snatching the trophy from Sevilla’s hands.”

”Later, I became Tottenham’s head coach but continuously followed news about Chen. From the time he completed the diving header, I knew he would succeed.”

”As it turned out, he indeed became a mainstay at Real Madrid, completing an unbelievable season at the age of 16. At that time, I thought.”

”If only I could have such a player under my wing.”

As Juan de Ramos said this, his face bore some degree of sincerity, for relying heavily on Chen Zhong could stabilize the team’s locker room, win fan support, and have a reliably skilled player.

He prefers hardworking and diligent players like this, but who would have thought, upon coming to Real Madrid, Chen Zhong was loaned to Milan.

And upon suddenly hearing the news about Chen Zhong being included in Milan’s lineup, amidst Real Madrid’s turmoil, he naturally wanted to bring Chen Zhong out to divert the attention of the players.

And with Juan de Ramos’s remarks, people quickly turned their attention to Italy, to Milan.

They all wanted to see what kind of performance Chen Zhong would deliver after being away from the field for half a year.

Would he still exhibit the heroic performances of last season, or blend in with the crowd?

Bologna is not an easy opponent, Mikhailovic’s team has been undefeated for 9 rounds, currently sitting third in the league with 40 points, and Marco Di Vaio, born in 1976, having played for teams like Lazio, Parma, Juventus, is now the top scorer in Serie A with 14 goals.

Although the opponent is strong, Ancelotti wouldn’t easily let this match go, as this is his 400th game in charge of Milan, holding personal significance for him.

”Here is the 20th round of the Serie A.”

”The match between Bologna and AC Milan.”

”In red and black stripes is the Bologna team, wearing white jerseys is the Milan team.”

”This game is Ancelotti’s 400th match coaching Milan, and Ancelotti has already announced the team’s starting lineup before the match.”

”Beckham’s fourth consecutive start is enough to show Ancelotti’s appreciation for this English superstar, and Beckham’s performance has been remarkable.”

”This can be felt from the attitude of the Milan fans towards him.”

”In this game, Milan is still using the 4-3-2-1 formation.”

”Favalli replaces the suspended Jankulovsky, with Senderos and Maldini partnering as center-backs, Seedorf and Kaka forming dual attacking midfielders, Ronaldo starting in midweek friendly sits on the bench, marking his second game in a row on the bench.”

”Upfront is Pato alone.”

”Bologna, in the first round of this season, had surprisingly won at San Siro, and under Mikhailovic’s leadership, hasn’t lost in 9 rounds, but since Mikhailovic received a red card last round, he can only watch this game from the stands.”