I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 489: Chapter 96: Season’s End

This was definitely a memorable match.

And the post-match turmoil left many fans gossiping.

Among them, the Portuguese’s post-match statement to the media, ”I prefer Mourinho,” certainly stirred up a storm.

Of course, there was some misunderstanding in this statement, because when Cristiano Ronaldo was surrounded by reporters, he actually said he preferred Mourinho’s winning mentality.

But!

He also had great respect for Pellegrini.

However, the reporters used misleading tactics, taking his words out of context to simply convey, ”I prefer Mourinho.”

Although later Cristiano Ronaldo provided explanations and clarifications, the media only needed to add a single word to change it to ”We must respect Pellegrini.”

Under the instigation of reporters, it gave people the feeling that there was no heartfelt respect.

Some fans even considered Cristiano Ronaldo a staunch member of the ”Mourinho camp”, mainly because they are both Portuguese and their agent is Mendes.

All of this made people believe the Portuguese star supported Mourinho’s arrival at the Bernabeu.

Of course, Pellegrini’s performance this season also gained recognition from some Real Madrid fans, so when the Portuguese made such remarks, and the media blamed Pellegrini for not completing a comeback in the semifinals, criticizing him for lacking the composure of a famous coach in the final moments.

Many fans felt empathy for Pellegrini, for instance, after training, many fans organized themselves at the edge of the pitch shouting, ”Pellegrini stay, we don’t need Mourinho.” Such slogans.

In some ways, Pellegrini was indeed doing a good job.

He still held the top position in the league, reached the finals of the King’s Cup, and entered the semi-finals of the Champions League, almost reversing Bayern Munich.

If Pellegrini really led the team to the finals this season, even if Florentino disliked Pellegrini, he could do nothing against him.

Should Pellegrini really lead the team into the finals, win the Champions League, and subsequently secure the league and cup championships, helping the team achieve an unprecedented Triple Crown.

This kind of character, who would secure a place in Real Madrid history, must be respected by Florentino.

After Pellegrini lost the semifinals, Real Madrid’s top management held an internal meeting, and although there were reports saying Pellegrini had a high chance of staying next season, given that, despite everything, this season’s victories against peak Barcelona with a win and a draw, continuous pressure in the league, finals entries in the cup, and semi-final appearance in the Champions League were quite substantial achievements.

But luckily, there was one person whose replacement of Pellegrini would be controversial but not cause ”riots”.

That person is Mourinho, who is currently coaching Inter Milan.

This season Mourinho defeated Barcelona in the semifinals and his remarks after the match also improved his reputation among Real Madrid fans.

As Inter Milan gradually aims to become the champion of the Serie A league, the Italian Cup champion, and enters the Champions League finals, possibly creating a ”Triple Crown” dynasty.

Even the voices originally criticizing Mourinho’s soccer for being too conservative have gradually diminished.

After all, given Mourinho’s performance at Inter Milan, along with the club chairman’s emphasis on him, often the issue was no longer about whether they liked Mourinho or not, but whether Mourinho was willing to come or not.

Although Florentino had several exchanges with Mendes and also had some communication with Mourinho personally, within the club, Florentino was not ”all-powerful.”

Pellegrini also received some support from the higher-ups.

Such as Valdano, who initially recommended Pellegrini to coach Real Madrid, as well as Paredes and Butragueño.

Even Zidane expressed support for Pellegrini. Of course, some were not entirely convinced of Pellegrini’s coaching abilities; most of the big shots believed that what Real Madrid needed most now was patience and long-term planning. If they continued on the path of constant managerial changes, Real Madrid would still struggle in Europe.

During high-level meetings, especially after Pellegrini led the team to the Champions League semifinals, Florentino increasingly heard, ”What Real Madrid needs most is patience.”

The higher-ups constantly reiterated this phrase, which to some extent influenced Florentino’s decisions.

Real Madrid’s unexpected exit caused some opportunists to surface, especially the media in the Catalonia Region, who were eager for Real Madrid to be affected in the succeeding matches, allowing Barcelona to keep the ”champion” hopes alive, just so the season would not end in complete failure.

It was at this time that a ”call-girl scandal” broke out.

This particular report was not leaked by Catalan or Madrid media, but, surprisingly, was published by France’s ”World Newspaper”.

In this information, an interview with 18-year-old Zahia Dehar was included.