I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 882: Chapter 2: Summer Transfer Window Targets

Asian football is on the rise.

The three countries of China, Japan, and South Korea have all presented eye-catching performances on the World Cup stage.

At the end of the season, Real Madrid did not win the championship but finished second in the league, and the club’s reinforcement strategy for the new season has attracted a lot of attention.

Real Madrid is also about to welcome its third Chinese player.

He is a talented central defender who rose to prominence in the Provincial Super League, and upon entering England, he became a miracle from the East. He is called ”Lord Xiao Fan” and is said to be the dream machine of old General Fan, as General Fan nearly joined Crystal Palace back in the day.

Ding Wei is 187cm tall, excels at interceptions, has outstanding physical confrontation abilities, though he lacks somewhat in aerial defense, but at 21, he is already a hot candidate for the national team’s main defender.

The current Chinese national team’s main players are all playing in the five major leagues, and China, South Korea, and Japan also have the most players in national team-level clubs in Asia within the five major leagues.

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Before joining Real Madrid, Ding Wei played for Southampton for 2 years.

In the world of youth training, some teams excel at developing players in certain positions. For instance, the Portuguese traditional powerhouse Sporting Lisbon is known as a paradise for wingers, having produced talents like Futre, Figo, Simao, Quaresma, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Nani from their academy.

France’s strong team Nantes is fertile ground for defensive midfielders; Deschamps, Desailly, Karembeu, Makelele, Djemba-Djemba, and Ras Diara have all emerged from here.

La Liga giant Real Madrid is relatively ”comprehensive,” with players such as Chen Zhong, Angel, Ramon, Otxotorena, Lopetegi, Canizares, Juanmi, Contreras, Casillas, Diego Lopez, and Casilla all originating from this club.

Then there’s Riverbed, one of Argentina’s two giants, considered a paradise for attacking midfielders. This production line has successively produced Argentine stars such as El Mundo Onega, Norberto Alonso, Sabella, Burruchaga, Tapia, Grossto, Borelli, Ortega, Gallardo, Emar, D’Alessandro, and Lamela.

Southampton was once a club adept at developing forwards, and it is worth mentioning that Southampton port was the launch site of the Titanic, with many stars kicking off their football dreams in this city.

However, after entering the 21st century, the central defenders emerging from Southampton became more notable, with the most famous being Van Dijk, who currently plays for Liverpool and is considered a top-tier defender in gaming.

After Ding Wei showed his talents in the Provincial Super League, he was brought to England by Southampton, a team that loves collecting central defenders. At 20, when he made his debut in the 2023-2024 season, he did not make any significant errors.

For most players, a debut where no major mistakes are made can be considered a perfect start.

In the second season, his appearances for Southampton gradually increased, and he showed some impressive performances. Some believe he can become the ”second Pepe.” Initially, Real Madrid was not enthusiastic about signing Ding Wei, but due to poor defensive performance in Chen Zhong’s absence during the national derby on May 11, 2025, they were determined to bolster their defense.

On the night of May 11, 2025, Camp Nou witnessed a tragicomedy worthy of being recorded in football history.

The score stood at 4-3 on site.

Many Real Madrid fans could hardly believe their eyes. In one or two seasons before, they thought if Barcelona truly faded, then there would be no competition in La Liga and complete dominance, which would be so boring.

They didn’t want to become like Bayern Munich, which dominates the Bundesliga.

However, with the departure of Xavi and the arrival of a new coach, a genius suddenly emerged just like Messi and Chen Zhong once did. Yamal made Barcelona even more competitive.

The 4-3 score proved this, and the seven-point gap in the league made Real Madrid realize they were really going to end the season without any trophies.

Before this match, their leaders were confidently saying that at least the league title was within reach.

But the result was indeed so cruel.

This season’s Champions League final even saw the much-ridiculed Ligue 1 and declining Serie A teams meet.

At the season’s start, many believed Real Madrid could create glory again, given they had just completed another Champions League treble, but this club, once dubbed the ”Galaxy Battleship” experienced a fall from grace from cloud nine to the abyss in just eight months—Spanish Super Cup, King’s Cup, Champions League all defeated, and now even the last hope for the La Liga title was crushed by their eternal rival, marking the most complete ”empty” season in Real Madrid’s history.

This national derby match further solidified the leadership’s decision to bring in Ding Wei.

In recent years, Real Madrid’s recruitment style has changed significantly. They prefer signing players for a smaller price. In the past, Ding Wei would not have caught Real Madrid’s attention, as he was not a big name.

But now, seeing Ding Wei’s performance in the league, Real Madrid is fortunate to sign him even without a fee.