I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 897: Chapter 9: El Clásico, the Veteran’s Roar

People climbing the mountain mock the gods descending it; such occurrences are not rare in the football world.

The ranking in the FIFA Club World Cup is no longer important; people only know that the once all-powerful Chen Zhong has not displayed the astonishing dominance he once did.

When facing opponents, the ball at his feet got intercepted.

Facing young players like Haaland, when Chen Zhong was slightly disadvantaged in physical confrontations, people realized that Chen Zhong had aged, and the decline in the physical condition of Asian players is remarkably swift.

While one might argue that the performance in the FIFA Club World Cup was due to inadequate preparation or other reasons, the performance of Chen Zhong in various competitions at the start of the new season could be described with the saying ”Lian Po is old.”

In the stands, the picky Real Madrid fans have already started to jeer at this legendary star, leaving even Alonso puzzled and publicly defending Chen Zhong, believing that Real Madrid fans should not treat a club’s meritorious player in such a manner.

Meanwhile, all kinds of rumors were circulating within the club.

Many people felt that Chen Zhong should no longer serve as the team’s starting player.

Chen Zhong’s sources even heard that some high-ranking individuals within the club considered accepting an offer from Saudi Arabia, to cash in on Chen Zhong at this point in time.

The offer is irresistible, and for Chen Zhong, having such a big contract in the later stages of his career is quite fantastic.

Chen Zhong is no longer the highest-paid in the world; even within the club, his salary has started to decline gradually.

Reports say Florentino is already evaluating the feasibility of this plan.

...

Spain, Madrid

Chen Zhong walked within the familiar Sports City, where some of his former teammates now work in the youth team, while others have retired and completely left football.

In Real Madrid’s first team now, there are basically no familiar faces from the initial days.

The team’s coach, Alonso, counts as a very familiar person.

Moreover, this season is a crucial point in time; many of his familiar faces from Castilla are retiring, and Kroos’s retirement has been a heavy blow to Chen Zhong’s heart.

Chen Zhong has basically obtained all the honors he can.

Whether or not to retire at the peak like Kroos, leaving fans with beautiful memories, is indeed a tempting choice.

Now, many people miss Kroos, and if Chen Zhong were also to retire, perhaps a lot of Real Madrid fans on the internet would start missing Chen Zhong.

”But not yet,” Chen Zhong murmured, fire lighting up in his eyes; he wants to lead China once more in the 2026 World Cup.

He needs to maintain his condition.

And Real Madrid’s training equipment and mechanisms obviously can maximize maintaining his condition.

The 2026 World Cup will enter football history at an unprecedented scale—jointly hosted by three countries (United States, Canada, Mexico), expanding to 48 teams, with a total of 104 matches played over 40 days.

This football feast will kick off on June 11, 2026, at Aztec Stadium in Mexico City and conclude on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New York.

Chen Zhong does not know whether this time he can lead the team to win the World Cup; he only knows he still has a chance, and he needs to fight for it.

...

Time passed day by day; this season, Chen Zhong’s data is quite poor, all the way up to just before the first national derby between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Chen Zhong has yet to score a goal, nor has he provided any assists.

This relates to Chen Zhong’s position under Alonso, but it also highlights Chen Zhong’s current plight.

In this season, Chen Zhong’s playing time is limited; young players in Real Madrid Team need time, compared to ”past” glory, Real Madrid is more inclined to build a new future.

Even Alonso finds it hard to reverse this.

Last season, Real Madrid was defeated thoroughly by Barcelona, with Chen Zhong not playing due to various injuries.

And this season, when the two teams meet again, Barcelona fans taunted: ”Get injured!”

”Quickly get injured again!”

”Or else, your record will be gone!”

In the national derby between Real Madrid and Barcelona, in matches where Chen Zhong represented Real Madrid, the team has never lost.

Barcelona can draw with Real Madrid, but they won’t win the match because that man always steps up during crucial moments.

Real Madrid fans have frequently used this to tease Barcelona fans; Barcelona fans have long wanted to destroy this annoying record, and now they have the chance.

...

Before the national derby with Barcelona, Alonso specifically sought out Chen Zhong for a talk, first showing concern about Chen Zhong’s physical condition, discussing his tactics, and finally asking: ”Chen, do you want to play in the next match?”

Alonso’s current midfield pairing leans more toward the combination of Bellingham and Tchouameni, with Juleer favored in the attacking midfielder position. During the FIFA Club World Cup, Modric occupied some space in midfield, further complicated by players like Camavinga, which is why Chen Zhong did not have much opportunity to showcase during the FIFA Club World Cup.