I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 65: Chapter 36: Conflict

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

The cheers from the stands caught the camera’s attention. As the camera turned to the sidelines, it only captured Chen Zhong, wearing jersey number 22, doing high-leg warm-ups by the side.

”They should have brought Chen on earlier!”

”Metzelder looks like he’s sleepwalking.”

”Chen, go up there and teach them a lesson! Let them know this is the Bernabeu!”

Some of the nearby Merengue fans shouted loudly from the stands. Schuster also made up his mind amidst these shouts. Initially, he only intended to use Chen Zhong’s warm-up as a way to motivate Metzelder, but given the emotions involved, he decided to directly substitute Chen Zhong in.

When the electronic board on the sidelines was raised, applause erupted from the stands as it was clear the fans were satisfied with Schuster’s decision.

”o((⊙﹏⊙))o!”

”A bold substitution by Schuster.”

”He substituted Metzelder out after just about 13 minutes of play.”

”This is truly a rare scene on the football pitch.”

”Metzelder didn’t high-five Chen Zhong; instead, he headed straight to the locker room.”

”Being substituted at this point is a humiliation for him.”

”His time at Real Madrid might be short-lived.”

”If this continues, Metzelder might seek a transfer in the winter window.”

After Chen Zhong came on the field, Casillas, Cannavaro, and Marcelo all greeted him with smiles. This moment was captured by the camera, and the commentators remarked on Chen Zhong’s good rapport within the team.

Meanwhile, some critics online, using reports from the Daily Sports and World Sports newspapers, were sarcastically labeling Chen Zhong as a ”connected player.” Some even confidently declared, ”Substituting Metzelder was absolutely a mistake. We’ll just have to wait for Real Madrid to suffer a crushing defeat in this match!”

The match continued with Werder Bremen launching an attack from the flank. The ball quickly found its way to Boubacar Sanogo’s feet. While most choose to wind down their careers in lower leagues, he made an outstanding impression with 43 goals in 54 matches, earning his place in one of the top five leagues, the Bundesliga, at the twilight of his career.

Sanogo is seen as a strong replacement for Klose. As a player from Côte d’Ivoire, standing at 1.86 meters tall, he possesses tremendous impact.

He was even regarded as the ”most aggressive top scorer” by Tunisian football fans when he played in Tunisia.

His speed is exceptional as he slides in from the side to get behind Cannavaro.

The Werder Bremen fans stood up from their seats, ready to cheer for their new hero. But then, the cheers got stuck in their throats and couldn’t come out.

Just as Sanogo was about to succeed, break into the penalty area, and face the goalkeeper directly...

A white blur flashed by from the side, directly taking Sanogo and the ball down to the ground.

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, in that instant, erupted like a disturbed beehive, filled with various noises. Schuster, watching Chen Zhong’s tackle from the sidelines, finally smiled. The team needed someone like Chen Zhong who could hold things together.

”Chen Zhong immediately made an impact on the opponent the moment he came on.”

”A very bold tackle.”

”But extremely precise.”

”The ball fell to Marcelo’s feet. Marcelo bypassed the defender and passed it to Sneijder.”

”Sneijder with a through ball, Van Nistelrooy cutting in from the left.”

”Real Madrid’s quick counterattack.”

”Cross!”

”Raul!”

”It’s Raul!”

”A header goal at the near post!”

”It’s in, 1:0.”

”This is Raul’s 57th goal in the Champions League.”

”He continues to extend his personal record for the most goals in the Champions League!”

”Real Madrid scored on their first shot in this match.”

”Marcelo’s daring breakthrough, Sneijder’s accurate through pass, Van Nistelrooy’s beautiful long pass, and of course, Chen Zhong’s brilliant tackle—all combined to construct this perfect goal.”

After scoring, Raul ran towards the corner flag, kissed the ring on his finger, and performed his trademark celebration, which is also the origin of his nickname ”The Lord of the Rings.”

Because after each goal he scores, he would always kiss his wedding ring on his finger, fans affectionately call him ”The Lord of the Rings.”

Shaf remained calm on the sidelines; despite his rugged appearance with sunglasses and a suit, he is actually a low-key, reserved, and silent person.

Neither compliments nor insults easily stir his emotions.

He called out players by name, hoping they could stay calm, while also praising and affirming their performance on the field, quickly calming their somewhat wavering spirits.

At the Real Madrid coaching area, the expression on Schuster’s face visibly relaxed—something Metzelder could not provide.

With Chen Zhong on the team’s defense line, Schuster felt a sense of stability and reassurance, a feeling that also began to take root and blossom within some of the Merengue fans.

By the 20th minute of the match, Werder Bremen secured an excellent opportunity. Diego, after taking control of the ball, attracted the attention of the Real Madrid midfield, then sent a through ball to Tosic on the wing.

Ramos closely followed Tosic, making it impossible for him to shake free.

Tosic came to a halt suddenly, seizing the time Ramos took to adjust, and passed the ball to the well-positioned Sanogo in the middle. Given his speed off the mark, Sanogo was likely to pierce through Real Madrid’s heart like a dagger.

They often practiced such coordination with Sanogo during training sessions.

However, this time something unexpected occurred. Chen Zhong quickly approached Sanogo from the side and executed a slide tackle, precisely taking the ball along with bringing Sanogo down to the ground.

Werder Bremen’s players were stunned, finally recognizing the transformation in Real Madrid’s defense. There was now a brute among them, causing some players to harbor concerns.

But Sanogo was definitely not one of them.

He got up from the ground, ready to confront Chen Zhong head-on. Just as the ball went out of bounds, a conflict arose, and the referee blew his whistle.

Marcelo was the first to reach the ”battlefield,” followed by Cannavaro, Ramos, Casillas, Raul, Guti, Sneijder, and other players.

Compared to the way Chen Zhong was surrounded by teammates, Sanogo appeared somewhat isolated.

Not far away, Carlos Alberto, with his dreadlocks, stood with his arms crossed, smiling coldly at Sanogo. The two were supposed to be a harmonious pair of forwards, with Sanogo being the tall one and Alberto the fast one.

Logically, they should have been closely bonded comrades, but Alberto saw himself as the rightful successor to Klose, while considering Sanogo merely as an old guy ready to retire.

Sanogo, on the other hand, thought of Alberto as someone constantly bragging about his past achievements, someone who always boasted about winning the Champions League with Porto, nothing more than a waste resting on his laurels.

The two were often at odds during training, sometimes even coming close to physical altercations.

At this moment, Alberto was glad to see Sanogo down. Rather than helping, he secretly mocked him, thinking, ”If only you’d passed the ball to me, nothing would have happened.”

Sanogo’s face turned red as he looked at Chen Zhong, but he could only do that. With two or three people standing in front of Chen Zhong, and a few people holding him back, all he could do was fume helplessly.

Finally, it was the referee giving Sanogo a yellow card that calmed him down.

”Just you wait!” Sanogo yelled at Chen Zhong, ”If you have the guts, keep sliding me, break my legs if you dare, you little punk.”

Chen Zhong turned to look at Sanogo, his eyes filled with curiosity. Since entering professional football, moving from the youth team to Castilla and then to Real Madrid, he had never heard such a request.

Even the tough youngster Morata would only get tackled again and again, then come back for more.

Afterward, his fierce reputation spread far and wide, and coupled with the Butcher’s Aura, others would feel weakened just seeing him. He hadn’t heard such a plea in ages.

It’s just a pity that after joining Real Madrid, his Butcher’s Aura seemed to have completely lost its effect.

Sanogo was initially quite brave, but looking at the way Chen Zhong sized him up just now, a slight unease crept into his heart for some reason.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

This guy...

Might he actually break my leg?