I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 171: Chapter 60: Barcelona to Sign Chinese Genius!

Barcelona is going to sign a Chinese genius!

Ever since Chen Zhong emerged, in China, and even throughout Asia, the intensity of scouting young players has been rapidly increasing. Chen Zhong has showcased his potential for success on the vast stage of Real Madrid, even being considered as possibly becoming one of the top fifty, top thirty, top twenty, or even top ten legendary players in history.

In Europe, many clubs view Asia as the second South America and Africa, hoping to unearth the next Chen Zhong.

Just as the 21st round of La Liga is about to kick off, and as the winter transfer window is about to close, Barcelona, as if acting stealthily, urgently traveled to China to negotiate the transfer of a Chinese talent.

If there’s any regret in this matter, it’s that this genius plays in the forward position, while in the forward line they have Messi, Dos Santos, Bojan...

It seems there isn’t much room left, only to see if they can transform this little guy.

After all, the report says this player has a very sharp sense on the field, especially being outstanding in positioning.

His name is Wu Lei, currently playing in the China Second Division, creating the record for the youngest player in China’s professional football league history at age 14 in 2006.

The talks between the two parties went very smoothly, with both the player’s side and the club optimistic about this transfer.

Interestingly, they all regarded Chen Zhong as a reference point for this transfer.

In China, the media widely covered this news.

Compared to 2004, when Chen Zhong was discovered by Real Madrid, the news that Wu Lei would join Barcelona’s youth academy at the end of this season immediately hit the trending topics.

Some even bluntly stated that Wu Lei will be the next Chen Zhong!

Wu Lei’s departure seemingly became a trigger, sparking a wave of players going abroad from China, with one news after another about players transferring overseas exploding in the country.

Players like Zhang Linpeng, Feng Xiaoting, Zhao Xuri, and Gao Lin became hot commodities in the eyes of major clubs, causing some local clubs to feel a sense of crisis, trying to persuade players to stay and play domestically.

However, the treatment from foreign clubs, and their offered conditions, are something these players couldn’t refuse. Suddenly, in China, there were stories everywhere of certain players being scouted by certain leagues and then being taken abroad.

But among the players born in the 90s, Wu Lei and Chen Zhong undoubtedly lead the pack, with one joining Barcelona, and the other joining Real Madrid.

Many fans have already started anticipating the Chinese derby set to take place next season.

Even when Barcelona officially announced Wu Lei’s transfer, many people in China found it hard to believe.

After all, the news of Barcelona intending to bring in a Chinese player is quite exciting, but in the harsh reality, La Liga is one of the leagues where Asian players have been the least successful among the five major leagues.

Up until 2008, Asian players who’ve played in La Liga were still scarce.

The first to open La Liga’s door was Japanese player Shiroyama Akiji, who was loaned to Valladolid from January to June 1999; Nishizawa Akiyoshi was loaned to Spanish from August 1999 to June 2000, but Shiroyama Akiji’s performance at Valladolid was heavily criticized, and Nishizawa Akiyoshi’s time at Spanish was also a complete disappointment.

In July 2003, 22-year-old Li Tianxiu joined Real Sociedad, becoming the first South Korean to land on the La Liga stage, but just two years later, Li Tianxiu was cleared by Real Sociedad, and a once hopeful ”going abroad myth” for South Korean fans was thus shattered.

Know that while in Asia, Li Tianxiu’s footwork was praised by South Korean fans as ”Asia’s top-class,” but upon reaching La Liga, his so-called top-class skills didn’t even match ordinary players, and no South Korean companies were willing to sponsor a small club like Real Sociedad.

After Li Tianxiu, Japanese player Daikubo Yajin joined Mallorca but also quickly returned home without achieving any good results.

As for Chinese players, only Shang Yi had a brief tenure with a Segunda Division team and didn’t leave much of an impression, nor caused much of a stir.

This led many to believe Asian players could not survive in La Liga.

After all, La Liga is a league emphasizing technique, and when top Asian technical players arrive, their technical level is considered average; plus, physically, Asian players generally suffer.

However, this year, Chen Zhong’s performance caused La Liga and even the entire Europe to begin valuing Asia as a ”gold mine,” given the sheer population, previously without standout talent, but this season, the 16-year-old Chen Zhong has showcased a remarkable performance.

Having signed Wu Lei, Barcelona happily posted an announcement on their website, stating, ”We have signed the best player of the new generation in China.”

In the canteen of Sports City, most players didn’t pay attention to Wu Lei’s transfer, except someone in Chen Zhong’s circle mentioned it.

However, after Chen Zhong stated he hadn’t met Wu Lei and wasn’t familiar with him, the topic wasn’t pursued further, and everyone’s topic shifted to Stallone.

This legendary American tough-guy action star brought his new film ”First Blood 4” to Spain, and while from the United States, where football isn’t popular, Stallone still has an unbreakable bond with football.