I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 384: Chapter 44: A Word Stirring a Thousand Waves

”Who cares about Chen!”

”We have Messi!”

Barcelona was immersed in a sea of joy when Madrid was jubilant over Chen Zhong’s ”Golden Boy Award,” and the French Football magazine announced the winner of the 2009 Ballon d’Or.

As expected, Messi became the recipient of the 09 Ballon d’Or.

The Ballon d’Or is a personal accolade in the football world, with candidates proposed by the French World of Football magazine, and winners voted by authoritative sports media worldwide.

Due to its stringent selection process, it holds high recognition and credibility.

Since 1995, the Ballon d’Or selection expanded to include players worldwide playing in the European League. From then on, specialists in the world of football perceived it as more prestigious than FIFA’s ”World Footballer of the Year.”

The Ballon d’Or is a goal every professional player strives for, and those who win it are considered the ”top player” of that year.

The year Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or, many considered him the best player in the world.

This time, Messi, with a total of 473 points, became the undisputed first, making him the first Argentine player in history to lift the Ballon d’Or. He follows other Barcelona winners, such as Suarez, Cruyff, Stoichkov, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho.

Last year, Ballon d’Or winner C. Ronaldo scored only 446 points, while 2007 winner Kaka had 444 points.

Historically, the closest voting rate to Messi’s was by Platini, who scored 128 points (with a maximum of 130), equating to 98.46% of the total. Messi scored, equaling 98.54% of the maximum.

Notably, in this Ballon d’Or selection, second place C. Ronaldo scored 223 points, while Xavi, with 170 points, ranked third. From fourth to tenth were Iniesta, Eto’o, Kaka, Eevee, Rooney, Drogba, and Gerrard.

Among the top ten Ballon d’Or players, nearly half were from Barcelona.

Last season, Messi performed at an elite level.

In the 31 La Liga matches he played for Barcelona, he scored 23 goals; in 12 Champions League games, he scored 9 goals, including a goal in the final, earning him the Champions League top scorer, best forward, and best player awards.

In 8 domestic cup games, he scored 6 goals, and in 9 national team games, he scored 3 goals.

He helped Barcelona achieve a Triple Crown of the Champions League, La Liga, and the King’s Cup.

Finally, he secured the Ballon d’Or, making him the third youngest winner in history, after Ronaldo in 1997 and Owen in 2001.

At the recently concluded Golden Boy Award ceremony, Real Madrid officially promoted Chen Zhong as a competitor to Messi, with the two representing Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.

Many fans questioned Chen Zhong’s representation of Real Madrid, as both C. Ronaldo and Kaka were considered more emblematic for the team.

However, many Merengue fans expressed support for Chen Zhong.

After all, C. Ronaldo grew up at Manchester United, Kaka cherished Milan, while Messi was a product of Barcelona’s youth academy.

When it comes to comparison, a homegrown talent provides a more comprehensive match-up. Both Messi and Chen Zhong won the Golden Boy Award at about the same age, being 18. If Chen Zhong can win the Ballon d’Or within the next 3 years before turning 22, he can surpass Messi in such direct comparisons.

After all, Messi made the first move and is now fixed, while Chen Zhong, as the ”pursuer,” has the opportunity to surpass Messi.

However, Barcelona’s ”madness” wasn’t over. While their fans celebrated Messi, they won their sixth trophy in subsequent matches, officially becoming an unprecedented ”Sextuple Crown” team.

At this moment, Barcelona fans were proud, and many people worldwide even began to consider Barcelona and Real Madrid as teams of the same caliber, or even believed Barcelona excelled over Real Madrid.

Champions League group stage, final round of Group C.

For Real Madrid, this match was insignificant. Regardless of win or loss, they would advance as group leaders, while Marseille, already out of contention, showed no fighting spirit.

Real Madrid led by 2 goals by halftime, further securing it in the second half with a penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo, marking his first goal since recovering from injury.

After scoring, C. Ronaldo tightly embraced Chen Zhong, his face beaming with a happy smile.

The final score settled at 0:3

Real Madrid easily defeated Marseille away.

At the post-match press conference, when faced with journalists’ questions, Pellegrini smiled and said, ”Cristiano and Chen have no issues at all. They are not competitors; they don’t play the same position, so how could there be competition?”

”In fact, the relationship between the two is very good. Chen was actively helping Cristiano regain his form in this match.”

”I believe this season will be a fantastic season.”

”As for Messi, well! He’s an excellent player, but if I had to choose, I would prefer Chen.”