I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 395: Chapter 49: Another Path (Character Fate Lines Shifted)

”But we’ve already found a more suitable candidate.”

”Someone will contact you about the breach of contract fee.”

”What?” Disalvo obviously didn’t expect that coming here would result in not only not receiving Florentino’s support, but instead directly losing his already shaky job. He looked at Florentino and asked, ”Can I know who has taken over my job?”

”Oscar.”

”Who?”

...

The news of Disalvo’s dismissal and Oscar Garro’s replacement quickly spread throughout the first team. Obviously, nobody realized the club would be so decisive in firing Disalvo, and many staff couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful.

After all, back then, they personally witnessed how prominent Disalvo was, his words were like royal decrees, getting whatever he wanted.

But now, he was replaced by Oscar Garro, someone from the youth team.

This inevitably made some thoughtful people associate this with Chen Zhong.

Some journalists who received the news also quickly began reporting on Disalvo’s departure, while also becoming curious about who Oscar Garro was.

Meanwhile, Kaka had already contacted doctors in the United States and other professionals to get the diagnosis results.

Initially, those doctors seemed to be stuck in a mindset, some even thinking Brazil’s surgery for him in 2008 wasn’t done properly, failing to resolve osteitis pubis.

Listening to this made Kaka’s heart race, but when he brought up Oscar Garro’s statement, it suddenly dawned on those experts, professors, and even the American doctors.

They initially engaged in debates and sought differences with their peers, not considering the possibility of looking at it from another angle.

This scene made Kaka inwardly shudder.

If it weren’t for Oscar Garro’s ”open speech”, what would the outcome have been?

This circumstance of multiple discussions leading to ”misdiagnosis”, with misdiagnoses happening to doctors from Brazil, Spain, and even the United States, forcing one’s left side to become ”disabled”.

The situation Oscar Garro spoke of could really have happened to him.

How desperate he would have been!

However, these experts aren’t just for show. Once provided the right direction, they quickly formulated a series of recovery plans.

They aren’t ”fools”, they were just stuck in their own understanding and couldn’t break free.

As Kaka quickly returned to the training ground, his first action was to embrace Chen Zhong tightly.

”I don’t know how to thank you, Chen!”

”You’ve almost saved my career.”

”Now...” Kaka embraced Chen Zhong and said, ”I just need a surgery, and after a month or two of postoperative recovery, I’ll be able to resolve most of the physical issues.”

”Can you help me?”

In Kaka’s eyes was a hint of expectation. Although Real Madrid would probably approve of this treatment plan, in the crucial period where the team is contending in three fronts, the absence of the 2007 Ballon d’Or winner Kaka was going to impact the team in various ways.

Kaka was now quite anxious.

Chen Zhong realized this, he knew how much Kaka loved football, it was like a drowning person clutching a lifesaving straw.

Even if it was a straw, he would try.

”Don’t worry.”

”The club will support you.”

”This is Real Madrid after all.”

”Take care of yourself.” Chen Zhong gently patted Kaka’s shoulder and comforted him, ”When you return, you might just come in handy at a critical moment!”

Kaka looked at Chen Zhong, feeling a bit moved.

He knew some of Chen Zhong’s words were to comfort him.

Post-surgery, Kaka would miss about one to two months of matches, he would need time to find his form and recuperate. If he were to play then, his lousy condition might not only fail to help the team, but could also mess it up badly.

Standing to the side, after hearing Kaka and Chen Zhong’s ”confession”, Pirlo also stepped forward to hug Kaka and said, ”Don’t worry, you still have me, don’t you?”

During this period, Pirlo lost his position; Pellegrini was preferring to use Baptista in place of Pirlo, adding another nail up front, a barrier at the rear, and freeing up Chen Zhong to undertake more tasks.

”Rest assured!” Chen Zhong also patted Kaka’s shoulder and said, ”I’ll talk to the coach about this.”

Kaka’s position wasn’t irreplaceable, Callejon and Granero could both play in Kaka’s spot. However, purely position-wise, they didn’t possess Kaka’s all-around football control and breakthrough abilities.

Just as Chen Zhong mentioned, Kaka’s treatment plan was soon approved by the Real Madrid Club.

Kaka’s left knee surgery was scheduled after the match with Valencia, and he hoped to watch that game live.

...

At night, after Chen Zhong finished training for the day, he returned to his room.

When practicing extra with Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese seemed exceedingly excited as if fueled by ”adrenaline”, working hard through the night, which even led Chen Zhong to feel he had gained a lot.

During this time, the proficiency of Chen Zhong’s [End] badge also increased significantly.

On his way back to his room after finishing training, Callejon and Granero came to chat with Chen Zhong, and even Parejo stopped by to say a few words.

They would all benefit from Kaka’s absence.

The season was already halfway through, and the team’s starting positions were basically set.

Negredo remained the first choice for the center forward position. Although he didn’t score much due to tactical reasons, his role in the front court couldn’t be ignored.

There were some voices, like fans and media, suggesting that Benzema and Higuain could replace Negredo, but Negredo, wearing Real Madrid’s number 9 jersey, still held the main slot.

Of course, most fans supported Negredo because of his previous cooperation with Chen Zhong at Castilla, believing that Negredo’s presence on the field enhanced Chen Zhong’s performance.

On both sides, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka took absolute main positions. In Kaka’s absence, Granero and Callejon would step up. Their contributions to the team differed.

In midfield, Baptista, Alonso, and Chen Zhong seemed to form a relatively stable choice. There’s no doubt that the most brilliant performer among them was Chen Zhong, while Baptista and Alonso handled most of the defensive work, impacting Pirlo’s initial starting position at the beginning of the season.

Originally, in Pellegrini’s view, Chen Zhong would become the primary core and player in defense, with Pirlo being the first choice for organization and attack, and Alonso serving as the team lubricant. But everything was ”disrupted and corrected” by Chen Zhong.

The backfield arrangement was relatively stable. Besides a bit of competition between Marcelo and Alvaro on the left, other positions were essentially fixed, while Torres was considered a versatile substitute, capable of playing on either the right or left fullback or center back.

After finishing washing up, as Chen Zhong lay down to get ready to turn off the phone, a call from Juan Mata came in. This season, he had politely declined Real Madrid’s invitation.

After all, Real Madrid started off with a bang by introducing C. Ronaldo and Kaka, and during his time at Valencia, he gradually secured a main spot on the team.

The two had a casual chat over the phone about recent happenings and then arranged to meet at the Valencia match.

As Chen Zhong hung up the phone and lay in bed, he suddenly recalled the day when the three of them went their separate ways.

Even though they had all promised to meet again, in the end, Mata chose a different path.

Good boy, just wait and see how I deal with you during the match.