I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 406: Chapter 54: Vacation and Geniuses_2

Chen Zhong could also sense from Joselu’s demeanor that he is a fervent Real Madrid fan.

And through interactions with others, as well as during youth team games and training sessions, Joselu’s distinctive traits became evident—he is a player with good technique in both feet.

Initially, Real Madrid signed him just to fill the team’s talent pool, but he gradually showed outstanding performances in the youth team, even becoming a crucial role in Castilla.

However, in the competition with Morata and Shao Luyi, he was at a disadvantage, mainly because his explosiveness and speed were truly lacking.

In fact, the youth coaches accurately assessed Joselu: ”If he could run faster, maybe he could be worth 30 million euros, but he can’t, so perhaps he’s only worth 5-6 million euros.”

It’s worth mentioning that Joselu’s transfer to Real Madrid cost the team 1.5 million euros, and from an investment standpoint, it was actually profitable.

Chen Zhong looked at the eager young man’s back and gave his own advice: ”Firstly, you must have more game opportunities.”

”Secondly, I think you need to focus on your strengths.”

”Rather than spending too much time fixing your shortcomings.”

Joselu realized his speed was a weakness, and while improving his speed wasn’t wrong, he was doing so at the expense of his physical strength.

As a result, he might become a ”Crouch”—in modern football with increasing physical clashes, aiming to be tall and slender might not be as effective as becoming a strong and sturdy player, thus being a ”surprise weapon,” becoming a battering ram.

In terms of physical attributes, Joselu is more likely than Negredo to become an overwhelmingly strong center forward.

Besides Joselu, Chen Zhong also knew Marcos Alonso, Jose Rodriguez Ruiz, and Ashraf Hakimi—not to mention Ashraf, who is a talented kid, good at networking and a devoted fan of Chen Zhong, which left a deep impression on Chen Zhong.

Both Marcos Alonso and Jose Rodriguez will join Real Madrid’s first team list in the second half of the season.

Pellegrini currently has three regular choices for the left forward position: Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain, and Marcelo.

Higuain is gradually transitioning to a role more akin to a finisher, while Marco Alonso can play as a left back, left wing-back, or even occasionally as a winger.

Jose Rodriguez is seen by some youth coaches as the ”new C Ronaldo,” and reportedly joining the first team for training was approved by Florentino.

He is a very rebellious player, while most Sports City players are fascinated by Chen Zhong, his favorite star is Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he mimics in games.

He even earned the nickname ”Little Cannon.”

But to Chen Zhong’s supporters, this C Ronaldo admirer is more affectionately called ”Little Mountain Cannon,” a term influenced by China and shouted by young fans.

Apart from Jose Rodriguez, most young players aim to be like Chen Zhong, akin to witnessing someone win the lottery—they are convinced they will be the next Chen Zhong, the next Real Madrid leader!

Though the winter window has just opened, for Real Madrid, it has already ended, and entering the new year, Real Madrid faces their first opponent, Osasuna.

In this round, Barcelona unexpectedly drew away with Villarreal, even leading first in the half—Barcelona never dreamed Villarreal would force a 1:1 draw at the last moment!

This makes Real Madrid’s upcoming league match gain heightened importance!

If they can beat Osasuna at home, they could widen the gap with Barcelona by another 2 points, stretching it to 5 points!

This is relatively safe data!

However, Osasuna is not an easy opponent, with talented defenders like Azpilicueta, Juan Fran, and Nacho Monreal in their team!

Azpilicueta, the Spanish player, is closely watched by Marseille and Chelsea, while Juan Fran, once in Real Madrid’s youth team, is being scouted by Atletico Madrid, and Nacho Monreal is attracting interest from several clubs due to outstanding performance.

Though in this match, Real Madrid had 27 shots on goal, facing a parked bus defense at Osasuna’s home, they ultimately had to swallow a bitter draw.

This match also put Chen Zhong in the spotlight.

Chen Zhong had the most attempts in the entire match, reaching 7 shots, including 4 long-range shots, with 5 hitting the target area.

Real Madrid fans, although slightly dissatisfied, understood Chen Zhong’s efforts, as players were generally out of form after the holiday.

The chances he got were mostly earned through his own efforts.

Cristiano Ronaldo also had 11 shots in this game, but only 3 on target, and Negredo had 8 shots, with only 1 on target.

Judging by the team’s performance, Chen Zhong seems to have done reasonably well.

But those constantly looking to find faults in Chen Zhong, as well as Barcelona fans, were less kind.

[Chen should just become a defensive player! Occupying striker space, how can so many shots miss!]

[Exposed, he is just an ordinary player, being hyped up so much lately, is Messi someone he can compare to?]

[A real superstar should stand out now, wasting such a great chance to increase the lead, does Real Madrid still dream of winning the league championship?]

[This is Chen with a 12 million euro top salary, really funny! I think he’s worse than Manchester United’s Rooney!]

[Just stay backfield obediently! Stop being a ball tyrant!]

...

Real Madrid being held to a draw also added a solid record for players like Azpilicueta, Juan Fran, and Nacho Monreal in some teams’ notebooks; even after this match, their values generally rose.

In the post-match press conference, Pellegrini faced the cameras and supported Chen Zhong, saying, ”From start to finish, we controlled this game; we were just slightly unlucky!”

”Chen?”

”His performance was excellent; he was the best player in the team; I think the comments about him are unfair!”

Chen Zhong, also caught in the media area after the match, remained calm when asked about his views on the match, sincerely saying, ”We didn’t win the match we should have won; we didn’t expand the lead; we didn’t score.”

”I won’t make excuses; I will train harder and make myself better.”

”If we want to win the championship, we must strive to win every match we can.”

...

Journalists: Hiss...(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Oh?

This!

What’s going on...what you said seems to be exactly what I wanted to ask!