I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 521: Chapter 16: Confronting Chen?

Mourinho had a bold guess flashing through his mind, but he immediately dismissed the thought because after all, it’s Casillas. What motive could he possibly have?

Just to see a beauty smile?

Mourinho quickly refocused his attention on the match. After seeing Pellegrini’s remarks, the corner of his mouth slightly curled up.

It seems that after tasting success with Real Madrid last season, this season with Malaga, Pellegrini also chose a similar style of play, which involves midfielders pushing up from the back line and playing the role of a center forward to complete the scoring.

And what if both teams use this tactic?

It’s worth noting that the midfielders pushing up aren’t entirely without defense; many times, they act as the team’s first line of defense.

Isn’t this a situation of equals meeting their match?

A duel between Chen Zhong and Baptista?

The matchday arrived quickly, with Real Madrid fans, Malaga supporters, and Mourinho’s critics all gathered at the Rose Garden Stadium.

The Real Madrid bus was even besieged by fans before entering the stadium.

”CCTV! CCTV!”

”We are now broadcasting live the highlight match of La Liga’s 7th round.”

”Pellegrini leads Malaga to face Mourinho’s Real Madrid at home.”

”We can see the players of both teams getting off the bus.”

”Chen Zhong is being mobbed by journalists.”

The journalists were calling Chen Zhong’s name loudly, eagerly hoping he would stop and take questions from them.

As if God heard them, Chen Zhong indeed stopped walking after a few steps, and stood still waiting for their questions.

”Chen! Chen! Chen!”

”Please answer my question!”

”What do you think of Pellegrini and Baptista? They claimed they want to defeat you up front.”

”I haven’t heard such remarks.” Chen Zhong stopped, turned his head, and frowned at the journalist asking the question, ”Pellegrini is a great coach who led us to win two championships last season.”

”Baptista is also my friend. We have no conflict; if there is any conflict, it’s related to competition.”

”It won’t cause us any trouble.”

”What do you think of Mourinho?” a journalist seized the moment to ask, ”I’ve heard that he confiscates players’ phones the day before the match. What do you think of this behavior?”

To prevent leaks about the team’s starting lineup, Mourinho came up with various unusual strategies, and the most basic yet effective method of confiscating phones – one that’s used universally in schools, enterprises, or any place – naturally wasn’t overlooked.

This action also caused dissatisfaction among the players, but Mourinho claimed it was merely to help players focus and improve their concentration.

Chen Zhong did not continue responding to the journalists because the other players were waiting for him not far away.

In the players’ tunnel, Chen Zhong finally saw his old friend Baptista. The Brazilian beast gave Chen Zhong a big hug.

He seemed to be having a good time in Malaga.

The eyes of this Brazilian beast gleamed with a certain light, and he said gruffly, ”Let’s enjoy the match, Chen.”

”Actually, I’ve always wanted to compete with you.”

Julio Cesar Pereira Baptista, born on October 1, 1981, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, holds dual citizenship with Brazil and Spain.

This player, known for his strong build and attacking prowess, was once nicknamed ”The Beast” for his wild style.

July 2003 marked the start of his rise, as Baptista transferred to Spain’s Sevilla FC.

On August 31, he scored in his debut for the first round of La Liga, helping the team secure a 1-0 home victory against Atletico Madrid.

On February 15, 2004, in the La Liga 23rd round away match against Murcia, he completed a hat trick.

On April 18, in the La Liga 33rd round home match against Santander Athletic, he scored four goals.

At Sevilla, Baptista was moved from the defensive midfielder position to an attacking midfielder role by coach Caparros, significantly boosting his scoring rate to even lead the scoring charts.

In the 2003-2004 season, he scored 20 goals in 30 appearances in La Liga, ranking second on the season’s top scorers list and helping the team qualify for the UEFA Europa League.

His performance wasn’t a flash in the pan; in the 2004-2005 season, Baptista made 33 appearances in La Liga, scoring 18 goals, and helped the team qualify for the UEFA Europa League again; he scored 5 goals in 8 UEFA Europa League matches.

In two La Liga matches home and away against Real Madrid, he scored one goal each, helping the team achieve one win and one draw, which directly dashed Real Madrid’s hopes of winning the league championship.

This also sparked intense interest from Real Madrid in the beast, but unfortunately, within Real Madrid’s Galaxy Battleship, the rising star Baptista, who could be the mainstay of any other team, ended up being just a side dish or a supplemental ingredient.

In his first season, he became an assistant to Guti and Zidane, which made it hard for Baptista, used to being a core player, to adapt, and he soon lost his position amidst fierce competition.

Eventually, he was loaned out to Arsenal, experiencing setbacks once again.

If it weren’t for his performance in the 2007 Copa America final, where he opened the scoring and helped the Brazil team win 3-0 against Argentina.