I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 720: Chapter 16: The Locker Room Belongs to Chen

”Benzema won’t easily give up his No. 9.”

This was the report from Diario AS the next day.

On the night after Adebayor missed a training match, Benzema gave an exclusive interview to Diario AS, despite their prior attempts to interview him.

Benzema had refused interviews, citing the desire to maintain locker room stability.

But yesterday, Benzema suddenly agreed to an interview and expressed a clear stance, stating that although Adebayor’s arrival has created uncertainty in the competition for the center forward position, he will not give up his fight for the starting spot.

Diario AS praised Benzema’s performance on camera, revealing an unknown side of him, while also highlighting some of his brilliant moments, which were edited to showcase his strengths.

His outstanding dribbling and passing skills were demonstrated in these clips.

There was even a moment where he outmaneuvered other players and delivered a precise pass.

Who says only watching highlights makes anyone look like a King?

Benzema’s highlight reel astonished some fans regarding his abilities.

Ultimately, Diario AS even suggested that Adebayor’s arrival might unleash all of Benzema’s energy.

Marca caught wind of Benzema’s interview as well, though they lacked firsthand information and could only speculate on Benzema’s change in attitude.

They suggested that Benzema is transforming from a kitten into a tiger.

Marca believed that the competitive pressure would be significant for Benzema, who has never lacked ability, but ambition. Now that he has it, his ability will be fully showcased.

Marca even cited an example: ”Benzema has already told the club that he can withstand the pressure as the team’s No. 9, and the French forward vowed: ’I will succeed at Real Madrid, and I will train hard to secure my spot.’

After these reports, Mourinho also made a statement.

Everyone originally thought that Adebayor might inherit Negredo’s No. 9 jersey and become the new No. 9 at Real Madrid, and Mourinho would value this Togo forward.

However, Mourinho did not give the No. 9 jersey to Adebayor and stated that there is no absolute starter on his team, and he will allow Benzema and Adebayor a fair competition.

This statement directly indicated that Benzema’s mental state in the locker room improved significantly.

In recent weeks, Benzema had actually been in a bad mood.

On one hand, Mourinho repeatedly requested to bring in a No. 9, and on the other hand, the club became indifferent towards him.

Under adverse external conditions, Benzema was under immense pressure, reportedly even stopping his Spanish lessons, which some media interpreted as him preparing to leave Real Madrid.

Chen Zhong knew more insider news: Mourinho, upon learning that Benzema stopped his Spanish lessons, was even more dissatisfied with Benzema’s weakness, thinking that someone so weak would never succeed.

At that time, reports of transfer rumors escalated in the media, with interest from Inter Milan and Juventus. British media even reported that Arsenal manager Wenger had called Benzema, trying to lure him away from Real Madrid.

Wenger proposed to loan Benzema for half a season and then buy him outright in the summer, but Benzema flatly rejected it.

Benzema understood that the club brought in Adebayor due to a lack of confidence in his performances, and Real Madrid Club had explained this to him.

Now, after Adebayor’s performance over the past two days, Mourinho and the high-level officials reassured Benzema that bringing in Adebayor was not to replace him but to offer more options in the forward line.

Benzema responded positively, eager to prove in matches that he can shoulder the responsibility of being the team’s No. 9.

Besides Arsenal, Manchester United was also very interested in Benzema. According to Marca, scouts from Manchester United appeared at almost every Real Madrid match, closely monitoring Benzema’s every move. Ferguson had always hoped to sign Benzema, and seeing Benzema’s unfavorable situation at Real Madrid, Manchester United wanted to seize the opportunity.

Although what will happen in the summer remains unknown, as Real Madrid is still considering bringing in Aguero, Llorente, and Rooney, at least for now, Benzema does not want to leave Real Madrid, nor does Real Madrid intend to sell him.

Benzema assured Real Madrid’s executives: ”Rest assured, I will succeed here. I can handle the pressure, and I will do my utmost, train hard, to win the starting position.”

Now everyone knows that after Adebayor’s arrival, Benzema has become a tightly drawn bow.

...

To prepare for the upcoming King’s Cup match against Sevilla, Mourinho made several rotations in the match against Osasuna.

Chen Zhong, Kaka, Pepe, Marcelo, and other players were left out of the squad, while many young players were selected.

At the King of Navarre Stadium, Osasuna’s momentum was strong, given they were on home turf, while Real Madrid also made significant rotations...

What!

Isn’t this the perfect opportunity for victory?

In this game, Real Madrid deployed a 4-2-1-3 formation.

The front line consisted of Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Özil, and Di Maria.

Özil had not played for Real Madrid for a long time, and his return to the field made him very excited, but unfortunately, the result was not as good as he expected.

If Chen Zhong were in Real Madrid’s midfield, Osasuna wouldn’t dare to venture further, but just Öil?

Handled!

At the start of the match, home-team Osasuna pressed aggressively from the get-go.

Just 4 minutes into the match, Osasuna completed a shot on target.

Their powerful shot from the edge of the box skimmed the left post, missing narrowly.

This moment made Real Madrid fans breathe a sigh of relief while making them reminisce about Chen Zhong. If Chen Zhong were there, Real Madrid’s midfield wouldn’t be easily breached.

The last King’s Cup match saw two Sevilla players injured, a good example.

In the following period, Di Maria created two good opportunities for Real Madrid. Once, Di Maria won a free kick on the right, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s direct shot was blocked by the wall.

Another time, Di Maria’s cross from the right saw Benzema too slow to pounce, missing a golden chance.

Benzema’s missed opportunity also gave Adebayor on the bench a sigh of relief.

Following that, Real Madrid made some errors, such as when Cristiano Ronaldo’s single-handed attempt with the ball went awry, missing the chance, and Di Maria’s long-range shot flew over.

Of course, the most frustrating for fans was Özil.

He kept rolling on the field.

The first half ended in a draw, and into the second half, the situation didn’t change much.

Mourinho made adjustments, with Adebayor warming up on the sideline.

But the situation on the field didn’t change much, and people started to miss Chen Zhong again. Some even directly said Real Madrid was suffering from Chen Zhong dependency.

Without Chen Zhong on the field, the whole team seemed soulless.

No one expected that Osasuna would be the ones to break the deadlock.

It was Alanada’s pass, and the onside Campanias shot diagonally from 12 yards on the right side of the box, hitting the inner side of the left post to score.

This goal heightened the atmosphere at the scene, and Casillas had no chance against this blend of luck and skill.

Mourinho made three changes at once in the 65th minute, with Adebayor’s arrival generating anticipation.

But Osasuna began to waste time.

In the 67th minute, Alanada was booked for faking an injury to drag the time.

This became the theme of the match, and the final score was 1-0.

Osasuna pulled off an upset against Real Madrid.