I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 748: Chapter 29: Metamorphosis and Level 2

Gerland Stadium

Benzema ran towards the corner flag with his arms wide open. This time, he displayed a completely different spirit on the field, breaking the record for the fastest substitute goal this season.

He scored just 43 seconds after coming on as a substitute.

The score changed to 0:4.

Real Madrid issued a ”death warrant” for Lyon’s Champions League journey. After conceding four goals, Lyon lost their fighting spirit, muddling through the rest of the game and ultimately ending it with a score of 0:4.

At the post-match press conference, Mourinho praised Chen Zhong’s performance, smiling broadly as he said, ”Perhaps, before the match, we were all wrong, and yet we were all right.”

”Chen used a hat-trick to tell us that Lyon was no longer a problem.”

”He is the team’s icebreaker, the leader.”

”Yes, when he was standing in front of the ball, I believed he had his own ideas. His direct shot on goal was indeed surprising to me.”

After the match, Chen Zhong and Benzema were interviewed, with Benzema saying, ”It was a magical night.”

”Chen gave me great courage. I have a positive competitive relationship with Adebayor.”

”That goal, Chen also contributed greatly. I just played an auxiliary role in intercepting the ball, but it was a great inspiration to me.”

After this goal, Benzema appeared much more confident in front of the camera, and his spirit improved considerably, as if he had found his path.

During the match, his proactive movements also changed the perception of many fans.

The camera turned to Chen Zhong, who responded to the reporter’s question about ”whether he was chasing after Messi and C. Ronaldo” by saying, ”I don’t deliberately chase after any particular player’s footsteps.”

”I just strive to implement the coach’s tactics and help the team win.”

”The victory in this match is not credited to any individual, but to the collective effort of the entire team in fulfilling the coach’s tasks.”

Chen Zhong’s humble and composed response satisfied many ”seniors.”

After the match, Chen Zhong checked one of his attributes, noting that his [Attribute: Super Violent Long Shot] had upgraded from LV1 to LV2, and the description had changed as well.

[Attribute Description: Because of long-term training with Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, you’ve subconsciously mastered his Super Violent Long Shot that once took the Premier League by storm.]

The description now included the word ”mastered,” adding a sense of change despite the lack of quantitative analysis, which Chen Zhong could feel.

However, relative to the upgrade of the attribute, what made Chen Zhong happiest was Benzema’s transformation.

This talented French forward was highly anticipated by fans when he first joined, but after an unexpected event, he seemed to hit a slump, compounded by extremely poor luck in front of the goal...

In this match, his hard work and diligence as a substitute made many people ”extremely pleased.”

This game also had a profound impact, with Real Madrid’s ”championship form” being increasingly mentioned, and Chen Zhong being frequently discussed.

Spanish El País reporter Diego Torres stated that although Mourinho is either a self-controlled person or not, it remains an unsolved mystery for Real Madrid players.

Each time Mourinho gets angry, speaks hurtfully, or draws controversy, whether intentional or not, Real Madrid players are not sure.

After all, two weeks after that Derby, every time Benzema missed a chance in the game against Zaragoza, Mourinho would angrily shout, ”He’s not even a cat! He’s just a bunny! Bunny!”

However, in this Champions League scene surrounded by reporters, Mourinho appeared very calm.

He greeted the children by the pitch, began taking notes after the game started.

He observed the field situation, analyzed the team’s performance, and less than 5 minutes into the game, took out a small notebook from his coat pocket and started writing.

Real Madrid players looked full of energy on the field, and while Mourinho was writing, Alonso completed a steal and sent a 60-meter long pass to Adebayor.

Some reporters noticed that Mourinho wrote down a tactical idea and then drew a dividing line. He made a big motion with the line, as if cutting through the battlefield with a dagger. Then he wrote another idea and drew another line.

Mourinho was constantly organizing his thoughts.

As Chen Zhong scored goal after goal, the originally tense or serious Mourinho suddenly relaxed.

Marca stated that Mourinho initially tried to appear calm but still had undeniable anxiety.

He was very friendly with the Lyon Club staff, constantly smiling and acknowledging the fans on the stands, winning applause, but still seemed tense.

Despite the low temperature of the stadium, Mourinho didn’t choose to wear a padded coat, opting for a thin suit coat instead.

He observed the development of the game by himself on the sidelines, and the related tactics had been drilled by his players repeatedly. He didn’t employ the predicted three defensive midfielders, opting instead to pair Alonso and Khedira as a duo, deploying Kaka on the wing to enhance the team’s creativity.