I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 752: Chapter 31: Devil’s Home Ground, Deportivo La Coruna!

”I’m starting!”

”I’m starting!”

”Finally, I’m starting!” This was a small gathering in the Real Madrid locker room, and Ricam Benzema was exceptionally excited, jumping around and embracing each teammate, his eyes sparkling, his mouth smiling.

Chen Zhong patted Benzema and encouraged him, ”This is a good thing, Ricam. You need to work even harder, just like last time when you came on as a substitute, give it your all.”

Besides Chen Zhong, players like Marcelo, Pepe, Nacho, Parejo, Callejon, Carvajal, Vazquez, Granero, who once partied under Chen Zhong, were also there.

Aside from these players who attended the party during Chen Zhong’s first season at Real Madrid and Benzema, only Kaka and Zidane participated in this small gathering.

Players like Alonso, Khedira, Cavaleiro, Ramos, Casillas, who had participated before and newly joined this season, did not attend this small gathering.

It’s worth mentioning that Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t in this gathering either; on the one hand, he wasn’t notified, and on the other, he was undergoing rehabilitation training.

There was a reason for Zidane’s participation in this gathering.

At Lyon’s Gerland Stadium, Benzema experienced a dream-like return.

He came on as a substitute and scored within 43 seconds, helping Real Madrid score an away goal against Lyon.

Benzema left the field under the congratulations of his teammates, and this performance garnered support from many, including Zidane.

The Frenchman went with Real Madrid to Lyon, providing tactical advice to Mourinho, but after the game, Zidane chose to stay in France for a few more days to rest in his hometown.

Upon returning from his hometown, he heard about this small gathering and came on his own accord.

”You need to be more decisive with your finishing. That’s what’s lacking in your football, and you also need to choose the right moment to shoot.” Before the match against Lyon, Zidane gave Benzema such advice, which was a kind of football guidance.

Benzema humbly accepted Zidane’s advice and responded well on the field, scoring with one shot, truly a deadly strike.

After the match, Zidane also congratulated Benzema.

Zinedine Zidane’s presence in this small gathering had positive significance for the participating players; on one hand, Zidane is a Real Madrid legend, and on the other, he is now a confidant of Florentino, the club’s advisor.

As the only ”Galaxy Battleship” Phase I superstar to retire at Real Madrid, Zidane has always maintained a very close relationship with Real Madrid.

Last January, Zidane, Mourinho, and Florentino reached a consensus, determining Zidane’s role as the advisor to the chairman, while also working part-time as an assistant to the head coach.

Zidane’s specific responsibility is to be the bridge between the Real Madrid locker room and the coaching staff and higher-ups, with Florentino giving Zidane the first task of helping Benzema regain form.

Benzema was once in a slump, lacking competitive motivation, and Mourinho hoped Zidane could lend a helping hand.

As a recognized ”king” of Real Madrid, Zidane always possessed unmatched personal charm, with many young players at Real Madrid being his fans.

Canales, Oezil, and others claimed that Zidane was their idol, and Benzema’s ability to join Real Madrid was inseparable from Zidane’s recommendation.

Zidane became Real Madrid’s assistant coach, which, even without considering tactical improvements, was great news for player morale, and the match against Lyon proved it.

After the game, Zidane praised Benzema: ”Now I am closer to the players, especially closer to Benzema. I can offer him some things, like experience, and he is willing to accept them. He has regained his form, not just in the matches against Brazil and Lyon. In fact, his form has been very good over the last month.”

Zidane believes that Benzema must complete more finishes in the front line. ”At Lyon, he played more like a second striker, although sometimes he played center forward. At Real Madrid, his position is different. He must play more forward, and he must learn to adapt. He faces different tactical mechanisms.”

After the match against Lyon, Benzema also went to Lyon’s locker room to meet former teammates, and he also chatted with Lyon club president Oulas and general manager Lam Kongbi. Six years ago, these two giants witnessed Benzema scoring his first goal for Lyon, and this time, they saw Benzema score his 100th career goal at Gerland, although this time Benzema was against Lyon.

Zidane and Benzema are both Frenchmen, with a profound relationship, and coupled with Zidane’s significance to Real Madrid, this participation in the small gathering is actually a kind of bridge-building, a showing of allegiance.

In past games, Benzema had always made a wrong choice.

That was choosing Cristiano Ronaldo over Chen Zhong when the ball was between Chen Zhong and Cristiano Ronaldo.