I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 896: Chapter 8: Old Soldiers Never Die, Be an Example

As the only ”superstar” in Asian football history, an absolute king of the field, if he were to join the Saudi league, both exposure and commercial value would be unimaginable.

In fact, Saudi Arabia has been trying to recruit Chen Zhong, but Real Madrid and the player himself have refused.

However, after experiencing a failed season, the Saudi league sees hope again.

Last season, Real Madrid ended goalless, anyone with eyes can feel Real Madrid’s desire to rebuild, and in this rebuilding process, Chen Zhong is undoubtedly somewhat out of place.

At this time, Saudi Arabia offering a huge transfer fee to recruit Chen Zhong, isn’t that a win-win?

For the player himself, it is also a victory, after all, in La Liga, Chen Zhong is under considerable ”pressure,” while the environment in Saudi Arabia is relatively relaxed.

In recent years, there have been some opinions, like when Guardiola led Barcelona to win the Triple Crown, people said, Barcelona’s setup, with a dog in the coach’s position,

could also lead the team to win the Triple Crown.

It took Guardiola quite a long time to prove himself at Manchester City.

Not only Guardiola, such comments about Messi and Chen Zhong being system players are also not few.

Before Messi won the Copa America, Chen’s fans coined the term system player to belittle Messi, saying Messi can only thrive in Barcelona’s system but is useless when it comes to the national team.

Later, Messi proved them wrong, taking Argentina to win the Copa America as the best scorer, best assist king, best player.

But then they said the Copa America lacks gold content, and being a weekly cup, it’s not worth mentioning.

The reason Copa America has been organized four times in seven years, first because the 2016 Copa America was a commemorative century-old Copa America, secondly, the 2021 Copa America was brought forward from 2023 to 2020 to keep up with Europe’s rhythm, to avoid affecting the players’ performances, participating in major competitions for consecutive years is a great test of physical strength.

Unexpectedly, due to the pandemic, South American players still had to participate in major competitions consecutively for two years, but afterwards, they will keep the same rhythm as Europe, which appears fair and just to Europe’s major clubs. During this period, Messi won one championship, two runners-up, one third place over four Copa America editions, impressive enough, what reason do Messi detractors have to criticize him? Speaking of Chile’s king! Although losing twice to Chile in penalty shootout, during the 2015 shootout, Messi was the only Argentine player to score a penalty, can Messi be blamed?

In the 2016 shootout, Messi missed the first attempt, but the Chilean player who shot first also missed, the score was still 0:0, if Argentine players had stronger psychological resilience, it wouldn’t have had much impact, Messi has responsibility, but others are also responsible! Those who ridicule Messi for losing twice to Chile in penalties actually forget that the China team led by Chen Zhong wasn’t that remarkable either.

If Messi’s Copa America championship lacks gold content, then does Chen Zhong’s Asian Cup championship have high gold content? A team that didn’t win a single match in the group stage advances as third in the group due to rule changes, then ”benefiting from harm” avoids all strong teams before the finals, ultimately winning the Asian Cup thanks to a substituting player’s lethal strike, please tell me how the gold content of such a championship winner is higher than Messi’s Copa America win?

And moreover that is Asian football, not European football.

Although players like Chen Zhong, Son Heung-min, Kubo Takefusa have emerged, the overall strength of Asian football is still in place.

The ultimate creed of Messi detractors is: whenever Messi scores, he clings to the assister’s leg, whenever Messi assists, he clings to the scorer’s leg.

In the past when Messi was dominating in La Liga, detractors said he relied on Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, when Xabi Alonso wasn’t doing well, they said he relied on Suarez and Neymar’s legs.

Little to know, Messi not only holds the record for goals in La Liga, but also holds the record for assists in Europe’s top five leagues, and most are jaw-droppingly precise direct hits, unlike those sloppy kicks or goalmouth diagonal passes looking fabulous? Who’s the thigh is obvious! Thus detractors say again: without Xabi Alonso, Messi gets reversed every year, Champions League is since then gone.

However in 2015 MSN dominated everywhere, defeating all champions of the top five leagues, taking the most substantial Champions League title in history.

At that time Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets were already declining, not the Xabi Alonso from a few years ago, it relied on MSN’s terrifying attack that instilled fear! If Xabi Alonso was still strong, Spain’s national team wouldn’t have suffered a bloodbath against Netherlands, crushed by Chile during the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

Those years Barcelona frequently got overturned in the Champions League, but cannot deny Messi still in his prime, snatching Ballon d’Or from Chen Zhong is the best proof.

A team needing good results must have good defense, unless your offensive capability can overwhelm everything, just like Barcelona in 2015, otherwise it’s really difficult to win a Champions League title needing both strength and luck.

In 2019, Messi single-handedly led the team, scored two goals in the first leg of the semifinals, and created a superb scoring chance for Dembele in the final moments, it’s a pity luck wasn’t on Barcelona’s side, Dembele’s soft shot landed right into the opposing goalkeeper’s hands, wasted a golden opportunity to kill the two-leg match, thought the kid would redeem himself in the second leg, didn’t expect him to miss it due to injury instead, coupled with Liverpool’s cheeky effortless corner goal, and Messi’s underperformance led to being turned over by Liverpool. But Liverpool from players to coaches were conquered by Messi, became Messi admirers!

In 2021, Messi led Argentina to win the long-awaited Copa America, and claimed his seventh Ballon d’Or. Yet Laporta crossed the bridge after the river, Messi had no choice but to leave for Paris Saint-Germain.

Due to insufficient preseason preparations, didn’t adapt well to Ligue 1, resulted in a sharp drop in goals scored, yet his assists were still so sharp, but those detractors were all ridiculing Messi.

Unexpectedly, the new season saw Messi’s kingly comeback, taking both scoring and assists by storm.

In that season Chen Zhong, at the start, encountered difficulties, didn’t dominate on the field as usual.

Previously wrote an article: ”Generation of greats: Messi and Florentino!” Then got criticized fiercely by Chen fans.

In their view, Chen Zhong doesn’t deserve so many Ballon d’Ors, if not Chen Zhong, replaced with Benzema, Modric, or Cristiano Ronaldo, as long as the entire Real Madrid team is united to support the other, then any of them has the qualifications to win the Ballon d’Or.

It’s never Chen Zhong being remarkable, it’s Florentino being remarkable, Real Madrid being remarkable.

Some even doodle in notebooks, among Chen Zhong’s 9 Ballon d’Ors, only two are indisputable.

Why some people dislike Messi, because he’s not ”passionate,” not high-profile.

His playing style isn’t violent, nor explosive, it’s a kind of ”quietly killing you” beauty.

He doesn’t roar after the match, nor perform in front of the camera.

Some think he’s ”soft,” but this control in silence is truly the manifestation of top-level dominance.

Messi’s game is sophistication, is the ultimate fusion of innate talent and rhythm.

Why some people dislike Chen Zhong, because he’s ”yellow skin, black hair,” he’s not European.

His playing style isn’t elegant, not gentlemanly, it’s a kind of ”brewing murder silently” explosion.

He slides on his knees after scoring, he leaps high in front of fans, listening to thousands shouting his name.

He’s not modest enough, he’s too arrogant.

His football is low-level, just a simple accumulation of strength and Real Madrid’s flattery.

That’s what those who dislike him believe.

But they ignore his dominance, his big heart, his emotional intelligence.

Suppressing Real Madrid’s dressing room for so many years, making the national team’s atmosphere ”clear-headed,” that’s definitely not something an ordinary player without a brain can achieve.

Whether they admit it or not, Chen Zhong has already written his own Chapter in world football history.