I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 883: Chapter 2: Summer Transfer Window Reinforcements (2)

It’s worth mentioning that another target for Real Madrid, known as Arnold of Route 66, only left Liverpool with 10 million Euros, while Ding Wei left Southampton with 15 million Euros.

This is because, after learning that Real Madrid was interested in him, Ding Wei chose to renew his contract with Southampton, hoping to leave the club with some funds, while Chen Zhong played a role in bridging this connection.

The match between Real Madrid and Barcelona was still relished by fans until the summer window; that match left Chen Zhong speechless.

Just 4 minutes after the start, Mbappe earned a penalty and converted it himself, and 14 minutes later, he scored another to expand the lead with a brilliant pass from Vinicius, giving Real Madrid a dreamlike 2-0 advantage on the road.

But no one could have anticipated that this would be the last moment of jubilation for Real Madrid this season.

Barcelona soon scored four goals in just 18 minutes, with Eric Garcia’s header exposing Real Madrid’s aerial defense vulnerabilities; Yamal’s stunning goal highlighted the midfield collapse, and Raphinha’s brace further revealed the chaos on the defense line.

Even though Mbappe scored a hat trick to bring the score to 3-4, a controversial decision in stoppage time completely robbed Real Madrid of the chance to turn the game around.

This defeat mirrored the entire season: the brilliance on the attack line couldn’t conceal the collapse in the midfield and defense, and the individual heroics of stars couldn’t save a systemic failure.

When the final whistle sounded, the broadcast captured Modric sitting on the grass, the 39-year-old veteran’s eyes filled with bewilderment.

The camera also panned to the VIP box, showing Chen Zhong’s face beside Florentino; the Real Madrid captain couldn’t play in this match due to injury, and he had gone from chatting jovially with Florentino to being expressionless, leaving everyone unsure of his thoughts.

It’s worth noting that if Chen Zhong had played, Barcelona’s best outcome would have been a draw against Real Madrid, as the team led by Chen Zhong had never lost in the national derby.

After this match, many Barcelona fans mockingly said: "Hide, hide! Or you’ll lose your unbeaten record!"

These moments perfectly illustrated the plight of Real Madrid — the veterans gave their all, yet still couldn’t fill the glaring gaps in the squad structure.

From the 5-2 defeat at the Super Cup start of the season, Real Madrid revealed fatal weaknesses: Alaba, Rudiger, Mendy took turns being injured, leaving only four healthy defenders at worst; Courtois’ frequent mistakes and Modric’s passing errors directly led to a King’s Cup heartbreak.

The midfield, which was supposed to provide a shield, was virtually non-existent, and in the absence of Chen Zhong, Camavinga and Tchouameni’s defense was merely a facade, while Bellingham was overly focused on personal performance; the team’s running stats were even lower than the younger Arsenal squad.

This top-heavy, bottom-light distorted lineup was thoroughly exposed in four matches against Barcelona — the Red and Blue Army scored 16 goals, tearing apart the Real Madrid defense an average of four times per match.

Even more disheartening for fans was the collective failure of the high-priced attackers.

Even though Mbappe became the team’s top scorer with 39 goals, only 5 of his 34 league goals came in crucial contests, and he was goal-less in the Champions League knockout stage, earning him the nickname "bully specialist."

The 200 million worth Vinicius transformed into a "lone wolf," his passing accuracy with Mbappe on the field plummeted to 68%, repeatedly squandering offensive opportunities while trying to go solo.

Bellingham, worth 180 million, was absorbed in social media posts, showing a stark contrast to his performances last season.

Ironically, despite Real Madrid having a team value 300 million Euros higher than Barcelona’s, they scored 23 fewer goals in 35 league matches, reducing the management’s proud "superstar policy" to a laughingstock.

Examining Real Madrid’s collapse trajectory this season, each key point was filled with black humor.

In the Champions League quarter-finals, when Arsenal knocked them out, the opponent’s running distance was 12 kilometers more than Real Madrid; in the King’s Cup final overtime, it was Modric and Dias’ coordination error that allowed Kounde to complete a fatal strike; during the crucial La Liga title race stage, the injury list reached nine players, forcing Ancelotti to have Chen Zhong, Tchouameni fill in as defenders.

What puzzled even more was while Barcelona led a youth storm with new stars like Yamal and Gavi from La Masia, Real Madrid placed their bets on 34-year-old Chen Zhong and the retiring Kroos.

This strategic shortsightedness led to the Galaxy Battleship hitting the rocks repeatedly on multiple fronts.

Looking back from the season’s end, Real Madrid’s failure was long foreshadowed.

The management was obsessed with collecting star cards, neglecting lineup balance; the coaching staff was overly reliant on "mysticism," lacking tactical innovation; the locker room roiled with tensions, Mbappe and Vinicius’ struggle for ball control never ceased, and if it weren’t for Chen Zhong anchoring Real Madrid’s locker room, who knows what might have happened.

When Barcelona shattered the illusory splendor constructed from stars using team football, and Arsenal dismantled the aging midfield with youthful vigor, Real Madrid finally paid the price for their arrogance.

Xabi Alonso is about to take the helm, with a 200-million transfer fund aimed at bolstering the defense, but rebuilding the dynasty is easier said than done — how to integrate Mbappe into the system? How to activate Bellingham? How to fill the gap in youth talent? These issues are far more worrying than a seven-point gap in the standings.

This season, destined for the pillar of shame, taught Real Madrid the most expensive lesson: football is never just a simple accumulation of star numbers.

When Barcelona executed four triumphs using system football, and Arsenal lectured with collective movement, Real Madrid perhaps should set aside the arrogance of being a top club and reevaluate their team-building logic.

They can’t remain mired in past glories; Chen Zhong’s performance has been declining year by year, no longer showing his past heroics.

The prodigy who showed promise early on can quickly fade, and they can’t rely on having Chen Zhong for more miracles, with this season’s void in all four competitions serving as a reminder.

In the early hours of May 23rd Beijing time, La Liga’s Real Madrid Club announced that the team’s second captain, Modric, would leave this summer.

Real Madrid stated in the announcement that Modric would depart after the FIFA Club World Cup in June.

In his farewell letter to Real Madrid fans, Modric expressed, "Playing for Real Madrid changed my life as a football player and a person. I am proud to have participated in one of the most successful eras of the greatest club in history."

Perhaps when he joined Real Madrid 13 years ago, Modric knew that this day would come, after all, "no one can end their days at the Bernabeu."

No, that’s not entirely accurate, after all, there’s still Chen Zhong.

In recent years, Real Madrid has also created an interesting record of having a second captain leave each year.

Upon hearing that Modric was to leave, Chen Zhong fell silent, after all, Alonso had hoped that Modric would stay, but ultimately, Modric was leaving.

During the summer window of 2012, famed as a "technical midfielder" in the Premier League, Modric joined Real Madrid at a cost of 35 million Euros, despite skepticism that the slender Croatian couldn’t handle the fierce physical clashes of La Liga, with even Spanish media mocking: "Real Madrid needs warriors, not artists."

Modric demonstrated through action to those who doubted him, "Football can also be aesthetics and art."

In the 2013-14 Champions League final, Modric used precise passing and dispatch at the Lisbon Luz Stadium to tear open Atletico Madrid’s defense, helping Real Madrid ascend the European summit once again.

And also helped Chen Zhong win the Ballon d’Or again.

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