I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

As the ball hit the net, the Bernabéu South Stand erupted with a tsunami-like shout of "CHEN! ZHONG!", with the wave of sound quickly sweeping across the stadium.

The commentator screamed into the broadcast, "Five seconds ago, everyone thought this match would end in a draw, the scoreboard still showed 4:4."

"And now, the scoreboard shows 5:4!"

"Chen Zhong has rewritten the script of the national derby with a goal of the century!"

"An old steed in the stable, striving for thousands of miles; a valiant hero in his twilight, his ambition not yet faded!"

"Chen Zhong, why is it always him!"

On the big screen at the stadium, after this goal, it switched to a split screen for comparison, one side showing Zidane’s left-foot volley at Hampden Park back in the day, the other Chen Zhong’s mirrored replica at this moment.

Pedri sat on the grass, staring blankly at the scoreboard, echoing the desperate stance of Bayer Leverkusen players from years past across time.

Mbappe stood not far away, mouth agape, touching his chin in disbelief at Chen Zhong’s actions.

Even Vinicius, at this moment, was bent over, mouth open, skipping around excitedly, caught in extreme excitement.

This was Chen Zhong’s first league goal of the season, and truly a priceless one.

After scoring, Chen Zhong paused for a moment, then shook off his teammates, first glided across the pitch, then stood and leaped high.

And in that instant, it felt as if the peak of Chen Zhong had returned.

The fans in the stands roared with an overwhelming sea of shouts, loudly chanting, "Chen, Chen, Chen!"

Barcelona’s players stood still, none urging the referee, some looking up at the sky, others lying directly on the pitch, hands covering their faces, clearly despairing at the current outcome.

Time was running out, the referee glanced at his watch, initially contemplating waiting for a kickoff or something, but after hesitating, blew the final whistle.

And at the moment the whistle blew, even more intense cheers erupted from the stands.

Chen Zhong’s winning goal, once again replicating Zidane’s celestial prowess, left fans in shock.

At Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the stands were filled with smiling Real Madrid fans, while Barcelona fans begrudgingly began their exit...

...

The pitch had become a sea of joy, and Chen Zhong, with his 2 goals and 1 assist, clinching victory against Barcelona, became the darling of the media.

They scrambled to interview Chen Zhong, clearly holding high expectations for his breakout performance in the match.

"Chen! Chen!"

"Could you answer my question?"

"Does this match hold any special significance for you?"

"Do you feel you are in the best form of your career now?"

"What are your thoughts on maintaining this record?"

...

In the interview area, reporters stretched their necks, attempting to chat in-depth with Chen Zhong, but he evidently had no such intention, quickly leaving the area, unwilling to say much to those who had recently criticized him.

And the reporters watched Chen Zhong leave, feeling regretful.

The celestial prowess, maintaining records, substitute comeback, 1 goal 2 assists, MVP, these accolades hung over Chen Zhong, predicting what would undoubtedly be the top headline in the football world the next day.

At the post-match press conference, Alonso and Chen Zhong appeared together.

Barcelona’s manager Flick was interviewed on how he viewed the match and Chen Zhong’s performance against Barcelona, he said, "There’s no doubt, he is a living legend."

"I have never underestimated this man."

"But in this match, he exceeded my expectations."

"I thought we wouldn’t at least lose this match."

Flick looked at reporters, shaking his head, "At one point, I even thought we might secure the win, at least get a draw, but he ruined my plans."

Flick was somewhat speechless, originally thinking he could lead Barcelona to a five-win streak against Real Madrid.

Instead, they were counter-defeated by Real Madrid.

This was something Flick found hard to accept.

Alonso answered some reporters’ questions and then talked about the decision to sub in Chen Zhong, "At the time, I looked at the bench."

"Apart from Chen, no one’s eyes had the light of assured victory."

"I knew I could only let him play, and before he went on, I wasn’t sure he could help the team win, but he was the best choice."

If it had been before, the reporters would have certainly rebutted, but now, they all agreed with Alonso, given the score was there.

"Before Chen went on, I asked him."

"Aren’t you worried about your record?"

"Chen said, not worried." Alonso’s last sentence brought the atmosphere to a climax.

In the Spanish national derby, as long as Chen Zhong appeared in the match, Real Madrid never lost, but last season, Real Madrid and Barcelona faced off four times, Real Madrid was defeated by Barcelona four times, a result that excited Barcelona fans.

The only lament was that during those matches, Chen Zhong never appeared in the national derby even once.

Every time Chen Zhong was injured.

This gave Barcelona fans an outlet to vent.

They claimed Chen Zhong frequently got injured just because he was afraid his record would be broken by Barcelona, afraid of losing to Barcelona, thus getting injured each time.

This theory was reported by various newspapers for a long time.

But this time, despite trailing by two goals and with time running out, an out-of-form Chen Zhong volunteered to play, helping the team complete a dramatic win.

There’s no doubt, it was the best counter to the doubts.

Alonso’s purpose in saying this was to clear Chen Zhong’s name.

Everyone’s gaze focused on Chen Zhong, eager to hear what he had to say, but Chen Zhong, facing the reporters’ gaze, remained calm, having gone through countless experiences in his career.

The reporters raised their arms, vying to ask questions, and Chen Zhong answered most of them.

When they eagerly asked about his thoughts facing the ball at the edge of the penalty area, Chen Zhong said, "My mind was simple, I needed to do something."

"So, I came."

No fancy words, Chen Zhong spoke plainly and forcefully, leaving several reporters momentarily stunned.

What did he mean, he just came?

"Yes!"

"Because I think I can."

Under persistent questioning from the reporters, Chen Zhong answered again, "I knew I could hit the ball into the net from that position."

...

The next day, newspapers everywhere reported on it, publishing Chen Zhong’s words during the interviews, most featuring Chen Zhong’s silhouette executing a heavenly strike at the edge of the penalty area.

And the nearby score of 4:3 was particularly striking.

In the Catalonia Region, many Catalans who hadn’t stayed up to watch the match felt as if their world had collapsed.

Some even feel a bit disoriented about the time.

How is it Chen Zhong again, how did he secure another victory?

Damn it, the curse continues, maybe it’s time for some supernatural intervention.

Otherwise, how do you explain that, for such a long time, Chen Zhong didn’t score a single goal, yet in the match against Barcelona, he scored 1 goal and assisted twice?