I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 769: Chapter 38: Youth Training and the Ballon d’Or (Part 2)

"However, the Ballon d’Or selection isn’t solely about personal statistics."

"There’s also the team’s honors."

Chen Zhong’s words carried profound meaning. In the King’s Cup, Barcelona and Real Madrid meet in the final, and in the league, Real Madrid and Barcelona are direct rivals for the title. On the Champions League stage, there’s a possibility that the two teams might encounter each other someday.

If Real Madrid wins the championship in all three competitions, stepping over Barcelona, even if Messi’s personal statistics are brilliant, he will have no way of surpassing Chen Zhong in the Ballon d’Or race.

This statement also laid the groundwork for the upcoming derby between the two teams.

And Messi, as the new core of Barcelona, responded shortly after by saying: "The league isn’t over yet. The points gap between us and Real Madrid isn’t large; anyone could be the champion."

"I’m really looking forward to facing Chen in the King’s Cup. Either team could win, but I hope it’s us."

"Lastly, I’ll see you in the Champions League final."

In front of the camera, Messi revealed an unknown side of himself. His desire for victory was clear to everyone.

...

Their long-distance conversation sparked heated discussions among fans. Furthermore, Real Madrid’s youth academy also attracted considerable attention.

Previously, in Real Madrid’s match against Santander Athletic, Mourinho expressed his care for the club’s youth camp. The Portuguese coach brought on Alex Fernandez in the last moments of the match. This meant he became the ninth player this season to make his debut for the first team. Prior to him, players like Juan Carlos, Mateos, Adan, Sarabia, and Morata had received such opportunities.

In the 88th minute of the match against Santander Athletic, Mourinho made his final substitution, bringing on Alex Fernandez. This defensive midfielder from Real Madrid’s second team will not forget his first few minutes with the first team.

18-year-old Alex Fernandez had followed Mourinho to a training camp in Los Angeles during the summer. Now, he finally got the chance to make his first-team debut.

This was not the first time this season that Mourinho has given players from the second team a chance to play.

In the sixth round of the league against Deportivo La Coruña, Juan Carlos was the first to get a chance to play. Later, Mateos appeared in the match against Ajax, Adan and Sarabia got their chances against Zaragoza, and Morata appeared against Santander Athletic, with Alex Fernandez making his debut.

In addition to these, Granero, Callejon, Parejo, and other youth players, including Nacho and Carvajal, had appearances in friendlies and other matches.

Mourinho has, with his actions, dispelled the myth that Real Madrid does not value its youth camp.

Mourinho has explicitly stated: "I hope to discover players in the youth camp and cultivate them into stars."

Mourinho communicates daily with the youth camp coaches, understands the development of the youth camp, and often watches the training and matches of young players there.

This season, whenever needed, he can call up players from the second team whom he favors at any time.

Mourinho also revealed that next season, he will call the second team’s center forward Morata into the first team, while Joselu and Paul Pogba are on Mourinho’s watchlist.

The Real Madrid Club’s senior management stated that since Guti and Raul’s generation of ’76-’77, the Real Madrid youth academy had not produced so many talents like now.

Marca even referred to the current generation of players in Real Madrid’s youth academy as "3D players."

Jose Rodriguez has been dubbed the second Cristiano Ronaldo. He is a winger with strong breakthrough abilities but can also play down the middle, such as in the withdrawn forward position. His characteristics are very similar to the Portuguese.

At 18, Morata is 1.87 meters tall and weighs 82 kg. This season, he scored ten goals for Real Madrid’s second team. Many within the Real Madrid Club believe that if Morata can get an opportunity, he could replicate Raul’s path to success.

However, in terms of characteristics, he resembles Van Nistelrooy more. Mourinho has already stated that Morata will become a first-team forward next season.

Many people are optimistic about Morata’s success, especially since Real Madrid’s first team has plenty of players promoted from the youth ranks, with the most famous being Chen Zhong and Casillas.

Marca claims that among this generation of youth academy second-team players at Real Madrid, the number of successful players will undoubtedly exceed four or five, maybe even more than ten. If all goes well, there might be 20 to 25 players who could become first-rate stars.

Recently, 16 players from Real Madrid’s youth academy have successively been called up by various national teams.

Experts unanimously agree that in the last 15 years, the current Real Madrid youth academy is the most talented.

These players may not all appear in Real Madrid matches, but they can surely find their place in La Liga teams.

The 1.94 meter tall goalkeeper Mezias and the just 16-year-old but already 1.83 meter tall and 72 kg center-back Ivan Sess are all promising talents.

Interestingly, while Real Madrid fans compare Chen Zhong to Zidane’s successor, the genuine successor of Zidane, Enzo Zidane, is also receiving unanimous praise from the outside world.

According to Diario AS, Juventus, where Zidane once played, hopes to sign Enzo now.

On March 24, Enzo will turn 16. Currently, Enzo plays for Real Madrid’s youth A team. Juventus’s technical department and executives like him very much and hope to bring him from Real Madrid next season. However, Juventus is targeting the youth camp rather than the first team.

For now, Zidane, Enzo, and the Real Madrid Club have not responded to Juventus’s invitation, but the chances of rejecting it are high, as Real Madrid also highly values Enzo.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that a second generation of Chen Zongs has already started to emerge from Real Madrid’s youth ranks.

For instance, the French midfielder Paul Pogba.

This talented midfielder was pinched from Manchester United by Real Madrid’s youth camp.

Like Morata, the proud French midfielder initially thought he could replace Chen Zhong, but he quickly realized how foolish it was to try to replicate Chen Zhong because of the harsh reality.

The youth camp is never short of geniuses who aren’t even able to dominate like Chen Zhong did.

Paul Pogba’s nickname "Little Monster" is often considered an exaggeration, as the original "Monster" Chen Zhong was nothing like "petty" Paul Pogba.

When Chen Zhong was called a monster in the youth teams, it wasn’t just about ability. It was more about the psychological pressure he exerted on opponents, his versatility, and his strict self-requirements and diligence.

In coaches’ eyes, isn’t a talented, disciplined player with full spirit attributes just a monster?

The praise for Real Madrid’s youth academy also highlights the club’s glorious future.

Moreover, before the second leg against Lyon, Mourinho received strong support.

After Chen Zhong scored 5 goals and led a massacre against Hercules, Florentino gave a speech acknowledging Mourinho’s contribution to the team and stated that now, from top to bottom, including the dressing room, everyone supports Mourinho.

He will continue to coach Real Madrid, and Real Madrid will continue to support Mourinho.