I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Back then, it was Chen who opened the door to a new world for him.

Of course, that’s a story for later, and many people didn’t believe it. After all, how legendary a player Chen is! How could he be compared with someone as disruptive as you?

"This is a sideline ball."

"Costa is still provoking the fans, provoking the Real Madrid players."

"He walked up to Chen Zhong, seemingly saying something."

"Chen Zhong covered his mouth with his hand, and the two seemed to be communicating."

"From Costa’s expression, I can sense that Chen Zhong seems to be saying something dirty."

"Costa wants to talk back."

"Chen Zhong walked away!"

"He’s gone!"

"Well done!"

Foreign commentators usually just call Chen Zhong by "Chen," and this commentator who keeps using Chen Zhong’s full name in the commentary, there’s no need to say where he’s from; his stance is undoubtedly firm.

And the fans online also saw this scene, and a strange sense of "pride" began to emerge.

[Do you know what has a long history?]

[Seeing Costa’s expression, I feel relieved. Chen Zhong, this kid, hasn’t forgotten the essence of our culture.]

[Oh my gosh, the ’pretty boy’ still wants a second round with Chen Zhong, get a grip, do you want to be scolded a second time?]

Diego Costa’s mind was already filled with Chen Zhong’s few words, and the most hurtful part was the nationality issue. As a Brazilian, being born in a football kingdom was both his luck and misfortune.

This 2010 World Cup, he did not represent Brazil Team but instead was invited by Spain, which was undoubtedly a gamble.

Driven by a longing for the Brazilian national team, Diego Costa did not decisively embrace the Spain National Team, but it was clear that if he could only play in the "junior" team or not even be called up for Brazil’s friendlies, he would consider joining the Spanish nationality and the Spain National Team.

This also caused some minor controversy, and his animosity towards Real Madrid stemmed from this little stir, mainly caused by the arrogant Real Madrid fans who shouted, "Diego Costa is not Spanish at all," using this reason to scold him.

The reaction from Brazil was also very intense. Although there were other players who had joined the national teams of other countries, like Pepe, who chose to represent Portugal, the response to Diego Costa by Brazilians was extremely fierce. Even the Brazilian Football Association said they would cancel his Brazilian nationality, and when Brazilians discussed this, they directly labeled Diego Costa as a "traitor."

All of this seems unreasonable, but in some ways, it was self-inflicted by Diego Costa.

When he joined Atletico Madrid, he was not valued, then he performed well after being loaned out, and was recalled by Atletico Madrid while also entering the Brazilian national team and on Spain National Team’s watch list.

At that time, someone also interviewed Diego Costa, asking him if he wanted to join the Spain National Team.

Initially, Diego Costa firmly refused, which made many Brazilian fans view him as a hopeful candidate for the future national center forward.

But later, in a TV program, Diego Costa actually said, "I never thought about it before Spain expressed their interest, but after that, I thought, why not?"

This immediately put Diego Costa in the spotlight of controversy.

It’s like when you’re pursuing someone, and they don’t agree. They just want to get to know you better. But then, someone else shows a little interest in you while you’re still being pursued, and you say you’re considering getting to know that other person. This would upset anyone, right?

That’s exactly the mentality of the Brazilian Football Association, which directly stated that such a decision by Diego Costa was for money, and he was abandoning the country that gave birth to him for money, and this is something to be despised.

They even issued a strong statement, clearly saying in it that Brazil team never selects traitors to join, and if a Brazilian player, when faced with recruitment from other countries, cannot firmly choose his own country, it is a disrespect to the five-time World Cup champion Brazil team, an infringement on the dreams of countless Brazilians.

Dual nationality is commonplace internationally, and many Brazilian players also play for other countries, but Diego Costa is a rather unique case.

On one hand, as the 2010 World Cup champion team, Spain Team has become one of the top teams globally, lacking a strong center forward. Despite not yet reaching world-class standards, everyone can see Diego Costa’s potential.

The Brazil team’s defensive line is full of talent, so much so that even Pepe could not secure a stable position, and their midfield is highly creative. However, they particularly lack strong center forward options.

By joining Spain, Diego Costa, on one hand, strengthens a potential rival and on the other, lowers the standards within the team, simultaneously slapping his own national team in the face.

After all, Brazil had already hinted to Diego Costa that they might consider calling him up, but with his current stance, how can he not be called a traitor?

However, many Spanish fans do not like Diego Costa.

For example, Spanish football writer Rovi describes this player as, "Costa is an aggressive player,"

In the writer’s words, a term often used to describe him is "troublemaker"; he always stirs up issues first, leading to mutual destruction.

Some Spanish newspapers also commented on his past performances, saying his arms are as strong as a "Swiss Army knife," and he tackles ferociously, showing no mercy to the opposing defenders, often playing dirty tricks.

He’s quite adept at treading the path of what the Spanish media refers to as "alternative football."

Last season, Costa was the player with the most yellow cards as a forward, no one in the forward position committed more fouls than him, and he was among the top five in fouls across all positions.

And such a player is precisely what Diego Simeone wants.

From the sidelines, Diego Simeone looked at his secret weapon with satisfaction; after all, once on the field, he knocked out Kaka, slapped Pepe in the face, and provoked Chen Zhong.

He was simply like a prized tool in his eyes.

But this prized tool, after facing Chen Zhong’s tackle and provocations, suddenly seemed a bit lost.

"Costa!"

"Costa!" Diego Simeone shouted Diego Costa’s name loudly from the sidelines, signaling this guy who is still considered a Brazilian and not a "Spanish" to pull himself together.

However, clearly, the effect was not very good.

Noticing this scene, Mourinho displayed a playful expression, his eyes twinkling as if he had discovered some treasure.

He turned to Francisco and said, "Chen really surprised me."

"I always thought he was a good guy."

"But from his conversation with Costa, he seems to have quite a talent for languages."

Mourinho, upon seeing Diego Costa provoking Chen Zhong, had a flashback of the "Balotelli trauma."

Mario Balotelli, an unforgettable nightmare for Mourinho, who once was a genius center forward at Inter Milan, repeatedly emphasized but always recklessly fouled when provoked.

At that moment, he was really worried that Chen Zhong would become a mental casualty due to Costa’s few words.

But the outcome was quite the opposite; it was instead Chen Zhong’s few words that left Costa dumbfounded.

Not only can he physically hit opponents but also mentally strike them.

This!