I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

In the player tunnel, the camera zoomed in on Chen Zhong's face.

At just 16 years old, Chen Zhong showed no signs of panic. He stood upright in the queue, eager to step onto the pitch, and at this moment, the camera caught C. Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star, potentially the best in the world, was glancing at Chen Zhong with a gaze full of desire to win.

This scene was captured by many and gave birth to an iconic moment known as "Ronaldo watching Chen".

"Ah, hahaha."

"We can see Manchester United's top star assessing Chen Zhong."

"He's been troubled by the media before the match."

"Many in the media believe that C. Ronaldo struggles to score against strong teams."

"We'll keep our eyes on this match to see if he can break this curse!"

As the commentary detailed the setup, players from both teams took the field, shook hands, embraced, picked sides, and finally positioned themselves on the pitch.

Manchester United won the kickoff and initiated the first attack amidst the roaring crowd.

When the referee's whistle blew, all eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo, not only from Manchester United but also from Real Madrid.

However, C. Ronaldo felt nothing in particular. Even though he had always wanted to join Real Madrid and was working towards it, he wouldn't show any weakness because of it.

He would give his all to showcase his talent and let Real Madrid feel his prowess.

Gritting his teeth, he dashed towards Real Madrid's half as soon as the whistle blew.

"This!"

C. Ronaldo ran while gesturing ahead, and his teammate quickly caught on and passed the ball to him. Upon receiving it, Ronaldo ignored his early footwork flair developed at Manchester United and feigned an exterior run, fooling Ramos, before cutting inside.

He advanced through Real Madrid's flanks, exhibiting his signature dribbling maneuvers, and attempted to disturb Real Madrid's defensive rhythm with his tempo changes.

He weaved diagonally, nearing the penalty area's shooting range.

Just then, wearing the number 22, Chen Zhong fiercely collided from the side. He barely felt any "resistance" before seeing C. Ronaldo sprawling face-first onto the ground.

"Beep beep beep!"

The referee blew the whistle, glanced at C. Ronaldo, and due to his history of "diving" in the Premier League, didn't card Chen Zhong but merely issued a verbal warning: "Watch your movements."

There was nothing definitive to say against Chen Zhong or C. Ronaldo.

After all, Chen Zhong did contact C. Ronaldo, and C. Ronaldo's recent footwork antics fit well within the rules.

Although Chen Zhong's body contact was within reason, the referee couldn't demand C. Ronaldo absorb or resist the collision without complaint!

"You!"

Chen Zhong glanced at C. Ronaldo, his first encounter with such a situation, and as Marcelo approached, he whispered sideways, "That's how he is."

In the 2007 Portugal-Brazil friendly, C. Ronaldo debuted as Portugal's captain, where Marcelo and C. Ronaldo clashed, physically and verbally taunting each other.

C. Ronaldo even grabbed Marcelo's face initially, but quickly retracted upon realization.

This warranted no reaction from C. Ronaldo as he merely protected himself within fair play rules.

"A free-kick opportunity for Manchester United."

"C. Ronaldo will take the free kick."

"He might go for goal directly from this position."

Ever since C. Ronaldo executed a jaw-dropping tomahawk free-kick from an improbable distance — questioned to be unscoreable by pundits — none boldly contested his free-kick ability anymore.

C. Ronaldo gauged the wall's position, sprinting, and took his shot.

"Bang!"

The ball peaked at a certain height before it plummeted rapidly.

It was a beautiful knuckleball.

Or perhaps an 'elevator shot.'

However, Casillas was laser-focused, having pre-calculated the trajectory, palmed the ball out, earning applause from the stands.

"Chen! Chen!"

Schuster called out from the sidelines, and when Chen Zhong looked over, he advised earnestly: "Watch your actions, be careful not to get carded."

Against other opponents, Schuster would typically harbor no worries, but against C. Ronaldo, the notorious "diver," he felt slightly concerned about the young Chen Zhong getting in over his head.

"I understand!"

Chen Zhong cast a glance at C. Ronaldo, who, noticing this, smiled.

That's exactly what C. Ronaldo wanted; he once stubbornly fought in games, later advised to protect himself, and found the knack.

Now, C. Ronaldo's tactic indeed troubled Chen Zhong somewhat.

Perhaps due to position or his young age, hardly any players would fall at the slightest touch like C. Ronaldo. Most wanted to compete physically with Chen Zhong, making C. Ronaldo's presence unexpected and challenging for Chen Zhong.

The match continued, as Van der Sar saved Raul's shot, and Manchester United sought a counter via a long pass.

Chen Zhong quickly marked the receiving player.

Wayne Rooney!

A shorter guy!

Mindful of C. Ronaldo's precedent, Chen Zhong approached the balding Rooney with restraint, aiming to "gently" pressurize him and opportunistically steal possession.

Yet, Rooney spun around like a top and struck Chen Zhong hard.

Rooney sneakily elbowed Chen Zhong in the stomach, banking on the referee's discretion, then quickly pivoted, creating some space between him and Chen Zhong.

Chen Zhong hastily shadowed him, colliding until they tangled and fell.

Rooney wriggled fiercely like a small terrier, spitting crass words.

"Rooney!"

"Swift pivot after receiving the ball."

"Passes to Scholes."

"The ginger wizard's cross!"

"C. Ronaldo!"

While downing, Rooney managed to pass, and Scholes dribbled to the right flank of the box, crossing.

Cristiano Ronaldo surged forward, outmuscling Ramos to powerfully head the ball into the net guarded by Casillas.

The Manchester United fans erupted in joy, whereas the Real Madrid supporters stood in disbelief.

"C. Ronaldo!"

"15th minute of the match!"

"He cut in from deep, met Scholes' cross, and delivered a powerful header, breaching Real Madrid's goal!"

"This marks his 36th personal goal this season!"

"With goals in the last five consecutive official matches, Manchester United's number 7 leads the Champions League scoring chart with 7 goals."

"With continued performance like this, the Ballon d'Or could definitely be his!"

After scoring the goal, C. Ronaldo was ecstatic, running to the corner flag, leaping high, and let out an excited shout as other players gathered around him.

ps: C. Ronaldo's 'Siu' celebration wasn't during this period, it emerged later, around 2013, verified in later interviews.