I Am Scouted by Real Madrid-Chapter 325 - 19: China Derby

The Champions League group stage match between Marseille and Real Madrid is about to take place. Initially, the domestic fans were not paying much attention, but someone discovered a player named Alexander N’Doumbou, full name: Qianjie Gei-Alexandre N’Doumbou, on Marseille’s latest roster.

This player’s father is Gabonese, and his mother is from Zhejiang.

He possesses excellent physical attributes, combining the characteristics of Asian and African players.

At the same time, his experience with the Marseille Club makes many fans believe that he is likely to be the second Chen Zhong.

Ndoumbou (Qianjie Gei) entered the Marseille Football Club at the age of 14, skipped grades to join the Marseille B team at 17, and became the captain of the Marseille U-17 team thanks to his outstanding talent and performance.

In the same year, he led the team to win the 2008-09 French U-17 League championship.

This season, he signed a professional contract with the club and became a member of Marseille’s first team.

In fact, some people had long noticed Ndoumbou, but on the one hand, Ndoumbou had already represented the Gabon national team in matches, making him ineligible to represent China. On the other hand, at that time, there were quite a few players going abroad. "Genius" youngsters were joining Manchester United and Real Madrid.

The attention on Ndoumbou naturally decreased.

Compared to Ndoumbou, his old friend from his teenage years, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, is clearly more noteworthy. This lightning-fast Gabonese player entered the Ligue 1 earlier than Ndoumbou.

This time, Ndoumbou’s fame is partly due to the buzz around the "Chinese Derby," with some fans believing that as long as their voices are loud enough, Ndoumbou will surely play.

Fans with such thoughts are underestimating the new Marseille coach.

Didier Deschamps, who had been out of work since 2006 due to the telephone scandal, became Marseille’s coach this summer. The new chairman of Marseille, Robert Dafu, also gave significant support to the team. This summer, Marseille strengthened all three lines.

All three lines have strong players.

In addition to two Real Madrid veterans: Morientes and Heinze, there are also Cisse, Mubia, Ben Arfa, Mandanda, and other talented players.

At the pre-match press conference, when interviewed by reporters, Deschamps shared his views on the game, saying, "We lost by one goal to Milan in the last match. Despite Real Madrid’s strength in this match."

"They spent a lot of money during the summer window, making incredible signings."

"But we have no choice."

Though Deschamps returned to coaching after years of being sidelined and faced much skepticism, he always responded with silence, using games to speak for himself.

It wasn’t until people began attacking his former club, Marseille, which gave him another coaching opportunity, that he responded, saying, "We must remember that Marseille is still the only French club to have won the Champions League to this day."

"Of course, this is not a source of pride."

"Marseille will always be the first French team to win the Champions League, and that’s the real source of pride."

"And soon, we might just have a second one."

Deschamps’ words were sharp; after years of honing, he became prominent with the club’s support.

Pellegrini did not engage in a war of words with Deschamps; he silently waited for Marseille’s arrival in Madrid at the Bernabeu.

And soon, it was match day.

At the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the away team fans who traveled from afar entered the stadium chanting slogans, while the Real Madrid fans were naturally not to be outdone.

Although the two teams were not derby opponents, the fans of both sides had a strong desire for victory.

"CCTV, CCTV."

"This is a highlight match of Group C in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League."

"We are providing live commentary from the Bernabeu, and judging from the atmosphere, the fans of both teams are very passionate."

"Yes, the starting line-ups for both teams have appeared on the screen."

"Real Madrid is still using the 4-2-3-1 formation for this match."

"Negredo, in the competition with Benzema, Higuain, and others, has the upper hand, securing the starting center forward position."

"Behind him, aligned are C. Ronaldo, Granero, and Kaka."

"Alonso and Chen Zhong serve as the team’s double defensive midfielders."

"In defense, there’s Marcelo, Pepe, Albiol, and Ramos."

"Casillas remains the goalkeeper."

"On the Marseille side, they are using a 4-4-2 formation for this match."

"Morientes and Niang serve as dual forwards."

"Lucho Gonzalez, Cheyrou, Mubia, and Gabriel form the midfield."

"Bonnaire, Heinze, Diawara, and Taiwo form the defense."

"Mandanda is the goalkeeper."

As the commentator’s words fade, both teams have completed their pre-match ceremonies and are standing on the field. Morientes, looking at this familiar field and the pure white, feels a surge of emotions.

He has finally returned to his "home," but this home feels somewhat unfamiliar now.

"Real Madrid has gained the kick-off."

"Marseille is adopting a pressing strategy in the away game."

"They are aggressively pressing Real Madrid’s players."

"The ball comes to Chen Zhong’s feet."

"Pass again."

"Passed back to Chen Zhong again."