Chapter 72

Last season, Morientes was loaned to the strong Ligue 1 team Monaco by Real Madrid. On the French pitch, Morientes showcased his skills, not only scoring 9 goals to win the Champions League Golden Boot of the season, but also leading Monaco to eliminate Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals, undoubtedly giving a resounding slap to the Real Madrid management. Unfortunately, he narrowly lost to Porto in the Champions League final.

This season, Real Madrid recalled Morientes, but with Ronaldo, Raul, and Mourinho's favorite, Drogba, in the team, he could only be the fourth-choice striker. It was only in the 12th round of the league that Morientes made his first appearance in the Spanish La Liga! Of course, he also had his shining moments, scoring a golden goal at Camp Nou to defend his honor!

After scoring, Morientes ran wildly, arms spread wide, heading towards his team's bench. Mourinho, looking very pleased after taking the lead, celebrated with a few flamboyant gestures and was even more proud of his wise substitution. Seeing the goal scorer run towards him in joy, he smiled and opened his arms to run towards Morientes, ready for a heartfelt embrace between master and disciple.

But...

Morientes did not run towards Mourinho; instead, he ran to the substitutes' bench and tightly embraced his good friend, Raul!

Mourinho's face turned ashen, and the Camp Nou was filled with boos and jeers.

In the following few minutes, Real Madrid completely abandoned their attack, compressing their three lines into one. After gaining possession, they thought not of teamwork but of long clearances. The 2-1 scoreline was finally maintained until the end of the game, with Mourinho defeating Rijkaard and overcoming the powerful Barcelona at Camp Nou.

When the final whistle blew, the first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon, but the Catalans saw no light, their faces filled with disappointment and frustration. After two consecutive losses, Barcelona was already 6 points behind the league leaders, Real Madrid! After Benitez left Spain, it seemed that no team could stop Mourinho's iron-blooded Real Madrid!

At the end of the match, Mourinho made a provocative gesture, pointing to the sky with one hand and clutching his stomach with the other, his face twisted with a strange smile, looking arrogant!

"God is one, I am another!" Barcelona fans recalled Mourinho's words at his first press conference in La Liga, combined with his gesture, feeling a naked insult.

"Dear, what does Mourinho's gesture mean?" Lucy blinked, curious.

Jowan Xian was a bit annoyed by Mourinho's pose, thinking it was cooler than his own! He snorted, pulled Cheryl and Lucy's hands, and prepared to leave, muttering, "Ignore him, he's just being like Dong Cunrui. I hope Chelsea meets Real Madrid in the Champions League to fulfill his dream of heroic sacrifice!"

"Who is Dong Cunrui?"

"Um... a tough guy who dares to risk his life..."

In the Spanish capital, Madrid, countless passionate Real Madrid fans flooded the streets and squares, singing "Go, Madrid" loudly. The Bernabeu Stadium was lit up, and the statue of the Goddess of Abundance was draped with a Real Madrid scarf by an unknown fan...

Jowan Xian's appearance at Camp Nou naturally caught the attention of numerous media reporters. When he walked out of Camp Nou with his two beautiful girlfriends, he found himself surrounded by reporters.

"Mr. Jowan Xian, hello. I am a reporter from the 'World Sports' newspaper. Could you briefly share your thoughts on this match?" In the Catalan region, the appearance of a 'World Sports' reporter was like the emperor leaving the palace, and all the small fry quickly made way.

Facing countless flashing cameras, Cheryl wore sunglasses, looking calm and cold, exuding a star's aura; Lucy, however, could not suppress her excitement, looking at the reporters with curiosity and tension, leaning gently against Jowan Xian, giving him plenty of face.

Jowan Xian, visiting Spain for the first time, naturally gave the Spanish media plenty of face and did not storm off. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a standard London accent, "Very good, it was a very exciting match, especially the atmosphere at Camp Nou, which was intoxicating! Although Barcelona lost, the fans of Catalonia showed great class, which is commendable."

The 'World Sports' reporter was almost beaming with joy. This Jowan Xian, who once criticized Mourinho, was now praising Barcelona and even came to Camp Nou to watch the game, clearly indicating he was a Barcelona fan! He asked excitedly, "Mr. Jowan Xian, are you a Barcelona fan?"

Jowan Xian shrugged and shook his head, "I'm sorry, at this stage, I only support Chelsea! Of course, Barcelona is a wonderful city, and Barca is an incredible team."

Hearing Jowan Xian repeatedly praise Barcelona, the pro-Barcelona media reporters were all smiling, but it was not enough. With Mourinho's team defeating Barcelona, they wanted to hear Jowan Xian's words of contempt for Mourinho, so they could find a new angle to counter the Real Madrid media after Barcelona's loss.

"Mourinho's substitutions were very effective, and he managed to turn the tide with one man down. What do you think of his abilities as a coach?" Throughout European football, who didn't know that Jowan Xian and Mourinho were a pair of rivals? They didn't like each other but led their respective teams to the top of their leagues, both talented, and interestingly, they had never said a good word about each other.

As the pro-Barcelona reporters eagerly awaited Jowan Xian's criticism of Mourinho, he changed his usual style and nodded, "Mourinho? He's very good, an excellent coach, and deserves respect."

The reporters were stunned. Had Jowan Xian taken the wrong medicine today and started speaking normally? Their faces showed undisguised disappointment.

"But..." Jowan Xian's deep sigh immediately made all the reporters smile, realizing there was more to come. This was the Jowan Xian they knew; how could he sincerely praise Mourinho?

Jowan Xian said lightly, "But Mourinho is only good at bullying rookies, not on a grand stage!"

The reporters first rejoiced, then froze as if electrocuted, unsure how to respond. This Jowan Xian... his way of speaking was simply too despicable! They all agreed that he wanted to belittle Mourinho, but to say he only bullied rookies? Was their coach, "Black Swan" Rijkaard, a rookie?

The 'World Sports' reporter's face turned red, and he struggled to speak, unable to utter a word.

The next day, 'Marca' and 'As' praised Mourinho while criticizing Jowan Xian, while 'El Mundo' and 'El País' criticized Jowan Xian while mocking Mourinho. For the first time, the two rival newspapers spoke with a unified voice regarding Jowan Xian.

"Jowan Xian is the most despicable person I have ever met!" Mourinho declared.

"Jowan Xian has some ability, but clearly, he is too arrogant. At his young age, he will eventually pay the price," Rijkaard said.

"Jowan Xian's mouth is even fouler than his coaching skills!" Mourinho said solemnly.

"Jowan Xian has too many off-field controversies, which is clearly not beneficial for a young coach's development," Rijkaard sighed.

"Jowan Xian's arrogance is inversely proportional to his football ability!" Mourinho said earnestly.

"Jowan Xian must control his mouth; otherwise, he will only be a fleeting star in European football..." Rijkaard shrugged.

...

Jowan Xian, with his girlfriend, went to Camp Nou to watch the game and then directed his criticism towards Spain. After standing at the center of the English media, he became the focus of the Spanish media.

Later, French military expert Miliere even published an article on his military website, saying, "In World War II, Germany had the most advanced armed forces, and the blitzkrieg on Poland and the surprise attack on France were classic in world military history! However, Hitler, blinded by victory, launched an attack on Britain before completely occupying France, and then provoked the red Soviet Union, which treated human life as grass. Under multiple pressures, Germany ultimately failed. Although I know little about football, all things are interconnected. Mr. Jowan Xian, before fully earning the respect of the entire England, rashly directed his 'artillery' towards Spain, which was not a wise move!"

However, compared to the unanimous criticism in Europe, the Korean media's stance suddenly changed. A famous Korean football commentator, Kim Hyun-Hee, published an article saying, "Mr. Jowan Xian has the dominant spirit of Koreans. After extensive research by our experts, it was found that although Jowan Xian's ancestors were Chinese, 100 years ago, his family moved from Seoul to China during the Sino-Japanese War, meaning that Mr. Jowan Xian has genuine Korean blood!"

Jowan Xian, indifferent to the various media hype, thought to himself, "A bunch of ignorant children, wait until I create a legendary career in world football, and I will make you all feel ashamed of your words today! I will slap you until your face swells!"

However, when he heard that a Korean article claimed "Jowan Xian has 80% Korean blood," he was furious and directly found the flat-headed reporter from 'The Times,' gritting his teeth and saying, "I am not a Korean!"