June 2, 2025
Spain, Madrid
Real Madrid Club announced a major news; team captain Chen Zhong will retire in the 2026-2027 season, with the next season being his last with the team.
Chen Zhong, born in 1991, at 34 years old, still maintains a good competitive state. He once won the Ballon d'Or five times consecutively and honored with the Ballon d'Or nine times in his career, making him a legendary figure in football. Now he is only a World Cup champion away from being the unchallenged "King of Football".
In 2014, Chen Zhong reconciled domestically and, for the first time, was selected for the national team, leading the team to breakthroughs at the Asian Cup and East Asian Cup. Although he didn't lead the team to the World Cup stage the same year, it gave the domestic crowd hope.
In October 2015, Chen Zhong led domestic competition reforms, stating at the conference: "China is vast and abundant, we should establish a league suitable for our national conditions."
