There were no leaders to supervise, no pre-match ceremonies, no chartered flights, no winning bonuses, no five-star hotels. Yet such a national soccer team, known as the most understated and weakest in the team's history, turned back Thailand, known as the strongest team in history, 2-1, kicking the Southeast Asian Tigers into paper tigers. Wang Shangyuan came on as a substitute in the second half and also got his first goal for the national soccer team at the age of 30. The Evergrande outcast, who had endured countless cold stares and ridicule, was finally proud. Looking back at Wang Shangyuan's career now, we have to mention these two courageous turning points.
Wang Shangyuan, born in June 1993, is 30 years old. Like Gao Lin, he began his soccer career at Zheng Shangluo Primary School, a famous soccer school in Henan Province. At that time, Wang Shangyuan's awareness and skills far exceeded those of his peers, and he soon became a member of the prestigious Locomotive Association. In fact, when he chose to go to the Locomotive, it meant that soccer was all Wang had to offer from then on, but with the support of his family, he took the brave step.In 2008, the Locomotive Association, known as the Ajax of China, was announced to be disbanded, leaving Wang and his friends as outcasts. Fortunately, the People's Congress Affiliated High School extended an olive branch and allowed him to return to campus to continue his soccer dream.
There, Wang Shangyuan continued to show his soccer talent and in 2011, he became the only non-professional player in the national youth team, performing well in the Weifang Cup. Wang then represented Beijing Sanko in the China B League. He scored 10 goals in 21 matches and won the favor of many clubs in China. However, Wang Shangyuan chose a more difficult path, which was to go to Europe for a trial.
In fact, at the time, at 93, Wang Shangyuan's soccer talent wasn't top notch. Luneng and Zhejiang both had tons of amazing 93 talent. According to general thinking, Wang Shangyuan would have been lucky to play reserve team in the Chinese Super League. If he could be promoted to the first team, he would be burning incense. However, he chose to go out on a brave limb and found a lot of players in Europe, handing in resumes and trials. Then he was signed by Belgian giants Brugge. I guess Wang Shangyuan himself didn't expect this result.
Of course, the Europa League is not easy to confuse.Wang scored 1 goal in 9 games for Brugge in the 2013/14 season, including 1 goal in 7 games and no goals in 2 Europa League games. In the following 2014/15 season, he was not given any starting opportunities. However, his experience in the game gilded the lily for a successful soccer career.At the beginning of 2015, Wang Shangyuan terminated his contract with Brugge and joined then Chinese Super League giants Guangzhou Evergrande on a free.
In fact, at that time, the star-studded Evergrande Wang Shangyuan also realized what is a giant. His most impressive image for Evergrande fans was the match against Zhejiang Greentown in the 2015 season. The defense was out of position which almost led to the loss of the ball. He was taught a lesson by Evergrande goalkeeper Zeng Cheng by the neck. The poor performance and obvious stomach also made Evergrande fans ridicule him, even rising to personal attacks. Unable to stand it, Wang Shangyuan also made a counterattack. He said, "Those who use all the obscene and dirty words in the world, I suddenly feel that you growing up in a sewer is a bit of an insult to the sewers." However, due to his poor performance on the pitch, his counterattack also paled in comparison.
In June 2018, Wang Shangyuan made another brave decision. He left the well-paid Evergrande to join his hometown team Henan Jianye on loan. Here, Wang rediscovered the joy of soccer and helped the team relegate as a starter.After the 2018 season, Wang officially signed with Henan. In the next few seasons, Henan changed coaches several times, but Wang Shangyuan's starting position was unshakeable. After Javier took over, Wang Shangyuan took over the captain's armband from veteran captain Gu Cao. That upcoming year, he had washed away the lead and became the leader of the team. His generalship on the pitch earned him the nickname "Admiral Wang".
His outstanding performances at club level once again brought Wang Shangyuan to the national brand.In October 2019, he was selected for the first time for the national football team.In 2021, Wang Shangyuan participated with the national football team in the Top 12 of the Asian World Qualifiers. Though he didn't get a chance to play, he remained relaxed, saying the experience wasn't for everyone. This time, at the age of 30, Wang Shangyuan finally scored his first goal for the national soccer team, helping them win the World Qualifier. The 30-year-old also performed his own fairy tale.
At the age of 20, he went abroad to try out for Europe, giving up the generosity of Evergrande to join a relegated team in his home country. Both of Wang Shangyuan's courageous choices, any mistake, would have shattered his career, but he succeeded in both. This kind of courage is exactly the kind of challenge that is sorely lacking in young Chinese players. I hope Wang Shangyuan's success will give them a little inspiration and encouragement.
