It's been half a lifetime since they left, and they're still teenagers when they come back.On May 27th, Chengdu Rongcheng will be sitting at home in the Phoenix Hill Sports Center to face Nantong Zhiyun. The match will welcome a special player, who used to be a Junxing Junior and currently plays for Nantong Zhiyun, the king of China's top professional soccer league, 39-year-old Wang Song. After more than a decade, Wang Song has returned to Chengdu to play in the top league again, which has set off a memory-killing wave of fans online. Today, he also gave an exclusive interview to a cover reporter about how he feels about coming home.
Song Wang in his Sheffield United days
"My relationship with Chengdu, there are so many stories, it's so rich, I grew up in Chengdu, so this away game, it's really like home for me, very much looking forward to it." After arriving in Chengdu, Wang Song posted a video on Jitterbug, saying that it took eight hours to get from Rugao, Jiangsu Province to the hotel in Chengdu and I didn't feel tired at all." Maybe I'm really home."
A native of Guiyang, Wang Song was brought to Sichuan Quanxing by Li Bing at the age of 15. At 17, he made his debut in the A-League, and the "young player" Wang Song shot to fame. After playing for Sichuan for many years, with the dissolution of Sichuan Guancheng, Wang Song followed his mentor Li Bing to Chengdu Sheffield United, where he made his debut in the A-League at the age of 17 as the team's captain and centerpiece, leading Chengdu Sheffield United to a 17-goal haul and being selected for the national team. Later, Wang Song stayed at Hangzhou Greentown, Guangzhou R&F, and Jiangsu Suning, where he was well received by clubs and fans.
Wang Song was taken to Sichuan by Li Bing
In 2020, 36-year-old Wang Song returned to Sichuan and almost joined Chengdu Chengdu. Although he eventually chose the Sichuan Nine Heads Bulls, many fans still hope he can play soccer in Chengdu Chengdu in the future. Life was not good at the Sichuan Jiu Tou Niu team, but instead of backing down, he continued to change stadiums and play his favorite soccer. After moving to Shijiazhuang, the team succeeded with the help of Wang Song and almost stormed into the Chinese Super League.
Wang Song in Nantong Zhiyun
This season, 39-year-old Wang Song received an olive branch from Nantong Zhiyun and returned to the top league of Chinese soccer. As the oldest player in the Chinese Super League, Wang Song is still performing at a super high level this season, from the Chinese Super League to the Chinese League A, Chinese League B, and then all the way back to the Chinese Super League. In the match between Nantong Zhiyun and Shenzhen in the eighth round of the Chinese Super League, Wang Song played the whole match, running more than 10,000 meters, ranking fifth in the Chinese Super League running list, and also issued six key passes. As of now, Wang Song is tied for ninth on the Chinese Super League key pass list with 15 key passes. Keep in mind that at nearly 40 years old, Wang Song has only played seven games this season and is averaging 50 minutes a game to be able to perform like this, so it's a treasure. At nearly 40 years old and with a career spanning more than 20 years, the young Wang Song has perfectly exemplified his professionalism with his performances.
As a living fossil of soccer and the only active player of Sichuan Quanxing in the Chinese Super League, the news of Wang Song's homecoming also excited many fans. "Welcome home young players," fans commented under Wang Song's social media account, "Senior Houzimen watched you play soccer, and now Sanko Phoenix Hill is waiting for you to take the field." Some fans said that the passing of the years, "please go around the field after the game, let's welcome the homecoming kid".
"A little bit excited, a little bit excited, but the mood is relatively calm", before today's training, Wang Song said in an interview with the cover news reporter, so many years really experienced too much, so the mentality is rarely particularly big fluctuations, "for me, I now pursue happy soccer, with a happy mentality Face soccer, so tomorrow's game is more like a report home." Wang Song said that in such a good soccer atmosphere in Chengdu, facing so many fans who are familiar with them, the game is like a soccer feast and they enjoy the process very much.
Wang Song at Sichuan Ubiquitous
"I have a deep affection for Sichuan fans. Needless to say, seeing everyone is as kind as seeing relatives and friends." Wang Song said he came to Chengdu in 1998 at the age of 14 and left at the end of 2009. When he grew up in Chengdu, many old fans witnessed their growth. At that time, many of the younger fans are now married and have children. This kind of relationship is really precious.
"Will you cry if the fans chant your name together at tomorrow's game?" The cover reporter asked. "No, people who are almost 40 years old still cry!" Wang Song laughed, paused for a few seconds and added, "Not good."
