The national soccer team will hold a retirement ceremony for Zheng Zhi during its match against Myanmar on June 16, Soccer Daily reported on June 12th.
As one of the top players in Chinese soccer, Zheng Zhi is also the veteran captain of the Chinese national team.On June 2, 2018, Zheng Zhi completed his 100th game for the national soccer team in an away warm-up match against Thailand.On January 25, 2019, Zheng Zhi's last national team game was the Asian Cup quarter-final against Iran. Statistics show that Zheng Zhi has now played 108 games for the national team.
In the league, Zheng Zhi's last match was the 21st round match between Guangzhou and Changchun Yatai on January 1, 2022 in the 2021 season. Although Zheng remained on the team roster for the 2022 season, he did not play. Zheng Zhi served as an assistant coach of the Chinese national team after Yankovic took over the national soccer team in 2023.
Due to the epidemic, the last time the national soccer team played an international match at home was in May 2021, in a World Cup qualifying Asian 40 match against Guam in Suzhou. Zheng Zhi was also one of the players in the match at that time. The national soccer team has not played at home since Zheng's transition to coaching, missing the opportunity to hold a ceremony in his honor. Zheng Zhi, who is both the meritorious captain and the assistant coach of the national team, ushered in his retirement ceremony on June 16, and the CFA held such a timely and heart-warming ceremony for him, witnessing the continuity and legacy of Chinese footballers.
