Will the Qatar World Cup winner come to China to play with the national soccer team?
This is a hot topic in the past of Chinese soccer. on the afternoon of May 18, the discussion about it ended in suspense - the Football Association announced the national football team's schedule of matches in June.
According to a notice from the Football Association, the national football team will play two matches against Myanmar and Palestine, without Argentina, on June 16 and 20 at the Barracuda Bay Professional Football Stadium in Dalian.
Despite the news beforehand, fans were disappointed when the dust settled, as the gap from Argentina to Myanmar and Palestine was too wide.
Argentina's influence goes without saying, as the Pampas Eagles started low and finished high at last year's World Cup in Qatar, where Lionel Messi was officially crowned champion after 36 years. Argentina is ranked number one in the world FIFA by virtue of winning the World Cup.
What about Myanmar and Palestine? One is ranked 160th in the world, the other 93rd in the world. the former has been hung every time they've faced the national soccer team, and the latter has never beaten the national soccer team in the last 20 years. Generally speaking, they are fish-belly teams.
According to media sources, the organizers of the Argentine-Chinese bank contacted the Football Association to warm up China against Argentina, but they did not become a bank because the Football Association had already arranged the agenda and everything was too rushed.
Missing out on the chance to compete with the world champions will be regretted by national soccer fans, but that doesn't mean Argentina won't be coming to China.
Argentine media outlet TYC Sports confirmed that the Pampas Eagles will face Australia around June 15 in Beijing before traveling to Indonesia to face them on June 18th or 19th. The two friendlies will also be Argentina's last two friendlies in the next South American World Cup qualifiers.
Media sources also revealed that Argentina's trip to China is scheduled to be officially announced on May 20, and that the investment plan currently being circulated is "June 15-16, Industrial Sports, Argentina vs Australia".
According to reports, the trip to China will see all of Argentina's key players follow the team, including the most popular king, Lionel Messi, and not only that, but the Hercules Cup, which symbolizes the highest glory in soccer, will also be coming to China.
Of course, such an arrangement makes the majority of Chinese fans doubly expect, but back to Chinese soccer itself, the national football team also deserves the attention of fans.
As you know, the national soccer team seemed to disappear after last year's World Preliminary 12 loss, and the East Asian Cup fielded a bunch of young players. It wasn't until February this year that China returned to the limelight, playing two friendly matches against New Zealand, recording a draw and a loss.
Unlike a year ago, today's national soccer coach has changed from Li Xiaopeng to Jankovic. The coaching staff includes national soccer legends such as Shao Jiayi, Zheng Zhi and Chen Tao, which amounts to a new era altogether. The two friendly matches against Myanmar and Palestine are the time to show the new face of the team.
Over the past few years, Chinese soccer has hit a low point, with not only the national team failing to make it to the World Cup with the help of naturalized players, but also the foundations of professional soccer being almost uprooted. It would not be an overstatement to describe the dark times when both commercial value and reputation declined, and when the scandals and storms continued.
Adversity exists and life must go on. The most important goal for this national soccer team to prepare for is the Asian Cup next January. China, in the same group as Tajikistan, Lebanon and Qatar, has just over half a year to go.
Tajikistan, ranked 109th in the world, and Lebanon, ranked 99th in the world, fit the positioning of Myanmar and Palestine very well, which may explain why the national soccer team chose these two weak teams as opponents for the warm-up matches.
Yes, idealistic expectations are romantic, but life is more realistic. For the current national soccer team, winning the World Cup is not the most important thing. The team needs to find the right position and prepare for the actual strategic goals.
Regret missing the match against Argentina? Sure, a little, but Chinese soccer has a more realistic path to travel. Will you choose to stay with them this time?
