In the 2017 China-South Korea soccer match, the national soccer team finally defeated the South Korean team by 1:0. The match was held at the Helong Stadium in Changsha, Hunan province, which has since been dubbed by fans as the "blessed place of the national soccer team".
Heron formed a soccer team
This stadium is also the first large-scale comprehensive stadium named after a national leader in the history of China. Marshal He Long, as a pioneer of sports in China, made great contributions to China's sports. As early as during the Anti-Japanese War, Marshal He Long formed a basketball team and then a soccer team. He Long thought the soldiers could relax and stay healthy during their breaks. It was only later that He Long was so busy fighting with his soldiers that he had very few chances to really show his style on the soccer field. It wasn't until 1949 that the situation gradually stabilized and Heron's desire to form a soccer team was soon fulfilled choosing their careers.
At first, Heron just used it as a form of entertainment. Although the soldiers didn't know the basic norms of soccer and only knew how to punch and kick, they brought a lot of joy to the officers and soldiers when they played exhibition games in the army.
Heron doesn't think the soccer team is enough. If there was another one, he could play the game, which was more fun. So he began to form a second soccer team, but this time, instead of choosing players from the army, he chose students from the university who were fast runners, had some athletic skills, and loved sports.
It is clear that Heron did the right thing by forming two soccer teams, and although they were not professional, each game was very competitive.
"Whenever there's a good candidate, you do whatever it takes to invite him."
While they had fun playing on their own, they would have been somewhat of a failure if they had actually won a world class tournament. The 21 years from 1913 to 1934 can be considered a glorious period for Chinese soccer, with nine championships and one runner-up finish.
One of them, Li Huitang, was so impressive that he was called the "King of Balls". He was not only a good kicker, but also a leader in training the players. So He Long wrote a letter to the "King of Balls" and found a friend who knew him well, hoping that the King of Balls could help train the Southwest Military Region soccer team.
To express his sincerity, Heron also promised a salary in the letter, saying that Mr. Li would report on his own and pay as much as he wanted. Even so, the "King of Balls" politely refused Heron's request.
Since the "King of Balls" didn't want to come, He Long didn't force him to do so. However, he did not stop looking for suitable candidates to train the soccer team. He said, "As long as there are good candidates, we will invite them at all costs."
Later, it was introduced that He Long met Fu Zhen. Eager for talent, He Long expressed his sincerity many times and promised that Fu Zhen's salary would never be shortchanged, would only be higher than he imagined, and would never lower his quality of life. He Long's sincerity eventually touched Fu Zhen.
Under the leadership of Fu Zhen, He Long's soccer team made remarkable progress. It could even dominate Chinese soccer. Later on, He Long's soccer team had to be disbanded due to regional revocation. However, after the dissolution, many players came to the national team and became the backbone of soccer teams all over the world.
"You must do right by them and your conscience!"
Later the President himself appointed He Long as the head of the Sports Committee. He Long vowed to change the backwardness of China's three major sports, including volleyball, basketball and soccer. He said, "The backwardness of Chinese sports must be reversed. If I don't see the three balls turn around, I will die one day." That's what He Long said, and that's what he did. Under his leadership, China made great progress in volleyball and basketball. But the level of soccer is still far behind. According to He Long, if the level of soccer is not high, it is useless to raise the level of other sports. In order to improve the level of Chinese soccer, He Long thought of various ways.
Under the joint efforts of He Long and the players, the level of Chinese soccer team has made a qualitative leap, and the level of soccer is among the best in Asia. Finally, China took off the hat of "the sick man of East Asia", broke the world record many times and won gold, silver and bronze medals.
If the National Football League still can't get it going, I won't die.
However, what He Long himself probably did not expect was that from 1960 onwards, the Chinese soccer team began to go downhill, and many of its participation in tournaments ended in failure. This made He Long very disappointed. He said: "We study outside to learn the essence of others. When we come back, we will develop our own methods through continuous practice. If you just blindly imitate others, you will always follow them and one day you will fall behind." In response, Heron believes the main responsibility lies with himself, but he failed to monitor and supervise. In the next few matches, the Chinese soccer team ended in failure, and He Long said : "I didn't blame others."
Only in the next few matches, the results were still unsatisfactory, and He Long disbanded the soccer team in a fit of rage. However, he did not stop studying Chinese soccer. He has always maintained a humble attitude in the sport.
According to He Long, the most fundamental reason for the slide was the ideological problem. Later, He Long sent the Chinese soccer team to the PLA troops several times to study and motivate the players: "Don't be afraid, losing is not terrible, but the ambition of the Chinese people can't be eliminated! Play with ambition, play at a high level, and defeat the 'blue eyes'." Heron's words have influenced generations of soccer players.
A national soccer team was formed again in 1965 under the tutelage and training of Heron. The runners-up finished in the 1966 Asian Emerging Forces Games. Marshal He Long finally breathed a sigh of relief, which was probably the greatest consolation for Marshal He Long.
