A new chapter for the Guangzhou team
The Guangzhou team, through thick and thin, has finally assembled. However, the splendor of that year contrasts sharply with today's misery.
The top salary of the players was reduced to 600,000 RMB, and the total annual salary of the whole team was 15 million RMB. Guangzhou's move brought the salary standard back to 20 years ago, which was comparable to the relegation team back then. Undoubtedly, the team that had successfully asked for the top spot will face unprecedented challenges, and the whole season may be fighting for relegation.
The Guangzhou team has become hollowed out as a result of drastic salary cuts that have led to the departure of key players. Although Evergrande's football school has already produced players for adult-level matches, in China, where soccer youth training is weak, expecting a fledgling football school to quickly produce stars is tantamount to a castle in the air.
"You can't win anything by relying on a bunch of kids" is a famous quote that was used to mock Ferguson, but ultimately it was himself who got hit in the face. Although Manchester United's class of 92 is a high-quality youth training, but compared with the Guangzhou team, the Red Devils also have Cantona, Keane and other mature stars. In soccer, it is not easy to rely solely on young players to gain a foothold in the adult game.
Guangzhou's woes are not an isolated case. The soccer market has faded rapidly over the past two years as salon share reforms have stalled and investors' business conditions have deteriorated. Compared with three or four years ago, salons have drastically reduced their expenses, and a person's salary now has to be spread over a dozen or even twenty people.
However, what is even sadder is the future. Even if the overall ability of Guangzhou's first-team players has declined, the players who can get the top salary can at least be ranked in the top 200 of today's national soccer team. However, look at the new version of the CFA's salary limit, the top salary of each team is only 3 million yuan, and how many people can get it? Which industry in China ranks among the top 100 elites and can't get that figure? The elimination rate in most industries is much lower than in soccer and has a more ladder-like feel, with the top 100, top 1,000, top 10,000, and even the median, all having reasonable value. And in soccer, the top 200 players even have people on white slips for their paychecks.
Money isn't everything, that's the lesson of the bubble era. Likewise, it is not everything without money. With no one left in the national soccer team, how many kids are still motivated to continue on the path of professional soccer? Love, can not generate electricity.
