In the cold winds of 2019, January 19 became a colorful day in the history of the National Football League. On this day, the national football team welcomed its first naturalized player. Beijing Guoan announced that Stabaek of the Norwegian Premier League signed former Norwegian-born Chinese player Hou Yongyong to their team. In order to be able to play in the league as a domestic player, Hou Yongyong resolutely gave up his Norwegian nationality and joined the Chinese nationality.
They were followed by Chinese-born players Qian Jiezhi (Ndumdu), Li Ke (Yan Naris), Jiang Guangtai (Browning) and Xiaotao Tao-tao (Xiao Chu) who took Chinese citizenship. Players without Chinese blood, Delgado, Ekerson (Elkeson), Lo Guofu (Aloisio), Alan (Allan), Gaolat (Golat) and Fernandino (Fernandinho) have also obtained Chinese citizenship after five years of settling in China. In just one year, as many as 11 naturalized players have appeared in the Chinese league.
At a time when clubs such as Evergrande are going on a naturalization spree, many fans had some optimistic thoughts about the prospects of our men's football team in the World Cup. However, the actual situation has given those naturalization supporters a resounding slap in the face, with non-Chinese faces appearing in the national football team's lineup, but the national football team's performance has not gained any breakthrough.
The Chinese men's soccer team, which is sitting on a number of naturalized players, has been shaken off by top-ranked Syria by one position after a poor performance in the World Cup qualifiers, with a record of only two wins, one draw and one loss in the first four matches of the group stage. Among the few players who are eligible to be selected for the Chinese men's soccer team, only Eckerson and Li Ke have been given the opportunity to play.
Li Ke is not a solid starter in Lippi's system, he is just a regular substitute in the team. And despite being the team's main striker, Ackerson's performance was very bland and did not show any strength above his teammates. He made 4 appearances for our men's soccer team in the WC and scored 3 goals, but all 3 goals came against weak teams like Maldives and Guam, while in the matches against the Philippines and Syria, Ackerson performed poorly and contributed nothing. Judging from his on-field performances in the two hard-fought matches, Ickerson's athleticism is far worse than even his former teammate Wu Lei from Sharon. It is unrealistic to expect Ackerson to be the savior of our men's soccer team.
A total of 10 naturalized players have completed registration in the Chinese Super League this season (Xiaotao Tao-tao is on loan to Chinese League One side Kunshan FC this season). Among them, Qian Jie gave and Delgado both lost the possibility of performing for our team because of their previous experience of representing other countries' national teams in official competitions.
Among the remaining 8 players, Hou Yongyong's ability is not up to the standard of the national team; Luo Guofu is already old and at the end of the bench in Evergrande, so the possibility of these two becoming members of the national team in the future will not be very high. So only 6 of the naturalized players will be able to make it to the national team. Let's take a look at the status of these 6 players one by one:
Exxon (32):
A former two-time Chinese Super League Golden Boot winner with superb shooting ability has now made an impact, but his athleticism has declined significantly with age and his role and importance on the field has become less and less.
Considering his age, this World Cup qualifier and the 2023 Asian Cup are likely to be his final performances with the national team. And his current physical condition and on-field performance also dictate that he no longer has the fundamental talent to be the center of the team's frontcourt. If the national team wants to get a breakthrough in intercontinental competitions, it still needs to rely more on the efforts of others.
Gallagher (30):
Golat used to be the center of Evergrande's front field and won the honors of Chinese Super League Golden Boot, AFC Champions League Golden Goal, AFC Golden Boot, Chinese Footballer of the Year and Asia's Best Foreign Aid, making him one of the best foreign aiders in Evergrande's history. Outstanding technology, with good organization and scoring ability.
However, Gallagher suffered a knee injury at the end of the 2018 season, and there were rumors that a large portion of the meniscus in his right knee was removed. While the news may not be factual, his performances in the Chinese Super League last season showed that he had lost his impact and explosiveness, and that he was now playing entirely on his own skill and awareness on the field. While these talents are still good now, it is clear that he is nowhere near as talented as he was back then, and even if he were to be selected for the national team, the contribution he could make to the team would be very limited.
Li Ke (28):
Li Ke is a defensive midfielder with strong 1-on-1 defensive ability, good defensive awareness, and a certain degree of organization and linkage. However, in the national team and the national team many times he was used as a workhorse type midfielder, which also affects his play, restricting his talent.
But even when the tactical organization is not suitable for him, he can still finish the task better. Considering his age and talent, it should still be relatively easy for him to be shortlisted in the national team's competitions in the next few years, but the opportunity to enter the field as a starter may not be too much. Combined with the current staff of the national team, his improvement of the overall strength of the national team is also relatively limited.
Mrs. Chiang Kwang (24):
Jiang Guangtai plays as a center back on the field, and he has excellent physicality and athleticism, so he's guaranteed to be at no disadvantage when competing against the vast majority of frontcourt players.
His talent should be at the front of the line among center backs in all of Asia. Even in Japan, South Korea and Australia, with Jiang Guangtai's current strength, he also has the opportunity to enter their national team list. Considering Jiang Guangtai's age, he should be the absolute mainstay of our team for the next few years, the center of the backline.
Allan (32):
Despite being the same age as Ickxon, Alan seems to be in far better shape than Ickxon. Last season, despite not playing much time at Beijing Guoan, Alan was very efficient and had an excellent shot on goal. He still has the ability to create threats in front of goal.
But given Alan's age, this World Cup qualifier and the 2023 Asian Cup will likely be his final performances with the national team as well.
Fernando (28):
Fernando's speed and explosiveness have declined after he suffered a major injury in '18, but for now Fernando is still probably the most impactful wing player on the offensive end of the national team. Fernando's performance at Guangzhou Evergrande last season was also quite good, leaving a certain impression in a number of games.
Considering his age, it shouldn't be a problem for him to make the national team roster in the coming years. However, his characteristics also dictate that he may not get a start in every game.
Summary: It can be seen that the above 6 have the opportunity to be selected for the national team in the naturalized players, in addition to Jiang Guangtai unique talent far beyond the domestic players, the other several people's talent is actually not too much stronger than the domestic players. Even if these 6 have the opportunity to enter the field at the same time, the strength of our team is far from several Asian powerhouse, not to mention out of the World Cup.
Chinese football in order to fast results, in 2019 chose to naturalize a lot of players this "shortcut", but only two years, this "shortcut" has been declared a failure. And this loss, but also built on the basis of the dozen players super-high salary as well as other countries in Asia are belittled. According to recent news, in the Evergrande can not play on the competition Luo Guofu has decided to return to Brazil after the completion of the contract to perform. The other naturalized players, none of them can speak Chinese, in addition to Alan is still testing to learn Chinese, not even a player to reflect any sense of belonging. This kind of naturalization is really a joke.
