In the hotly anticipated variety show Spitting Image, China's soccer star Fan Zhiyi's sharp comments on the men's basketball team stirred up heated discussions among netizens. Many people questioned Fan's qualifications to comment on the men's basketball team, partly because China's men's soccer team seems inferior to the men's basketball team, and partly because some people believe that Fan has never appeared in a top league, and is not qualified enough to comment on the men's basketball team's performance. So, is this really the case?
What exactly is Fan's place in Chinese soccer history? Is he qualified to comment on men's basketball? First of all, Fan Zhiyi's personal strength is beyond doubt, in the field, he can play defender, midfield, striker and other positions, can be called the real "hexagonal warrior" of Asian soccer.
Talking about Fan Zhiyi's honors, he has won 1 A-League Championship, 1 A-League Golden Boot, 2 Chinese Footballer of the Year and 1 Asian Footballer of the Year. In addition, during his stay in China, he played for Crystal Palace in England and Dundee in Scotland, and captained Shanghai Shenhua, Crystal Palace and the Chinese men's soccer team.
Let's take a look at Fan's personal honors first. A player who transformed from defender to striker and still managed to win the league's Golden Boot is in itself a testament to Fan's extraordinary personal strength. At the same time, the fact that he won the honor of being the only Asian Footballer of the Year in the history of Chinese soccer is also a recognition of his personal strength. It is worth mentioning that Fan Zhiyi's Mr. Asian Football title is even more golden because the scope of Mr. Asian Football selection in that period covered all Asian players, even players like Hidetoshi Nakata who played in Europe were also eligible to participate in the election, so Fan Zhiyi's Mr. Asian Football title is full of gold.
Secondly, although Fan Zhiyi did not play in the English Premier League, the level of the English League at that time was actually comparable to that of the current English Championship, and being able to play in the English League has proved that his level is not low. In addition, during his time as captain of Crystal Palace, Fan Zhiyi also followed the team to face such giants as Liverpool, and even had a confrontation with Ballon d'Or winner Owen, so his personal strength can be seen. Even if the English League One is not the top league, then Fan Zhiyi played for Dundee, as a Scottish Premier League team, its level should not be underestimated.
After returning to China, Fan Zhiyi, who is 36 years old, continued to score goals in the Chinese Super League, maintained a high scoring efficiency until his retirement, and led the Chinese men's soccer team to the World Cup in 2002. Facts have proved that Fan Zhiyi is qualified to compete for the position of the first person in the history of Chinese soccer, his spitting on the men's basketball team also makes sense.
