The road to transferring a soccer star to another country
A special turning point came at the end of 2016, when Gao Yuyang, an international footballer who had dedicated his life to Chinese soccer, decided to give up his home country's nationality and set foot on Japanese soil, becoming the first player of Chinese descent who chose to settle in Japan after retirement.
At just 18 years old, Zhang Aolin signed with Japanese side Gamba Osaka in October this year and is expected to be promoted to the first team next season. During Gamba Osaka's official program, the goalkeeper, who is originally from China, announced that he had been granted Japanese citizenship and was outspoken about his desire to play for Japan on the world stage. The news sparked an uproar on Weibo, with discussion abounding.
This month, Gamba Osaka officially announced that 18-year-old Chinese goalkeeper Zhang Aolin will join the team and is expected to be a member of the first team next season. In an official YouTube program, Zhang Aolin showed off his living environment and revealed that he has renounced his Chinese citizenship and chosen Japanese nationality.
At 194 centimeters tall and having grown up in Osaka since he was a child, Zhang Orin has ambitious goals: "I want to represent Japan in the World Cup" and is determined to challenge his predecessors for the starting goalkeeper's position.
Domestic media have been reporting on Zhang's move to Japan under the headline "Abandoning national soccer for Japan", a move that has sparked heated debates among netizens on Weibo. Although some people expressed dissatisfaction, most believed that Zhang's choice was part of his personal career path, and that he hoped to realize his dream of playing soccer in Japan.
Despite his young age, Zhang Aolin may still be a "nobody" to many fans. However, regarding his change of nationality, most of the fans expressed their understanding: "Born in Japan, long-term in Japan, it is normal to choose Japanese nationality. It's an indisputable choice from the point of view of career and life."
Chinese fans are looking forward to Zhang Olin's success in Japan more than anything else, which may reflect some of the problems with youth soccer training in China. "If we expect him to hit the ground running, then we can 100% prove that there are problems with our youth training soil. Although some people don't think so, if he succeeds, he will undoubtedly prove it."
