In the distant 2013, Guangzhou Evergrande won the Asian Champions League with a breakthrough momentum, writing a brilliant chapter of Chinese soccer, becoming the first team to achieve this feat, and countless soccer dreams took off as a result.
Then-coach Lippi's star-studded squad brought together many well-known players from home and abroad.
The team's internal reinforcements were strong, including many former and current international players, while the external reinforcements were the best in Asian soccer at that time. By borrowing the team model of the top European clubs and combining it with strict management, the team quickly rose to the top of Asia from the Chinese Super League.
Guangzhou Evergrande, like a newborn calf in its first taste of the AFC Champions League, beat K-League giants Jeonbuk Hyundai 5-1 on the road, rekindling the hopes of countless disappointed fans.
The following year, Lippi took over the baton and led the team through the ranks, eventually winning Asia and lifting the coveted AFC Champions League trophy.
Some have questioned the value of this championship, arguing that the model of "national team + super foreign aid" is not comparable to the team spirit of local players. It is true that Japan and South Korea's top players have gone to Europe, but in 2013, the Japanese and South Korean players are better.
The study abroad of more talented players has led to a drop in the standard of the local league, providing an opportunity for Chinese Super League teams to win the title. However, why have teams such as Shanghai Port been unable to replicate this success?
Huge investment may not be able to change the championship, some teams even failed to step into the threshold of the AFC Champions League final. It is evident that money is not everything to win the AFC Championship.
In the past ten years, Guangzhou Evergrande changed its name to Guangzhou Team and was relegated to the Central League, becoming a civilian team. The biggest star of the team is Efirdin, the national Olympic striker who is only worth 300,000 dollars and has become the soul of the team.
Tang Tang's two-time AFC Champions League winners dominate Guangzhou's second-tier professional league, but have to rely on a host of soccer academy students to keep up appearances. Whether or not these young players, with an average age of 21, can gain a foothold in the Central League is the center of attention.
Initially, the team's poor record, with only three points in the first eight rounds, made relegation seem inevitable. However, in Guangzhou the team succeeded in relegation in four rounds ahead of schedule, which was impressive.
Successful relegation was the team's biggest victory, and the only way to revitalize the team was to stand on its own two feet. On that basis, the club was able to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the team's first AFC Champions League win.
On November 9, 2013, Guangzhou proudly declared "We are the King of Asia". This day became the team's eternal glory.
