History of Shanghai Harbor Football Glory
After a hard-fought battle with Shandong Taishan and a draw, five years have passed and our team has finally won the Chinese Super League trophy for the second time in its history. Those veterans of the "Xu Genbao system" have finally seized what may be the last chance of their lives to win the title in the twilight of their careers.
The "Six Tigers" are still the solid pillars of the harbor, and they have made a remarkable contribution to this championship.
Nowadays, there are six "Genbao family" players in the Harbour team: Wu Lei, Yan Junling, Zhang Linpeng, Cai Huikang, Wang Shenchao and Lu Wenjun. These stars, nurtured by Xu Genbao's football academy, played together for Shanghai Dongya, Seaport's predecessor, and climbed to the top of the Chinese Super League from the Second Division to the First Division. While Zhang Linpeng left briefly to join Guangzhou, the other five players have remained steadfast at Seaport, and in the 2018 season, they ended Guangzhou Evergrande's monopoly on the Super League title and achieved Seaport's first ever title.
Five years on, these six players are still the backbone of Harbour and have even been selected for the national team. Apart from Wu Lei and Yan Jun Ling, Lu Wenjun also contributed six goals for Harbour this season, stepping up to break the deadlock in the title-winning match against Taishan. Stanley Wong plays a key role in Javier's tactical system as an attacking defender, while 34-year-old Cai Huikang remains Harbour's main back this season despite his advanced age.
While the young players have not yet matured, Harbor has been relying on these six veterans, who are known as the "Genbao family", for most of the season. Even though Wu Lei's form has declined and Yan Jun Ling has made occasional mistakes, Harbor has still not dared to use the newcomers, which is either fortunate or sad.
After winning the Chinese Super League title, the Six Tigers will represent the national soccer team for the last time to help the team to the World Cup.
The club career of the "Genbao 6 Tigers" has come to a successful conclusion after helping the Harbor Team to win the Chinese Super League for the second time. Their new goal is to play for the national soccer team in the World Cup. Currently, Yan Junling, Zhang Linpeng, Wu Lei and Wang Shenchao have become the backbone of the national team, and are even regarded as the absolute main force by Jankovic.
However, the meritorious players were strongly questioned by the fans after the Harbour Team unexpectedly lost to Batang United 2-3 in the AFC Champions League play-offs. Facing the upcoming 36-team tournament, the Chinese men's soccer team will face Thailand in their first match. Whether Jankovic should continue to trust this group of Harbour players, who had been defeated by Thailand, is undoubtedly a difficult decision.
Undoubtedly, Wu Lei, Yan Junling and other veterans firmly believe in playing for their country. After all, they have passed their prime, this may be their last chance to hit the World Cup.
In any case, I wish Wu Lei, Yan Junling, Zhang Linpeng and other veterans who have been fighting for their countries for a long time, after finishing their club careers, they can also finish their national team careers successfully and realize their dreams of participating in the World Cup.
