At the end of September, the 22nd round of the Brazilian Primera División was played, and Chinese soccer superstar Luo Guofu's performance at Club America Mineiro was like a phoenix rising from the ashes and coming back to life. The team won 2-0 against Santos at home, ushering in two consecutive victories. In the last round, despite his absence due to injury, the team beat Sao Paulo 2-1. The 35-year-old, still the pride of Chinese soccer, had aspired to continue to shine on the international stage, especially in the Asian Cup. However, his return to the Barclays Premier League has brought a subtle change of heart.
At the beginning of the new season, Luo Guofu raised the idea of retirement, and put forward a clear retirement conditions: if the performance of Minero Americas is not satisfactory, he will choose to retire at the end of the year. Last season, the team was ranked 10th in the Barclays Premier League and seemed to have a bright future, but the brutal competition in the league made everything unpredictable.
Statistics show that in the 2023 season, Minero Americas is at risk of relegation after going from a 0-3 defeat against Fluminense in the first round to a 2-0 win over Santos in the 22nd round, totaling just 16 points and sitting in the bottom two of the Barclays Premier League. The Barclays Premier League stipulates that the last four teams will be relegated, and Bahia is in 16th place with 22 points, the lowest in the safety zone.
Despite the team's poor performance, Luo Guofu's individual performance has been as consistent as ever. This season, he has played 35 games, scored 12 goals, assisted 4 times, and has 16 solo goals, which continues to lead Chinese strikers. However, Li Tie has not paid enough attention to the development of his national soccer team. Recently, Luo has suffered three consecutive injuries, which has led him to make the decision to retire.
It was reported that Lok Fu was unwilling to stick around, despite his frequent injuries. He applied to Club America Mineiro to end his contract early and opt for retirement. Domestic media outlet Soccer Daily reported that Lo Guofu had injured his right thigh three times in the past two months, and after the third injury, he decided to retire, but after communicating with the club, he decided to honor his contract at the end of the year.
Luo Guofu has maintained his status as a Chinese player, performing far better than any other Chinese men's soccer player this season and last, but has not found favor with the coach. Soccer Daily noted that Luo Guofu had the opportunity to return to train with the national soccer team in March and June, but national soccer coach Jankovic did not call him up.
Soccer Daily believes that it will be difficult for Luo Guofu to return to the national soccer team again and he will end his career as a Chinese. In order to achieve good results in the Asian Cup, Jankovic should try to convince Luo Guofu to return. Unfortunately, the current strength and form of the Chinese national team is not optimistic, and Jankovic believes that boosting the team's morale and improving tactical play are the most important tasks at this stage.
