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The smoke has cleared from the Women's World Cup, and the final will be rekindled on the continent, with Spain and England battling it out for glory. However, in the hearts of many fans, England's victory may be more expected. Don't forget, China's women's soccer team lost to England in the group stage with a score of 1-6. If England wins the championship, we may be able to more decently admit that we lost to a strong championship team, but this does not mean that we can ignore the gap between Chinese women's football and the top level in Europe, which has become an indisputable fact. The selection criteria and potential internal contradictions of the women's soccer team have also raised a lot of questions from the outside world. At this critical moment, Zhao Jie's loss seems especially obvious.
Zhao Yujie said bluntly on Weibo, "Once we measured the weight, we found that all these players are not up to standard. The first elimination list of the national team will be held back." She showed photos of seven foreign women's soccer stars, including Australia's Cole (66 kilograms) and Laurence James, England's Putras (79 kilograms), Spain's Holland (67 kilograms), the U.S. women's soccer team's Caldanti (62 kilograms) and Le Saumur (58 kilograms) and France's Rolfer (73 kilograms). Among them, England's Lauren James is particularly notable, who became a legend in England's World Cup history when she almost single-handedly blew away the Chinese women's backline in the final round of the group stage, contributing five goals.
According to Zhao Yujie's statement, Lauren James, who weighs only 79 kilograms, should have been among the first to be eliminated according to the national team's selection criteria. In fact, Zhao Yujie's selection had surprised many fans, and the Danish women's soccer coach even called out for her, saying he didn't understand why she was left out. Born in 1999, Zhao Yujie has been the captain of the U13 national team since then, and is currently playing for Danish soccer club HB Koehl, and is a highly promising midfielder. However, the reason she failed to make Qingxia's list turned out to be her physical fitness.
This time, Zhao Yujie chose to speak out in a positive way, and it's clear that she doesn't agree with the national team's selection criteria. Zhang Xin and Li Ying interacted with her in the comment section, while a well-known media personality said, "Weight is only one of the things, the national team will take body fat percentage, running ability and physical strength into consideration." However, Zhao Yujie and Li Ying's joint response sparked controversy. Zhao Yujie asked rhetorically, "Then the group stage will be out of the competition, right?" Li Ying then responded, "You know your race best!" From the screen, we seem to be able to feel Zhao Jie's anger.
The vast majority of fans were supportive of Zhao Yujie's approach. After all, China's women's soccer team can't stay in the dream world of the resounding roses forever. Zhao Yujie bravely came forward and became the first person who dared to speak out. However, there are also many who are worried about her future, fearing that she will bid farewell to the national team because of her outspokenness. As Zhao Yujie replied to netizens in the comments section, "Players are human beings, and it's normal for them to express their thoughts. The U.S. women's soccer team demanded equality from the FA, the French women's soccer team refused to participate in the World Cup, and the Spanish women's soccer team refused to enter the national team. Someone dared to speak out!"
