When it comes to Chinese soccer, it's no longer a novelty to fans today, and the current state of the national team is a disappointment to most. Once upon a time, we were at the top of Asia, but now we have fallen to the third rate, away from Vietnam, a draw with the Philippines, India also failed to win, these poor records in the hearts of fans left an indelible mark. Coupled with the neglect of young players in previous years, the originally weak national football team is now even more talent-poor, not enough youth. In the future, I'm afraid it will only get tougher, so many fans no longer have expectations for the future of the national team.
However, in the midst of this gloom, we have a pleasant surprise this year in the form of 27-year-old striker Barton of the Tianjin Jinmen Tigers. Mentioning this name, in the past, you may only think that he is an ordinary player. While playing for Beijing Guoan, Barton was a starter in the U23 and brought surprises to the team. But after Xie Feng's departure, Barton was relegated to the bench and gradually disappeared from the fans' sight.
At the end of the 2021 season, Barton moved to Tianjin Jinmen Tigers. Surprisingly, Barton rose quickly in the team and became an important pillar of the team's offensive line. His active running was successful in controlling the opponent's defense and creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. Although his goal and assist numbers weren't impressive that season, his role at the tactical level caught the attention of then national soccer coach Li Tie, who drafted him into the team, a move that sparked a lot of controversy. Barton scored a goal, albeit from a penalty kick, against Australia in the World Qualifier 12, impressing with his aggressive play and confident attacking attitude.
Barton's performance didn't stop there. As an international player, he returned to Tianjin Jinmen Tigers in better and better form. in the 2022 season, he appeared in 24 games, starting 21 of them, contributing 7 goals and 2 assists, and becoming a key player in the team's offense. It was this outstanding performance that attracted the favor of new coach Jankovic. In the second match of this year's national football team against New Zealand, the national football team faced an embarrassing situation of zero goals in two matches, Barton came on as a substitute and scored a goal in just a few minutes, which not only brought goals for the national football team, but also was the first goal since Jankovic coached the national football team, which helped the team get out of the predicament. Barton was then loaned to the Asian Games team as an overage player, and it was his inverted triangle assist that helped Sun Qinhan break through the goal against South Korea U24 and win honor for the Asian Games team.
Barton contributed goals in key matches for both national teams, which fully proved that he is a power player. In the 20th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL), Tianjin Jinmen Tigers played away against the leader Shanghai Port. In the 13th minute of the game, Barton took the ball at the top of the penalty area and scored directly on the goal, taking the lead for his team. It is worth mentioning that Barton had missed the match a few days ago due to fever and his health condition was not ideal, but even so, he was still able to burst out with such powerful energy, which fully demonstrated his resilience and spirit.
Barton's outstanding performance proved that he is a reliable player who can overcome whatever difficulties he faces. Isn't this the kind of player our national soccer team needs most?
