On June 12, domestic media have reported that the Chinese national soccer team will hold a special retirement ceremony on the 16th to pay tribute to the legendary player Zheng Zhi. As a key figure of the national team, Zheng Zhi is not only an outstanding representative of Chinese soccer, but also the old captain, whose career is full of splendor.
Dating back to 2000, Zheng Zhi to the identity of the side defender emerged, opened the national team career. 2004 Asian Cup, his debut on behalf of the national team, although in the final of the hate, but with the Japanese team in the duel, his a handball goal was ignored, the national football team to the runner-up, the history of this so far let people wringing their hands.
Despite this, Zheng Zhi's role in the national team has grown in prominence, transforming from defender to central midfielder, and although he regretted a red card at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he remains a central force in the Chinese team. Zheng Zhi has been away from the national team for a while since Gao Hongbo took over, but Camacho, Pelan and Lippi all see him as the key to the midfield.
In 2018, Zheng Zhi completed his 100th game for the national team and made his last appearance for the national football team in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup the following year. As of now, Zheng Zhi has made 108 appearances for the national team.
At the club level, Zheng Zhi has also achieved a lot. At Shandong Luneng and Shenzhen Jianlibao, he helped the team win the Chinese Super League title, and after joining Guangzhou Evergrande in 2010, he created brilliance with the team. In the Chinese Super League and AFC Champions League, Zheng Zhi and Guangzhou Evergrande won eight league titles and two AFC Champions League titles, and he was the first Chinese player to lift the AFC Champions League trophy.
In 2022, Zheng returned to Guangzhou as a coach and player, but the team was eventually relegated.In 2023, Janković took over as head coach of the national team, with Zheng serving as assistant coach. During the epidemic, the national soccer team did not have any home matches, and Zheng Zhi's retirement ceremony was postponed as a result.
Zheng Zhi's retirement ceremony will finally be held on June 16, which is the best recognition of his career. Unfortunately, in the past 20 years, the national soccer team is difficult to find another player who can be compared with Zheng Zhi. The heritage and development of Chinese soccer, there is still a long way to go.
