April 14, when our country's "most U.S. door" of the soccer goddess Zhao Lina, with a heart of retirement announced with the soccer field 24 years of time to say goodbye.
Stepping onto the green field since the age of 7, Zhao Lina stepped into the Shanghai professional soccer team in 2005 and was honored to be selected into the national team in 2015. With her exquisite skills, she has represented the national team in many international tournaments and written brilliantly in many fields, including the quarter-finals of the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada, the quarter-finals of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the runner-up of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, and the champion of the 2022 Asian Cup. As the outstanding goalkeeper of Shanghai Women's Football, she chose to turn around at the age of 32, but has not turned away from the embrace of soccer.
Looking back, she is full of reluctance for every moment of soccer; looking forward to the future, she is full of expectations. Below, let's listen to Zhao Lina's autobiography.
I'm Lena Zhao, and today I'm saying goodbye to the soccer field that's been with me for 24 years, and starting a whole new chapter of work and life at the age of 32.
In the future, I will wield a soccer ball and drumsticks, ride a motorcycle through the streets and alleys; occasionally guest fashion modeling, shooting magazine covers; recording my own short videos to share life moments; and even set up a soccer charity project.
Lena Zhao spends fun time with the children.
Since becoming a short video blogger, my fan base has grown by leaps and bounds. Today, I have 1.38 million followers on Weibo and a whopping 3.65 million followers on Shakeology. Some people jokingly call me a host delayed by soccer, because you never knew my multi-faceted life before.
Once I was an introvert, not good at talking. I would feel nervous when facing the camera. But since embarking on the road of soccer, everything seems to have changed. Soccer, let me find the confidence, honor and light. Therefore, I have never felt held back by soccer. I just want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to soccer.
The soccer team has given me confidence, honor, and sparkle, and now I want to pass that sparkle on to more people. This is the next big thing I will accomplish.
Last month, I traveled to Yuanbao Elementary School in Guizhou. Located in Yuanbao Village, Dafang County, Bijie City, Guizhou Province, this school is so remote that you have to go through nine curves to reach it. A few years ago, there were almost no children playing soccer here. Then someone donated a stadium and the school started to offer soccer classes. When I first met the children, they asked curiously, "Why are you so tall?" "Why are the girls who play soccer so pretty?"
Why, I wondered, do children equate soccer with "beauty"? Who says that girls who play soccer have to be muscular, short-haired and dark-skinned?
I took them to play games, watch soccer videos, tell women's football stories and organize matches. The originally shy children from the mountainous areas glowed with resilience and confidence on the soccer field.
After getting acquainted with the children, a girl said to me, "Sister, I want to train well and hope to become a member of the national team and play alongside you." These words strengthened my determination to popularize soccer.
My goal is: in the next 4 to 5 years, to go into 100 elementary school in remote areas, donate soccer fields, provide training and competition opportunities, and sow the seeds of soccer in their hearts.
In retirement, I'm still standing behind the goal - only, it's no longer the impenetrable line of defense I'm guarding, but the door for more people to learn about and be exposed to soccer. I want all girls to fall in love with soccer, because I firmly believe that girls who play soccer are really cool. If you meet a cool girl in Shanghai in the future who is 1.88 meters tall, it could be me.
