As time passes, where are the marks on the road to naturalization in Chinese soccer?
"I am deeply proud of my journey back home."
At the beginning of 2019, at the age of 21, Hou Yongyong embarked on a journey home as a naturalized player pioneer, and Beijing Guoan became a new starting point for his soccer career.
Alongside him is Li Ke, who also has Chinese roots.
Hou Yongyong, a handsome-looking player, has attracted countless eyes since the beginning of his joining Beijing Guoan. His glittering resume and handsome image have made people look forward to his future.
At the age of 16, he made his debut in Rosenborg, Norway, where he was selected for the national team's youth team several times, and was regarded as one of the "Norwegian Three", winning the Norwegian Football Talent Junior Award...
For Chinese soccer, which is in the midst of a youth shortage, Hou Yongyong is undoubtedly a bright pearl.
However, four years later, Hou Yong said goodbye to Beijing Guoan and returned to Norwegian sub-league team Lanheim.
"I've missed the team's locker room and music culture since I left, and now that I'm back again, it feels both intimate and fun." In the team's official video, Hou smiles as big as ever.
Plagued by injuries, Hou Yongyong has not performed as well as he would have liked since returning to his home country and has made very few appearances. He made only one substitute appearance last season and missed the 2021 season due to injury. Such performances have left him out of the national soccer team's selection.
However, the plight of naturalized players is not only reflected in Hou Yongyong, as Chinese soccer is facing the same challenge.
In addition to Beijing Guoan, four years ago, the Guangzhou team was also the main force of naturalization in Chinese soccer. Through naturalization, they transformed the outstanding foreign aiders of the past five years in the Chinese Super League into "foreign aiders" of the national team, such as Elkeson, Fernando, Aloysio, Alan, etc. The scene was shocking.
There is no denying that naturalized players have brought a glimmer of hope and fantasy to Chinese soccer, and they are real fighting forces.
Poster of Li Ke joining Beijing Guoan. Photo credit: Beijing Guoan Football Club.
Li Ke, a naturalized player returning to the Chinese Super League for the first time, has become the main bulwark of Beijing Guoan's midfield. In the first eight rounds of the 2019 season, he not only scored two goals, but also contributed 4.1 steals, ranking first at Guoan and second in the Chinese Super League. Among all Chinese Super League midfielders at the time, Li Ke ranked first with an average of 7.35 points per game.
Naturalized players such as Ackerson and Allan have also proved themselves in the AFC Champions League and the domestic scene, having been rising stars in the Europa League.
Naturalized international footballer Eckerson. Photo by Luo Yunfei, CNA.
However, with the wave of naturalization and the determination to hit the World Cup, in the summer of 2019, Lippi "two into the palace" to lead the renewed national football team to participate in the Qatar World Cup qualifiers.
However, the gap between reality and fantasy is evident in the National Football League's Top 40 match. 0:0 Philippines, 1:2 Syria, the National Football League's exit situation is in jeopardy, Lippi suddenly resigned after the match.
After Li Tie took over the national football team, naturalized players such as Alan and Jiang Guangtai were further supplemented, and the national football team advanced to the Top 12 without any danger, and also welcomed naturalized players Luo Guofu and Fernando.
However, the use of naturalized players has sparked considerable controversy.
Until the fourth game of the 12 strong against Saudi Arabia, the second half of the Alan, Luo Guofu, Aickerson successive substitutions, the national football team for the first time four naturalized players on the field, the final 2 games :3 defeat.
Subsequently, the naturalized players were given more playing time, but in a do-or-die match, the national football team drew 1:1 with Oman and basically lost hope of advancing. However, accident 1 happened after accident 1 accident. :1 drew with Australia and kept the faint hope alive again.
It was also a brief bright moment for these naturalized players to make a substantial contribution to the game for the National Football League.
Li Xiaopeng succeeded Li Tie as head coach of the national soccer team amid the festering off-field storm of Li Tie. The newly improved fighting force of the national soccer team experienced some turbulence, accompanied by slim hopes of advancing in the last four matches of the Top 12.
From Li Tie leading the team in the second half of the 40-team tournament to Li Xiaopeng leading the final four games of the 12-team tournament. The four naturalized players did not play the role they thought they would.
Only sparse fielding stats will show -
Eckerson started 8 games, made 2 substitute appearances, and contributed only one goal. Kwang-Tae Chiang started 10 times.
Allan made only 4 starts and 6 substitute appearances, scoring 3 goals. Luo Guofu made only 3 starts and 2 substitute appearances, scoring 1 goal.
Fernando continues to hang his exemption card on the grounds of injury and has never played for the national soccer team. Li Ke also missed the Top 12 due to injury. Although Gallart was naturalized, he was not eligible to play for the national football team.
Generally speaking, the only truly naturalized players at this critical stage of the Big 12 are Akerson and Jiang Guangtai.
Eckerson (right) grapples with an opponent in the Asia 12 preliminaries.
This comes after news that Guangzhou paid 870 million yuan in transfer fees, wages and settlement fees for six naturalized players, Golat, Allan, Ekerson, Fernando, Luo Guofu and Jiang Guangtai, in 2019 alone.
The huge cost of naturalization is not proportional to low utilization and returns.
fate
With the first batch of naturalized players, Hou Yong Yong, leaving Beijing Guoan, only Jiang Guangtai and Li Ke are still playing in the Chinese Super League, but in general, it may only be a matter of time before Li Ke leaves.
Jiang Guangtai stays in the Super League because he is backed by one of the few stable teams like Shanghai Harbour.
Fernando, Gaolat, Allan, Ickxon and other players have returned to Brazil after losing their high salaries. There are even reports that Gallart is applying to regain his Brazilian citizenship.
DATA PICTURE: The national soccer team prepares for the World Qualifier. Photo by Zhang Henwei
Looking back at the past four years, the naturalization of Chinese soccer has not caught up with any of the elements of "time, place, people and harmony".
The second half of the World Preliminary Round 40 and the stage of the Round of 12 were affected by the epidemic. The national football team can not play at home for a long time, coupled with a long period of closed training, objectively has a great impact on the competitive state.
In addition, the impact of the epidemic on domestic leagues and clubs has been considerable. In addition, "gold dollar soccer" is rapidly receding, and one of the major factors supporting these naturalized international players has disappeared.
In addition, most naturalized players are past the prime of their careers and are not in as good of shape as they used to be.
The naturalized players have been far less effective than expected due to a combination of factors.
Jiang Guangtai (second from right) during the game. Photographed by Luo Yunfei.
Four years later, the wave of naturalization in Chinese soccer "originated". With another collapse in the World Preliminary 12, that fantasy was mercilessly destroyed.
For Chinese soccer to get out of the doldrums, a good foundation must be laid down on the ground. The days of spending a lot of money to bring in naturalized players will never return.
On March 23, Beijing time, the national football team will take part in the international a-level friendly match against New Zealand again after nearly four years.
In the round, a new cycle of Chinese soccer is about to begin again.
