In the morning sunlight, on the training ground, the small player is being coached by the coach to guide carefully, he is less than 1.7 meters tall U17 national soccer team captain Lai Ming. This young man named "Liming" has experienced a "dark night" in his journey of growth. But in the company of his teammates, he successfully overcame the difficulties, carried a great responsibility with a thin body, and inspired the team to move forward bravely with a broad mind. He is the soul of the field in the hearts of coaches and teammates.
Cohesion of the team, shoulder the responsibility of the team leader
With a height of only 1.67 meters, Lai Ming is one of the many short players in the National Junior Yuxi Training Camp, and is also the key to the team's offensive and defensive transition. As head coach Yang Chen said, "Lai Ming, the midfielder, is the very bridge that connects the strikers with the defenders." In the training of the National Junior Team, he is not only a role model on the field, but also a link between his teammates and coaches.
Facing the other four midfielders on the list, Lai was never complacent or lax. As a midfielder, he knows that he still needs to improve his size, confrontation, long passes and vision.
Lai still vividly remembers the goal he conceded in the final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers, and he said frankly, "That second goal was committed by me because I was too lax." While bravely taking responsibility, he quickly reminded himself that the game was not yet over. After the match, he reflected seriously that the mistake could have been avoided, "In fact, I had a better way of handling it."
As a growing midfielder, Lai is also the trusted captain of his teammates. Several years ago, during that difficult time at the Genbao Football Base, he began to realize the power of a team. In the early days of the 2021 National Youth Team, the team was divided into red and blue due to the large number of players, and Le was chosen to captain the red team. When the two teams merged, he was unexpectedly appointed captain by Coach Yang Chen.
In life, as the captain of the team, Dawn summarizes the problems and encourages his teammates as a friend; in the competition, he gently reminds his teammates to "take it easy" and yells out "one more time" when they make a mistake.
At the Nationals, a steady climb
In the third grade of elementary school, Lai was influenced by his neighbors and children and began to love soccer. Since then, he enjoyed school soccer at Nanzha Experimental Primary School in Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province. Two years later, with his excellent on-field awareness, he was favored by the coach of the Jiangyin Sports School and transferred to the school to receive semi-professional training.In July 2018, a friend from the school called him and invited him to try out at the Genbao Soccer Base - where the current captain of the national team was once a member.
As the level of training continued to improve, Lai was determined to develop his soccer career. He knew that he had nothing else to do but become a professional player. He said, "This experience and training gave us more opportunities than our peers to become professional players." Recalling that the 2006 age group ladder team of Genbao Soccer School was acquired as a whole, Lai and his classmates had one more identity - the ladder team players of Shanghai Port Music Department.
Every student is aware of the meaning behind the "ladder", but not everyone can be disciplined. Whenever he goes home for vacation, in addition to spending time with his parents, he always goes to a nearby park to train without a ball, because he always carries the dream of becoming a professional player in his heart.
Like most of his teammates on the national youth team, Dawn has a training agreement with the club. In two years, they will all be put through the ringer to see if they can become professional players. "The national youth team experience will have a profound impact on our future." Dawn said, "I hope to climb along the path of the national youth team, the national Olympics and the national team to contribute to the national brand."
National Junior uniforms, not easy to come by
As one of the earliest National Junior players this year, Lai has long been accustomed to the fierce competition within the team and has witnessed the turnover of many players. In his position on the field, for example, there are seven or eight midfielders who have taken part in National Junior training, and each one cherishes the opportunity to train. Every player who comes here is fighting for every position.
Lai knows that the national junior team's jersey is not easy to come by, and that the captain's armband represents a "heavier responsibility" and a "bigger mission" for the whole team. "No matter who the opponent is," he said, "as long as we show what we usually train, we have hope of winning." He responded to Yang Chen's goal of "entering the World Youth Championships" with a practical response: "The World Youth Championships is the biggest stage for our team and the best opportunity to win for our country."
At Field 1 of the Yuxi Highland Soccer Training Base, Yang Chen's advocacy of "Attitude, Discipline and Execution" is everywhere, reminding the 40 new and old players. Captain Leon Lai shared his insights: "Attitude is to maintain a brave and tenacious style on the field and in life, and to keep the confidence of winning; discipline is to follow the rules without selfishness; execution is to do your best to satisfy the requirements of training and matches.
