Looking at the report in depth, we find that the media did not exaggerate. Although its rhetoric is slightly insulting to Chinese soccer, it is also like a wake-up call to the national team. The media clearly points out the differences between Chinese soccer and Japanese and Korean soccer, emphasizing the development of local young players rather than relying on foreign players, which is reminiscent of the recent controversy over naturalized players in our football world. In addition, it satirizes the lack of participation of young players from overseas leagues in our national team. Comparing the statistics of overseas players in Japan and South Korea, the disparity is obvious.
According to statistics, Japan has 451 players playing overseas, and South Korea also has 330 players covering the top five European leagues and the United States. And our most well-known overseas player is not Wu Lei. Compared with the hundreds of overseas players in Japan and South Korea, our domestic players are more inclined to earn income in the Chinese Super League, and few are willing to go abroad for further study. This has led to a slow improvement in the skills of domestic players, with very few players like Wu Lei.
Currently, my country is ranked only 79th in the world soccer rankings, slightly above Honduras and slightly below Georgia. Indeed, as the second largest economy in the world, our Super League was once considered the best league outside the big five. However, the Super League has vacancies in terms of equipment and funding, making it difficult to attract quality players. The wrong development of the Super League lies in its over-reliance on foreign players, which has not only hindered the development of local Chinese players, but has also made many players complacent about the level of the Super League, believing that they have reached the level of foreign leagues.
It is fair to say that the points mentioned by the media are not without merit. Many people hold similar views on this, but express them in different ways. However, the national team and the league is difficult to change the status quo. The reason for this is that the bondage of the deep chain of interests is the key. Now, former national team manager Li Tie has been investigated, implicating numerous figures. It is hoped that this move will further solve the problem of soccer in China, but there is still a long way to go to really get to the root of the problem.
