The moment Japan lost a penalty shootout against Croatia in the World Cup round of 16 knockout round on Dec. 6 set off a wave of social media buzz.
Commentator Jonathan Han was blunt:
Although the Japanese men's soccer team lost to Croatia on penalties and missed the chance to reach the last eight of the World Cup, they undoubtedly presented the world with a new style of Asian soccer!
On the contrary, our country, which started professional soccer at the same time as Japan, has never been able to get rid of the predicament of "chicken feathers". However, Japan followed the law of soccer development, step by step, and eventually emerged in the world football scene, becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Tracing back to Japanese soccer comics, we can always see the fervor, sincerity, courage and dreams in them. What we lack is respect for the laws of the competitive market and culture of the world's number one sport. Since the professionalization of China's soccer industry has experienced numerous lessons, the key lies in the "unprofessional".
Looking ahead, I expect our soccer to learn from the experience of the East Asian region, keep our feet on the ground and explore a scientific career path that is in line with our own development.
