In 1989, a young man named Shang Yin grew up in Shanghai under the influence of soccer. In 1995, Xu Genbao's Shanghai Shenhua team swept across the country like a whirlwind, with Fan Zhiyi leading the way and Qi Hong and Xie Hui, two up-and-coming strikers, representing the team's new stars.
That year, at the age of 6, the seed of a dream was planted in Shang Yin's heart: to become a professional footballer and win the championship trophy like Xie Hui. When he was in the second grade of elementary school, Shang Yin was spotted by a professional coach by chance, and his soccer journey began. At the beginning of that year, Chinese soccer was at its peak.
In fourth grade, Shang Yin joined Shanghai Pudong and began professional soccer training. With his love for soccer and the blueprints drawn by his coaches, Shang Yin didn't realize the twists and turns that lay ahead. He missed the chance to work with Xu Genbao, but in the world of soccer, what you miss may be a twist of fate.
Pudong, the traditional soccer team of Shanghai Bund, has gone through name changes, from Far to International to Zhongbang, and every time the investors change, the team lineup is shuffled drastically. Although Shang Yin has not been cut, the team's base has been sold, and the players are boarding in a temporary school, with monthly out-of-pocket expenses. The dream of soccer is gradually covered with a layer of dust, and the road ahead is confusing and full of loose ends.
Around 2000, Chinese soccer experienced numerous name changes and relocations, with professional teams easily replacing their original players with low-cost acquisitions. In the midst of this turmoil, the young Shang Yin stood firm until 2008, when, at the age of 19, he made a difficult decision in the face of cooling Olympic enthusiasm:
Give up soccer and find a new life.
With the support of his family, Shang Yin opened a crawfish barbecue restaurant and went from being a washed-up player to a little-known store owner. His dream of playing soccer has become nothing more than an after-dinner conversation among friends, a story not uncommon in China.
However, soccer has not abandoned Shang Yin. As the city of soccer, Shanghai has many wild ball games. By chance, Shang Yin took part in a tournament, and although he had no sneakers, he won the trophy with his outstanding performance and became famous. Watching the store during the day and playing wild soccer at night became a busy and satisfying life for Shang Yin.
The joys of childhood come flooding back again... what's next?
Fate seemed to favor him, and with his dominant performance on the field and his status as an ex-professional player, Shang Yin was given a tryout with Shenhua and successfully stayed with the team. If we go back to 1995, Shang Yin has already realized his dream, wearing the coveted Shenhua jersey and leaving a handsome photo.
But Shang Yin's "road of adversity" ends here, and soon he realizes that reality is not as perfect as the script, the dream wakes up, life goes on.
In 2013, the Shenhua team faced an economic crisis and might even be sold to Yunnan. In the era of Chinese soccer, the striker position is highly competitive, at least in the Chinese Super League, no team will leave a place for a local striker. At that time, Shang Yin considered going to the Chinese League 1 first to test the waters, to make a name for himself and to adapt to the intensity, and was expected to return to the Chinese Super League in the future.
However, the reality is far more cruel than the fantasy. He participated in trials again and again, and was eliminated again and again for various reasons. Leaving Shenhua, leaving Shanghai, there is no network of Shang Yin isolated, at this time Chinese soccer no longer seems to be the strength to say, perhaps, the strength of the weak, and what does it matter?
But this time, the 24-year-old Shang Yin decided to try again: soccer had given him a second chance, and now he was going to fight for that chance one more time.
However, this was not an easy step for Shang Yin. Apart from the Chinese Super League, the Chinese League A and the Chinese League B, there is also a lower level of Chinese soccer, now known as the Chinese Championship, which is an amateur league, where players still need to register, but it is not considered a professional league. Shang Yin, who has been playing soccer for many years, has no choice but to play here, where at least he can still be seen, and more importantly, where he can continue to love soccer, and continue to utilize his talent.
He first joined Haikou Haihan, helping the amateur team to reach China B. But his career debut didn't come as planned, and various accidents kept him from going further. It wasn't until 2017 that Shang Yin played with Shanghai Shenfan into the second division, and only then did his name finally make it onto the roster of China's working league.
Shang Yin, at this moment, is 28 years old.
The following year, Shang Yin moved to Sichuan Annapurna, where his childhood idol, Li Bing, was the head coach. 29 years old, he performed well in the second division of the Chinese League, scoring 12 goals throughout the season, ranking second in the league, and the Sichuan team was successful in reaching the first division.
If the story were simpler, Shang Yin would have finished his career in the Central League and retired with Sichuan. But the turmoil in Chinese soccer affected everyone, and when the Sichuan team was disbanded without warning, Shang Yin chose to join Jiangxi Liansheng - his second time joining the team, as he was loaned out by Shanghai Shenhua at one point, but he didn't even get a chance to play then, and is now the team's starting center forward.
Two seasons, 11 goals. That's quite a performance in an increasingly depressed Central League, but everyone wondered if he'd get his next contract. Right at this moment, he was recruited by Xie Hui - for Shang Yin, the recently relegated Dalian Ren was an opportunity, it was a good place to play, and besides, it was for Xie Hui.
So his second wish, too, was inadvertently realized.
The cold feet and disappointments that came before the age of 28 were transformed into parcels of experience that Shang Yin kicked and crushed, and the good fortune that came with it. 2022, when the Dalian team, which declared itself hopeless in the promotion, recruited nine 30+ veterans to start the new season from the Central League, the Chongqing team of the Super League was suddenly disbanded, giving them a chance to make up for their mistakes.
No. 23 Shang Yin, in his 33rd year, finally stepped into the halls of China's top league. And this year is his 6th professional season.
In the first game of the season, Xie Hui let him watch the whole 90 minutes on the bench. In the second game, he was put directly into the starting right winger position by Xie Hui, and they won that day. Although this result was eventually canceled by the league for various reasons, he really experienced the happiness of winning in the Chinese Super League.
The third round against Changchun Yatai, Shang Yin tasted the taste of goals in the Chinese Super League, in his second Chinese Super League competition in the ninth minute, the right Yan Xiangguan high-speed run, inverted triangle back to do, the middle of the follow-up Shang Yin withdrew to rub the shot, the soccer ball hanging straight on the goal net!
Twenty-five years - that's how long it took for Shang Yin to score his first goal in the Chinese Super League. It was so wonderful that Shang Yin ran to the sidelines and hugged his head coach Xie Hui at the first moment.
If my countrymen treat me well, I will be repaid by my countrymen! How can one not love soccer!
Yes, if it wasn't for Dalian's temporary additions, he still wouldn't have had the chance to play in the Chinese Super League; in terms of skill, he's from a "wild" background, and although he has a natural talent as a goal scorer, his fundamentals aren't that good; and in terms of age, at the age of 33, he's already starting to lose his physical fitness, and it's hard for him to play the whole game at full strength. If not for the transfer restrictions and Xie Hui's trust, he would not have been able to play in the starting lineup.
However, Shang Yin proved with his actions that he deserved every moment he got, and every second he entered the ring, it was as if he was playing the last game of his life, and he would give it his all and fight until he ran out of steam.
In a near all-out 433 tactic, Shang Yin stands in for Liverpool's Salah
