Cao Yongjing, a young man from an ordinary working-class family, has not been involved in sports since he was a child. However, at the age of four, by chance, he was sent to a coach for a trial and had his first contact with soccer, and from then on he mistakenly embarked on the road of soccer.
During his elementary school years, Cao Yongjing attended Mawang Township Primary School, where he played alongside talents such as Yang Liyu and Liu Ruowan vanadium at a school that is well known in Chongqing's school soccer circles. Despite his small stature, his footwork was exceptionally sharp and he became a star player at Ma Wang Primary School.
Today, Cao Yongjing's inspirational coach, Lin Lin, is still coaching at the Chongqing Tongliang Dragons in the Chinese Championship. When faced with the skinny Cao Yongjing, Lin Lin told him to use his brain more and play with his feet.
When he was a kid, Cao Yongjing loved Brazil, especially Big and Little, so he was obsessed with Real Madrid and Barcelona. After he started working, he regarded Ozil as his idol due to the geographical relationship.
At Renhe, Cao Yongjing has always been a leader among his peers, wearing the No. 9 jersey and shouldering the burden of the team's offense.In 2015, at the age of 18, he moved up to Renhe's first team to play in the Chinese Super League.
Zhu Jiong, the then Renhe manager, liked to pursue foot skills and ground coordination. Cao Yongjing's skills were appreciated by Zhu Jiong, and he was included in the 18-player list just two rounds into the league. In the match between Guizhou Renhe and Jiangsu Suntian, Cao Yongjing made his professional debut as a substitute, becoming the first person of the 1997 age group to appear in the Chinese Super League.
In 2016, Cao Yongjing was selected for the National Youth Football Team. The head coach of that national youth team was Li Ming, now the general manager of Guoan. Before the Asian Youth Qualifiers, the National Youth brought 24 players to prepare for the tournament, and Cao Yongjing was unfortunately the only one to be left out.
In the 2017 season, the CFA began to implement the U23 policy. Under Wang Baoshan's leadership, Cao Yongjing was available for deployment along with Zhang Yufeng, Liu Boyang, Xiang Hantian, Gan Chao and other players of the right age, Renhe never worried about U23 players, of which Cao Yongjing was Wang Baoshan's most trusted youngster.
After Wang Baoshan's dismissal, Cao Yongjing's career took an important turn. Spaniard Luis García, who also focuses on technique, has placed him in the front row, and it is unheard of for a 20-year-old homegrown player to occupy the heart of the attack in a Chinese Super League Central League team.
In the four games since Garcia took over the team, Cao Yongjing has shone with two goals and four assists. His ghostly runs up front complemented Ivo's, constantly feeding striker Ayovi and activating winger Masika. Renhe then paved the way to the Super League with a winning streak.
This season's training has allowed Cao Yongjing to gain valuable experience. He dares to take the ball in front of the penalty area with composure and confidence.
In the 2018 season, Renhe returned to the first round of the Chinese Super League, away from Chongqing Swai, Cao Yongjing returned to his hometown. At the Chongqing Olympic Sports Center, Cao Yongjing's family came to watch the game. In the second round and Tianjin Quanjian, he collected his first goal in the Chinese Super League.
From 2017 to 2020, two years in the Chinese Super League and two years in the Chinese League One, Cao Yongjing was an absolute starter and the centerpiece of Renhe's frontcourt. He also went all the way from national youth to the national Olympic team. After Renhe disbanded, Guoan got close enough to recruit Cao Yongjing.
Before joining Guoan, Cao Yongjing was the centerpiece of Renhe's frontcourt. After coming to Guoan, he needed to re-adapt to the team's style and system. This transformation made Cao Yongjing a bit confused for a long time. The lack of clarity in his position and style of play left Cao Yongjing's skills and characteristics unexploited.
Despite the departure of super foreigners one after another, since the beginning of this season, Guoan has continued to be dominated by veterans, with Cao Yongjing becoming the most unpopular mid-generation. In the first seven rounds, he only played one minute as a substitute. In the eighth round of the league, the match between Guoan and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, Guoan finally began to try to rotate, and Cao Yongjing got his first chance to start.
From that contest, Cao Yongjing was on stage for six consecutive games, three starts and three substitutions. In the second half of the game and Wuhan Changjiang substitutes into the field of more than thirty minutes, is Cao Yongjing joined Guoan after playing the best game.
Cao Yongjing's entry into the game changed the course of the contest and reinvigorated Guoan's frontcourt. A flicked dribble in front of the penalty area led to an assist for Zhang Yuning, fully demonstrating his dexterity and imagination in the defensive space.
In the match with Wuhan Changjiang, Cao Yongjing's cooperation with Zhang Yuning and Jiang Xiangyou in the midfield was a replica of his cooperation with foreigners at Renhe a few years earlier. At Renhe, Cao Yongjing created moments for his teammates through deft running.
In the 2017 season, Renhe played Shenxin away in the competition, Renhe broke through the opponent's defense after continuous passing in front of the penalty area. In the process of this goal, Cao Yongjing's run disrupted the defensive formation of Shenxin, and his calm handling after receiving the ball helped the team penetrate the opponent's defense.
If you've watched Renhe competitions over the past few years, you won't be surprised by Cao Yongjing's 30-minute burst of brilliance last night. It was a concentrated outburst of playing the right character in the right system.
Zhang Xizhe has grown rapidly after being nudged by many good foreigners such as Kanoute and Batalla. The previous seasons and Augusto, Bieira, Bakambu formed a dream front field combination, the tacit understanding between them, but also make the Guoan front field cooperation is exceptionally rich.
Similarly, Cao Yongjing, at the age of the fastest rising goals, formed the attacking duo of Renhe's frontcourt with foreigners such as Ivo, Masika, Ayovi and Moukanjo. The character's sense of involvement has allowed Cao Yongjing to improve rapidly.
In the match with Wuhan Changjiang, Zhang Xizhe broke the deadlock with his first goal. This is Zhang Xizhe's 14th season with Guoan, and his 13th consecutive season scoring goals. This season, this former ten-year Guoan midfield commander's condition appeared ups and downs. The high density of competition makes it difficult for Zhang Xizhe to continuously maintain a high level of athleticism.
Zhang Xizhe's working career has now entered the twilight, a more cruel reality is that before the expiration of this contract, this year may still be his best season. Zhang Xizhe looking for a successor, for Guoan, is now a more urgent matter.
Now, Cao Yongjing is the ideal successor in Guoan's team. Although Cao Yongjing and Zhang Xizhe's type and playing style are not the same, but both belong to rely on the brain to play, have the spirit of the player, and Cao Yongjing still has a lot of space to rise.
Zhang Xizhe is from the river city of Wuhan and Cao Yongjing is from the mountain city of Chongqing, two cities that are like furnaces. Both of them are not flamboyant, but have the calmness and composure necessary for a good organizer.
Chongqing is a hot pot city, Cao Yongjing "tripe" nickname from the people and has been called to the national security. This bowl of cooked tripe, also almost to the time of the pot.
