In the world of soccer, the story of Shen Menglu and Shen Mengyu, two Chinese female players, is like a bright double star, intertwining a legend in overseas stadiums.
Scottish Celtic Women's Football Club announced on July 31st that Chinese player Shen Mengyu officially joined the team. A year ago, Shen Mengyu, a former player of Shanghai Agricultural and Commercial Bank, had already become a member of "Celtic", and with her outstanding performance, she helped the team win two cup championships. Now, the two Chinese players are working side by side to write a good story in a foreign country.
Despite having names as similar as twins, Shen Mengyu and Shen Menglu are not related by blood. Shen Menglu, 20, was a member of the Jiangsu women's soccer team and is known as a speedy striker. In August last year, she joined Sporting Lisbon's women's soccer team, becoming the first Chinese player to play in the Portuguese Super League. Because of the few opportunities to play, in January this year, Shen Menglu transferred to Oulun Athletic, the position also changed from a striker to a left back, which has more opportunities to appear.
Shen Mengyu, a 21-year-old from Shanghai who previously played for the Shanghai Agricultural and Commercial Bank Women's Soccer Team, has delicate skills and wide vision, with passing and assisting being her strong points. In July last year, she joined Celtic Women's Soccer, wearing the No. 9 uniform. In the 2021-2022 season, Shen Mengyu made 27 appearances in the Celtic Women's Football Team, contributing 5 goals and 10 assists, becoming the mainstay of the team and helping the team to rank third in the Scottish Women's Premier League, as well as winning both the League Cup and the Women's Football Cup.
Shen Mengyu is not only an outstanding player, but also has a high face value. Her charming smile with dimples has made countless netizens fall in love with her, calling her a "healing goddess". However, the most notable news has nothing to do with the court: a ridiculous behavior of the management almost interrupted her career.
In 2018, 17-year-old Shen Mengyu became the mainstay of the Chinese women's U20 team and shone at the World Youth Championship.In 2019, the 18-year-old became the new captain of the Chinese U19 women's soccer team. However, a hiring controversy at the Chinese Football Association (CFA) made South Korean coach Park Tae-ha the head coach of China's U19 women's soccer team. He insisted on banning Shen Mengyu for a year on the pretext that she wore lipstick and was late for a meeting.
Shen Mengyu, as the captain and the core of the team, has been banned, the strength of China's U19 women's soccer team has dropped significantly. In the group stage of the Asian Youth Championship, China's U19 women's soccer team lost to South Korea 1-2, the worst result in history. After the match, many Chinese fans believed that South Korean coach Park Tae-ha's banning of Shen Mengyu was a conspiracy against China.
Although this speculation has a conspiracy theory undertone, it also reflects the curiosity and reasoning of fans about the incident. Shen Mengyu has said that she does not want to mention the incident again. Now, she is doing well in Scotland, impressing with her fluent English and cheerful personality during an interview with England goalkeeper Joe Hart.
After Shen Mengyu became teammates with Shen Menglu, who is also from China, she obviously felt a better team atmosphere. Shen Mengyu has said that she hopes to have the opportunity to wear the national team jersey in the future and show her strength in the international arena.
