In the summer of 2021, Tang Jiali, a Shanghai-based player in the Chinese Women's Super League, joined Tottenham Hotspur of the English Women's Super League on a loan deal, marking another wave of Chinese women's soccer players embarking on a journey to the green fields of Europe. Over the past year, five Chinese women's soccer players have sharpened their skills in European leagues and won the attention of fans around the world.
On July 20, the new Chinese women's national team will debut at the East Asia Cup in Japan, and Tang Jiali is preparing for the match with the team. It is understood that the other four young players playing in the European league Shen Mengyu, Shen Menglu, Yang Shuhui and Tu Linli will also join the national team one after another for pre-match warm-up.
These five players in Europe a year, through the ups and downs and harvest, their growth can bring what inspiration and expectations for the future of Chinese women's football? The answer will be revealed this summer.
Picture: Joyce Tong makes her Premier League debut during the first round of the English Women's Super League between Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City on September 4, 2021 in London, England. Visual China Photo
Step out of your comfort zone and rise to the challenge
Don Chia-li, 27, had felt out of sorts when she made her debut in the Premier League.
Speaking about her experience at Tottenham, Tang Jiali said, "The style of play here is more focused on physical confrontation, compared to the domestic league, which favors passing." Her performance on the field confirms this: 10 league games, only 2 starts, 3 FA Cup and League Cup appearances; a goal and an assist each, and failed to get a contract extension from Tottenham at the end of the season.
Going abroad to play soccer means getting out of your comfort zone. In the Chinese Super League and even the Asian game, Tang Jiali is known for its impact, the first time in the English Premier League, skill style to be integrated, and in the adaptation of the rhythm of the injury, failed to stabilize the position in the team, which is a pity. But traveling to Europe and practicing, there are still gains.
In February of this year's Women's Asian Cup, Tang Jiali for the national team made 5 appearances, harvesting 4 goals and 1 assist. In the final, she first penalty kicks to open the record, but also in the wonderful people after the ball assisted Zhang Lin Yan header, to help the Chinese team in the situation of 0:2 behind the courage to tie, and finally beat South Korea 3:2, 16 years after the Asian Cup champion again. After the game, China's head coach Shui Qingxia said: "After coming back, Tang Jiali obviously in the mentality to be much stronger, and physical confrontation and skill utilization has really improved."
According to the schedule, the East Asia Cup soccer tournament will be held in Japan from July 19 to 27, and the Chinese team will face Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Japan on the 20th, 23rd and 26th respectively.
Young players grow up, bring new hope to China's women's soccer team
Shen Mengyu, who played for Celtic, was outstanding this past Scottish Women's Premier League season.
Playing as a midfielder and also as a wingback, she collected 6 goals and 10 assists, and won both the FA Cup and League Cup trophies, and the 20-year-old Chinese girl is sitting firmly in the team's starting position.
When he first arrived, Shen Mengyu also exclaimed that his teammates ran "like a sports car": "According to the players, our team's style of play will be faster and simpler, and the transition between offense and defense is very frequent. Later slowly adapted and integrated, also found a sense of rhythm."
In these 300-odd days, Shen Mengyu broke through the language barrier, learned to cook for herself, and gradually figured out the balance between enjoying soccer and living alone. "When you go to an unfamiliar environment, there are definitely difficulties." Shen Mengyu said, "Go and enjoy the process of overcoming difficulties, and when you get through that time, you will have a sense of accomplishment."
The young players who have experienced training and rapid growth will bring new hope to the Chinese women's soccer team. According to the established plan, after the end of the East Asian Cup, the Chinese team will go to the United States for about a month of training, when Shen Mengyu and other young players will meet with the team and play warm-up matches there.
Shen Menglu, who plays for Portuguese women's soccer team Athletic Ouren, recently updated her personal social media, showing photos of her outing with Yang Shuhui, a player of French women's soccer team Suvayo Charente in the First Division. Shen Menglu, who was born in May 2002, is the youngest of the players traveling to Europe. She used to play for Sporting Portugal, but now she plays as a left back for Athletic Oren, with a balanced left and right foot, and is very distinctive in attacking. Yang Shuhui, who also plays as a defender, was born in 2000 and helped her team to survive the relegation in the already concluded Ligue 1 season.
The only player who still has a game to play is 23-year-old Tu Linli, who plays for FHL in the Icelandic league. The Icelandic league started late due to the local climate, and the FHL team ranked fifth out of 10 teams with four wins, three draws and two losses, while Tu Linli ranked first in the scorer's list with eight goals.
Playing soccer abroad can't be smooth sailing. Several players have experienced different degrees of ups and downs or difficulties. In the past season, Tang Jiali played most of the time as a substitute; Shen Menglu's team, Oulun Athletic, was weak and failed to stay in the Portuguese Super League; Yang Shuhui was a rotational player in the early part of the season and lacked the opportunity to play a full game; and Tu Linli's team in the Icelandic Second Division League was not yet competitive enough.
Although each person is facing a different situation, but determined to move forward is the common answer given by the girls. For the future, Shen Mengyu said, "With the current situation, I will choose to continue to play overseas."
Firmly pursuing the dream, driving more players to start bravely
The experience of this group of players traveling to Europe will be a valuable asset for those who follow. "It's a meaningful thing to see what soccer is like outside and learn more about international soccer culture." Shen Mengyu said, "I have always had exchanges with domestic players. When you go out to play soccer, it's important to 'ask questions if you don't understand', and you usually have to be more proactive and open, and communicate more with your teammates."
Tang Jiali also admitted that going abroad to play soccer, so that their own mentality has produced a positive change: "I am a more anxious person, before I have been injured, can not play the game, will be anxious about how to have not yet found the rhythm. Later, the mentality slowly ease, adjust the mood, the situation will gradually get better."
Driven by the front-runners, there will be more and more Chinese women's soccer players embarking on a challenging journey. Shen Mengyu said, "Many European teams are looking at good overseas players, including Chinese players of course." It is understood that players such as Wang Frost, who has had the experience of playing abroad, are mulling over their next departure.
The "Clanging Rose" needs to weather the storm to blossom again. Although the Chinese women's soccer team will return to the Asian Cup in 2022 after a long absence, it is still not enough compared to the team's history of Olympic runners-up and International Cup runners-up. The national team's international ranking is currently only 16th, and there is still a gap in strength compared to the international teams, even among the AFC teams, North Korea, Australia and Japan are ranked higher in the international rankings.
In addition, according to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games soccer competition quota allocation program, there are only two women's football seats in the Asian region. Facing fierce competition, the Chinese team needs to continue to improve and move forward. Top players "go out" to exercise, the domestic league can provide more opportunities for young players to practice and grow, so that more Chinese women's soccer girls have the opportunity to play a higher level of competition, is the Chinese women's soccer team needs to take an important step.
Based on the European football world, back to the domestic league, is looking forward to travel to Europe all the players to face the problem, but also to reorganize the Chinese women's football all to be solved the problem. As Shui Qingxia said, "When you go abroad to exercise, you will have different ideas and perceptions of soccer. Going out for a walk, even if it changes a little bit, is a leap", hope, both in following the rules of soccer in the practical forward, but also in the pursuit of the green desire of the brave intruders.
