The former sharpshooter Gao Hongbo, a prolific striker on the pitch, was known for his dexterity in the penalty area and accurate shooting. After his retirement, he embarked on the road of coaching. After Guangzhou Songri, China U17, Xiamen Blue Lions, Changchun Yatai and other teams, especially Changchun Yatai period, he ushered in the pinnacle of his coaching career, leading the team to win the 2007 season of the Chinese Super League championship, becoming the youngest since the professionalization of the national football league championship manager, which also laid a solid foundation for his later management of the national football.
However, in 2008, the national football team's performance is low, only 1 win, 3 draws and 2 losses in the top 20 matches, bottom of the group out, the then manager Petrovic was also dismissed. in early February 2009, the CFA launched a competition for all levels of national coaches, Gao Hongbo and Yin Tiesheng, Shen Xiangfu, Wu Jingui, and other four people competing for the position of men's football head coach. After an interview and written examination, Gao Hongbo stood out and became the first Chinese national team coach selected through an open selection process.
The playing style of the national soccer team has changed since the new manager took over. Gao Hongbo emphasized ground attack and focused on patient transmission between players instead of long passes. He also boldly used young players, such as Gao Lin, Deng Zhuoxiang and Zeng Cheng, who all got their chance at that time.
Gao Hongbo coaching the national football team in the early stage, the record is like a dream. The debut of the German team to face half of the main players, the national football team with Artemisia Junmin's opening blitz into a 1-1 draw. Three days later, in another friendly match, the national football team 1-0 victory over Iran. After these two games, the fans of the high Hongbo led the national team out of the doldrums, open a new era full of expectations.
In the 2010 East Asian Cup, Gao Hongbo once again created splendor. The Chinese soccer team exchanged blanks with Japan in the first match, and had it not been for Yang Hao's penalty kick being pounced on, the Chinese soccer team would have been expected to break the embarrassment of not winning against Japan for 12 years. In the second match, the national soccer team won 3-0 against South Korea, which was the first victory of Chinese men's soccer team against South Korea in FIFA A-level tournament, and put an end to the "fear of South Korea". Finale, the national football team 2-0 to Hong Kong, China, with 2 wins and 1 draw to regain the East Asian Cup champion.
In a friendly match four months later, the national football team held off a fierce French attack, with Deng Zhuoxiang's overhead kick piercing through Lolley's defense to give the national football team a 1-0 win over the world champions. Sources say that the victory exacerbated the conflicts within the French team and became one of the triggers for their World Cup collapse in South Africa.
In the summer of the same year, Barcelona came to China for a pre-season warm-up match. Gao Hongbo observed Barcelona's training at the Gongtai Sports Center, watching and taking notes to learn from the training content of the world's top clubs. He also had an in-depth exchange with Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola.
"Since our national team's tactical system was designed to learn from Spain at the beginning, we should not only learn those skins, but also learn something in depth." Gao Hongbo said.
In the 2011 Asian Cup, Gao Hongbo continued to use young players to prepare for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Although the team finished out of the group with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, it was an encouraging record considering they were a young team with an average age of 23. However, this seems to be one of the reasons why the CFA replaced Gao Hongbo.
Although most fans did not want Gao Hongbo to be dismissed, but at that time in Wanda's assistance, the Football Association decided to look for a high level of foreign coaches to lead the team to fight the next 20 games. 10 August, the national football team in Hefei Olympic Sports Center in a friendly 1-0 victory over Jamaica, for Gao Hongbo to offer a perfect curtain call.
However, Gao Hongbo's successor Camacho brought the national football team into the abyss. 0-8 defeat Samba Army, 1-5 humiliated by the Thai youth army, the 20 strong early exit, Camacho also left China in disgrace. At this point, General Fan's famous words have to be mentioned: "people Xiao Gao brought quite good, you replace him for what?" The FA's wrong decision has not only been widely criticized by the outside world, but also let Gao Hongbo's hard work for more than two years come to naught.
After five and a half years of waiting, Gao Hongbo once again ushered in the opportunity to coach the national football team. As the national soccer team led by Perrin drew twice with Hong Kong, China and failed to beat Qatar in the World Qualification Tournament, the exit situation was precarious. Gao Hongbo volunteered and said that when the national team needs help, as a soccer coach, his mission is to assist the national team.
In the final two matches of the 40-team tournament, Gao Hongbo, as a fire-fighting coach, led his team to a 4-0 win over the Maldives and a 2-0 revenge against Qatar. Together with Australia's 5-1 win over Jordan and North Korea's 2-3 blowout defeat against the Philippines, Gao and the national soccer team created one of the most magical stories in the history of their World Preliminary League tournament, returning to the final stage of the WAP competition, which they had been away from for more than 15 years.
Subsequently, the Football Association in line with public opinion to let Gao Hongbo continue to lead the team in the 12 strong, but Gao Hongbo insisted on the use of newcomers, give up the veteran Zheng Zhi, but also let the national football team in the 12 strong consecutive setbacks. The first two battles despite only getting 1 point, but 2-3 defeat South Korea, 0-0 Iran's record is still acceptable.
However, the FA doesn't seem to think so. In the third match against Syria, Lippi, Xu Jiayin and the leaders of the FA were present in the stands of the Xi'an Vermilion Stadium. In the end, due to Gu Chao's counterattack error, the national football team 0-1 defeat Syria, this loss almost pronounced Gao Hongbo's "death sentence".
In the next round of the redemption match away to Uzbekistan, Gao Hongbo made drastic adjustments, replacing a total of seven players compared to his debut in Syria. Nonetheless, the national football team still did not improve, 0-2 defeat against Uzbekistan, which also became the last battle of Gao Hongbo coaching the national football team.
In the post-match press conference, Gao Hongbo said, "Yesterday, the leaders of the Football Association found me and said that the team lost the game, the coaches should be responsible for it, I understand the meaning of this statement, so I hereby announce that I formally resign from the position of head coach of the Chinese national team." The entire speech took less than a minute, but the news conveyed shocked everyone. Although then-Football Association (FA) chairman Cai Zhenhua said he never communicated with Gao Hongbo about his dismissal, Gao's statement once again pushed the FA into the limelight.
Since 2000 Milu coaching national football, and now Li Xiaopeng coaching whip, in 22 years, a total of 16 people have been sitting on the national football head coach position (including the acting head coach), and the second into the Palace of Gao Hongbo became the only one in the office of the total time of more than 1,000 days of coaching.
Appointed at the time of defeat, appointed in times of danger. Gao Hongbo twice in the national football trough period to come forward, brought a lot of surprises and joy, although in the use of people and tactics have been questioned, but have to admit, he is still the last glory of the domestic coach.
