May 2, Beijing Times, Guangdong Sports Channel reporter Zhou Jianwen revealed that Zhang Linpeng said when talking about the transfer to the seaport team, he did not have the intention to leave, after all, the departure is no more than a temporary parting of the ways.
Zhou Jianwen recorded this on his personal microblog:
Last week my colleagues and I took a trip to Wuhua, Meizhou to witness the arrival of two new foreigners and to follow up on their acclimatization. Meanwhile, Yin Hongbo has been training with the team for a few weeks now, so we took the opportunity to revisit old memories. Speaking of his prized pupil, the club's general manager Cao Yang praised Yin Hongbo in an interview. I asked, "How do you think Yin Hongbo has improved compared to when he left Guangdong?" Cao Yang responded with a smile, "You can't say that, he's always been outstanding." Even though Yin Hongbo is no longer his old boss at Guangdong Rizhiquan, there are still many familiar faces in the team: general manager Cao Yang is his mentor, and team leader Li Weijun, captain Shi Liang, and goalkeeper Hou Yu are all former comrades. The addition of Yin Hongbo reminds me of a classic line from a Hong Kong drama, "The most important thing about a family is that it's all together."
When Yin Hongbo left Guangdong, it was not Cao Yang's first choice. Despite wanting his disciple to develop on a higher platform, Cao Yang did not want him to go too far and contacted Guangzhou R&F. However, R&F, who were in the process of qualifying for the AFC Champions League at the time, didn't take a liking to the midfielder, who was a bit thin and lacked experience in the top flight, and only offered him a low-salary contract. Henan Jianye, on the other hand, had the good sense to bring him to Zhengzhou on terms that were hard to refuse, and Yin Hongbo proved his worth by transforming himself from a Chinese League One player into a popular international footballer. After coming to Wuhua, Yin did not rent a room like other players, he thought that the conditions of the base dormitory were already very good, only need to be arranged with care, will be quite comfortable. For him, who is used to the big city, the daily life in downtown Wuhua is not too attractive, and living in the base can save a lot of commuting time. He specially purchased a wooden table, sofa and massage chair for making tea, and his daily life is to hang out with his teammates and drink tea or watch movies, which is a bit boring but has an inexplicable sense of security.
The 2009 Shandong National Games was an unforgettable experience for me, and I think Yin Hongbo too, and maybe Zhang Linpeng even more so. Not long ago we chatted on WeChat and lamented how time flies. Most of our rivals have become friends, and I know that Guo Zichao is now in charge of the Guangdong women's soccer team; Li Jian, who almost joined Dongya, has long since joined the entertainment industry. That year's "All-China Games Generation" had many stories, and an inexplicable red card in the final of the U20 men's soccer team not only changed the trend of the championship, but also changed the trajectory of the lives of the players from Guangdong and Shanghai.
Zhang Linpeng is a nostalgic person, 11 years ago he never thought he would leave Chongming Island, even when his mentor Xu Genbao told him that he would have to sell himself for the sake of the team's survival, he still couldn't accept it. I remember in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, I was interviewing the Chinese National Olympic team at the Galaxy Sports Center, and Zhang Linpeng was interviewed by us after the game. When asked about the rumors of joining Evergrande, Linpeng immediately denied them and showed a disgruntled expression, but six months later, he appeared at the launch of Evergrande's new supporters. 11 years later, Zhang Linpeng, who had never thought of leaving Guangzhou, is again facing a crossroads in his life. In the second phase of the Chinese Super League last season, Linpeng accepted my interview, and his feelings for Guangzhou made the iron defender instantly burst into tears. After the interview, he said that even if Guangzhou let him re-sign his contract, as long as the treatment is within the reasonable range of the FA's salary limit, he will choose to stay in the team without hesitation. Ideal is not full, but the reality is even more cruel, Guangzhou team's new salary structure is almost impossible to maintain Zhang Linpeng's existing normal life, leaving his only choice.
On the day of the official announcement at the Shanghai seaport, I WeChatted Linpeng to wish him well and hope that he would record a parting video for the Guangzhou fans, but he immediately returned the call, saying that he had no plans to part as the departure was only temporary - sounding a bit intriguing.
In the "post-golden dollar era" of Chinese soccer, it has become a luxury for most players to find a club where they can play with peace of mind. Yin Hongbo and Zhang Linpeng, even as current international players, were caught in the huge difficulties of Chinese professional soccer at that time. Returning to one's old club is always an emotional experience, not to mention returning to the place where one's dreams began. However, returning to one's roots before one's leaves have fallen is, in my opinion, full of compromises and perhaps some reluctance. But at least, there are no unpaid wages here.
