In the 2021 season of the Central League, Sichuan Jiuiu team welcomed a player who is both familiar and unfamiliar - Nansong. After a three-year absence from the national soccer team, he returned with a hint of imperceptible excitement. As the first phase of the new season came to a close, Nansong scored a goal against Xinjiang, which was not only a celebration of his return, but also a declaration of the future.
Turning back the clock to 2017, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) introduced the U23 policy for the first time, and Nansong became one of the beneficiaries under this policy. However, before he joined Chongqing, controversies about him never stopped. Lawsuits about Yanbian's ownership and questions about his ability as a thin midfielder put him under pressure. But he proved his worth with 27 games and 3 goals.
The fledgling Nansong experienced all sorts of difficulties in the next three years with no ball to play and no door to return to. He began to think about where his career would go and what kind of achievement would be worthy of this long wander.
Nansong's story brings back memories of that special 2017 season. He came with the spring breeze of the U23 policy, but also with a lot of controversy. On the eve of the Spring Festival that year, the Football Association released a series of policies, the most notable of which was the "U23 new policy". The Chinese Super League (CSL) team must have two players under the age of 23 in its 18-player entry list, and one of them must make his debut. At that time, Chongqing Jinsi Lifan team, there is not a player who can get out of the way, the average age of the team is still maintained at about 30 years old.
Namsong was born in the small border town of Yanbian, a city that loves soccer. Before meeting Zhang Wailong's coaching staff, he joined Bucheon Salon of South Korea's K2 League with his language advantage. The seemingly watertight joining was complicated by a series of controversies.
Before Nansong joined Chongqing, Yanbian Fude Salon sued Nansong to the arbitration tribunal of the Football Association, disputing the player's initial training compensation and attribution. However, the dispute between the two sides has not been resolved due to the first working contract signed by Nansong in South Korea's Bucheon FC Salon.
This twist not only made people more curious about Nansong, but also made him drift away from his hometown soccer. Yanbian Fude repeatedly declared that it had the right to own Nansong, and appealed to the Football Association and FIFA. Under the mediation of all parties, Nansong temporarily completed his lease and played a season of Chinese Super League in Chongqing Jinsi Lifan.
That year was Nansong's debut in the domestic league. His skinny frame made it hard to believe that he was a soccer player. However, this kid from Yanbian, which has rich soccer insights, was born with a ruthlessness. As a front man, he impresses with his tireless running and frantic tackling.
Just over a month after joining Chongqing, Nansong scored his first goal in the Chinese Super League at home against Guizhou. After the goal, he ran to Zhang Wailong, who had been supporting him, and at that moment, both of them felt that any more controversy was worth it.
At the end of 2017, after the expiration of the lease contract with Chongqing Jinsheng Lifan, Nansong returned to South Korea. In fact, it is not that he did not want to stay, but the Chongqing side can not afford to pay the buyout fee, and the dispute with Yanbian has not been dealt with. The subsequent two years, Nansong in the K2 League once no ball to play, ushered in the career and even the entire life of the darkest moment.
For two years, he sat on the bench, waiting for his moment again and again, but without success. At the same time, he also continued to deal with the problem of adhesion with Yanbian. In the process, he was also asked by many people whether he regretted choosing the path of staying in Korea, and his answer was always simple. He said, "I don't regret going to Korea because I learned a lot there, such as the way to play soccer and the ability to live independently." But he also said that the thing he regrets the most so far is that he didn't fight hard enough to stay, "I've always missed that 2017 season, and it was with that good memory that I was able to persevere through that difficult time."
