In the popular variety show Spitting Image, soccer legend Fan Zhiyi's sharp comments on China's men's basketball team stirred up heated discussions on the Internet. Many people questioned Fan's qualifications to comment on the men's basketball team, on the one hand, because the overall strength of China's men's soccer team seems to be inferior to the men's basketball team, and on the other hand, some people pointed out that Fan has not joined the top league, and that his qualifications do not seem to be enough to comment on the men's basketball team's performance. What is the truth?
Let's start by exploring Fan's place in the history of soccer in this country and whether or not he's actually qualified to comment on men's basketball. First of all, Fan Zhiyi's individual strength is there for all to see. His ability to play multiple positions on the field, including defender, midfielder, and striker, makes him the hexagonal warrior of Asian soccer.
Fan Zhiyi's book of honors records his glories in the A-League: a title, a Golden Boot, two Footballer of the Years and an Asian Footballer of the Year title. In addition, he played for Crystal Palace in England and Dundee in Scotland, and captained Shanghai Shenhua, Crystal Palace and the Chinese men's soccer team.
Fan's individual accolades are a testament to his exceptional prowess in soccer. The fact that he transformed from a defender to a striker and still managed to win the league's Golden Boot is in itself a reflection of his extraordinary individual ability. In addition, the Asian Footballer of the Year honor he won was even more golden than Zheng Zhi's, as the Asian Footballer of the Year selection at that time was open to all players of Asian nationality, including those who played in Europe, such as Hidetoshi Nakata.
Although Fan has not played in the Premier League, the strength of League One at the time was no less than that of the Championship today. His performances in the Championship were enough to prove himself and captain Crystal Palace, which was no easy task. He showed his individual strength in Crystal Palace's battles against giants like Liverpool and against Ballon d'Or winner Owen. Even if League One is not the top league, the Dundee team he plays for belongs to the Scottish Premier League, which is obviously not to be underestimated.
Returning to the domestic game, Fan Zhiyi, who has reached the age of 36, has made many successes in the Chinese Super League, and has maintained a high goal-scoring efficiency until his retirement. 2002, he even led the Chinese men's soccer team into the World Cup as a dark horse. All this proves that Fan Zhiyi is fully qualified to occupy a place in China's soccer history, and his spitting on the Chinese men's basketball team is not without purpose.
