In the late afternoon, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) suddenly released a heavy news, announcing that the former famous player Yang Chen was honored to be the head coach of China's U16 men's soccer team.
The official website of the Football Association revealed that after strictly following the selection process of national team coaches at all levels, including registration, qualification review and competition defense, in the list of candidates screened by the expert committee, Yang Chen stood out with his outstanding performance, and finally passed the consideration of the President's Office to become the new head coach of China's U16 national team.
Dating back to 1993, the wave of professionalization of Chinese soccer swept through China, and Beijing Guoan rose to the top of the league, joining the fierce battle in the first A. In 1994, the first A league was unveiled, and Yang Chen quickly became the main striker of the Guoan team, and he scored his first league goal, which marked the beginning of the journey of the professionalization of the Guoan team.
In May 1998, German Bundesliga team Mannheim FC extended an olive branch to Yang Chen, who had already become an unrivaled striker in the Guoan team. With his outstanding physical quality and goal-scoring ability, Yang Chen became a shining star in the league and started his career overseas.
In 2000, Yang Chen was awarded the title of China's Footballer of the Year, and was known for his "speed and all-round skills". On July 1 of the same year, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt in the German Bundesliga for a transfer fee of 3.75 million RMB, becoming the first Chinese soccer player to land in the top five leagues. In his four seasons at Eintracht Frankfurt, Yang Chen scored 23 goals, and was the team's top scorer in the 98-99 season.
Today, Yang Chen, who is an AFC professional-level coach, is experienced in coaching, having served as the leader and assistant coach of Jiangsu Suning, Guizhou Renhe and Beijing Beijin, and has helped guide China's U22 national men's soccer team.
As an overseas pioneer of Chinese soccer, Yang Chen's successful experience of staying abroad and the advanced training methods he learned in the Bundesliga will bring new impetus to the growth of our young players. The FA's handing over of the U16 national team to professionals this time is undoubtedly a big step in the development of Chinese soccer.
