On the 26th, China's footballers beat Abu Dhabi's second division team 5-1 in a warm-up match, in which Chengdu Rongcheng's young goalkeeper Jian Tao made his debut. Despite scoring early in the match, Jian Tao made an excellent save to clear an opponent's one-touch goal. After the match, Jian Tao was interviewed by Red Star News, recalling his time at the Chengdu Football Association's Derry Football Training Center and mentioning his mentor Xiang Xuchao.
Xiang Xuchao's comments about Jian Tao are full of affection: "I have a great relationship with Jian Tao. Before he joined me, I attended a goalkeeper coaching program in Chengdu. I invited a few players to demonstrate and Jian Tao caught my attention. His intelligence and physical conditioning at the time convinced me that he had great potential. As expected, he joined my team a year later. I had four goalkeepers at the time and Jian Tao was one of them, along with Ran Weifeng, who now plays for Chengdu Rongcheng, while the other two were already in college."
Jiantao's respect for Xiang Xuchao is overflowing: "Xiang's guidance has always been clear and persistent in his goals. He benefited greatly from my years in France, where I witnessed the high standards of European professionals. Although I advised him to come back and compete, he insisted on furthering his education in France."
In his last year in France, Jiantao was unable to renew his contract after missing a trial with Auxerre in preparation for the Ligue 1 promotion playoffs. With no home and no food to eat, he had to work in a restaurant to make ends meet. This experience made him more independent and taught him how to self-regulate in the face of adversity.
Xiang Xuchao still remembers the day Jian Tao signed his first professional contract in Chengdu Rongcheng as his birthday, and the contract became his best birthday present. Despite facing a fierce attack from Qingdao Hainiu in the first half of the first match, Jian Tao played steadily in the second half, thanks to his years of experience. Subsequently, his performance got better and better, and he became the main goalkeeper of Chengdu Rongcheng, won the monthly best goalkeeper award of the China Super League, and was selected to the national team.
Chengdu-born player Jian Tao became the first international goalkeeper from Chengdu in history and couldn't wait to tell Xiang Xuchao the happy news on the day he was selected for the national team. "Before the league ended, I knew the national team would call him up, but I didn't want to influence him, so I never said anything." Xiang Xuchao revealed his thoughts.
Xiang Xuchao was not surprised by Jiantao's performance in the national team: "He is very dominant on the field, but he is as lively as a child off the field. This kind of character has won the favor of all the coaches, and his hard work and self-discipline are even more admirable. We just hope he can learn more from his seniors in the team and ask for more advice."
As a matter of fact, Jiantao's performance does not need to be emphasized too much, his strength is obvious to all. We expect him to continue to perform well in the coming matches and make greater contributions to Chinese soccer.
