On November 9, 2013, Guangzhou Evergrande lifted the AFC Champions League trophy for the first time, which not only created the history of the team, but also the first glory of the Chinese Super League after the reform of the AFC Champions League. Since then, the Evergrande dynasty and the glorious years of the Chinese Super League have drawn to a close, and it has been nearly a decade since then. Now, the AFC Champions League is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and although the Guangzhou team has not organized a grand celebration, the heroes of the former championship have sent their articles to celebrate together, and Rong Hao has made a commemorative video of core players such as Zheng Zhi, Paulinho, Ackerson, and Zeng Cheng, which evokes the precious memories of countless Chinese Super League fans.
However, in this commemoration, the Guangzhou team was not immune to accusations and ridicule. Some members of the media portrayed Guangzhou Evergrande as the scapegoat for the regression of Chinese soccer, citing various "crimes" and calling it the culprit for the regression of soccer. It is true that Evergrande invested heavily in the league and brought a short-lived prosperity, but this prosperity was as fragile as a bubble. They imported international players at a high cost and invested heavily in high-level foreign aid to create a super-luxurious team, which in turn triggered other teams to follow suit and burn money, forming a vicious cycle.
The golden dollar soccer model has had a serious impact on the cultivation of young talents. Although Evergrande Soccer School had outstanding achievements in youth training, the introduction of big-name stars squeezed the growth space of young players. During that time, there were few bright spots for our young players. As a matter of fact, the disadvantages of gold dollar soccer far outweigh its advantages. Ten years later, the current situation of Chinese soccer, especially the league level, has declined significantly. Evergrande's implementation of the gold dollar soccer has drained ten years of soccer's vitality, leaving only two AFC Champions League trophies and a memory.
In fact, the Guangzhou Evergrande boss may have had his own selfish motives when he implemented the golden dollar soccer. Nowadays, in conjunction with the current situation of the owner, looking back, those huge inputs did not originate from the group or the owner himself, but from other people's money. If not for the huge debts, Guangzhou Evergrande might not have endured so many accusations. Now that the owner is under control, his past mistakes have been detrimental to the soccer business. Golden dollar soccer has become a tool for him to make mistakes.
However, we should distinguish Guangzhou Evergrande from today's Guangzhou team. The club itself is not at fault, nor is today's Guangzhou team. Today's team is more pure, focusing on soccer itself, and the club and the soccer school have become self-sufficient without the need for group intervention. This kind of independence and autonomy deserves more respect. It may take a long time for the domestic league to regain its vigor. May clubs pay more attention to the essence of soccer when investing.
