Guangzhou Evergrande and Dalian Wanda, the soccer giants of the two cities, are on very different trajectories.
Dalian Wanda had been riding high in the league and the power of money should not be underestimated. Rumor has it that Wang Jianlin has appeared at matches with a cash box in hand to motivate players. Although the details of the prize money are not known, the effect of boosting morale is obvious.
In 1997, in a league match, Dalian Wanda played against Yanbian away from home. When the team was behind by two goals, Wang Jianlin decisively announced that if the match was drawn, the prize money would be doubled. In the end, the team scored two goals in a row and retired.
However, at that time, relying on bonuses to motivate the team is not the only one Dalian Wanda, A A League 12 teams are almost nothing like this. 1994 A A first game, Sichuan Quanxing drew Liaoning, the defender Wei Qun privately issued 3,000 yuan in cash, which at that time is the players do not even dare to think about things.
Funding is just one of the key factors in Dalian Wanda's domination of the A-League, not the only one.
First of all, Dalian, as the city of soccer, keeps producing excellent players, which is the accumulation of Dalian soccer for decades. after the 1995 season, Dalian Wanda quickly carried out the renewal, the players in the 69-71 age group left the team, and the players in the 77 age group, such as Sun Jihai and Wang Peng, came to the fore. When Dalian Wanda withdrew from the soccer world, it handed over the 1981 and 1985 age groups to Dalian Shide in their entirety, ensuring the continued prosperity of Dalian soccer.
Secondly, the management level of Dalian soccer is in the leading position in China. Dalian soccer salon was established at the beginning, has not yet Wanda intervention, the team will live in Dalian People's Stadium under the stands of the dormitory, the salon for the players to lay the floor, install air conditioning. This was a treatment not available to domestic teams at that time, and was highly praised by CFA officials. Salon's rules and regulations were the first of their kind in China, and many teams came to learn from them.
Many of Dalian Wanda's practices are still positive today. Before the start of each season, players and their families were summoned to learn about family difficulties and to solve the players' worries. after the loss of the league title in 1995, the Wanda Salon and the Dalian Football Association organized a three-day soccer meeting to discuss strategies to regain the title.
During the Dalian Wanda period, there was a deep friendship among the players, and many foreign players returned to Dalian to meet with their old teammates after their retirement, which also reflected the broad-mindedness of Dalian people from the side. The first national league title was won under the guidance of Shanghai-based veteran coach Zhang Honggen, and Chi Shangbin returned to Dalian to guide the team during his tenure.
Guangzhou Evergrande have chosen a different path, they are the Real Madrid of China. The power of money has been utilized to its fullest extent, but they have relied not on home-grown players, but through player trading. Professional leagues need teams like Real Madrid to flourish, but they also need Barcelona-type teams, and the two go hand in hand.
