Chapter 404: Sending National Players Abroad
The disastrous defeat of China's national team unsurprisingly caused a huge uproar in the country. The entire nation was fervently discussing the matter. As the main culprits of this catastrophe, the Spanish team and Lin Quan were mentioned frequently.
This match made fans across the nation deeply realize the gap between China's team and the world's top teams. It also showed them how terrifying a superstar like Lin Quan could be on the field!
"Lin Emperor is so strong, can't we naturalize him to play for our national team?" Seeing Lin Quan dominate the field, with five Chinese players unable to stop him, fans were completely convinced of his strength.
Seeing how weak the Chinese team was and how strong Lin Quan was, many began fantasizing about naturalizing him to play for China. "It's basically impossible. Lin Emperor has already played for Spain's national team, and according to FIFA rules, he can't represent another national team."
FIFA has long-established rules for players representing different countries: once a player has played an official match for one country, they cannot play for another country in the same category. Lin Quan had already led Spain to a World Cup victory, so naturally, he had played in official matches. According to FIFA regulations, it was impossible for him to switch to playing for China.
"What a pity! If only the Chinese Football Association had acted sooner, things might have been completely different!" Fans felt extremely frustrated upon realizing that it was an impossible dream.
In recent years, China had been considering naturalizing foreign players. Players like Elkeson and Goulart, who had performed well in the league and the AFC Champions League while playing for Guangzhou Evergrande, were already on the naturalization list. However, there were several issues with naturalizing foreign players for the national team.
Firstly, nationality was a problem. It wasn't easy for foreigners to obtain Chinese citizenship. They had to work and live in China for five years before being eligible to apply for citizenship. Secondly, China does not recognize dual nationality, so players had to give up their original nationality to become Chinese citizens, which was unacceptable to many athletes.
Additionally, because the Chinese team was weak and ranked low in the world, it wasn't attractive to high-level players. It would take a lot of money and benefits to attract them. But such players would be like mercenaries, and their performance on the field would be uncertain.
For clubs, naturalizing foreign players could save several foreign player slots, allowing them to strengthen their teams and widen the gap with other competitors in the league. Therefore, the naturalization of foreign players for the national team had always been controversial in China.
For Lin Quan, however, the first two issues weren't hard to solve. He was of Chinese descent and originally had Chinese nationality. He acquired Spanish nationality only after being adopted by foreigners. Spain recognizes dual nationality, so if his Chinese nationality wasn't canceled, he might still hold it. According to the nationality law, acquiring foreign nationality automatically results in the loss of Chinese nationality. But whether this was officially processed was unknown. When Lin Quan was adopted, he was just a child and couldn't have submitted the paperwork himself. Considering the complicated and lengthy procedures at that time and Guardiola and Serra's unfamiliarity with China, many suspected that Lin Quan's Chinese nationality might not have been canceled. If the Chinese Football Association had acted faster than the Spanish FA, the outcome could have been different.
"Typical of the Football Association to miss such an opportunity, sigh!" Fans felt heartbroken thinking about how China had missed out on a world-class superstar.
"From the national team's perspective, missing out on Lin Emperor is indeed regrettable. But even if he had joined the team, one star carrying ten weak players wouldn't make a difference. If the team performed poorly, everyone would blame Lin Emperor, the top player. That would be so miserable!"
"Isn't that like Messi's situation with Argentina?"
"Sure, but Messi's teammates are all top players. Our national team's lineup can't compare to Argentina!"
"So if Lin Emperor had joined the national team, his situation would have been worse than Messi's!"
Last year, after Argentina was eliminated by Spain in the World Cup, Messi became the target of criticism from Argentine fans. Despite his efforts, Argentina's 3-2 loss was the closest any team came to defeating Spain in that World Cup. Spain narrowly beat Argentina, and if they hadn't faced Spain so early, they might have met in the final. But even in the final, Argentina's chances of winning would have been slim against Spain's overwhelming strength.
Spain's strength was far greater than in 2010. Losing to Spain wasn't a failure in itself, but fans are rarely rational. They praise when you win and criticize when you lose. Naturally, Messi, as Argentina's top player and Maradona's successor, became the scapegoat.
After the match, Lin Quan closely monitored the online discussions. This was just a friendly match, where typically players hold back. However, Lin Quan didn't show any mercy, leading to a catastrophic defeat for China. He felt a bit guilty, expecting criticism for not being considerate.
To his surprise, instead of criticism, he received even more praise. "Indeed, with great strength comes great privileges!" Lin Quan realized that being strong earned respect and favor.
The match exposed many issues with the Chinese team. Lin Quan could easily see a myriad of problems. The players lacked mental toughness, had poor pressure resistance, got nervous on the field, and their movements became stiff. They lacked confidence, didn't dare to press or tackle, and were afraid to make moves in attack, showing no creativity. Their attacks were too predictable and easy to defend against.
Moreover, their basic skills were poor, unable to hold the ball, and had a high rate of passing errors. Their ball control was generally weak; many couldn't trap the ball properly, often losing precious time and opportunities. The exaggerated scoreline was a result of numerous errors, with Spain speeding up the game, leaving China unable to keep up, and making them look like amateur players.
Of course, not everyone in this match performed poorly. There were a few players who showed decent skills. For example, Zheng Zhi, despite his age and decline from his peak, was still among the best in the Chinese team. Under Spain's pressure, he was the only one who could somewhat hold the ball and calmly handle it. This was not only due to his own abilities but also because of his experience playing abroad in the Premier League.
If the Chinese team had more players with experience playing abroad who could adapt to Spain's pace, the score might not have been so lopsided. But currently, Chinese football is at a low point, with very few registered players and even fewer promising talents.
Throughout the match, only a handful of young players left any impression on Lin Quan. These included Sun Ke, Zhang Linpeng, and Wu Lei. These players had the potential to play abroad, and if they could leave the domestic scene earlier and gain experience abroad, it would undoubtedly benefit their development. It might be challenging for them to secure spots in the top five European leagues directly, but playing in leagues like the Eredivisie, Belgian Pro League, Portuguese Primeira Liga, or even second-tier leagues in various countries would be better than staying in the Chinese Super League.
However, the Chinese Super League is currently in its peak "money football" phase, where domestic players have inflated transfer fees and exorbitant salaries. This makes them less interested in playing abroad, and the cost-effectiveness of transfers is very low. Foreign clubs are unwilling to spend big money on players who aren't particularly strong. So, for these players, the path to playing abroad is difficult unless they are willing to give up high salaries and reduce their market value to play overseas.
After the match, Lin Quan met with Wang Hai, the chairman of Xingyao Group. They had a frank discussion. Xingyao wasn't very powerful or large, and Lin Quan wasn't initially keen on cooperating with them, planning to politely decline. However, Wang Hai had a clear understanding of his company's position and showed great sincerity in wanting to collaborate with Lin Quan. Moreover, they had good connections in China and their cooperation plan seemed solid. After some consideration, Lin Quan signed a 1+1 contract with them, meaning they would collaborate for one year first and extend for another year if the cooperation went well.
Wang Hai took Lin Quan very seriously, forming a team dedicated to managing his image and market presence in China. Lin Quan was already a well-known top player in China, with even greater influence internationally. Therefore, companies looking to expand overseas were eager to collaborate with him. Previously, they had to contact Lin Quan's agent, Pere, in Europe, but Pere was unfamiliar with Asian affairs and already overwhelmed with business in Europe. As a result, there were few interactions and collaborations with Chinese companies.
The market remained largely untapped, and Xingyao immediately prepared to develop it. As soon as they announced their plans, many companies reached out for cooperation. Besides those who had already collaborated, like Huawei, other companies like Lenovo and ZTE also showed interest. Lin Quan was particularly interested in ZTE's proposal: they wanted to send a group of young players abroad to gain experience.
ZTE had close ties with the Chinese Football Association. They had even paid for Camacho's hiring, although that money was considered wasted in hindsight. Nevertheless, ZTE had spent real money. Wang, the owner of Dalian's football team during the Jia-A era, had seen his team dominate domestic football and establish a dynasty. Although Wang had since left football for various reasons, he remained passionate about the sport.
After Xu's Evergrande sparked a financial boom in the Chinese Super League, Wang couldn't sit still. Instead of investing in clubs, he decided to support the Football Association directly, proposing a three-year, 500 million yuan plan to aid Chinese football. This included hiring higher-level coaches for the national team and developing young players. Wang planned to send a group of young players to Europe to train from a young age, hoping they would return as stronger players for the national team.
ZTE would fully sponsor these young players, covering their living expenses. However, ZTE would own these players' rights. If they developed into successful players, ZTE could profit from selling their rights. If they didn't, the money spent would be a loss. This plan had been in operation since 2011, but because the players sent abroad were generally young, it would take time to see returns.
The 0-12 loss to Spain shook domestic football deeply. Fans, recognizing the gap between Chinese and world-class players, felt it was necessary to send players abroad to gain experience. Especially young players—keeping them in the domestic league would waste their potential.
There were also rumors of significant reforms in the Football Association, with various actions being planned. Wang, sensing the public's sentiment, decided to increase investment, buy these young players, and send them abroad. However, ZTE's connections in international football were limited, mainly having business dealings in Spain. They thought of Lin Quan and decided to use his connections to place these players abroad. (End of Chapter)