"Brother Lin, what prompted you to choose to return to your hometown and play for your hometown team at the age of thirty-eight?"
In the media hall of the Provincial Sports Center in Jincheng, the welcome ceremony held by Anton Shining Star Club for three new players is in progress.
It was now the reporter's question-and-answer session. The reporters who raised their hands and were called by name almost all directed their questions to Qin Lin, the most prominent of the three new players.
This can be seen from the fact that all the media's microphones were piled in front of Qin Lin. But in front of Hu Lai and another new aid Xu Wentao, they seemed deserted...
Faced with this question, Qin Lin coughed, cleared his throat, and replied: "You just mentioned 'hometown', that's why. I am from Andong and from Jincheng. I am from the echelon of Xingcheng Club
I started my football career, but I never played a game for Anton’s professional football team. This has always been my regret. In fact, at the end of last year, Manager Dong of Flash Star found me and hoped that I could
Come back and use your own experience to lead the young people of Flash Star to grow... I also want to thank the South China Tigers Club. After they learned about my wishes, they took the initiative to end the remaining half-year contract between me and the club, allowing me to be free.
Returning to the place where my football dream started..."
When Qin Lin was answering this question, Hu Lai was on his right side, turning his head and looking at him for a long time, feeling a little dazed.
Because the person in front of him always makes him think of the national football team in another time and space. Although the two people are completely different from their names to their places of origin and ages, and their career achievements are also different, Hu Lai will still think of him.
I feel that these two people are so similar, their destinies are too similar.
In that time and space, Liaoning player Zheng Zhi, who was born in 1980, was considered to be the only capable player in the darkest era of Chinese football. He was the mainstay of the Chinese national team in the lean years and the only face of Chinese football. Although many
People who don’t care much about Chinese football and don’t watch football games may think this talk about face is nonsense – does Chinese football still have face? But that’s the fact.
In today's time and space, Qin Lin, who was born in Jincheng City, Andong Province in 1983, is also the only face of Chinese football in the dark era.
After coming to this time and space, Hu Lai had learned about the situation of Chinese football in this time and space, and knew that although many details were different, the overall situation was no different from the time and space before he came - very
Oops, they were all terrible, and they all had a dark time.
The difference is that the darkness of that time and space seems to have no end in sight, while this time and space, with the vigorous development of campus football and a series of practical reforms in other aspects, there is at least some hope.
In Chinese professional football, Qin Lin is recognized by everyone as the most professional player. He trains hard, lives a self-disciplined life, is clean and self-reliant, and has almost no scandals. The foreign head coach of the South China Tigers, Carlos Lemen,
I once commented on Qin Lin, saying that he is not like a Chinese player, but more like a European player.
In the original Chinese football world, this was simply the highest praise for a professional player.
In fact, Qin Lin did go to Europe to play football, and many of his training and living habits are related to his experience studying abroad.
Playing for a European club for five years fully demonstrates that his strength has been recognized by European football. At the same time, his experience playing in Europe also makes him one step ahead of other domestic players. He even won the Asian Footballer of the Year, which
He is the second Asian Footballer of the Year in the history of Chinese football.
But such an outstanding player failed to realize the biggest wish of Chinese fans.
After making his first appearance for the national team in 2003, he began his long journey to lead the Chinese team to the World Cup.
In the 2006 World Cup, 2010 World Cup, 2014 World Cup, and 2018 World Cup, he participated in four World Cup qualifiers, but he never led the Chinese team to successfully reach the World Cup finals. In the process, he grew from the national team to the national team.
An ordinary soldier of the team grew up to be the captain of the national team, but still failed to achieve the goal of "breaking out of Asia and going to the world".
After the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, he also participated in the 2019 Asian Cup as the captain of the national team, which was also the last time he played in the national team jersey. The Chinese team finally finished fourth, and he was considered to have completed the handover.
, took off his shirt - after losing in the third-place final of the Asian Cup, he choked up in an interview after the game and announced his retirement from the national team and apologized to the Chinese fans.
Why apologize?
Not because he lost a third-place final. But because since joining the national team in 2003 and retiring from the national team in 2019, during his 16-year national team career, he has not brought even a single success to Chinese football.
A champion of an official competition. As an Asian Footballer of the Year who had high hopes and was highly capable, this result is really bitter.
The runner-up in the Asian Cup in 2004 was the highest achievement of his national team career. Compared with his brilliant club results, his national team career was too bleak and helpless.
Hu Lai stared at Qin Lin, always unconsciously overlapping him with the other face in his memory.
Although they only have the same position on the field and are different in many places, Hu Lai just feels that Qin Lin may be Zheng Zhi's projection in this time and space...
From a personal emotional point of view, it is difficult for Hu Lai not to think of Qin Lin and Zheng Zhi together. After all, they are both the last big bosses of Chinese football, veterans of the national football team, and they both tried their best for Chinese football, and in the end they both
I can only say goodbye reluctantly.
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As a reporter for the sports section of Andong Provincial TV Station, Chen Jianyu is responsible for covering all news related to Shining Star Club. As a reporter who has been in contact with Shining Star since their establishment, he is now a team reporter for Shining Star.
As a team reporter, he naturally has many privileges, and his information is better than other media reporters.
For example, the news that Flashing Star had captured Qin Lin was the first one he disclosed on his social media account.
At that time, Flash Star Club had not yet made an official announcement, so he was able to be exposed in advance through "rumors".
Of course, based on his relationship with the Flash Star Club, this early exposure must also have the support of the Flash Star Club, or some kind of tacit approval.
After all, Flash Star's performance in the Chinese League One this season is not very good, and they really need such news to boost morale and make everyone temporarily forget about the dire results.
As a reporter accompanying the team, Chen Jianyu was not in a hurry to raise his hand to ask questions. He knew that as long as he raised his hand, his name would definitely be called. He just wanted to observe more and think carefully about what questions he should ask.
Then his eyes were inevitably attracted to Hu Lai.
Because during this welcome ceremony, Hu Lai, who was the least senior, least famous, and least powerful among the three new players, actually got distracted...
Is it because reporters are all asking Qin Lin questions, which makes him a little bored?
Although the reporters who only have Qin Lin in their eyes are indeed a bit rude, you still have to show off your skills, right? With such a naked look in your eyes, everyone can see that your mind is not here.
Thinking of this, he decided to give the youngest player a tactful reminder, so he raised his hand.
Sure enough, as soon as he raised his hand, he was immediately named by the press officer of Flash Star Club.
Chen Jianyu stood up and took the microphone from the staff again. He found that Hu Lai still hadn't come back to his senses.
So he decided not to remind him tactfully, but to teach him a lesson directly...
"This question is for this player..." He pointed at Hu Lai and said, "Excuse me Hu Lai, as far as I know, as the top scorer and best player in last year's National High School Football Championship, you did not choose to join your hometown.
Team Flash Star, why did you choose to transfer to Flash Star after a year and a half after joining the Poseidon Youth Team in the Chinese Super League?"
As soon as this question was asked, many people present turned their attention to Chen Jianyu who asked the question, because everyone felt the... edge of his question.
Even the press officer who is very familiar with Chen Jianyu was a little panicked - this should not be a question that Chen Jianyu, the team reporter who has cooperated with the club for many years, should ask.
For Hu Lai, a nobody, he is not qualified to be targeted in this way by the media.
Qin Lin, who finally didn't have to answer questions, just picked up the mineral water bottle and was about to take a sip of water when he heard the reporter ask Hu Lai such a question. Although he didn't know Hu Lai well, he could also feel it.
In response to the reporter's mood, he held the mineral water bottle with the cap unscrewed and did not move. Instead, he turned to look at Hu Lai.
Then he found that Hu Lai's eyes were empty and he had no response to the reporter's questions...
Obviously, he was distracted.
Dai Zetao was hiding in the last row of the press hall. There was a row of cameras set up there. He was standing behind the cameras, looking like a cameraman.
He sneaked in specifically to see Hu Lai.
When he saw this scene, he couldn't help but lower his head and cover his forehead.
He knew that Chen Jianyu, as a well-known sports journalist in Andong Province, was also a celebrity. As a celebrity, he naturally has a personality and temper. This question does not mean that Chen Jianyu has any personal grudge against Hu Lai——
In fact, they didn't even know each other before.
So Chen Jianyu still asked this question just because he couldn't stand Hu Lai's performance just now - at the welcome ceremony specially prepared for them by the club, when Qin Lin, the former captain of the national team and a legend of a generation, was answering questions, he actually
It's really too much to wander around.
This big reporter probably wanted to teach Hu Lai a lesson.
Poor Hu Lai, just arrived at the club, but he didn't leave a good first impression on the team's reporters...
Qin Lin really didn't expect that the young player on his right would be distracted during the welcome ceremony, so he put his right hand under the table and poked Hu Lai calmly.
Only then did Hu Lai come back to his senses. He looked at Chen Jianyu who was standing in the press box looking directly at him, and instantly understood what had happened.
Then he tried hard to recall what the reporter just said. He didn't hear anything else clearly, but he remembered the last sentence: "Why did you choose to join Flash Star?"
So his answer came out: "Of course it's because of Director Zhao. Director Zhao and I got along in the Poseidon Youth Team, so as soon as Director Zhao called me, I came..."
As he said this, he remembered how Qin Lin answered a similar question just now, so he quickly smiled and said: "I am also very happy to be able to play for my hometown team."
As for Chen Jianyu's real question, he actually didn't answer a word.
In the eyes of the questioner, Chen Jianyu, how could the youngest player answer the question so tactfully? He rambled here and there, talking about other things, and said some high-sounding nonsense, but the real core issue was not touched.
He should have sat down after getting the answer, but Chen Jianyu was a little unwilling to let an 18-year-old kid fool him with his question, so he asked again before the press officer could speak: "You just seemed like
Lost your mind?"
He pointedly pointed out Hu Lai's gaffe just now.
Hu Lai scratched his head in front of everyone, and said with some embarrassment: "Well... I never thought that I could sit next to Brother Lin, so close to him, and I was a little nervous... I didn't dare to think about it before.
One day I can be teammates with Brother Lin, you know I grew up watching Brother Lin play..."
As soon as he said these words, a burst of laughter broke out on the scene.
The reporters were all amused by Hu Lai's answer.
Even Chen Jianyu couldn't help laughing and shook his head with a smile - looking at Hu Lai like this, it was clearly a little fanboy's uneasiness around his idol, so it was normal to be distracted...
So he asked again: "So now that you can be on the same stage with your idol, how do you feel?"
This question wiped away the previous aggression and gave both parties a common ground.
Hu Lai turned his head and glanced at Qin Lin, and Zheng Zhi's figure overlapped with his again.
"I still feel like I'm dreaming, and I'm afraid that if I blink, Brother Lin will disappear..."
"Hahahaha!" The audience burst into laughter again.
Even Qin Lin laughed, then passed his arm over and said to Hu Lai: "Squeeze it, it's hot."
Everyone present laughed non-stop.
Dai Zetao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this scene. It was obvious that he was distracted during the welcome ceremony, which would be an annoying stain if told, but now that he explained it like this, it suddenly turned into a humble attitude, humor and cuteness.
.
He couldn't help but want to give Hu Lai a thumbs up.
At the same time, although they haven’t seen each other for a year and a half, the Hu Lai today seems to have not changed much from the boy he saw at the national competition, and they are still so interesting. The things he encountered in the Poseidon Youth Team seem to have no impact.
It was great to meet him...
※※※
The press conference is over, and there will be a fan meeting next.
But before that, the three new players who joined the team returned to the lounge to take a short rest.
At this time, except for the three of them, there was no one else in the room.
It was only then that Qin Lin smiled and said to Hu Lai: "The excuse I made at the press conference was a good one and a crisis was perfectly solved."
Hu Lai shook his head seriously: "That's not an excuse, Brother Lin. I really grew up watching you play football."
After saying that, he took out a pen and paper from his backpack and handed it to Qin Lin: "Brother Lin, please sign for me!"
Qin Lin was dumbfounded by Hu Lai: "This is the first time I have seen a teammate ask me for an autograph..."
He said this, but he still took the pen, wrote his name on the paper, and returned it to Hu Lai.
Thirty-year-old Xu Wentao saw this scene from the side and was a little envious that Hu Lai could use such a small trick to increase his favorability in front of Qin Lin: Why didn't I think of using up the joke about growing up watching Brother Lin play football first?
