After the Chinese national team players finished their match in Doha, they took a flight back to the Chinese capital the next day. Here, they will disband and then return to their respective clubs to continue preparing for the next league match.
They will transform from teammates working hard for a common goal to bloody opponents fighting for a common goal.
When they picked up their luggage and walked out of the exit, the national team players were warmly welcomed by fans and reporters who had come to hear the news.
Everyone expressed their gratitude with banners, flowers, cheers and flashing lights.
Although the Chinese team only qualified for the World Cup qualifying play-offs, it did not actually reach the World Cup finals.
In the eyes of fans, such an achievement is worthy of celebration.
Perhaps it is inevitable that their dreams will be shattered in the end, but it does not prevent them from looking forward to the future now.
The fans and media reporters were so enthusiastic, but some of the national team players felt a little uncomfortable.
"I always feel that they are actually here to welcome Hu Lai..." Lin Zhiyuan muttered.
"What are you thinking? They know that Hu Lai has already left, so they are here to welcome us." Captain Yao Huasheng patted the back of Lin Zhiyuan's head.
"It always feels like we accepted their enthusiasm for Hu Lai..." Lin Zhiyuan still muttered.
Yao Huasheng glanced at this tough-headed boy and said nothing more.
Because in a sense, what Lin Zhiyuan said is actually right.
These national team players who returned home were able to have such a lively scene because of Hu Lai's credit.
It's just that Hu Lai himself can't come, so they, the national team teammates, enjoy it on Hu Lai's behalf.
As the only player in the national team who plays abroad, Hulay flew back to the UK on the day after the game against Qatar.
I didn’t even have time to stay in a hotel in Doha for one more night to rest and adjust.
Leeds City's fifth round of the Premier League kicked off on Saturday, September 13th, leaving Hulay little time to return to the team and train with the team.
Also allow time for flights and jet lag.
Playing football in Europe is a great sight, but it's also really hard work.
Because of the slow pace of the Chinese Super League, other players of the national team still have sufficient rest and adjustment time after returning.
The Premier League is different, it is one of the fastest-paced national leagues in the world.
You must know that Park Soon-tae, who also plays for the Premier League team, returned to the club early to rest and prepare for the game after playing the game against the Chinese team.
Hu Lai obviously did not have such a good fortune. The South Korean team qualified two rounds in advance, but the Chinese team had to fight until the last moment. As the main shooter of the Chinese team, he naturally had to accompany him throughout the whole process.
If it hadn't been for the last game against Qatar, where the Chinese team had such a huge advantage, he might not have even been eligible to leave the game early and rest.
Although the South Korean team scored a goal at the last moment and tied with Australia in the away game. However, Australia, which got one point, still relied on this one point advantage to finish second in the group as expected and join hands with the South Korean team to qualify.
The Chinese team finally won the third place in the group, and will then play two home and away playoffs with Uzbekistan, the third place in the other group, on October 9th and 14th to compete with Paraguay, the fifth place in South America, in November.
Qualify for the final play-offs.
It can be said that the next two months will be very busy and tiring for Hu Lai.
He has to travel back and forth between the UK and China. If the Chinese team is lucky, he will have to fly to distant South America...
Fortunately, judging from these two top-12 games, it seems that he was not affected much by travel and jet lag. His physical fitness on the field was as good as ever and he performed well.
In sharp contrast is Park Soon-tae, the star of the Korean team.
The scene of him sleeping to death on the flight from London to Jinseong is still often mentioned, leaving Korean fans with lingering fears. Rumors that Park Soon Tae may have some hidden illness began to circulate on the Korean Internet. Although the official
Rumors about this have been refuted, but obviously, no one believes this refutation. Everyone is still more willing to believe their own guesses.
Compared with Park Soon-tae, Hu Lai makes people say "it's good to be young." He has just turned 22, even after more than ten hours of flying and eight time zones, he can still be lively and energetic.
Lively and active on the court.
Watching him run and jump powerfully on the court, it seems as if he has no physical problems at all.
When Hu Lai debuted in Flash Star, he left a deep impression on everyone because of his physical problems - at that time, Hu Lai didn't even have the physical fitness to finish a game.
Now he has the ability to fight continuously across continents.
His improvement in physical fitness is astonishing.
Not only his physical fitness, but also all his improvements have made many people feel incredible.
That also explains why China's football reform has produced so many outstanding young players in the past ten years, but in the end it was Hu Lai, a man with a humble starting point, who became the representative of everyone and the "hope of the whole village."
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When the Chinese national team arrived in the capital, Hu Lai had also returned to Leeds and met his agent Yong Jun again.
"Awesome, Hu Lai, five goals in two games!" As soon as he saw Hu Lai, Yong Jun gave him a thumbs up.
"Ji Cao Ji Cao." Hu Lai quickly waved his hand "humbly".
Yong Jun laughed: "This time we might actually be able to go to the World Cup! When we do get into the World Cup, I will definitely go to Lao Zhang's grave to say something to him..."
Hu Lai waved his hand quickly: "Uncle Yong, you have become a general on the stage!"
"How do you say that?" Yong Jun was a little confused.
"Flags all over my body!"
Yong Jun was stunned for a moment before he came back to his senses, and then laughed: "No, I believe you, Hu Lai!"
After saying that, he came back to his senses, worried that what he had said before would put more pressure on Hu Lai, and waved his hands quickly: "It's okay, football is round, and all results are normal. Uzbekistan is indeed not easy to play... The worst is not going to happen again
If you wait four years, you will have already waited for more, and it will be nothing if you wait four more years..."
Hu Lai looked at Uncle Yong who said this.
The World Cup should be the biggest expectation for Chinese football fans of his age.
Uncle Yong, who is in his 60s, has witnessed the time when Chinese football still had hope, and also witnessed the darkest times. His obsession and desire for the World Cup are far deeper than today's young fans.
But they have also witnessed the most famous failures in the history of Chinese football...
He said something like "at worst, wait another four years." I'm afraid they have deceived themselves and others countless times.
After every failure, they all said, "At worst, they have to wait another four years." There are many four years in life, and they can afford to wait.
So I went from being young to growing old.
Never say "wait for four more years!" unwillingly, and sigh helplessly "wait for four more years..."
But there are really only four years in life, and they really can't afford to wait.
Hu Lai promised Uncle Yong: "Uncle Yong, don't worry, I promise there will be no accidents this time, and I will never let you wait another four years."
Yong Jun smiled: "Hey, aren't you afraid of having flags all over your body?"
"Don't be afraid!" Hu Lai said simply, "I am immune to those superstitions!"
Yong Jun muttered: "Then you just said that I was covered with flags..."
Hu Lai laughed and changed the subject: "Let me tell you, Uncle Yong. When we really enter the World Cup, I guarantee that all the streets and alleys in our country will be a sea of joy... You must stay at home by then.
, don't stay in the UK, that way you can feel the festive atmosphere. It's more lively than the Chinese New Year..."
After hearing what Hu Lai said so brilliantly, Yong Jun chuckled: "It sounds like you have seen it before..."
Hu Lai wanted to say to Uncle Yong, "I have really seen it."
But he knew that Uncle Yong would not believe him if he told him, so he could only answer him in his heart: I have really seen it.
Although he didn't experience it personally, he saw it with his own eyes.
In the time and space he came to, he once watched a documentary about the Chinese team's first and only time reaching the World Cup.
That happened before he was born. On October 7, 2001, the Chinese team defeated Oman at home in the top ten and won the right to qualify for the World Cup in advance.
Cameras captured the reactions of different people across the country on that qualifying night.
They took to the streets to revel and expressed their pride and excitement to the cameras and reporters.
Those ecstatic faces and those words of longing for a better future, even if I see and hear them again after many years, they still moved the young Hu Lai.
He never thought that Chinese football would have such a beautiful day before he was born.
People in the documentary are full of confidence in the future of Chinese football and believe that entering the World Cup will usher in a golden era of Chinese football.
But as a latecomer, when Hu Lai watched this documentary, he certainly knew what the future of Chinese football would look like.
Then he couldn't help but wonder - those people who appeared in the documentary, would they feel embarrassed and regretful when they saw what he said at the beginning?
Do any of them no longer care about Chinese football?
Don’t you even pay attention to football anymore?
But no matter what, on that night of October 7, 2001, the excitement and joy of everyone in and outside the documentary must have come from the bottom of their hearts.
People spontaneously gathered in the squares of their cities to sing and dance.
Drivers also drove their cars onto the street, honked their horns, stretched out the national flag from their car windows, and let the national flag flutter in the wind.
Regardless of whether they are men, women, old or young, whether they are football fans or not, at that moment, they felt proud of their country.
In that special era of 2001, the Chinese team entered the World Cup, and like the capital's successful bid for the Olympics and China's entry into the WTO, it became a stirring thunder of the times.
"Why aren't you talking?" Yong Jun saw Hu Lai suddenly fell silent. He was worried that his words had damaged the child's self-confidence, so he quickly asked tentatively.
"Ah, no...Uncle Yong, you are right. I have never seen it, but I just closed my eyes and thought about it, and I feel that it will be very lively then."
"Nonsense, we've already entered the World Cup, how can it not be exciting? How many people dream about it..." Yong Jun became a little lost as he spoke.
"So, Uncle Yong, you must return to China when the time comes and stay in the country to witness history." Hu Lai said seriously.
Seeing that Hu Lai once again mentioned the matter of letting him return to China, Yong Jun nodded and agreed according to his words: "Okay, okay, I will definitely go back when the time comes. Have a good experience..."
He no longer mentioned how difficult it was to achieve this goal. Hu Lai had this intention, so why should he ruin the atmosphere?
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