If Xu Xin had not been replaced in the match between the national football team and Oman, would the result have been different?
On the evening of November 11, Beijing time, the national football team drew 1-1 with Oman, and Li Tie's substitution choice in the 67th minute of the game made countless Chinese fans who stayed up late to watch the game finally difficult to draw. Before being replaced, Xu Xin was unusually stable, playing the role of a defensive barrier in the team's midfield - that game, the 27-year-old Taishan midfielder, made his first appearance for the national team in an official match.
In the next match between the national football team and the Australian team, Xu Xin continued to start the game, this time, he was not replaced, and played the whole game. Statistics show that in that game with extremely high confrontation intensity, Xu Xin's passing success rate was as high as 85%, and the penalty that the national football team equalized was also derived from Xu Xin's front-court set-piece.
At the age of 27, Xu Xin ushered in a new start in his career.
The regret of "Atletico Madrid"
Six years ago, in the summer, La Liga side Atletico Madrid came to Shanghai before the start of the season and played a friendly match with Shanghai SIPG. In that match, Xu Xin made his debut in the First Team of Atletico in the 63rd minute of the match. In the 30 minutes of playing time, Xu Xin's performance is quite eye-catching, showing a good sense of cooperation and the ability to read the game. After the game, Atletico boss Simeone affirmed the performance of the 21-year-old Chinese youngster in the game, saying: "He still has a lot of room for improvement, he is a player who can bring a lot of expectations to Chinese football or Spanish football." ”
Perhaps, some fans believe that there is more or less a polite element in the praise of the famous coach Simeone, but what needs to be known is that at that time node, Xu Xin is the best back player among Chinese players of the same age, and there is no one. In the national Olympic team in which Fu Bo was the manager, Xu Xin was the best candidate for the main back - even, Xu Xin did not have a suitable replacement, which became a major problem for Fu Bo. Xu Xin always plays smoothly and calmly on the field, and that kind of excellent playing temperament comes from the "gift" of his career in Liuyang.
Born in Shenyang in 1994, Xu Xin was trained in the Tianjin TEDA youth training system and later transferred to the Shanghai Shenhua Echelon. In 2010, Wanda Group reached a cooperation with the Spanish Football League, and the 16-year-old Xu Xin was selected and joined the Atletico Academy as an outstanding young player in China, starting his own journey to stay abroad. During his stay at Atletico, Xu Xin played for Atletico C and B teams, participated in the Spanish C and B leagues, and also "jumped" to train with the team. Regrettably, However, Xu Xin has never been given the opportunity to represent atletico's first team in official competitions.
Xu Xin once lamented with regret that he was late after all: "Because many European players have a good technical and tactical awareness and ability to play at this time, and they need to adapt to the process for a long time after arriving." The sooner you stay in the ocean, the better, and if you go out at the age of thirteen or fourteen, it may be easier to integrate into the training and life of Europe. ”
In May this year, Atletico won la Liga for the first time in seven years. Xu Xin, who used to play at Atletico, congratulated the former owner on social media. Xu Xin's congratulations unexpectedly encountered the ridicule of some fans - in their view, Xu Xin seems to be rubbing the "hot spots" of the old owner. As everyone knows, the 6 seasons of staying at Atletico have brought Xu Xin what kind of help. In an interview with the media, Xu Xin, who is known as the "Atletico Celebrity", said that during that period of staying in the Ocean, he was not only improved in his skills, but in an all-round way: "For example, the atmosphere of playing football, that atmosphere makes you have to work hard to improve yourself." Others have the ability to face life alone, which puts forward high requirements for adaptability and self-discipline. These things are difficult problems at the beginning, but if you adapt, then it is a valuable asset. ”
Returning home is a tough choice
Around Christmas 2015, Guangzhou Evergrande officially announced that Xu Xin officially joined the team. In this way, Xu Xin's career in Yang came to an end. At that time, some fans questioned Xu Xin's choice, believing that he should not give up easily. In fact, returning to China to play football is a very difficult decision for Xu Xin. Xu Xin has always been very much looking forward to the opportunity to play in La Liga, but atletico's first team only has 3 non-EU players, and xu Xin wants to occupy a place in the First Team of Atletico, which is very difficult. Meanwhile, although other Spanish teams want to loan Xu Xin, Atletico are not willing to let go.
In fact, during Xu Xin's time at Atletico, there were many Chinese Super League teams with high salaries, hoping that he could join, but Xu Xin was not moved. He said he didn't play for money, and he didn't want to play for money: "Then you lose the fun and motivation to play football." Anyway, now in Spain, my income is enough to spend on my own, enough to live on my own, I am not short of money, so I will not consider the money thing, after all, I am still young, I still need to improve my ability step by step, which is the most critical. But when the journey to stay in the ocean had come to an end, Xu Xin had to choose to give up for the time being.
When talking about his reasons for choosing Evergrande, Xu Xin said that Evergrande's perfect system impressed him: "I think I can continue to grow in Evergrande. ”
In the 5 years of playing for Evergrande, Xu Xin has indeed continued to grow. In the eyes of some Evergrande fans, Xu Xin has not met the expectation of growing into a "Successor of Zheng Zhi", but Xu Xin has been striving to become the "better self".
In Xu Xin's memory, the most impressive match during his time playing for Evergrande was the "Chinese Super League derby" staged by Evergrande and SIPG in the AFC Champions League in 2017. In that group of matches, Evergrande lost 0-4 away and returned home to play a 4-0 match against the opponent. Xu Xin recalled: "Finally after extra time into the penalty shootout, it was also the first time in my career to experience extra time and then penalty - although it was a pity to lose, it was indeed the most impressive match for me. ”
It is worth mentioning that it was also after that game that Evergrande captain Zheng Zhi particularly affirmed Xu Xin's play. Zheng Zhi said that Xu Xin played a crucial role in the game, with increasing confidence, and did not have the slightest timidity in the confrontation with high-level foreign aid, "the performance is worth a big book".
For Xu Xin, the affirmation from Zheng Zhi is undoubtedly very weighty. Xu Xin once said that Zheng Zhi has a great influence on himself: "As my big brother, he has always taught me anytime and anywhere, so I have always listed him as my career development goal - although my personal ability is limited, I will work towards this goal." ”
Join Taishan, a new starting point
This spring, Xu Xin joined Shandong Taishan as a free agent and began a new journey in his career. Half a year later, Evergrande fell into an unprecedented existential crisis. As a result, some people lamented Xu Xin's "luck". As everyone knows, after Xu Xin's contract with Evergrande expired, Evergrande also made a generous offer for renewal, but Xu Xin finally chose Taishan. Xu Xin's reason for making this choice is quite similar to that of choosing Evergrande in that year - for more development space.
This season, Xu Xin got more playing time in the Taishan team. In the first stage of the Chinese Super League, Xu Xin played all 14 games for Taishan, including 12 starts, 2 substitutes, and 879 minutes of playing time, which has exceeded the entire season playing time during last season's performance for Evergrande. Taishan team coach Hao Wei knows Xu Xin very well and recognizes Xu Xin's ability, and in the Taishan team's offensive and defensive system, Xu Xin has been given a very important role. Xu Xin also repaid Hao Wei's trust with his excellent performance of contributing two goals and one assist.
It was with his stable performance in the Taishan team that Xu Xin waited for the call of the national team and got the opportunity to accompany the team to compete in the World Preliminary Round of 12. For a long time before, Xu Xin did not get the opportunity to play, but even sitting on the bench and in the stands, Xu Xin was also doing his best to cheer for his teammates and cheer for the team. Finally, when the opportunity came, Xu Xin, who had been preparing for a long time, seized it steadily.
"Constantly learning and growing, I finally realized my childhood dream and played in an A-class event for my country for the first time." 5 years old has been playing football for 22 years, everything is the best arrangement, not early nor late. The road is still very long, you are insisting, continue to refuel! After making his official debut for the national team in the battle between the national football team and Oman, Xu Xin wrote on his personal social media. Five years ago, Xu Xin represented the National Olympic Games in the Olympic Qualifiers. When the national anthem was sung before the game, the back of the country who had stayed overseas for many years could not help but blush. Now, at the age of 27, he has achieved his long-cherished wish to play for the national team.
"In my life, I will see clearly when I go around / When I wander, I have also tried to sit alone like I did not assist / In a certain year of that young me / Fell a few more tears in the rainy night / In my life, I will also walk through / From when you have you to accompany me to give me a warm shot and..." If you want to edit a MV for Xu Xin's career in the past 22 years, Li Keqin's "Red Sun" may be the most appropriate BGM.
That never-ending love, that dream that never gave up, like the hot red sun, like the brilliant evening star, watched Xu Xin's coming, and was destined to shine into his future.