At the end of 2020, I said in a retrospective article that the year was "terrible" and made good wishes: "I wish everyone can step on the football field next year: galloping and shouting." ”
Unfortunately, the last four words didn't come true for most people, and the first four words ultimately failed for me personally.
In fact, I don't want to always write very sadly, write some very complaining words, and always look like a pessimistic minority in the crowd. However, when I look back at what has happened in football this year, and look back at the words I have written in this year, there is always a sense of loss in it: my home team has no grain, the league I love is fragmented, and our national team is once again on the verge of failure...
So, I've tried to rummaging through some memorable stories during this seemingly unsatisfactory year — and happily, there are quite a few more.
For example, my home team in the domestic league started with great ambition, but finally came back to a season of nothing. However, in the first phase of the season, I was able to go and watch every game that allowed spectators to enter, except for a few games in Jiangyin hundreds of kilometers away.
For example, the world preliminary tournament of the national football team had to go overseas for a long time, and now it seems that there is an inescapable failure, but I seized the rare opportunity to witness the first full game of Chinese football after the epidemic in Suzhou.
It's enough to be something I'm incredibly grateful for.
On April 23, I took the train to Kunshan after work and went to the scene for the first time in more than a year. The temperature was pleasant that night, and two college classmates who hadn't seen each other for a long time met on the pitch—not really, they were a few stands away from me.
"Excited" is a word I rarely use to describe myself, but when I got off the taxi from the high-speed train station to the stadium that night, I should have been able to count my way up to the stands.
On May 30th, I went to Suzhou for the fourth time in more than a month, this time in the top 40 of the national football team. I remember that before making the decision to go to the scene to see the national football team, I still had some hesitations: Guam is really a too weak opponent, is it worth watching?
But later the story is known to everyone: perhaps in terms of content, this is not a very worthwhile game, but at least it is a good game, and it is also the only full game that can be seen in China.
It seems that throughout the year, we have been saying goodbye and losing.
We bid farewell to Chinese football in the Golden Yuan era, bid farewell to the defending champions of China's top football leagues, and bid farewell to the names of Jianye and TEDA, which have had some years.
We are likely to lose the naturalizers who are willing to wear the red shock World Cup, the opportunity to travel to Qatar a year later, and even almost a normal professional league.
We also bid farewell to Chi Shangbin, Zhang Enhua and Li Yuankui forever – I respect the first two celebrities, but I will focus on Li Yuankui's guidance here.
Perhaps for the younger generation of fans, Chi Shangbin and Zhang Enhua's guidance is still a little far away, while Li Yuankui's guidance has really created a generation of watching memories: from staying in Hungary, to the national white team, to the predecessor of Tianjin football, Qi Su, and finally rooted in the understanding of the seat, he dedicated his life to Chinese football.
Although at this time of every year, we are feeling a little sad parting, but Li Yuankui's guidance seems to have some differences: his voice accompanies us through too many crowded or lonely silent nights, and this companionship also interprets another meaning of football.
Or, such a farewell is not a farewell, in addition to the picture of many classic shots of football in these more than ten years, our hearts will still be accompanied by the voice of Li Yuankui's guidance.
And after each goodbye, it will make me cherish and love everything I still have now.
Even if it is not perfect now, these experiences have given us some common memories.
2021 is a big year for football.
The postponed European Championship and the America's Cup followed in the summer, and I was a summer that I may not forget for a long time.
In early June, I was forced to stay in bed for 6 weeks due to a football injury, but I was blessed to cover the full European Championship schedule. So for the first time in my life, I watched a big game so completely: except for the last round of the group stage, which started at the same time, I did not fall behind.
Although England, which has supported many years, has once again fallen a step away from the trophy, I am still very happy. At this cup, I have rarely recovered the rhythm of daily changes, 30 so-called "watching diaries" to share some of the feelings of watching the ball, but also gained a lot of friends who are willing to listen to my broken thoughts.
Of course, there is also an achievement, which has been dragging out for more than a year, the successful completion of the "Premier League 60 Stars". From my incomplete observation, some of the names I left messages while I was translating the first one had already taken me off, and one of them had already been blown up.
Thanks to all the friends who read this!
And 2021 is also a year when football has once again made such a little circle - one day this year, I was surprised to find that among the friends who followed me, there were so many new fans who had fallen into the deep pit of football in recent years, and a few were concerned about me because of some of my off-topic content.
At the end of last year, because of the "inappropriate" celebration of the anniversary of the Peking University Chinese Department, the Men's Chinese of Peking University, which had to be renamed "Just Lose It" on its public account, used one picture after another to ridicule the repeated defeats of his team. If losing is unavoidable, it is better to enjoy the process of losing together and find some value in failure together.
Also defeated are Ted Lasso and his AFC Richmond: this is an American drama that started last year and has gained unexpected hits this year. Many fans will always look at football-themed film and television dramas with a very harsh eye, but this Ted Lasso has unexpectedly received praise in the fan circle. In addition to the court, Ted Lasso magically showed the off-field story after the defeat, which is even more immersive.
There will only be one winner in every event, but there can be more than one winner.
This Believe sticker in Ted Lasso has been heard to have appeared in the locker rooms of some professional teams.
In fact, I have been thinking about how to write this article for a long time, and most of it was written about a week ago. But around Tuesday or Wednesday, I suddenly realized that although the year's ending was not perfect, I could still find a lot to remember in the process.
No one stipulates that when it comes to football, we can only follow and love the winners. Then for such a year, it seems that we should not be so harsh.
So, I revised most of it in the last few hours: If you notice, the article is actually a bit fragmentary.
But I still have some to enjoy the year. If football in 2021 has taught me one thing, it's enjoying the process, which is far more important than the result.
But even so, I still look forward to a better way to start 2022.
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