Shanghai Shenhua official poster, paying tribute to the team legend Giovanni Moreno. Photo: Shanghai Shenhua official WeChat
Red Net Moment, January 17 (Reporter Fu Huanyu) On January 16, the official WeChat public account of shanghai Shenhua Football Club in the Chinese Super League issued an article officially announcing that the captain from Colombia, Giovanni Moreno, will not renew his contract. After leaving the Chinese Super League, Moreno will return to play for the Colombian League National Athletic team at the beginning of his career.
In June 2012, at the age of 26, Moreno joined Shanghai Shenhua. "As a player, you always want to win the championship, and I came to Shenhua to win the Chinese championship." At that time, Moreno's light was far less dazzling than the team's super foreign aid Anecar and Drogba, and what Shenhua fans did not expect was that the supporting role in the foreign aid at that time actually wore the blue Shenhua shirt on Shanghai Beach for a full decade.
Moreno, who had just joined Shanghai Shenhua in 2012, said in an interview with foreign media that he hoped to win the championship in China. Figure/network screenshot
During his ten years at Shenhua, Moreno scored 71 goals in 223 appearances, earning the team two FA Cup honours. Moreno's playing style is very imaginative, and he has repeatedly staged difficult and wonderful goals such as upside-down golden hooks and scorpion tail swings, leaving a glorious mark in the 28-year development history of Shanghai Shenhua Football Club. Moreno is not only the foreign captain who has been playing for the longest time in the history of Shenhua, but also one of the foreign assistants who have played for the longest time in the Chinese professional football league, it can be said that Moreno is not only the soul of Shenhua, but also a household name in the entire Chinese Super League.
As the oldest professional club in the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Shenhua has a certain number of fans across the country, and Hunan is no exception. Steve, a fan from Yuanjiang, Yiyang, is a loyal Xiang "blue-blooded man" (nickname for Shenhua fans). He used to work in Shanghai, since the first time he went to Hongkou in 2015 to watch the ball, he regarded Shanghai Shenhua as his home team, and has been away to cheer for Shenhua many times. For captain Moreno's farewell, Steve naturally had something to say.
Steve, a fan watching a Shenhua match at the Hongkou Football Stadium. Photo courtesy of Steve
"Although I know that GIO (Moreno's nickname) will leave Shenhua sooner or later, it is still very sad when this day really comes..." Steve said that he most memorable the scene when his teammate Denba Ba was seriously injured in the game during the 2016 "Shanghai Derby", and Moreno ran wild with the ball in the last moment of the game and was pulled down by his opponent to get a penalty. "That game was the first time I cried for football, I didn't expect that Moreno would fight for his teammates for Shenhua to the last moment, and having a captain like Moreno was a blessing for Shenhua and a blessing in the Chinese Super League."
A year later, at the Shanghai 80,000-strong Stadium, Moreno and Shenhua, who have been eager to win the championship in China, have finally ushered in a dream moment. In the 2017 FA Cup final, Shanghai Shenhua won the FA Cup at the doorstep of its sworn enemy Shanghai SIPG (now renamed Shanghai Harbour). Steve was on the scene, witnessing an exciting moment with the "Blue Blooded Man" who cheered alongside him. "At that time, Moreno and Guarin, dressed in Colombian flags, came to the away stands to celebrate with us, singing the championship song "Campione". The first time I saw my favorite team lift the championship trophy on the spot, this experience I will never forget. Two years later, Shenhua won the FA Cup again, and Moreno knelt forward on the Hongkou football stadium and climbed onto the goal frame to raise the trophy, forever frozen in the blue memories of Steve and other Shenhua fans.
At the moment of the 2017 FA Cup final recorded by Steve, Moreno celebrated with Shenhua fans. Photo courtesy of Steve
As the absolute core of the team's past decade, Shenhua's technical and tactical play style is more developed around Moreno. With Moreno's departure, how Shenhua will adjust its tactical style, and who will inherit the blue No. 10 jersey, is still unknown.
In response, Steve said: "Although it is not willing, the team always has to move forward. Shenhua is about to open a new chapter in history, and new challenges are meeting us. For the legend, the 'Blue Blood Man' will remember it and hope that GIO will one day return to Shenhua with a new identity, Once A Blue, Forever Blue! ”
From 2012 to 2022, Moreno, who played for Shanghai Shenhua for ten years, has become a legend in the history of the team. Photo/Xinhua Net