BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Che Fangen, a name that cannot be bypassed in the history of Asian football. As a player, he won the UEFA Cup twice in the Bundesliga and led South Korea to the World Cup as a coach. Twenty years ago, Che Fangen became acquainted with Chinese football, and now he will give Chinese football and Wu Lei, who is far away in La Liga, what kind of advice will he give?
Low-key and humble are the first impressions left by today's Che Fangen. Photo by Wang Yu, a reporter from China News Network
A week ago in the Champions League, "Asian brother" Son Heung-min single-handedly helped Tottenham Hotspur advance to the final four with the absence of the team's number one star, Kane, and also set a Record for Asian Players' Champions League goals with two goals.
Single-season Goal Record for Asian Players in Europe, Asian Top Scorer in Premier League History, Asian Player Champions League Goal Record... Sun Xingmin, who has "dribbled" one record after another at a rapid pace, is now rushing to the "first scorer of Asian players in Europe", and the holder of this record is his predecessor - Che Fangen.
When I first met Che Fangen, it was difficult to associate the 66-year-old man in front of me with the striker who had played in the Bundesliga more than thirty years ago. As an iconic Asian player in Europe, Che Fangen has created one legend after another in Europe with his strong physical fitness and flexible coordination.
Low-key and humble are the first impressions left by today's Che Fangen. When passing by the group photo area and when someone is interviewing, he will even bend down, tiptoe, and quietly walk by with a smile.
But when the topic of football is talked about, Che Fangen will return to a serious expression and seriously think about answering every question from the reporter afterwards. It can be said that his career has deeply influenced a generation of Korean football. From him, Park Ji-sung, Lee Dong-kook, Ji Sung-yong including Sun Heung-min, began to gradually appear on the European stage and emerge.
Including Son Heung-min, more and more South Korean players are making their mark in the big five leagues. (Infographic) Image source: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
Why the performance of Korean players in the five major leagues has become a phenomenon. In an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Network, Che Fangen gave his own answer from the subjective aspect. In his view, South Korea's relatively poor football environment will make players burst out of the spirit of hard work in order to pursue a better stage and become better players.
Now, Chinese player Wu Lei is working hard for Espanyol in La Liga to gain a foothold. As a senior, Che Fangen also gave his own suggestions. But before that, he first combined his own experience and told reporters about the difficulties he faced when he first landed in the Bundesliga.
In 1978, the 25-year-old Che Van Gern chose to land in Europe, and within a year he moved to the then Bundesliga giants Frankfurt. In the face of teammates and opponents who are much better than themselves in all aspects, coupled with differences in the event system, training, and culture, Che Fangen is somewhat difficult to adapt to, and even produces a "sense of fear".
How should Wu Lei be based in La Liga? Image credit: Osports All Sports Photo Agency
How do you break the deadlock and integrate into the team? Che Fangen told reporters that in addition to actively going out of the circle of self and communicating with the team and teammates, maintaining the obsession and firm will of "must succeed here" in his heart can overcome all difficulties.
Therefore, when talking about how Wu Lei can stand in the European arena, Che Fangen said that no player can always be in the best state, and Wu Lei must minimize the amplitude of the state ups and downs in La Liga and fight with himself at all times to show more desire and morale than other players.
"As a new symbol of Chinese players in The European arena, his success will not only belong to himself, but also his obligation to show good form under the attention of Chinese fans and young players. So thinking about this, he may also make more efforts and honing for his own success. He said.
Che Fangen suggested that Wu Lei should always fight with himself to show more desire and fighting spirit than other team members. (Infographic)
When the reporter asked him when you think China would be able to reach the Final Round of the World Cup again, Che Fangen did not answer directly, but asked instead in which year the World Cup would expand. After getting the answer to "2026", he said: "Chinese football wants to complete the goals it has set, on the one hand, it needs its own efforts, and the increase in the number of participating teams just mentioned may also be a good opportunity." ”
In recent years, in addition to Iran, South Korea and Japan, the team is still in the top position in Asia, and the development of emerging forces such as Qatar and Vietnam has also attracted special attention. In contrast, the national football team that plays the world with a large number of veterans seems to be a bit standing still, or even declining.
Che Fangen told reporters that how the outside world comments on Chinese football is actually not important, in fact, what is the problem with Chinese football? It should be the Chinese Football Association or industry insiders who see it most clearly. How to find out and solve the problem is the most important cornerstone for the further development of Chinese football.
Che Fangen has always had deep roots in Chinese football. (Data photo) Zheng Xiaohong photo
In fact, Che Fangen has always had a deep relationship with Chinese football. In 1998, he came to China to coach Shenzhen Football Club, and although it was only a short period of 18 months, it was unforgettable for Che Fangen, who was in a low period at the time.
After leaving the coaching position, Che Fangen has also been paying attention to and committing to the development of China's youth training cause. In the 2017 season, the Chinese Football Association first introduced the concept of the "U23 New Deal", but in the process of implementation, it was somewhat "changed", and some players were replaced early or only got a few short few minutes before the final game.
In this regard, Che Fangen believes that young players can get the opportunity to play and improve their ability, which is very beneficial to the development of football in the whole country. But if some operating methods hinder the development of players, or do not achieve the desired effect, they can be improved from the system, "there is no reason to replace young players, these things are not worth the loss." (End)