In fact, Chinese football has had its glorious times. In the 20s of the last century, there was a saying among the Chinese people: "To watch a play, you should watch Mei Lanfang, and to watch a ball, you should watch Li Huitang". The strength of the figure who can be on par with Mei Lanfang can be seen, otherwise he would not be named the "world king".
However, compared to today's national football players, people can't help but feel doubtful.
World Champion
Recently, the World Cup competition has started again, and fans are annoyed that the national football team did not make the final. However, because of this, many people learned about Li Huitang. To be honest, after knowing his deeds, it can really be described as "shocking". The title of the world king is not a wasted name, he is really powerful, powerful enough to be described by the word "god".
Because in that era of barren country, sluggish sports and war-torn times, Li Huitang has created many mythical records.
For example, he has scored more than 2,000 goals in his 20-year sports career. Against Japan, he maintained a 17-year undefeated horror record. He scored seven goals against Malaysia at the Far East Games (the predecessor of the Asian Games). And the most brilliant is that before he led the team to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he played 27 football matches, resulting in 23 wins, 4 draws, and no defeat.
In 1976, Germany launched a vote in the "Universal Football Magazine" to select 5 world champions, and Li Huitang became one of them without suspense, on a par with Brazilian king Pele.
When Pele retired in 1975, he publicly stated that his skills were not as good as Li Huitang.
This is the world football king, Li Huitang.
The road to fame
Behind the success often requires difficulties that ordinary people cannot bear, Li Huitang lived in the late Qing Dynasty and early People's Dynasty, and the bitterness he had to bear was unimaginable.
Lee Wai Tong started his fame relatively smoothly, joining Hong Kong South China at the age of 17 and has since become known for his speed, agility and excellent ball control. What is especially frightening is that his height of 1.82 meters gives him enough explosive power. During a match against Japan, a long-range shot hit the Japanese goalkeeper in the face, and as a result, the Japanese goalkeeper was covered in blood and was taken to the hospital
Of course, his tall body and strong ball control often make it impossible for two or three people to snatch the football from under his feet.
Of course, Li Huitang was famous at that time, but only within the scope of Asia. But when he participated in the Australian football tournament in 1923, he instantly exploded in world football because he won three goals alone.
The title of Asian champion has also taken root.
However, in the eyes of the Asian powerhouse Japan at that time, Li Huitang's victory had a great element of luck, coupled with the fact that Japan regarded Chinese as the "sick man of East Asia" at that time, so it did not put the national football team in its eyes at all.
Li Huitang is a patriotic man, he can't stand the bullying of other countries, and decides to wash his shame on the green field. Since then, Li Huitang has led the team to participate in many ocean games, and has beaten Japan for 17 consecutive years. For a long time after that, Japanese football directly suffered from "Sinophobia".
Some people say that Li Huitang is a football genius, and although he is tall, he has a unique understanding of football, which makes him so honored.
However, this is not the case.
Li Huitang is indeed very talented in football, but he loves football even more, and his learning and training of football has reached the level of obsession. Other players usually get up at six or seven o'clock to train, but he has already done all the training at three or four in the morning.
In order to make his shots more accurate, he can train tens of thousands of shots a day. In order to dribble more smoothly, he invented many difficult obstacles to train every day. It can be said that in addition to the goalkeeping technique, he will try his best to improve other football skills.
It is also under his efforts that he not only has superb skills, but also practiced the stunt of "lying down and shooting".
Unfortunately, until 1931, the IOC did not recognize China as its member, so he never had the opportunity to compete against top foreign teams. Even in 1931, the IOC finally recognized its membership, but due to the financial constraints of the Republic of China government, it never gave financial support.
World-renowned
By the opening of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, Li Huitang felt that it was better to ask for others than to seek himself, and this Olympic Games must participate. But after calculation, if you take the team to the Olympics, the cost of going back and forth reaches 200,000 yuan.
In desperation, Li Huitang set out more than 2 months in advance, selling art performances along the way to earn travel expenses. It is really heart-wrenching that the national football team is so embarrassed. Not only that, but due to lack of funds, the team was poorly fed, and many players fell ill due to malnutrition. We can look at the group photos of the players at that time, they were all thin and dark-skinned, not much better than the crop man.
On the way to Berlin, the team played 27 matches to earn money for the journey, winning 23 games and drawing 4, setting a brilliant record of unbeaten status. In the end, under the leadership of Li Huitang, the team not only raised 200,000 yuan, but also gave 100,000 points to the Chinese team participating in other Olympic events.
When we look at the national football team at that time, it was the Olympic team of the entire country. And Li Huitang was selected as the flag bearer of the Chinese team at that time. Looking at today's national football team, which has a lot of annual income, not only can't play abroad, but also can't say, can't scold, it's really too ironic.
However, the Chinese team, which participated in the Olympics for the first time, is obviously not the opponent of those sports powerhouses. Even the national football team stopped at the first game. In fact, they couldn't complain about the national football team, because they met the world's number one team at that time, the British team, in their first game.
It can be imagined that when the British team saw the gray-faced and scrawny Chinese team, their hearts must be full of disgust. Facing such a team, not playing double digits is sorry for the title of world number one. At that time, tens of thousands of spectators on the field were also waiting to see the jokes of the national football team.
Indeed, the Chinese team usually eats pickle steamed buns and porridge, long-term malnutrition, coupled with no professional training, physically completely crushed by the British team. Especially in the second half, the right pioneer Cao Guicheng fainted on the green field because of physical exhaustion.
But even so, the Chinese team's flexible position and superb passing made the British team dangerous in front of goal, and even allowed the Chinese team to seize the opportunity to score a goal. It's a pity that this goal was invalidated.
In the middle and late stages of the second half, the Chinese team was seriously overdrawn, and the British team seized the opportunity to score two goals in a row. In the end, the Chinese team lost 0:2 to the British team and was eliminated.
"Thousands of miles do not hesitate to die, and once succeed."
Although the Chinese team failed, it won the respect of the whole world. Such an inconspicuous team has withstood the bombardment of the world's number one team, and if it were not for the serious lack of physical strength, it is really difficult to say who will lose or win.
Of course, Li Huitang's performance in this game was extremely bright, and it was under his leadership that the team put strong pressure on the British team.
Unique
After the match, the British changed their attitude and invited Li Huitang to bring the team to the United Kingdom for friendly matches, and all the expenses were borne by the United Kingdom. When the team arrived in London, England, thousands of British fans were waiting for our national football team, and that scene was enough to make the Chinese cry.
Because it's recognition, it's pride, it's sadness.
After the friendly match, the Mayor of London hosted a banquet to entertain the team. As the captain, Li Huitang is not only strict in training, but also pays attention to etiquette. Although the players kept swallowing saliva at the food in front of them, they were polite and there was no chaos of looting.
When the national football team left, the mayor of London gave a high evaluation and suggested that the Chinese team be invited to participate in the 1938 World Cup in France. This is also the first time that Asian teams have been given a place in the World Cup.
Unfortunately, when Li Huitang was training hard with the national football team members and preparing for the World Cup, the Lugou Bridge Incident occurred in 1937. Without saying a word, Li Huitang immediately took off his green battle robe, suffered from the battlefield uniform, and plunged into the war of resistance.
In the end, the players of the national football team died one after another, and Li Huitang did not enter the battlefield because of his spiritual symbolism. But he could not sit idly by, and then created the Wuhua football team and participated in football events including exhibition matches and charity matches. All the money raised was then donated to the war.
"It is still strong after thousands of hardships, and the wind blows from east to west, south and north."
Li Huitang not only has excellent ball skills, but also was named the world football king. His character and patriotism are even more moving. It is precisely because China has many national backbones like Li Huitang that it has been able to achieve its current achievements.
All if anyone has to ask: How powerful is the world king Li Huitang? I think the idiom "unique in the world" is the answer.
Reference: "The Biography of Li Huitang"