A retrospective interview with Zhao Dayu, a short-footed tiger in Chinese football, and his younger brother Zhao Daxin fondly recalled: his departure has nothing to do with drinking, and his lifelong "three in and three out" and difficulties are accompanied by difficulties, but he is always positive and optimistic, and he remembers the children of the foot school
(All real photos in this article are provided by team photographer Long Guoen)
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Author: Gangster Ming
According to the list of guangdong football's top ten male football players selected in 2019, they are all well-known celebrities in Guangdong football and even Chinese football, and they are interviewed in depth one by one: recalling the past glory days, telling little-known stories, coupled with sharing incisive views on current hot topics, is a series of reports that Ming chat sports new media has been focusing on. After completing 8 of them, there were indeed certain difficulties. Mr. Zhao Dayu, who has the reputation of a short-legged tiger in Chinese football and a famous player in Guangdong football, is also on the list of winners, but he unfortunately passed away in 2015... According to the suggestions of the leaders of the Football Association and the seniors of the football world, this interview can be completed in the form of remembrance through exchanges with Zhao Dayu's younger brother Zhao Daxin, and I believe that it can also have good results.
Coming to the headquarters of Guangzhou Ruike Sports Company in Yihai Road, Haizhu District, which was founded by the two brothers, under the guidance of his younger brother Zhao Daxin, he visited the various display areas of Ruike Sports products, as well as many precious photos, collections and awards, which made people feast their eyes. As we all know, this local brand, which has taken root in the hearts of Guangzhou sports fans, is now more and more professional in the creation of football equipment: providing a full set of competition training equipment for the Australian Super League powerhouse Adelaide United was once rumored to be a good story; and providing a full set of equipment for the Meizhou Hakka team, a strong team in the Chinese First Division, is recognized in the circle. In addition, they have also begun to enter the product research and development of other sports competitions, and the development trend is naturally getting better and better.
After the visit, he went to the office, and the retrospective interview with the new brother was immediately opened, he very much recognized the poster of "Datong World, Famous in China" to commemorate Zhao Dayu, and shared many unforgettable experiences and feelings in the past 1 hour, and now presents all the content for everyone.
Ming (Big Guy Ming): In 2015, the football celebrity Mr. Zhao Dayu unfortunately passed away, and it has been 6 years since today, as a younger brother, has the new brother and his family gradually let go? Do you still think of him a lot? What is the scene that most often comes to mind about him?
Xin (Zhao Daxin): Yes, I have been relieved, including my family, my mother, my brothers and sisters, including his wife, everyone has slowly released... In the blink of an eye, 6 years have passed, life will continue, and everyone has slowly come out of sad emotions.
I often sit in my office now, and I often feel my brother walking through the corridor outside, and he seems to be greeting everyone, although it is an illusion, but it may also be a form of nostalgia for him. There is also the scene when I often think of the two brothers playing football together, which is really happy and unforgettable. This kind of talk is natural, it comes from the heart, and even if you wake up, there will be no sadness.
Ming: Looking back on The life of Mr. Zhao Dayu now, if you only use one sentence to highly summarize, what is your evaluation of him as a relative? As a professional footballer and football star, what do you think of him? As a Chinese footballer, what do you want to say?
New: As a relative, I think he is a very brave and family-oriented person. As a professional player, it may be difficult to summarize him in one sentence, I think Zhao Dayu is a very difficult person, he began to enter the stadium to play under the influence of his father and uncles, until he entered the national team, it can be said that from beginning to end has been encountering various difficulties. When he was young, he encountered difficulties with height and slower speed, and his family encouraged him to say that football is not only about absolute speed, but also about the overall situation, and about instantaneous speed. Therefore, Zhao Dayu later specially practiced short-range explosive power and assault ability; when he got older, the brothers and brothers around him entered the professional team one by one, but they couldn't choose him! In fact, at that time, his skills were already very brilliant, born in 61, he often played with people who were two or three years older than himself, and he could fully adapt, should still be because of his height, he was repeatedly not selected by the professional team. At this time, my father said that it doesn't matter if you are not tall, you should focus on practicing your footwork and play well. Then Zhao Dayu desperately practiced his foot skills, and finally several people around him could not grab his ball...
In his life, he can be said to have constantly overcome difficulties, and then finally got on the professional team, once entered the national team, and still encountered the same problem. Coaches know that Zhao Dayu is highly skilled, but as soon as he arrives in Beijing, there will be fans who will boo and question his selection, or how can Zhao Dayu be so small that he can occupy a place? However, the development continued, and all the problems were solved by Zhao Dayu! His career can be described as "three in and three out", which is a process of constantly overcoming difficulties.
He returned to guangzhou Helios football team as the head coach, and deeply realized that the youth football training is a blank, how high can a building without a foundation be built? He resolutely founded Guangzhou Yida Football School, and also encountered many difficulties in the process of operation: the society's cognition of children playing football, new things and inherent systems competing... Zhao Dayu has been accompanied by difficulties in his life, and he always said that there will be new problems every day, and if there are problems, they must be solved. With the efforts of him and his team, he has cultivated a group of players who are active in the Chinese Super League, Chinese First Division and Chinese Second Division, such as Li Yan, Chen Zhizhao, Xu Weilong, Yang Yihu, Wei Jingxing, Cai Mingmin, Liang Zhanhao, Zhong Ke, Yang Xin, Zhang Jinliang, Lu Chun barium, etc., and also trained a group of coaches who are active in campus football.
I feel that my brother's life is bumpy, people are jogging life road, he is a 100-meter hurdles running, step by step, constantly overcoming difficulties.
Ming: Many people in the outside world say that Mr. Zhao Dayu died of illness caused by drinking too much alcohol, is that right? What is the most real situation? Is there any advice for his death to the current professional players or football celebrities?
New: My brother and I are very close and I know his situation very well, and I don't agree with that. He is a very happy and enthusiastic person, and sometimes everyone will drink happily when friends gather, but his departure is not caused by drinking! It's not a matter of drinking at all, I think it's really bad luck, and getting into this stubborn disease is like getting into bad luck, in fact, it has nothing to do with how much alcohol is drunk. Even if he encounters a drunken situation, his life is still well handled, and he will not miss a single thing to do.
The development of football is a law to follow, or it needs to be studied, done, and implemented steadily, but also with care, but also need time precipitation. In addition, Chinese football has no foundation, so it is more necessary to develop these elements. From my brother Zhao Dayu, what I can feel most is this.
Ming: I remember the closest exchange with Mr. Zhao Dayu to this day, that night (in the early morning) watching the Premier League game, seeing Principal Zhao explain, and at 9 o'clock the next morning, I saw him passionately and loudly directing on the sidelines in a five-a-side football match... During the break, I went forward to ask Principal Zhao, you explained last night, this morning you led the team to participate, there is only a gap of four or five hours in between, don't you sleep? Can you stand such a continuous axis? I still don't forget President Zhao's reply - I don't feel tired at all, as long as I encounter football, I am full of energy! New brother, is Mr. Zhao Dayu really such a person as he said? What else in your impression can reflect this trait of him?
New: He's such a person, you're right, he just hits the ball and he's full of energy! When his father and uncle took him to the stadium to play football, he loved it from the bottom of his heart, and as a result, he raced on the court all his life! He was pretty much circling around the football and hadn't done anything else. Including Zhao Dayu's division brothers, everyone is similar, they are particularly energetic when they encounter football, and everyone loves this cause from the bottom of their hearts.
To share a little episode with you, when we went out to compete together, we were particularly poor that year, there was nothing to eat, only steamed buns and porridge, you didn't have to choose, you didn't have physical strength if you didn't eat, you couldn't play... Everyone has practiced a strong ability to adapt from a young age, can also bear hardships and stand hard work, for diet, sleep are not afraid of various difficult conditions, adaptability is particularly strong, will not pick at all, everyone thinks the same - as long as you can play football, as long as the game is good, no matter how big the difficulties can be overcome, the big things are not as big as football! So after going through such a process, you have the words that he said when you communicated with him at that time.
Ming: Zhao Dayu has made a lot of contributions to Chinese football, Nanyue football, Guangdong football and even Guangzhou football, recalling his life, you and he have participated together, so far the most memorable and often remembered thing? What do you know about the most memorable and often frequent thing for him personally? What do you think is his biggest contribution to Chinese football?
New: The best memories of my time with him are almost always about playing football together. I remember once we went to the Wuhan division together, and I remember that he was so involved that he was injured from head to toe, and almost no part of his body was intact. I remember that he played for the Guangzhou team at that time, and I don't remember what made him so involved, but we went together in that game, and we had such an unusual encounter, so I was very impressed.
As for Zhao Dayu's personal experience, what impressed me most was his football school. Including after he learned that he was terminally ill, he still insisted on taking the children to train and hold various competitions on the court, and he also placed the excellent players he had cultivated. In fact, Zhao Dayu knows very well in his heart which players can become talents and which ones need to continue their studies, and he will try his best to transport them to the most suitable and higher-level places. And Zhao Dayu will also do his own thing, and do a good job of handing over to the future coach in the process of sending them away, including many details, which impressed me deeply. Even though his body was already very uncomfortable, Principal Zhao still remembered his disciples, and he must arrange them all well, so that he could calm down in his heart.
Their generation of footballers, including Zhao Dayu, you can say that they have contributed a lot to Chinese football, or you can say that they have not contributed much... I think they're a lot like an animal: cattle. For the impact of the World Cup, they have not succeeded, so far it is only once in 2002, so if Chinese football wants to be strong, it needs more people to work hard, to cultivate, to pay. A generation of footballers, including Zhao Dayu, are like cattle, they have quietly worked hard to pay a lot for the cause of Chinese football, but the conditions are difficult, the results are not remarkable, and their returns are rare. Some players go out for training or games every year and don't come home for eight or nine months, and they really pay a lot for football and make me feel like a cow.
Ming: Zhao Dayu is only 1.6 meters tall, but he has played the level of the national team, which is admirable. During the period of hard work, difficulties and hard work, perhaps only he and the closest people around him know, is there any little-known story here that everyone can share? How did Zhao Dayu overcome the height disadvantage and play his own strengths?
New: The deepest impression is still that after he was selected for the national team, he came to Beijing, and many people saw Zhao Dayu's height and expressed disbelief, and they kept booing him. But in the team, his coaches and leaders recognize him and keep helping him – you're shorter than others, but you're not completely out of control. If it is a high ball that flies over, there is naturally no way, but if it is a flat fly ball, as long as you are fast and pressed in front of the opponent, the ball is not naturally yours... After Zhao Dayu returned, he kept practicing hard, letting his teammates help him practice, and later in an international invitational tournament, he jumped several fish, accompanied by a few barbs, and the audience was stunned! This is the result of his hard work, and it is very targeted, he constantly lets his teammates pass the flying ball to him, constantly practices how to control the ball in front of the opponent, handle the ball, almost unlimited, day after day of practice, and finally have a good effect later. After such a play, everyone was convinced, no one booed Zhao Dayu anymore, and everyone gave him a thumbs up! There were several games, the first half was behind, the second half was replaced by Zhao Dayu, again and again proved that he was OK, can fully establish himself in the national team, and contributed a lot to the team. Zhao Dayu's popularity is getting higher and higher, and it is at this time that the nickname of "short-footed tiger" is called up by everyone.
I think professional players are like this, how specific performances on the field are, almost determines everything! If you want to prove yourself, the performance must be convincing, and to get the fans to recognize you, it comes down to you, depending on how specifically you play on the field. The players of their time were so, and they are the same to this day! Just like Wu Lei, like Wang Shuang, it is to prove his value by playing in a down-to-earth manner.
Ming: The name "Short-footed Tiger" began with the role of Wang Ying in "Water Margin", how he was used in Chinese football in the first place, used on Zhao Dayu, who said it first? Is there any story to share here?
New: This nickname was given to Zhao Dayu by fans, and it came with him after his initial fame, as if it was in 81 or 82. If I remember correctly, it should be the fans of other provinces to help Zhao Dayuqi, we all know that Guangdong has a South China tiger, plus he is short, call him a short-footed tiger, the specific is not very clear, after all, it has been too many years... Fans shouted, the media wrote, and finally this nickname became a household name. For himself, it is natural to like the nickname of the short-legged tiger very much, after all, the tiger is very powerful and fierce, everyone often says that the tiger is mighty, and Zhao Dayu hopes that he can also show this domineering feeling on the field.
Ming: Yida Football Club and Football School are the causes that Zhao Dayu attached great importance to before he died, so everyone will call him Principal Zhao, so now that he is gone, will the football school and club continue to operate? Is it getting harder? How to sustain it?
New: This is inevitable. Zhao Dayu is gone, and it is indeed very difficult for Yida Football Club, including football schools, to operate, and may not be able to continue. One of the important reasons is the land, the stadium land government has planned to use as a reserve, because our stadium can increase the local football population every year, so we are also fighting, hoping that the government can continue to use the land as a football field to ensure everyone's right to play football. Our football school is mainly aimed at primary school students, because of the epidemic in the past two years, Zhao Dayu's son can not come back in Japan, so his wife will occasionally engage in a cup match, but the overall situation is definitely difficult and unstable. I think that revitalization cannot be said to have no way or hope, but first of all, we must solve the problem of the site, and only with the site can we have a foothold.
Ming: The back wave of the Yangtze River pushes the front wave is the law, and Chinese football will continue to develop, so from your point of view, what characteristics, what spirit, or what shining points are zhao Dayu, should let the younger generations learn, learn from and carry forward? In Chinese football and Guangdong football, can there be a few more short-footed tigers?
New: Don't be hindered by difficulties in the way you originally wanted to go, be patient in the process, have patience, can't do this, can't hold your breath, and eventually will only be defeated. Zhao Dayu has been accompanied by difficulties all his life, and it cannot be said that he is very successful, but it is precisely because he has these qualities and qualities mentioned above that he has finally made people who question himself become people who admire himself! The current conditions of the players are much better, but in them it is difficult to see the fierceness, hard work, and domineering spirit of the short-footed tiger...
I believe that there will be football talents in Guangdong in the future! As long as the overall football atmosphere is good and works according to the rules, Guangdong will certainly be able to produce more football talents. The child's nature to play football is very important, can not force him, to really love the sport from the bottom of his heart, really want to play football. Guangdong people are brilliant, football talent is sooner or later, this point does not need to worry. Height does not matter, everyone looks at Zhao Dayu, do not always stare at his height, to see his hard work, the fierceness of not accepting defeat, the courage to face difficulties, etc., how much height and playing football itself have no contradiction! Born I will be useful, Guangdong has a foundation, everyone should not be so utilitarian, pure, look forward to more football seedlings mushrooming.
Interview experience: Thank you very much Mr. Zhao Daxin for accepting the interview with our new media team, applying to share the legendary experience of his brother Zhao Dayu in more than an hour, and also taking us to visit the headquarters of Ricker Sports, I feel that this trip has gained a lot and benefited a lot. Zhao Dayu, as the flagship figure of Guangzhou football and Guangdong football, as a famous figure in Chinese football, although he has unfortunately left everyone, there are still many shining points on his body that are worth learning from people and worth learning from future generations. I hope that the sharing of some stories and details in this report can let everyone know more about the deeds of Zhao Dayu, a short-footed tiger in Chinese football, and also give more reference, reference and influence to the current Chinese football through the sharing of predecessors, after all, the development of football will continue, and everyone also hopes that chinese football in the future can get better and better.
Finally, with the evaluation of Mr. Zhao Dayu by Liu Xiaowu, president of the Guangdong Futsal Association, as a concluding remark - we recall the interview with the short-footed tiger Zhao Dayu, I think the most important thing is that a star like Zhao Dayu was born in our grassroots football world, and fans will relish when they played with Zhao Dayu! In front of Zhao Dayu, all fans do not have a sense of inferiority, because their own conditions are not worse than Zhao Dayu, so everyone will feel that as long as they work hard, they can also reach a certain level! His death has caused fans to lose a star around them, and even FIFA has sent condolences, which is still the first in Chinese football!
Principal Zhao - a short-legged tiger in Chinese football, all the way, there is no pain in heaven, there is still your heroic posture of playing football, and everyone will never forget you.