Coming to the Asian Cup final again after 40 years! Jia Xiuquan was officially invited by the AFC to watch the game
Reporter Cheng Shan reported that on December 14, the Qatar Asian Cup Organizing Committee sent an invitation letter to the Chinese Football Association, and the recipient was Coach Jia Xiuquan. The invitation was sent to Jia Xiuquan by the current AFC secretary-general Datuk Windsor John, hoping that he would be able to watch the match of the Asian Cup final on February 10, 2024. The main reason why Coach Jia Xiuquan was invited this time was that he was the MVP of the 1984 Asian Cup in Singapore, when the previous MVPs will come together, and the AFC will cover all the expenses of the invitees.
Being invited this time is not only an honor for Coach Jia Xiuquan personally, but also for the entire Chinese football community. Because the 1984 Asian Cup was not only a milestone in Jia Xiu's career as a professional player, but also a milestone in the highest honor of the Chinese national team in the Asian Cup, the runner-up. Although the national football team won the runner-up of the Asian Cup again in 2004, the MVP of the tournament was not won by the Chinese players.
If it weren't for the invitation of the AFC, many people would have forgotten that Chinese football actually had a very bright moment in Asia. Jia Xiuquan was born in 1963, and the information of his playing days was not developed, and there are not too many video materials related to him that can be left, but the glory of the best players in the Asian Cup in the past has not been buried. And Jia Xiuquan himself is still very emotional about the history of winning MVP.
Because there are four opponents in the same group: Iran, Singapore, India, and the United Arab Emirates, even if the Chinese team wins 2-0 against the host Singapore, it still does not see a clear hope of qualifying. But then the national football team defeated India 3-0 in succession, and the final game was a 5-goal sweep of the United Arab Emirates, while the Iranian team was forced to draw by India and Singapore in a row, after the end of the group stage, the national football team beat Iran to get the first place in the group, because the winning points of the year were only 2 points, so the 3-1 national football team actually accumulated 6 points with the Iranian team with 2 wins and 2 draws, and finally relied on the goal difference of two big wins to beat the opponent. In the semifinals, the national football team won Kuwait 1-0.
After returning from the 1983 World Youth Championships, Jia Xiuquan became the main force in the 1984 Asian Cup, despite being only 21 years old. In the five games before the national football team lost to Saudi Arabia in the final, scored 11 goals and conceded only 2 goals in 5 games, Jia Xiuquan, as a central defender, not only contributed 3 goals on the offensive side (tied for the top scorer), but also stabilized his position on the defensive end, and the MVP deserved it.
That Asian Cup made Jia Xiuquan, who had not yet started the road to study abroad, famous in Asia. After that, he successively moved to various parts of Europe and Asia, attracting countless fans. It wasn't until many years later that he led the team to Japan for training, and the fans of his old club Gamba Osaka made a special trip to the hotel where the National Olympic team stayed to find Coach Jia Xiuquan to take a group photo.
Many young fans may not know the glory of Jia Xiu's global playing days, but the AFC has not forgotten this glory. At present, Coach Jia Xiuquan has decided to accept the invitation, and this invitation letter also unveils the long-dusted memories of Chinese football.
Let's take a look at the 1984 lineup, the head coach is Zeng Xuelin, the squad includes: Lu Jianren, Li Hui, Yang Zhaohui in Beijing, Yang Ning, Chi Minghua, Gu Guangming, Wu Yuhua in Guangdong, Zhu Bo and Jia Xiuquan in Bayi, Lin Lefeng, Li Huayun and Ma Lin in Liaoning, Lu Hongxiang and Zuo Shusheng in Tianjin, Wang Dongning in Shandong, Lin Qiang in Hubei, Qin Guorong and Liu Haiguang in Shanghai, and Zhao Dayu in Guangzhou. Jia Xiuquan has always believed that his ability to win the MVP and top scorer is the result of the joint efforts of his coach and teammates. I am the best player who stands on the shoulders of the whole team. His teammates back then, Gu Guangming and Zhao Dayu, Li Huayun, and Liu Haiguang were all among the best players of their generation.
Many people wonder why no Chinese player has been able to shine in the Asian Cup since Jia Xiuquan? On the contrary, it is the Japanese team, which is the country with the largest number of MVP players in the Asian Cup. In this regard, the former coach Jia Xiuquan said in an exclusive interview with reporters: "This is a comprehensive problem, related to the strength of players in the same era, related to the strength of competitors, the environment of the entire Asian football, and the most important thing is related to the results of China's international competitions. ”
"Failed to keep up in time", which made Chinese football slide from the former championship division to the current top eight goals, and the Asian Cup runner-up and tournament MVP are even more unattainable heights for Chinese footballers at this stage. Because of this, this invitation, and the honor behind it, are particularly precious.