In 2023, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has published the impressive annual World Women's Football Club Rankings. Spain's Barcelona, France's Lyon and Brazil's Corinthians occupy the top three, while England's Chelsea and Germany's VfL Wolfsburg are close behind. It is worth noting that Scotland's Celtic women's football team is ranked 17th in this ranking, which is the highest-ranked club in China to stay in the United States, especially for the Chinese women's football team. The two internationals of the Chinese women's football team, Shen Mengyu and Shen Menglu, have played a key role in this team, and their performances have not only won the team glory, but also won the Chinese players prestige on the international stage.
Shen Mengyu and Shen Menglu's performances in the Celtic women's football team were wonderful. Not only did they solidify their place in the team, but they also contributed to the team's victory with countless goals and assists. However, these two excellent players have not been reused by the coaching staff in the Women's World Cup and Olympic qualifiers. The coaching staff's view at the time was that Celtic were not as good as the top five leagues, or even enough to match the top players in China's domestic leagues, was controversial at the time.
Now, the announcement of the IFFHS rankings is undoubtedly a rebuttal to the choice of the coaching staff at the time. The ranking of the Celtic women's football team not only shows their strength, but also proves the competitiveness of Shen Mengyu and Shen Menglu's team. This fact is not only a recognition of the talent of both players, but also a challenge to the coaching staff's judgment in the first place. We can't help but wonder: if Shen Mengyu and Shen Menglu had been reused at that time, would the women's football team have achieved better results?
Regarding the future of Shen Mengyu and Shen Menglu, there are rumors that they may transfer to a team in Europe's top five leagues, which is obviously to further improve their competitive level. However, these rumours also indirectly reflect the underestimation of the strength of Celtic's women's football team. In fact, Celtic is already the highest-ranked club played by Chinese women's football players, which shows that Shen Mengyu and Shen Menglu have been at the forefront of the international development of Chinese women's football players.
Overall, Shen Mengyu and Shen Menglu's experience at Celtic is not only a personal success, but also a symbol of the Chinese women's football team's rising status in international football. Their stories prove that even in the competitive environment of international football, Chinese players are able to stand out through their hard work and talent. This is not only a praise for the two players, but also a positive outlook for the future development of the Chinese women's football team!