The 24-year-old genius of the Chinese men's football team has become popular, received the attention of authoritative media, and is expected to enter the European League
The 2024 Asian Cup is about to start, and recently, ESPN, a world-renowned sports media, has taken stock of some players worth paying attention to in the Asian Cup. What is more surprising is that Zhu Chenjie, a rising defensive star of the Chinese men's football team, is on the list, tied with players such as Afif and Albrican. After gaining the attention of world-class media, Zhu Chenjie may be expected to attract the attention of more European clubs.
ESPN spoke highly of Zhu: "As a six-foot-tall centre-back, Zhu has been one of the most promising talents in Chinese football, setting a new club record for Shanghai Shenhua on his debut three days before his 18th birthday in 2018 and becoming the youngest goalscorer ever for Shenhua just over a month later. The following season, he made 30 appearances for Shenhua in all competitions, the most highlight of which was winning the Chinese FA Cup twice in his career. These efforts have earned him the Young Player of the Year award from the Chinese Football Association and a member of the Chinese Super League Team of the Year. ”
"Zhu Chenjie has been a member of the Chinese national team since 2019 and is an excellent player. Although the Chinese team ultimately failed to succeed in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Zhu Chenjie has always stuck to the team's backline. In the past two matches of the 2026 World Preliminaries, Zhu Chenjie is also the main defender of the Chinese team. ESPN said.
Along with Zhu Chenjie, Qatar's Afif, Iraq's Mohannadi Ali, Australia's Joe Gauci, and Saudi Arabia's Albrikan are on the list. What these players have in common is that they are young and have no experience of playing in Europe, and after being increased by ESPN, it is foreseeable that these players will become the focus of European scouts, if Zhu Chenjie can perform well in the Asian Cup, coupled with the blessing of authoritative media, the possibility of driving in Europe in the future will be greatly increased.