A veteran's counterattack
It has been said that football is the most brutal sport. In just a few decades of career, countless talented players have become passers-by one in this way. But there are also some players who, with perseverance and tenacity, have completed their legends in their careers. Zheng Zheng is such a legendary "veteran".
As a youth player of Luneng, Zheng Zheng made it all the way from the academy to the first team with his outstanding performance and became the team's main central defender. Soon, he also participated in the World Preliminaries with the national team, and made many meritorious contributions at critical moments, and once became the main force of the national football team. However, just when his career was taking off, Zheng Zheng began to gradually fade out of the main ranks of the national team and became a "marginal player" of the national football team.
However, even on the edge of the national team, Zheng Zheng still insisted on sweating on the club field and became an indispensable person in the eyes of many coaches. Until 2023, Zheng Zheng ushered in another counterattack in his career.
In March 2023, Shandong Taishan team ushered in a new coach Cui Kangxi. As a coach who likes to use young players, the first thing Choi Kang-he did after taking office was to drastically adjust the team's lineup. However, among the many player rotations, Zheng Zheng unexpectedly maintained his main position. This is enough to show that even under this young coach, Zheng Zheng is still an indispensable and important member of the team.
But in a game in April, something happened that surprised everyone - this iron man, who many coaches did not dare to abandon, actually missed the squad! What is going on? Is Zheng Zheng injured? Or is there something else? With these questions, let's explore the story of Zheng Zheng, a "veteran".
Zheng Zheng's youth training years
Zheng Zheng was born in 1989 and is originally from Shandong. From an early age, he showed extraordinary football talent and soon entered the famous local Luneng Academy. Here, he received systematic soccer training and excelled in all age groups with his outstanding performances.
In 2007, 18-year-old Zheng Zheng officially entered the Luneng first team and became the team's central defender. At that time, Luneng was in a transition period, and the team's main lineup changed frequently, which provided Zheng Zheng with an opportunity to show his talents. With his outstanding performance, Zheng Zheng quickly established his position in the first team and became the team's main central defender.
In 2009, Zheng Zheng was selected for the national team for the first time and participated in the East Asian Football Championship that year. In this competition, he impressed head coach Lippi with his outstanding performances and soon became a regular choice for the national team. Since then, Zheng Zheng has started his national team career.
In the national team, Zheng Zheng also had some downturns. He was marginalized at one point in the 2014 World Cup qualifying stage until Lippi reactivated him. Under Lippi's trust, Zheng Zheng once again became the main central defender of the national team. He performed well in that world qualifier, scoring twice to help the national football team win.
This period can be said to be the peak of Zheng Zheng's career. Not only did he perform consistently at club level, but he was also trusted by the national team as a first-choice centre-back. But just as his career was taking off, some changes began to happen.
Marginalization of the national team
In 2015, Zheng Zheng suffered the first major setback of his career. At that time, the national team changed its coach, and the new coach was not optimistic about Zheng Zheng, so he marginalized him from the national team. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Zheng Zheng, who has just found his form.
In the following years, although Zheng Zheng still maintained an excellent performance in the club, the door of the national team was closed to him. No matter how good he is, the new national team manager is reluctant to reuse him. This frustrated Zheng Zheng and he began to question his future.
Fortunately, in this trough period, Zheng Zheng did not give up, but continued to play his greatest value in the club arena. He has been the main centre-back at Luneng and has played a key role in every season. Even after the change of coach of the team, Zheng Zheng still won the trust of the new coach and became an indispensable and important member of the team.
In 2018, after many years, the national team coach finally gave Zheng Zheng a chance again. When the new coach Lippi rebuilt the national football team, he decided to give Zheng Zheng a chance to prove himself. With Lippi's trust, Zheng Zheng once again entered the main lineup of the national team.
Under Lippi, Zheng Zheng once again proved his worth. His outstanding performances in the national team have impressed Lippi with him. At the post-match press conference, Lippi bluntly said that Zheng Zheng will be the main central defender of the national team in the future. This undoubtedly gave Zheng Zheng great confidence and motivation, and rekindled his ambition to fight.
Since then, Zheng Zheng has once again become the mainstay of the national team. In the years that followed, he continued to be in excellent form and became an indispensable figure in the eyes of several national team managers. Although he was marginalized for a while, with his persistence and tenacity, Zheng Zheng finally regained his status in the national team.
This period can be said to be the most bumpy period of Zheng Zheng's career. Although he has been consistent at the club, the frequent marginalization of the national team has undoubtedly dealt a heavy psychological blow to him. Fortunately, Zheng Zheng did not give up, but tried his best to prove himself every time the opportunity came. In the end, he regained the trust of the coach with his own strength and became the main central defender of the national team again.
Such a counterattack story has also made Zheng Zheng a "hero" in the hearts of many fans. Even in the difficult times when the national team was marginalized, he still worked hard for the club and never gave up. This dedication to football and the pursuit of a career is admirable.
In March 2023, Shandong Taishan team ushered in a new coach Cui Kangxi. For the coach, who likes to use young players, changing the squad is undoubtedly a priority. As a 35-year-old veteran, whether Zheng Zheng can continue to maintain his main position under Cui Kangxi has aroused widespread attention from fans.
However, in the process of Choi Kang-hee's drastic adjustment of the team's lineup, Zheng Zheng unexpectedly retained his main position. This fully shows that even under this young coach, Zheng Zheng is still an indispensable and important member of the team. Over the years, Zheng Zheng's outstanding performance in the club has also made him a "valuable asset" in the eyes of different coaches.
But in a game in April, something happened that surprised everyone - this "iron man" who many managers did not dare to abandon was not selected for the squad!
It turned out that Cui Kangxi did not want to abandon Zheng Zheng in this game, but for the sake of rotation, he gave the veteran a short rest. As a 35-year-old veteran, Zheng Zheng will inevitably be a little overloaded in the previous rounds of intensive competition. In order to ensure Zheng Zheng's subsequent competitive state, Cui Kangxi chose to let him rest in this game.
This also shows that in Cui Kangxi's heart, Zheng Zheng is still an indispensable key player for the team. Even though he is 35 years old, as long as he is in good shape, Choi Kang-hee will not hesitate to let him play. After a short break, Zheng Zheng is expected to return to his old style in the next crucial game against SIPG and fight for victory for the team.
From being marginalized before, to now becoming the "treasure in the palm" of the head coach again, Zheng Zheng's career can be described as bumpy and brilliant. In the rotation of many teams, he has always maintained excellent competitive form and has become an indispensable person in the eyes of different managers. Even under Choi Kang-hee, a young coach, he can still continue to occupy the main position with his own strength, which is enough to prove his value.
The key to Zheng Zheng's legendary career lies in his dedication to football and his persistence in his career. Even in the trough period, he never gave up on himself, but proved his worth again and again through his own efforts. This kind of tenacity and determination is undoubtedly admirable.
As a 35-year-old veteran, Zheng Zheng still maintained excellent competitive form in the final stage of his career. It has also made him a role model for many young players, inspiring them to work tirelessly for their dreams. I believe that as long as Zheng Zheng can continue to maintain this state, he will definitely be able to contribute more value to the team in the next games and write his last wonderful chapter.