In Norway in April, the sun is shining and the trees on both sides of the country path are once again rejuvenated, the green leaves bring a hint of coolness to the road, and the air is filled with the fresh and fragrant scent of flowers.
At just 25 years old, Hou Yongyong once again set foot on this familiar and intimate land wearing the red and white jersey of the Lanheim team.
Leaving China became an opportunity for him to re-pursue his football dream. When he looked around, he saw that nothing seemed to have changed in his hometown, however, the only difference was that he was no longer the boy he once only knew how to play football.
During the four years he spent in China, he experienced countless ups and downs, and also accumulated a fortune of up to 20 million yuan.
Now, Hou Yongyong needs to prove himself again on the court with a new mentality and strength. His gaze was firm and deep, as if he had made up his mind to get all the past losses back one by one.
"I'm looking forward to getting back into form at Lanheim and starting a new chapter in my career. Hou Yongyong said.
Those setbacks did not defeat him completely, but made him realize more clearly that if he wants to realize his dreams, he must have an indomitable and never-say-die spirit.
As a professional athlete, injuries and lows are inevitable challenges, and the key is how to bravely face defeat and bounce back with more tenacity.
He took a steady step to the center of the court and took a deep breath of fresh air. That's right, this is where he started over.
Hou Yongyong's love for football seems to have been predestined from the moment he was born. In 1998, he was born into a Chinese-Norwegian family, his mother Hou Yurong is from Luoyang, Henan Province, and his father Seth is a native Norwegian.
The two of them met in Japan and eventually got married.
The privileged family environment opened the door to the palace of art for Hou Yongyong. In addition to football, he was nurtured by his family from an early age to become an all-round musician who was proficient in violin and piano playing.
He was gifted and virtuosic on the piano and has performed as a soloist in concert halls of thousands. His mother, Hou Yurong, once thought that her son's future would shine brightly in the world of music.
However, the attraction of football to Hou Yongyong is like a magnet to iron, far beyond the shock that music can bring. "Learning the piano and playing football require a huge amount of time and effort, so when I had to choose between the two, I decided to choose football because I firmly believe that I have an unrivalled talent in this field," Hou Yongyong recalls with emotion.
At the age of 5, Hou Yongyong stepped into an amateur club in the local community and began to receive professional football training. After a long and fulfilling nine years, this talented teenager has become a member of the world-renowned Norwegian giants Rosenborg's youth team, and thus has ushered in a new chapter in his career.
As the youngest player to make a league appearance in the club's history, at the age of 16, Hou Yongyong was awarded the honorary title of "Talented Teenager" by the Norwegian Football Association, and his name is already regarded as the future star of Norwegian football.
At that time, he was full of passion and endless expectations for the future, and as long as he persevered, he was confident that he would become the next superstar like the "Babyface Killer", just like his idol Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, leading his country to Europe's top five leagues and even the glory of the World Cup.
After entering the youth period, Hou Yongyong's career is like the rising sun, shining brightly. At the age of 17, he made his way to the Europa League for Rosenborg, joining the talented midfielder Odegaard and the tall and formidable defender Aye.
At that time, Hou Yongyong was the soul of the national youth team and the spiritual leader of the team, and everything was moving forward according to people's expectations.
As long as he continues to work hard and with his exceptional talent, he could become the next superstar like the "Babyface Killer", just like his idol Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, leading Norway to Europe's top five leagues and even the World Cup.
However, the wheel of fate is often in the hands of others. Just when Hou Yongyong was full of ambition and endless hope for the future, a sudden illness ruthlessly shattered his dream.
At the age of 18, he unfortunately suffered a serious heart attack, just like the character Junichi Misugi in the Japanese football anime classic "Soccer Player".
"At that time, I was in a whirlpool of pain, as if I had fallen into the abyss. I had aspired to be the center of attention, to be a child of the times, but the reality was unforgiving, and I fell all over my body at a critical moment.
Hou Yongyong recalled the past, his gloomy eyes revealed endless melancholy, "My entire career was almost about to collapse at that moment.
Whenever he was engaged in high-paced, rigorous training, his heart rate would rise sharply, and the doctors could only reluctantly advise Hou Yongyong to leave the field for a while and recuperate in peace.
As a result, the once-glittering 18-year-old had to make a difficult choice between football and health, and he had to say goodbye to football for a while, through a long and torturous six-month waiting period, waiting for the dawn of recovery.
Fortunately, his condition gradually improved, and Hou Yongyong finally returned to the green field. However, the scales of fate have always been in favor of others. After moving to mid-table side Starbeck, he was no longer able to show the brilliance of his past, and compared with his teammates Odegaard and Aye of the national youth team, Hou Yongyong failed to show his strength on a broader stage.
In this way, the broad road to Manchester United was cut off, and Hou Yongyong fell into endless confusion. In 2019, at the age of 21, he was faced with an important career decision, and his dreams burst like a bubble, and the door to the Norwegian national team seemed to be closed to him forever.
Just as Hou Yongyong's career was at a low point, the temptation to become a naturalized Chinese man quietly emerged.
Every summer vacation, Hou Yongyong always returns to his hometown in Henan with his mother. Although he was born and raised in Norway, China is not a foreign land to him.
He is not only proficient in Chinese, but also has a unique love for Chinese cuisine such as steamed buns, dumplings and hot pot.
Hou Yongyong has a natural affinity for Chinese culture, and perhaps it is this deep affection that makes him deeply attached to China.
"This naturalization decision was undoubtedly an unprecedented challenge for me, as I was exposed to a completely new culture and environment. Hou Yongyong explained, his tone firm and powerful, "But for me, who is of mixed race, China is also my motherland, and there is naturally an extremely strong sense of accomplishment in my heart."
After an in-depth discussion with Li Ming, the general manager of Beijing Sinobo Guoan Football Club, the young and promising athlete finally decided to sign a lucrative four-year contract worth up to 5 million yuan.
In comparison, the salary he can get in Norway is only hundreds of thousands of yuan, and the difference between the two is really jaw-dropping!
"If I had had been on a Norwegian passport, I might have been able to recover the huge amount of wages owed by the club very easily. As a Chinese, however, the situation is very different.
Hou Yongyong said frankly, "Choosing to return to China, my income will undoubtedly increase significantly, and at the same time, I also have the great dream of winning glory for the motherland."
This is undoubtedly the highest honor for a professional footballer.
Although the temptation of money cannot be ignored, for Hou Yongyong, the opportunity to be fortunate to join the Chinese national team is the biggest motivation and attraction for him to become a naturalized player in China.
If he chooses to leave China, he is likely to miss out on the World Cup, but if he chooses to stay, he may be able to make a brilliant record for the national team like his idol Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.