Before reading this article, please click "Follow", which is not only convenient for you to discuss and share, but also can bring you a different sense of participation, thank you for your support
On that sunny morning, the streets of Shanghai were filled with vitality. Fan Zhiyi and his family, including their adorable daughter, arrived at the bustling BMW store in the bustling city center to plan to buy a new and eye-catching car.
Fan Zhiyi was holding his beloved daughter in his arms, his face was full of gentle and innocent smiles, and his wife Zhang Mengjin was radiant, wearing an elegant pink dress, with a bumpy figure, slender and charming leg lines making her look more elegant and moving, and the whole person was like a fairy coming out of the picture.
She gently smoothed her hair, a bright and charming smile on her face, and a sense of happiness glistened in her eyes.
At this moment, a well-behaved salesperson greeted them warmly, recommended a new flagship sedan from BMW, and explained in detail the excellent performance and luxurious interior design of this model.
Fan Zhiyi recounts with great interest, recalling years ago that he bought his first luxury car at this store with the football salary he earned for his hard work.
At that time, he was still a dynamic young footballer, full of passion, with endless aspirations and grand ideals for football. His mind kept flashing back to his vigorous figure on the green field, the heroic moments of his powerful shot, and the enthusiastic cheering fans in the audience.
In this way, his career has steadily climbed, and the road of his career has become wider and wider. However, at that time, he had not yet met Zhang Mengjin, the love of his life's confidant, and a happy life was still waiting for him in the distance.
It was 1995, when Fan Zhiyi had just joined his old club, Shanghai Shenhua, and his personal strength was displayed like never before. In every match, his agile swallow-like figure flew across the field, completely crushing the opponent's defense.
He won the love of countless fans with his outstanding performance, and they cheered wildly for this tall, handsome and skilled young man, affectionately calling him "Little Brother Fan".
Who would have expected that at such a glorious moment, Fan Zhiyi would meet and fall in love with a gentle stewardess. It turned out that once when Fan Zhiyi was taking an international flight in order to participate in the competition, he happened to meet the beautiful flight attendant Li Qian and fell in love with her at first sight.
Li Qian's temperament is noble and elegant, always with a gentle smile on her face, and she greets every traveler in a friendly and polite manner. Fan Zhiyi was deeply impressed by her beautiful and moving appearance, and the flame of love involuntarily ignited in his heart.
With extraordinary action, he acted quickly and began his pursuit of Li Qian enthusiastically, and his firm and persistent spirit finally moved Li Qian, so that they entered the palace of marriage together.
In 1995, they tied the knot with the warm congratulations of family and friends. The wedding scene was filled with a joyful and peaceful atmosphere, and the groom Fan Zhiyi was wearing a straight suit, looking handsome and chic; The bride, Li Qian, showed a charming demeanor with her elegant classical temperament.
Amid the cheers of the guests, they sweetly exchanged wedding rings that symbolized love.
Soon after the marriage, a lively and lovely daughter came to this happy family. Li Qian is a virtuous wife and loving mother, and Fan Zhiyi is a conscientious husband and father, and their family life is full of warmth and happiness.
However, who would have expected that just when people had high hopes for the marriage of this handsome man and beautiful woman, a sudden divorce storm swept in without warning.
It turned out that with Fan Zhiyi's transfer to the well-known Premier League team Crystal Palace, the focus of their lives gradually deviated, and the differences and contradictions in concepts became increasingly prominent. In the end, Li Qian decided to take Fan Zhiyi to court and seek huge compensation.
This news undoubtedly brought great shock and regret to the majority of fans.
So, how did the once eye-catching heroic teenager climb the peak of football step by step and become an eternal legend in the hearts of fans - "General Fan"? Let's go back in time to 1969, when Fan Zhiyi, who was born in Shanghai's Yangpu district, thrived in an athletic family from an early age, and his life was almost intimately linked to football.
When he was 10 years old and first introduced to the sport, he was like a fawn hungry for knowledge, working tirelessly on the basics, training hard day in and day out.
The family was proud of his passion for sports when they saw his talent in sports.
In 1987, Fan Zhiyi officially joined the Shanghai football team and began his illustrious career. Although he was not yet in full shape and his appearance was not particularly outstanding at the time, his skills were unbeatable, and the unpredictability on the court was as smooth as flowing water.
Fan Zhiyi quickly rose to prominence in the Shanghai Shenhua team, fully demonstrating his outstanding individual ability. Since the 1995-1996 season, he has won the highest honor of Chinese Footballer of the Year twice in a row! What a glory it is!
Fast forward to 1998, when Fan Zhiyi embarked on a new career journey and joined the world-renowned English First Division powerhouse Crystal Palace. This move marks the first step in his pursuit of his dream of staying abroad in football.
He was at home in his new environment, impressing the coaching staff and fans alike with his prowess, and he deservedly won the Player of the Season award.
At this moment, Fan Zhiyi has emerged in the field of football and has shown extraordinary potential.
Finally, in 2001, Fan Zhiyi created a historic moment for the national team. That year, he led the Chinese team to successfully qualify for the finals in two rounds of the 2002 South Korea-Japan World Cup qualifiers, making great contributions to the Chinese football team to win the World Cup qualification for the first time in history.
As a result, personal honors followed, and Fan Zhiyi was awarded the prestigious title of Asian Footballer of the Year, becoming the first Chinese player to win this honor.
However, good times are always short-lived, and in the World Cup match between South Korea and Japan, Fan Zhiyi was unfortunately injured and regrettably bid farewell to the national team. This undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to his football career, and the dream seemed to become unattainable.
However, the "never-say-die" warrior did not back down because of this, but transformed into a coach after retiring, and selflessly dedicated his youth to the great cause of cultivating a new generation of Chinese football.
Just as the divorce turmoil with Li Qian has not subsided, Fan Zhiyi's love life has fallen into a new predicament. This time, he was attracted to a well-known Hong Kong model and actress - she was Li Mingyi.
Li Mingyi has an elegant temperament and a beautiful face. Her graceful figure, flawless white skin, and long black and shiny hair are unforgettable. Fan Zhiyi met her at a business event and fell in love with her beauty and temperament at first sight.
Despite the 13-year age gap between the two, they quickly found a common topic because they shared many common interests, and their relationship quickly warmed up.
Perhaps having learned the lessons of his previous marriage, Fan Zhiyi's determination to pursue love this time is firm and persistent. Soon after, the golden boy and girl entered a new chapter in their lives hand in hand, and the romantic atmosphere on the wedding day was permeated.
Staring at his wife's delicate face like a flower, Fan Zhiyi couldn't help but claim to be the happiest person in the world. He is full of enthusiasm and looks forward to finally finding the person he loves this time, with whom he can spend quality time and grow old together.
However, to everyone's surprise, after only a year of baptism, they chose to go their separate ways, and gradually became strangers.
In an interview a few years later, Fan Zhiyi couldn't hide the regret and sentimentality in his heart, and sighed bitterly: "Everything happened so quickly and disappeared without a trace. Frankly speaking, the marriage journey of this pair made in heaven, began with a bright and glamorous beginning, and ended in a bleak end, which was too short to look back.
Perhaps it was because of the lack of opportunities to get along together for a long time that the values and living habits of the two had a rift, which eventually led to a hasty ending. Li Mingyi's beautiful appearance in a wedding dress still amazed everyone, but this marriage that had been pinned on high hopes failed to achieve positive results after all, and it was bland and uneventful, becoming a small episode in Fan Zhiyi's life process.
After retiring, Fan Zhiyi did not stay away from the green arena, but continued to stick to the career he loves in another way. In 2007, he was appointed as the head coach of Suzhou Tips, opening a new chapter in his professional coaching career.
Although he only stayed in Suzhou for five months, Fan Zhiyi did his best to inject valuable experience and wisdom into the team. As a former national team player and star, he has a unique tactical concept and treats every player with a strict but understanding attitude.
Under his careful guidance, the competitive level of the Jobs team has been significantly improved.
Shortly after leaving Suzhou, in 2009, the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau threw an olive branch to Fan Zhiyi, hoping that he would return to his homeland to take charge of the coaching whip. After careful consideration, Fan Zhiyi bravely took over this burden and became the executive coach of the Shanghai Men's National Games team, fully responsible for all matters of the team.
Under the careful training of General Fan, the Shanghai U16 National Games men's football team overcame all the obstacles and finally broke into the quarterfinals. The players have achieved great results with their perseverance and fighting spirit, fully demonstrating Fan Zhiyi's outstanding coaching talent.
This is undoubtedly the best testament to his extraordinary talent.
However, in the following 2010-2011 season, when Fan Zhiyi was the head coach of the East Asian team, he failed to lead the team to successfully reach the first division, and his heart was full of endless frustration and self-blame.
For our esteemed "never say die" warriors, defeat is like an unbearable pain! However, our courageous Mr. Fan Zhiyi has never deterred from this.
In January 2011, he successfully graduated from the second domestic professional coach training course, and since then he has taken on the important task of training the mainland youth national football team, and he has unreservedly dedicated his best time to the great cause of providing fresh blood for the Chinese national men's football team.