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Text: Fat Entertainment
Editor|Fat Entertainment
A wisp of green silk, a legend -- reminiscing about the Chinese women's football pioneer "sonorous rose" Zhang Ouying
Ordinary family, extraordinary dreams
Recalling the events of decades ago, Zhang Ouying's husband sat lonely in front of the window and recalled his life and the deepest memories in his heart.
Zhang Ouying was born in 1975, and his hometown is located in Xiagang Village, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, and his family is poor. At a young age, she fell in love with the joy of playing football. The mother recalled that since her daughter was four or five years old, she always held stones or mud to form a "football" and kicked it in front of her home. "At that time, it was a 'miracle' in the countryside to expose a girl to football."
The husband recalled the beginning of Zhang Ouying's football dream:
Her home is a few miles away from the county seat, and every time she goes to the county seat, as long as she sees her friends playing football, she will secretly join. Until one day, her father accidentally saw her playing football, and decided that she must follow the path of football in the future. "
Fortunately, at the insistence of his father, in 1989, 13-year-old Zhang Ouying entered Zhangjiakou Sports School and began professional football training. A year later, she was admitted to the Hebei Provincial Sports School with excellent results. Since then, the little girl in Zhangjiakou has embarked on a smooth road to football stardom.
Legend of the national team, runner-up in the World Cup
In 1993, 18-year-old Zhang Ouying joined the national women's football team as she wished and began her career. At first she was just a substitute, but she was never discouraged. In 2002, Zhang Ouying said frankly: "Although I am only a substitute, I have never given up. I train hard every day, and now that I have entered the national team, I should strive for the main position. "
Sure enough, through tenacious efforts, Zhang Ouying finally insisted on the results. In the women's football project of the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, Zhang Ouying helped the national team win the championship with her excellent speed and strong shooting. Fans nicknamed her the "secret weapon" and "mud doll".
The turning point came at the 1999 World Cup in the United States. Won all 3 games in the group stage, Zhang Ouying scored 2 goals, and the national football team entered the knockout round. In the quarterfinals, Zhang Ouying scored the winning goal, and the national football team defeated Russia 3-2. In the quarter-finals, she scored again to help the team beat Canada 3-1, a victory that made the Chinese women's football team reach the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time.
In the semifinals, although he lost 0-5 to the champion United States team, Zhang Ouying was already a shining member of the "sonorous rose" at that time. In the finals, the Chinese women's football team defeated Norway 0-1 and won the runner-up, which is also the best result of the Chinese team in this event. With his outstanding performance, Zhang Ouying was elected the best player of the tournament.
In 03, Zhang Ouying joined an American professional team and started his overseas career. At the San Diego team, she met her future husband, Eddie. The two got married in 2006 and returned to China the following year for a traditional Chinese wedding.
After retiring, Zhang Ouying and Eddie's family lived in the United States. They have a son and a daughter, and their family is happy. She had the opportunity to return to coach the national team on several occasions, but gave it up due to family reasons. Her dream is to coach the national women's football team in the future.
Rare cancer, died young
Zhang Ouying once participated in the International Seminar on the Development of Women's Football Youth Training held by the Chinese Football Association in Beijing, and reunited with her old teammates of "Sonorous Rose". Unexpectedly, shortly after this meeting, she was diagnosed with a rare form of striated muscle lung cancer, which was already at an advanced stage.
In June, many domestic and foreign players, coaches, and associations raised funds for her, but her illness has been uncontrollable. In the early morning of December 1, 43-year-old Zhang Ouying passed away at home in the United States. Her husband put on the No. 7 jersey of the Chinese national team for her, which was her greatest wish before her death.
The news of Zhang Ouying's death caused shock and mourning at home and abroad. Many old teammates of the national team came to mourn and were full of grief. Coach Fan Yunjie couldn't cry: "We have lost a 'sonorous rose', and the Chinese women's football team can no longer see a player like her."
Zhang Ouying held a memorial service in his hometown of Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province. It was rainy in the streets that day, but there were countless fans who dedicated their last ride to the departed player. On Zhang Ouying's coffin, her most cherished items were placed during her lifetime: a No. 7 jersey, a pair of kicking boots and a yellowed football.
At the scene, Zhang Ouying's elderly parents were heartbroken, and the old colleagues choked up and cried. Old teammates Sun Wen and Zhao Lihong couldn't cry even more. Everyone remembers the "sonorous rose" that never admits defeat and never gives up.
In just a few decades of life, Zhang Ouying has used his football career to interpret the sportsmanship of unremitting pursuit and courage. Her passing is certainly sad, but the football legend she wrote on the green field with her feet will always be remembered by future generations.
This is an inspirational story of an ordinary girl chasing her football dream, and it is also a heroic legend about tenacity and hard work. Zhang Ouying's life and her spirit will always inspire and inspire countless dreamers.
The immortal "sonorous rose"
On the football field, Zhang Ouying is a brave war horse; But in life, she is also a lovely and gentle woman. After retiring, she often shared her family life on social media, allowing fans to see another side of her as a wife and mother.
Zhang Ouying's former teammates recalled that she was known for her optimistic and cheerful personality when she was in the team, and often used her "bad jokes" to amuse everyone. In 2003, Zhang Ouying said in an interview: "I am so lucky to be able to play, although it is hard, I have never regretted it. The stadium is my home, and I hope to be a good coach in the future and pass on this happiness to more people. "
Zhang Guirong, a 70-year-old father, held the portrait of his daughter and said seriously: "She has been chasing football dreams all her life, and although she died of illness in the end, her spirit will live on forever." With such an amazing daughter, I am the luckiest father. "
Mother Tao Shuqin recalled the scene of her daughter playing football with stones when she was a child, and said with tears in her eyes: "Ouying has not been easy all the way, I really hope that she can live a few more years and see her granddaughter grow up..."
Eternal "sonorous spirit"
Throughout Zhang Ouying's life, she has realized her sports dream with tenacious will and unremitting efforts, and has also inspired and influenced countless people with her life story. She once said: "I am just an ordinary girl from the countryside, who entered the national team by hard work, and this is the strength I want to pass on to young people."
Zhang Ouying's death has caused countless fans and relatives to lose their love, but the legend she wrote on the green field with her feet will always be remembered and celebrated. From laid-off villages to the national team, from the main striker to the "sonorous rose", Zhang Ouying has used his life to interpret the sportsmanship of unremitting struggle and never giving up.
This "sonorous spirit" of never giving up will inspire and spur every young person who loves football and pursues their dreams. A wisp of green silk, a legend, Zhang Ouying's life trajectory will forever become a classic of Chinese football. The "mud doll" that dreams of dusting in the green field will eventually be immortalized in people's hearts!