Wang Song
Born October 12, 1983. In 2001, at the age of 18, he represented Sichuan Quanxing in the A-League, and previously played for Sichuan Quanxing, Sichuan Guancheng, Chengdu Sheffield United, Hangzhou Greentown, Guangzhou R&F, Jiangsu Suning and other teams in his career, playing 417 times in the A and Zhongchao leagues, which is the player with the most appearances in the top league of Chinese football, witnessing the change from A A to the Chinese Super League. In the 2020 season, Wang Song joined the new sichuan Jiuniu of the Chinese First Division.
On September 13, 2019, Wang Song, then a jiangsu Suning player, celebrated a goal in the Chinese Super League. Xinhua News Agency
No smoke, no wine, it is difficult to find the blood vein spray shot, not "big brother", no obvious circle, never spoken wildly, very little criticism inside and outside the field, but there is calm toughness... All kinds of impressions make people think that Wang Song is not a typical Chinese player, or even a Chinese player.
Perhaps because of this, it has achieved the historical record of the most appearances of Wang Song Chinese players in the top domestic leagues (A A, Chinese Super League), with 417 games. Wang Song also has a record - 18 consecutive seasons of scoring goals, which is even more difficult to match.
No great record can be just a coincidence. Over the past 20 years, the Chinese football environment has been volatile and unpredictable, an attacking frontcourt player rather than a defender can occupy a stable position in different clubs for a long time, each experience is relatively stable, and it is super difficult to think about, unique.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, Nandu reporters talked to Wang Song, who has returned to Chengdu to join Sichuan Jiuniu, to review his "417 games" career and see the changes in the Chinese Super League with the times.
"Chinese smart, mixed reviews"
Nandu: Surpassing Xu Yunlong, Zhou Ting, and Zhang Yaokun to achieve the record for the highest number of league appearances, is it the most important honor of your personal career?
Wang Song: From the perspective of football professionalism, I have not won a championship, I have no experience in playing for traditional giants, but I have played for different teams in different cities, and it is very difficult to have this record. Championing is a collective honor, and for me personally, the best thing to do is to complete this data.
Nandu: There's a very important premise, you've barely experienced major injuries, and it's hard as an offensive player. Is that what's so clever about you?
Wang Song: Chinese said that it is smart, and there are mixed reviews. If I'm talking about injuries caused by short engagements, I understand cleverness as caution. I've been playing very cautiously since I was a kid, not a big opener. Although I am also following the trend, I still try to intercept it without my own torso within the scope of my control, which is not worth the loss. Some people are impulsive, some moments will show bravery, but I think bravery is not an action, but an attitude. You hurt your opponent, you hurt yourself, but it doesn't dictate the outcome, it's not the key determining factor. How do you go about this degree? I want to extend my athletic life. I'm not like some players who are very talented, obviously above the crowd, I'm not that kind, I have to rely on accumulation.
Nandu: You don't seem to like to carry the ball in recent years.
Wang Song: When I was a child, I liked dribbling, and I was told by the coach that football is not a dribble. In fact, carrying the ball is very tired, consume more physical energy, I can control the ball when needed, I have the ability to control the ball and protect the ball, but I don't have to use it all the time. Modern football styles can also be brought without without. You always carry the ball, the old changes to the old breakthrough, you are also easy to get hurt.
On June 23, Wang Song posted a picture on his personal social platform (Wang Song in the front row), wishing guangzhou R&F Club a happy ninth birthday.
"The league is now faster paced"
Nandu: From A A to now, has the smoothness of the Chinese league increased or decreased?
Wang Song: Now it's smoother and the pace is faster. Don't say A A, you see the game 10 years ago was also very slow. In the past, the pace was slow, and the characteristics of the players were easy to show. Now the players are more comprehensive and the playing style is more modern.
Nandu: But the national team doesn't seem to have changed that way, it's the opposite.
Wang Song: Let me give you an example, in the 2011 Asian Cup, I started a game, and everyone said that I played well, but in fact, I think it was a normal play. Because I had a lot of ball rights in the core of Greentown in those years, I was naturally able to calm down. Later, the core of the Chinese Super League team became foreign aid, you are used to doing defense, running dragon sets, playing soy sauce in the league, and when you want to be the protagonist in the international arena, you can't cope with it. It is still related to the overall technical ability of the player, and it is also related to the mentality. We weren't enough to handle the 90-minute race in the international arena. For a few minutes, or at some point, there can be stunning play, but not lasting. Persistence is absolute strength. Or too few good players. There aren't enough good players, and you can't match each other.
Nandu: Do you think that foreign aid has suppressed the play of local players?
Wang Song: It's not that you can't have foreign aid, but your own players must also be foreign aid from other countries' leagues. The Spanish league also has foreign aid, and the Japanese league also asks for foreign aid, but how many players do they play in other leagues? We don't have players to go out, we all play in the domestic league, and then the key external can't play, and the national team going out to play will definitely be suppressed, so now we can only do naturalization. I certainly can't get out without naturalization. The defensive end of the national brand is not bad, after all, we have strong foreign aid in the league, but your old defense will always have problems, and you can't solve the problem of attack.
In early June, a People's Daily article called on young players to learn from self-disciplined veterans like Wang Song, who later said on Weibo that he would "continue to work hard."
Paternalistic management is out of date
Nandu: Because sports competition is legendary, it is inevitable that the past will be thick and thin. What are your true feelings? Who is better, Yao Xia or Wei Shihao?
Wang Song: Wei Shihao is the best player now, and I admire him quite a bit, but he may not have been able to enter the national team in the previous era, because of his comprehensive ability, this is my personal opinion. At that time, the characteristics of Gao Feng and Yao Xia in the national team were very distinct, and their bodies were good. Of course, Wei Shihao's dribbling technology is higher than that of his predecessors, which I have intuitive feelings. In fact, I can't compare objectively, not the same period.
Nandu: How has the relationship between coaches and players changed over the years?
Song Wang: The authority of the coach has always been there. However, now for the post-95 and post-00s, paternalistic management is no longer suitable. The social environment is getting better and better, the children's conditions are relatively superior from childhood, and it is difficult for parents to restrain them. Teach like a friend and a brother. I've been in contact with a lot of players of all ages and I think that's the way it is.
"Northern players have an advantage in personality"
Nandu: Wouldn't it be a little less to think that you, a long-term stable player, have only played 9 games for the national team?
Wang Song: I always felt that I played quite well in the league, but I stayed in the team with average influence. In fact, the national team is also very complicated, not very pure. My ability is also not significantly higher than that of other national team players, and natural opportunities are less. The personality of the Southern players is introverted, and the national team is not good at expressing and integrating, and the Northern players have an advantage in personality. Southern players have relatively inferior physical character confrontation ability than Northern players, and when playing big games and hard battles, the performance may not be conspicuous.
Nandu: Your early playing style in Chengdu and Hangzhou was the core of the attack, and later in R&F and Suning as an auxiliary player, how to adapt to the role change?
Wang Song: In Chengdu and Hangzhou, it is the absolute offensive core, even if there is foreign aid, my position is very clear. Why did I get to R&F? My contract with Hangzhou expired, his future is to cultivate young players, reduce costs, R&F was in the stage of seeking talents, hoping to attack the giants. I need affirmation and trust. I also know that it is not easy to integrate into a different team, but I also know what level each player in the country is, I have played for so many years I know it, I know that there is no problem in terms of ability. At that time, Fuli had Hamad in the attack line, and Jiang Ning and I were in tandem in midfield, but my attack attributes were really not so strong. In Hangzhou they are more dependent on you, and R&F has more people who can come out and take on the offensive point. The second year of R&F coaching was more positive for me and the position was clearer. There is Zahavi in front, Xiao Lei, Pengpeng (Jiang Zhipeng) and Tang Miao on the left and right, I just need to dispatch the ball. I didn't do scheduling before. In fact, at R&F I still have a lot of balls, my passing number is the first, but I don't need to shoot.
"I'll just do my best"
Nandu: You were 34 years old when you went to Suning, and your role changed again.
Wang Song: I feel that I have gone up another step in Suning. You come to our team at your age to earn money to play soy sauce, normal people think so. I have to do better to get my teammates and coaches recognized. The first few games were ok, but injured, and then Choi Yong-so was out of class. Capello played the first game under him, I really didn't play well, I wasn't in good physical condition, I didn't feel good in the game, I didn't have a good mentality, I was replaced at half-time, and then I sat on the cold bench for 5 games. Then there was another twist, Wu Xi was injured, I played an FA Cup, played well, And Capello's attitude changed. Then play the league, the home game Liaoning relegation battle must be won, I seem to have 1 goal and two assists, Capello will use me again, (when Wu Xi is not around) the captain's armband also for me to wear. Suning's style of play, it's not like R&F snapping the ball to go to his feet, he opened wide.
Those three years were of great physical activity value for me. I ran 10,000 and 10,000 (meters) in R&F, but the high strength was only more than 100 meters, more than 200 meters, no need to sprint, I was in Suning's top two high-intensity basics, 700 meters, 800 meters, high intensity, I was in my 30s so kicked, rare, for myself also improved. The same was true in the later Era of Olaroyu. He put me more on the wing-back, which is also a request. There is very little ball and a lot of running. I don't really mean to say that I like to kick where, you let me kick where, I try my best.
Nandu: Most of China's forward players have a lot of fate, Chen Tao is a typical example, Wang Xinxin does not play much, and Deng Zhuoxiang.
Wang Song: Or the environment in which I am (caused). The team gives you trust and you're fine. Deng Zhuoxiang is injured, Chen Tao is a character, and both of them are talented above me. Wang Xinxin plays well, like a monster, but limited by his physical condition, in the increasingly intense situation of midfield, physical fitness is required. I don't have the obsession to play number 10, I just like to play football. All your attitudes and ideas will make your career look different. I wasn't the best player in every era, but I was smooth at a high level without going down.
Written by: Nandu reporter Feng Zhen