Chapter 985 Standing Side by Side
For Chinese football, 2026 is really a year worth remembering for a long time.
In this year, Hulay led the Premier League civilian team Leeds City to a historic Premier League championship, and Hulay himself became the top scorer in the Premier League. This was the first time a Chinese player won the top scorer in the Premier League.
In the summer of this year, the Chinese national team also participated in the World Cup finals for the first time in history, and achieved undefeated results in the group stage, with three draws and three points, the only undefeated result in the World Cup. Although they failed to qualify from the group in the end, few people really expected that the Chinese team, which was participating in the World Cup finals for the first time, would reach the knockout rounds. However, the performance of the national football team in the group stage, especially the performance against Brazil, gave them hope and began to look forward to the Iberia World Cup four years later.
Compared with the men's football team participating in the World Cup, the influence and attention of the women's football team are greatly affected, but Li Qingqing also helped the Paris Eger women's football team win the women's Ligue 1 league championship last season.
This is also her first league championship in her overseas career.
She scored a total of 11 goals and 15 assists in the French Women's Ligue 1 last season.
He is the main contributor to the Paris Eger women's football team winning the league championship.
From the time she transferred to this team in 2023, it took three years for Li Qingqing to finally realize her talents and abilities. This was her best season at Paris-Eger.
Not only did she win the best player in the French Women's Ligue 1 last season, she was also named to the five-person shortlist for the best female football player in Europe last season.
He is the "Best Women's Football Player", not the "Best Young Women's Football Player".
There is no award for the best young player in the women's football team, it is simply the best player.
It can be said that 22-year-old Li Qingqing is one of the five best players in the entire European women's football movement.
At the same time, Hulay is almost certain to win the best young player award in Europe last season.
The men's and women's football teams are blooming, which is nothing less than "double happiness" for Chinese football.
Therefore, CCTV specially planned a special report and sent a camera crew to Paris, France to shoot and report the award ceremony.
Regardless of whether Hu Lai and Li Qingqing win the award in the end, this is the highlight moment of Chinese football.
When the program team chose the final reporting angle and shooting plan, they did not go to the UK to film with Hu Lai. Instead, they took a different route and went directly to Paris, France, to film this European football ceremony with Li Qingqing as the protagonist.
On the one hand, it is because there are too many concerns and reports about Hu Lai in the market, which is not surprising and lacks freshness.
On the other hand, the program team also wants to help the women's football team become more popular and earn more attention.
Although men's football is now developing well, women's football, as China's traditional advantage, deserves more attention.
It's just that women's football is inherently weak in terms of attention and commercialization.
Even if there is a goddess-level Li Qingqing, it is still difficult to compare with the men's football team.
This time is a good opportunity to take advantage of the popularity and popularity of men's football.
So the film crew approached Li Qingqing and made a fuss around her.
Li Qingqing is not the kind of high-profile person who likes to appear in front of the camera, but she never refuses any activity that can promote women's football. Because she also hopes that China's women's football team will get better and better.
Especially after seeing that so many players have come out of the Chinese men's football team, she also hopes that more female football players can go abroad like the male football players.
Therefore, it is her duty to be able to contribute a little to the development of Chinese women's football.
In fact, with the further deepening of campus football reform in recent years, China has drawn on the successful experience of the men's campus football league to prepare a nationwide unified women's football middle school league, which is expected to be launched next year - it turns out that there are also women's football campus competitions in China. But both in terms of scale and influence, it is far inferior to the mature boys' high school football championship.
After all, men's football still has a club echelon system that can cultivate talents. The talent source of women's football comes more from campus football, so the women's football part of campus football should be improved. Only in this way can we provide a steady stream of talents for the Chinese women's football team.
Moreover, the improvement of campus women's football will also allow those girls who want to play football but are worried that they will delay their studies if they can't play, or the parents of girls, to dispel these concerns. Make them more willing to participate in the sport of football.
In addition, the Football Association is also considering merging the Chinese Women's Super League and the Chinese Super League, and handing them over to the Chinese Super League to manage and operate. Instead of the Chinese Super League, which is only responsible for men's football as before, the women's Chinese Super League is called "Chinese Super League", but it is still managed by the Football Association. In a sense, it is not a real professional league.
Of course, the previous way of letting the Football Association manage it also has its reasons and causes - when the Chinese Women's Football League just started, there was a lack of market attention, and basically no one watched it. Naturally, it could not attract corporate sponsorship and could not carry out supporting business. development. If it were fully introduced to the market, I'm afraid it would be dead within two seasons.
Now, with the deepening reform of Chinese football and changes in people's concepts, "god-level IP" like Li Qingqing has appeared in women's football, and everyone has accumulated a lot of experience in the commercial operation of women's football leagues. Today's Women's Super League has greatly improved compared to the original, both in terms of attendance and commercial value.
At the same time, due to the improvement of the overall performance of the men's football team and the improvement of the image of the men's football team, the commercial development of the Chinese Super League is better than before. The commercial income of the Chinese Super League is increasing year by year, and there are more funds to support the Women's Super League - before There are always people who like to use women's football to ridicule men's football, promoting women's football and men's football as either-or rivals. Little do they know that in fact, men's and women's football are interdependent. In many cases, women's football even needs men's football to support them. People who talk about disbanding the men's football team and vigorously developing the women's football team may never imagine that if the men's football team is really disbanded, then the women's football team will die next...
When all conditions are mature, the Football Association considers handing over the management of the Women's Super League to the Chinese Super League.
The Football Association's focus on women's football has shifted to echelon talent training and the popularization of campus women's football games.
After the men's football team achieved results through reforms, the Football Association also hopes that the women's football team can regain its glory. To be honest, although the overall level of today's women's football team is higher than that of the men's football team, judging from their own historical results, they have actually regressed.
The men's football team has made great progress, and the women's football team should also return to their original historical position. Only then can it be regarded as progress in Chinese football.
After all, Chinese football includes men's football and women's football, not just men's football.
As long as it is conducive to the development and progress of women's football, Li Qingqing will not refuse.
She happily agreed to this filming, and she has basically decided to serve as the image promotion ambassador of the new Women's Super League. Not only that, if a unified national women's football campus competition is established, she will also serve as the image spokesperson for this event.
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"Qingqing, you didn't notify Hu Lai in advance, did you?"
Wang Shanshan confirmed to Li Qingqing.
"No." Li Qingqing shook her head and replied.
"That's good." Wang Shanshan smiled, "I'm looking forward to his expression when he sees you at the airport."
"I'm looking forward to it too." Li Qingqing smiled.
During the filming of this program, the program team asked Li Qingqing to pick up Hu Lai at the airport. After all, she is a "landlord" in Paris, and her relationship with Hu Lai is so good. Hu Lai should come to Paris anyway. Do your best to be a landlord, right?
Li Qingqing agreed.
For the sake of the program's effect, the program team hoped that the news would be kept strictly confidential from Hu Lai and they would give him a surprise at the airport.
Li Qingqing also agreed.
Now they are sitting in the car heading to the airport.
"When we get to the airport, we will first intercept Hu Lai as media reporters, and then interview him. Then you will show up..."
In the car, Wang Shanshan and Li Qingqing began to discuss the details.
The two women got together and discussed enthusiastically how they could give Hu Lai this surprise.
Xiao Zhang, the cameraman sitting in the passenger seat, looked back and saw this scene, and suddenly had a somewhat absurd idea - being targeted by two beauties, I don't know whether to sympathize or envy him...
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It didn't take long to fly from Leeds Airport to Paris. Soon the Leeds City Club team got off the plane and went downstairs, and then passed the shuttle bus to the terminal.
They picked up their luggage at the luggage carousel and walked to the exit together.
There, they will be greeted by some media reporters and then interviewed.
The interview questions are also similar, and Hu Lai will become the focus of all the media.
After all, there are rumors that he will win the final European Best Young Player Award.
The official did not admit it, but everyone analyzed the ten-man candidate list one by one and listed the performance data of these players last season.
Who can compare to Hulay's thirty-two Premier League goals, a Premier League title, a Premier League Golden Boot, the Premier League's best player, and five World Cup goals and World Cup Golden Boots?
Even those young players performed equally well and were all the best among their peers.
But in the face of Hu Lai's performance that is completely beyond his age, it is not enough.
If the 22-year-old top scorer in the Premier League and the World Cup Golden Boot cannot even win the award for the best young player in Europe, then the fairness of this award should be questioned...
Some media even said that based on Hulay's performance, logically speaking, he should not compete for the Best Young Player Award. He should compete for the Best Player Award in Europe, which is the "Golden Ball Award."
His performance among young players is really... a bit of a downgrade.
Sure enough, when they walked out, they saw about twenty or thirty media reporters obviously waiting for them.
No, to be precise, I was waiting for Hu Lai.
Whether it was Coach Clark or Pete Williams, there were only two or three reporters in front of them.
Hu Lai was surrounded by reporters, with microphones, recorders, and mobile phones reaching for him.
"Hu, it is rumored that you have been confirmed to win this year's European Young Player Award... What do you think of winning the award?"
"Winning an award? No, I didn't receive any news that I won the award. I came here as one of the ten candidates...so I don't have any opinion."
"Hu. Among the best young players in the past twenty-five sessions, ten have won the European Ballon d'Or again. Do you think it is possible for you to win the European Ballon d'Or in the future?"
"Oh, I told you, I'm not even sure about winning, so don't count me in..."
When Hu Lai faced reporters' questions, he answered them in a flawless manner, determined not to give those reporters a chance to get him into trouble.
Seeing that Hu Lai was so careful, the reporters changed the way they asked the question: "So, Hu Lai, how do you feel about being selected into the final ten candidates?"
"How do you feel? I feel very happy. This is recognition of my performance in the past season. I am very happy to receive this recognition..."
Hu Lai followed the reporters outside while answering their questions.
Just when he was about to walk out of the terminal, Wang Shanshan appeared in front of him: "Hello, Hu Lai, we are from CCTV..."
Hu Lai was a little surprised: "Why did you come to Paris?"
Wang Shanshan smiled and said: "Aren't you here to report on your award ceremony?"
Even when facing an old acquaintance, Hu Lai still answered accurately. He shook his head and corrected: "It's not an award ceremony."
Wang Shanshan did not bother with the issue: "Is that considered a nomination?"
"Yes, nomination." Hu Lai nodded and continued walking forward.
"Since it is a nomination, both you and Li Qingqing have been nominated this time. Is there anything you want to say to her?"
Hearing Li Qingqing's name, Hu Lai raised his hands and wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Wang Shanshan: "Can you say it to the camera, Hu Lai?"
Hu Lai glanced at the camera next to the reporter, then stopped and turned towards the camera lens.
"Congratulations, Li Qingqing. The candidate for the best player in Europe is one level higher than the candidate for a young player like me, amazing!" Hu Lai gave a thumbs up to the camera lens. "Come on, try to be selected as Miss World Football next time..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw a person coming out from the side of the camera, looking at him with a smile like a flower: "Thank you for your good words, Hu Lai!"
Hu Lai was stunned at first, as if he didn't dare to recognize him, but soon his eyes widened and he exclaimed: "Why are you here?!"
"As a landlord, I'm here to welcome you!" Li Qingqing smiled happily.
When Li Qingqing came out, Wang Shanshan took a step back. She saw this scene from the side and laughed happily.
She finally succeeded in seeing the scene she had been planning!
oops!
It's so beautiful!
The encounter between a boy and a girl in a foreign country brings surprise and warmth.
Her eyes wandered back and forth between the two people's faces. She first saw a bright smile on Li Qingqing's face, and then saw Hu Lai first surprised and then happy, then laughing.
The two people just looked at each other and smiled.
They have been in the same frame many times, and this time they stand side by side on the big stage of European football.
Wang Shanshan deliberately created this "accidental encounter" to declare to the whole of Europe:
look! This is the golden boy of our Chinese football!
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PS, I’ll be updating from today until the end of the month, I’m really sorry.
In addition, thank you for your reminders and advice. We will always pay attention to the weather and geological disasters. If the situation is not right, we will change the itinerary immediately. (End of chapter)