"Brother Lin, what prompted you to choose to return to your hometown and play for your hometown team at the age of thirty-eight?"

In the media hall of the Provincial Sports Center in Jincheng, the welcome ceremony for the three new players held by the Anton Shining Star Club is underway.

Now it was the reporter's question session, and the reporters who raised their hands and were called by name almost all threw their questions to Qin Lin, the biggest of the three new recruits.

This can be seen from the fact that all the media microphones were piled up in front of Qin Lin. In front of Hu Lai and another new recruit, Xu Wentao, they looked cold......

Faced with this question, Qin Lin coughed, cleared his throat, and replied, "You just said 'hometown', that's the reason. I am from Andong and Jincheng. I started my football career in the echelons of Heungseong FC, but I didn't play a single game for Anton's professional football team, which has always been a regret for me. In fact, at the end of last year, Manager Dong of Shining Star found me, hoping that I could come back and use my experience to lead the young people of Shining Star to grow...... I would also like to thank the South China Tigers for taking the initiative to end my contract with the club for the remaining two months after learning about my wishes, so that I can return to the place where my football dreams set sail in freedom......"

When Qin Lin answered this question, Hu Lai was on his right hand, turning his head and staying on him for a long time, a little in a trance.

Because the person in front of him always makes him think of the international players in another time and space. Although these two people are completely incompatible from their names, places of origin, and age, and their career achievements are not the same, Hu Lai still feels that these two people are too similar, without him, their fates are too similar.

At that time and space, Zheng Zhi, a Liaoning player born in 1980, was considered to be the only player who could handle it in the darkest era of Chinese football, the mainstay of the Chinese national team in the green and yellow struggles, and the only face of Chinese football. Although many people who don't care much about Chinese football and don't watch football games may think this statement of face is nonsense - does Chinese football still have face? But that's just the way it is.

And in today's time and space, Qin Lin, who was born in Jincheng City, Andong Province in 1983, is also the only face of the dark age of Chinese football.

After coming to this plane, Hu Lai had learned about the situation of Chinese football in this plane, and knew that although many details were different, the overall situation was no different from the time and space before he came - all bad, all bad, and all had a dark time.

The difference is that the darkness of that time and space seems to be in sight, and this time and space has some hope with the vigorous development of campus football and a series of real reforms in other aspects.

In Chinese professional football, Qin Lin is recognized by everyone as the most professional player, training hard and hard, living a self-disciplined life, clean and self-loving, and there are almost no scandals. Carlos Reminmen, the foreign head coach who coached the South China Tigers back then, once commented on Qin Lin, saying that he was not like a Chinese player, but more like a European player.

This was the highest evaluation of a professional player in Chinese football at the beginning.

In fact, Qin Lin did go to Europe to play, and many of his training and living habits are also related to his overseas experience.

Five years at a European club shows that his quality is recognised in European football, and his knowledge of playing in Europe puts him a step above other players in the country. He even won the Asian Footballer of the Year, which is the second Asian Footballer of the Year in the history of Chinese football.

But such a brilliant player has not been able to achieve the greatest long-cherished wish of Chinese fans.

After making his debut for the national team in 2003, he began the long journey of leading the Chinese team to the World Cup.

In the 2006 World Cup, 2010 World Cup, 2014 World Cup, and 2018 World Cup, he participated in a total of four World Cup qualifiers, but none of them led the Chinese team to successfully reach the World Cup finals. In this process, he grew from an ordinary soldier of the national team to the captain of the national team, but he still failed to complete the goal of "rushing out of Asia and going to the world".

After the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, he captained the national team at the 2019 Asian Cup, which was the last time he wore the national team shirt. The Chinese team eventually finished fourth, and he also completed the handover and took off his shirt - after losing the third and fourth place finals of the Asian Cup, he choked up in an interview after the game to announce his retirement from the national team and apologize to the Chinese fans.

Why apologize?

It's not because you lost a third- or fourth-place final. It is because since joining the national team in 2003 and retiring from the national team in 2019, he has not brought even one official championship to Chinese football in his sixteen-year national team career. As an Asian footballer who once had high hopes and strength, this result is really bitter.

The runner-up finish in the 2004 Asian Cup on home soil was the crowning achievement of his national team career. Compared to his illustrious club results, his international career was too bleak and too helpless.

Hu Lai stared at Qin Lin, and he would unconsciously overlap him with the other face in his memory.

Although the two of them only have the same position on the field, and many places are different, Hu Lai just thinks that Qin Lin may be Zheng Zhi's projection in this time and space......

From a personal point of view, it is difficult for Hu Lai not to put Qin Lin and Zheng Zhi together, after all, they are both the last bigwigs of Chinese football, both are veterans of the national football team, and they have done their best for Chinese football, and in the end they can only say goodbye helplessly.

※※※

As a reporter of the sports column group of Andong Provincial TV Station, Chen Jianyu is responsible for running all the news related to the Shining Star Club.

As a reporter accompanying the team, he naturally has a lot of privileges, and the news is more brilliant than that of other media reporters.

For example, the news that Shining Star got Qin Lin was the first to be disclosed on his social media account.

At that time, the Shining Star Club had not yet been officially announced, and he was able to expose it in advance in the form of "rumors".

Of course, with his relationship with the Shining Star Club, this early exposure must also be supported by the Shining Star Club, or some kind of acquiescence.

After all, the results of the flashing stars in the Chinese League this season are not very good, and such news is indeed needed to boost morale and make everyone forget about the burnt results for a while.

Chen Jianyu, as the reporter accompanying the shining star, did not rush to raise his hand to ask questions. He knew that if he raised his hand, he would definitely be named. He just wanted to observe more and think about what questions he should ask.

Then his gaze was inevitably drawn to Hulay.

Because in this welcome ceremony, Hu Lai, who has the least seniority, the least fame and the worst strength among the three new recruits, was distracted......

Is it because the reporters are asking Qin Lin questions, so he is a little bored?

Although those reporters who only have Qin Lin in their eyes are indeed a little rude, you still have to do enough superficial work, right? With such a naked eye drift, everyone can see that your mind is not here.

Thinking of this, he decided to give the youngest player a tactful reminder, so he raised his hand.

Sure enough, as soon as he raised his hand, he was immediately named by the press officer of the Shining Star Club.

Chen Jianyu stood up and took the microphone from the staff, and he found that Hu Lai still hadn't come back to his senses.

So he decided not to remind him tactfully, and just teach him a lesson......

"This question is for this ......player," he pointed to Hulai and said, "May I ask Hulai, as far as I know, as the top scorer and best player in the National High School Football Championship last year, you didn't choose to join your hometown team Shinsei at the beginning, why did you choose to transfer to Shinstar after a year and a half of going to the Poseidon youth team in the Chinese Super League?" ”

As soon as this question was asked, many people present turned their eyes to Chen Jianyu, who asked the question, because everyone felt the ...... of his question Sharp.

Even the press officer, who is very familiar with Chen Jianyu, was a little flustered - this should not be the question that Chen Jianyu, a reporter who has worked with the club for many years, should ask.

For Hulai, a nobody, he is not qualified to be so targeted by the media.

Qin Lin, who finally didn't have to answer the question, just picked up the mineral water bottle and was about to take a sip of water, when he heard the reporter ask Hu Lai such a question, although he didn't know much about Hu Lai, he could also feel the reporter's emotions, he took the mineral water bottle with the cap unscrewed and didn't move, but turned his head to look at Hu Lai.

Then he noticed that Hulay's eyes were open and he did not respond to the reporter's questions......

Apparently, he was distracted.

Dai Zetao hid in the last row of the news hall, where a row of cameras was set up, and he stood behind the cameras, looking like a videographer.

He had come in specifically to see Hulai.

When he saw this scene, he couldn't help but lower his head and cover his forehead.

He knew that Chen Jianyu was also a celebrity as a well-known sports journalist in Andong Province. It's a celebrity, so he naturally has a personality and a temper. This question does not mean that Chen Jianyu has any personal grudges with Hu Lai - in fact, they didn't know each other before.

So Chen Jianyu still asked this, just because he was a little tired of Hu Lai's performance just now - at the welcome ceremony specially prepared for them by the club, when the former national team captain and a generation of legends Qin Lin answered questions, he was actually wandering around the world, which was indeed too much.

The big reporter probably wanted to teach Hulai a lesson.

Poor Hulay, who had just arrived at the club, did not make a good first impression on the team's reporters......

Qin Lin really didn't expect that the little player on his right hand would be able to get distracted at the welcome ceremony, so he put his right hand under the table, and then poked Hu Lai quietly.

Hu Lai came back to his senses at this time, looked at Chen Jianyu who was standing in the press gallery and looked directly at him, and instantly understood what had happened.

Then he tried to recall what the reporter said just now, and he didn't hear anything else, so he remembered the last sentence: "Why did you choose to join Shining Star?" ”

So his answer blurted out: "Of course, it's because of Director Zhao, I got along with Director Zhao in the Poseidon Youth Team, so as soon as Director Zhao called me, I came to ......"

As he spoke, he remembered how Qin Lin had answered a similar question just now, so he hurriedly smiled and said, "I'm also very happy to be able to play for my hometown team." ”

As for Chen Jianyu's real question, in fact, he didn't answer a word.

In the eyes of the questioner Chen Jianyu, how could this youngest player answer the question so tactfully? He talked about him left and right, and said some high-sounding nonsense, but the real core issue was not touched.

Originally, he should have sat down after getting the answer, but Chen Jianyu was a little unwilling to let an eighteen-year-old child be so confused by his question, so he asked again before the press officer could speak: "You seem to have wandered just now?" ”

He bluntly brought up Hulai's gaffe.

Hulai scratched his head in front of everyone, and said with some embarrassment: "This...... I never thought I could sit next to Brother Lin, so close to him, I was a little nervous...... I didn't dare to think that I would be teammates with Ringo one day, you know, I grew up watching Ringo play......"

As soon as he said this, the scene erupted in laughter.

The reporters were amused by Hulai's answer.

Even Chen Jianyu couldn't help laughing, and shook his head with a smile - looking at Hu Lai like this, it was obvious that a little fan brother was nervous beside his idol, and it was normal for him to wander or something......

So he asked again: "So how does it feel to be on the same stage with idols now?" ”

This question swept away the previous aggression and gave the two sides a common step.

Hu Lai turned his head to glance at Qin Lin, and Zheng Zhi's figure coincided with him again.

"I still have a sense of unreality dreaming, for fear that in the blink of an eye, Brother Ringo will disappear......"

"Hahahaha!" There was another burst of laughter.

Even Qin Lin laughed, then handed his arm over and said to Hu Lai, "You pinch, it's hot." ”

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Dai Zetao sighed when he saw this scene. Obviously, he was distracted at the welcome ceremony, and it was a nasty stain to say it, but now that he explained it like this, he was stunned to become a humble attitude, humorous and cute merit.

He couldn't help but want to give Hulai a thumbs up.

At the same time, although he hasn't seen him for a year and a half, this Hulai and the teenager he saw at the national competition don't seem to have changed today, and they are still so funny. What happened to him in the Poseidon Youth Team didn't seem to affect him, but it was really good......

※※※

The press conference is over, and then there is the fan meeting.

Before that, though, the three new signings returned to the lounge for a short break.

At this point, there was no one else in the room except the three of them.

It was only then that Qin Lin smiled and said to Hu Lai: "The excuse at the press conference just now was good, and it perfectly solved a crisis. ”

Hu Lai shook his head very seriously: "That's not an excuse, Brother Lin. I grew up watching you play. ”

After speaking, he also took out a pen and paper from his backpack and handed it to Qin Lin: "Brother Lin, sign it for me!" ”

Qin Lin was made to laugh and cry by Hu Lai: "It's the first time I've seen a ...... from a teammate asking me for an autograph."

He said so, but he still took the pen, wrote his name on the paper, and returned it to Hulai.

Thirty-year-old Xu Wentao saw this scene next to him, and was a little envious that Hu Lai could brush his favorability in front of Qin Lin with such a small means: Why didn't I think about using the stalk that grew up watching Brother Lin play football first?