The national football team recently announced its latest training squad list, and among the most interesting and exciting aspects of this list is the players' ages. In this training session, the average age of the 32-member squad is around 26.6 years old, with 11 players born after 2000 selected. This age is considered quite good in the world of football, especially when compared to the older image of the national team in the past. Such an age level is enough to make fans look forward to their future performances.
For a long time, apart from the issue of poor skill levels, another problem that has been criticized about the national team is their age. The players on the national team are generally older, and even at the age of 30, which is considered an absolute veteran in modern football, it is not considered old within the national team lineup. Therefore, such a team gives people the feeling that besides the current poor state, there is also no hope for the future.
When Yang Keqi was coaching, there were hopes from the outside that this coach could bring about rejuvenation to the national team. However, unfortunately, he was not able to achieve the goal of rejuvenating the national team. Last year during the Asian Cup, the average age of the national team reached 30 years old, making them the oldest team in the Asian Cup. The national team did not win any of their three matches in the Asian Cup, setting a record for their worst performance ever, and Yang Keqi was quickly dismissed afterward.
After Ivan Kovic took office, he began to renew and replace the team after leading them to miraculously enter the top 18. Older players like Wu Xi, Tan Long, Zhang Linpeng, and Ai Kesen gradually retired, while younger players like Xie Weneng, Bai Helamu, Hu Hetao, and Lin Liangming entered the national team. They performed very well in the World Cup qualifiers, which further emboldened Ivan to give opportunities to young players, of course, with the help of media and fan hype.
With the omission of players like Wu Lei, Alan, and Liu Dianzuo, the average age of the national team has decreased once again. In this training squad list, 35-year-old Wang Dalei is the oldest player and the only player from the 1980s in the list. Players born in the 1990s and 2000s have become the main characters, with 11 players born after 2000, including familiar names like Zhu Chenjie, Jiang Shenglong, Bai Helamu, Xie Weneng, Tao Qianglong, Hu Hetao, Jian Tao, and Wu Shaocong, as well as Wu Mitijiang, Maiwulong, and Wang Haijian. These players will be the key members of Chinese football in the future.
In March, the national team's World Cup qualifiers will face Saudi Arabia and Australia, two crucial matches. These two teams are likely to be the true opponents for the national team to compete for a direct qualifying spot. However, these two teams have performed poorly in this World Cup qualifier. The national team should not approach these matches with a timid mentality but should actively pursue victory. It is hoped that the national team can score points against these two opponents and advance to the World Cup.