Zhang Ben Tianjie, who joined Japanese nationality and helped Japan defeat China, now wants to return to China for development?
Facing the interview of the reporter, Zhang Ben Tianjie said so.
Can you imagine that he used to be a Chinese person when he said this?
Born in China, he went to Japan with his father when he was young.
Originally thought he would come back to serve the motherland like many overseas students, but he joined the Japanese nationality.
Not only that, he also represented the Japanese national team to play against the Chinese team, and even fouled the Chinese players rudely in the game.
What makes him so forget his ancestors, and why does he become a target of public criticism with his talent?
Immigration to Japan
There is a Chinese athlete Zhang Ben Zhihe in the table tennis world, and a naturalized player Zhang Ben Tianjie in the basketball world.
However, unlike Zhang Ben Zhihe, who was born in Japan, Zhang Ben Tianjie was born in China.
Born in Shenyang, Liaoning, Zhang Tianjie grew up in an athlete family.
Father Zhang Jian is a basketball player, grandfather is the head coach of the provincial fencing team, uncle is a badminton player.
Mother Zhang Shuping is a volleyball player. After retiring, she went to Japan for further study and later opened a Chinese restaurant in Japan.
In the sixth grade of elementary school, he followed his father to Japan to reunite with his mother and stayed in Japan.
Thus, the young Zhang Tianjie became a "Japanese".
Inheriting the excellent genes of the family, he showed extraordinary athletic talent at a young age.
In order to provide him with better training, the family installed a basketball hoop outside the restaurant, and he began to train hard from then on.
Soon he made a name for himself, entered the county team of Aichi Prefecture, and began to play some national competitions.
But a serious problem emerged at the same time.
Due to nationality issues, Zhang Tianjie missed many opportunities.
But changing one's nationality and surname is like changing direction, which is difficult for his parents to accept.
During that period, almost every day, people from schools and relevant departments came to persuade them not to delay their children's future because of prejudice.
This situation continued for three years, during which Zhang Tianjie missed the national youth team three times due to nationality issues.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Tianjie reached the time of junior high school graduation, and it was time to face it.
What choices will they make?
In order not to delay his son's future, Zhang Jian thought of a way to let Zhang Tianjie become a naturalized player alone.
But because Zhang Tianjie was a minor and did not have the qualifications to become a naturalized player.
Helpless, they had no choice but to enter the Japanese nationality as a family of three and changed their surname to "Zhang Ben".
After successfully joining the Japanese nationality, what challenges will Zhang Ben Tianjie face, and can his basketball road go smoothly?
Opportunities and Challenges
After joining the Japanese nationality, Zhang Ben Tianjie joined the national youth team as he wished and was admitted to Aoyama Gakuin University.
At that time, Aoyama Gakuin University was the strongest university in Japan in terms of basketball strength, and the competition among players was very fierce.
When he first entered the university team, he did not get much attention and spent most of the time on the bench.
Moreover, due to his naturalized identity, he suffered a lot of exclusion and cold eyes.
This once made him very confused, where should the future road go?
Fortunately, he did not lose confidence and gradually occupied the main position with hard work.
With his outstanding performance in the university, Zhang Ben Tianjie attracted the attention of the Japanese Basketball Association.
He was first selected into the Japanese national youth men's basketball team, and later shortlisted for the Japanese men's basketball team.
Although he was finally unable to be selected, he immediately entered the Japanese college team after being eliminated.
Then he participated in the World University Games held in Shenzhen.
This was the first time he returned to China to participate in the competition and also the first time he stood out on the international stage.
Later, he also participated in the Asian Cup held in Wuhan.
Facing Zhang Ben Tianjie, who used to be Chinese but now represents Japan, the audience booed throughout the game.
Accustomed to the flowers and applause in Japan, the boos from the audience stimulated every nerve of him, making him very uncomfortable.
This makes his thinking more radical.
Playing or fighting?
As the first Chinese basketball player to be "naturalized" by Japan, Zhang Ben Tianjie is quite controversial in both Japan and China.
His behavior of betraying his motherland and joining another country is regarded as "treason", not to mention joining the country that the Chinese hate most, Japan.
And in Japan, because of his status as a naturalized player, his status is far inferior to that of native Japanese players, and he is often excluded and discriminated against.
This makes his thinking more radical, wanting to prove that his choice is correct on the court.
All these factors together, he "exploded" in the 2021 Asian Cup qualifying match.
During the pre-match interview, he openly stated that "what I want to beat most is the Chinese team".
On the court, he launched a "savage collision" against Zhao Jiwei, who was still in mid-air.
Fortunately, Zhao Jiwei's core strength is strong enough. He staggered and stabilized his body, otherwise he would have been injured and fallen to the ground.
This move aroused the dissatisfaction of his teammate Shen Zijie. He just wanted to go forward to argue, but Zhang Ben Tianjie fell to the ground first and took a dive.
In the next game, he went further and committed a foul on Wu Qian.
His actions have caused serious dissatisfaction among domestic fans, who have condemned "Is this playing ball or fighting?"
Faced with domestic accusations, Zhang Ben Tianjie not only did not restrain himself, but became even crazier.
It was also on the Asian Cup court that his foul on our player Zhou Qi was even more outrageous.
After being blocked by Zhou Qi in a layup, he not only didn't pull his leg back when landing, but also hooked Zhou Qi's right leg with his leg.
This move caused Zhou Qi to lose balance, and his feet were almost at a ninety-degree angle to the ground when landing.
Friends who like basketball know that due to height and other reasons, Zhou Qi's biggest weakness is weak lower limb strength and unstable center of gravity.
If injured for this reason, it is likely that the basketball career will be cut off, which will be a huge loss for the Chinese men's basketball team.
This move by Zhang Ben Tianjie has been criticized and scolded by countless fans.
Not only domestic fans, but even Japanese fans can't stand it, thinking that his various vicious behaviors damage the image of Japan.
Faced with accusations from China and Japan, where will he go in the future?
Want to develop back to China?
With the increase in age and the impact of injuries, Zhang Ben Tianjie is increasingly marginalized in the national team.
After seeing his declining strength, the club mercilessly kicked him out.
Seeing that he had become a pawn, Zhang Ben Tianjie thought of China and revealed his desire to develop back to China.
But his Japanese identity, coupled with his previous actions, had long determined that Chinese fans could not accept him.
All this is what he deserved, and no one else is to blame.
Conclusion
We often say that "sports have no borders," but there must be a bottom line.
In today's globalization, more and more athletes have the opportunity to study abroad.
Faced with all kinds of temptations abroad, we must adhere to our original intention, and any "traitorous" behavior is cutting off our own way out.
No matter where you go, always remember your identity as a Chinese.
What are your opinions and ideas about this? Welcome to leave a message for discussion in the comment area.