On October 22, former national soccer star Xiao Zhi announced that he was hanging up his boots at the age of 39 years old. Facing an interview with Football Daily, he confessed that he felt he had completed his mission on the green field.
Before deciding to bid farewell to the soccer field, Xiao Ji pondered for a long time, recalling his time at Nanjing You You, Henan Jianye, Guangzhou R&F, Tianjin Taida, Hebei Zhuoao, Qingdao Hainiu, Liaoning Shenyang City and Guangzhou Leopard. He lamented the loneliness he felt as the last of the players born in 1985 to retire, having played soccer so far (light laughter).
The strength of the 1985-born generation of players is remarkable, with many national youth and national youth players starting their campaigns in the Chinese Super League at the age of 18 or 19. He recalls how he always kept his feet on the ground when he was a substitute in the Central League, starting with small teams and eventually returning to his hometown team in Henan. In his nine years with Jianye, he helped the team win third place in the Chinese Super League and play in the AFC Champions League. He has accumulated a wealth of experience in a career that has covered the four tiers of the Chinese Super League, Chinese First Division, Chinese Second Division and Chinese Champions League.
With the national team, he appeared in 17 games, scoring three goals and registering one assist. He was involved in the 2017 World Cup qualifiers and the 2019 Asian Cup. He scored the equalizing goals in the World Qualifier against Qatar and in the 2019 Asian Cup quarterfinal against Thailand, which culminated in China's comeback in both matches. He is convinced that he has accomplished his mission as a player.
Talking about his career, Xiao Zhi said it was relatively successful. He grew up learning soccer in Guangzhou and later returned to the Henan team. He reached the peak of his career when he was with Guangzhou R&F, where he was able to give full play to his technical characteristics thanks to the powerful foreigners. During his time at R&F, he entered Lippi's national team and became a veteran. In the last years of his career, he helped Qingdao Hainiu to be promoted to the first division, and Shenyang City to finish the relegation task.
At the beginning of 2023, he returned to the place where his soccer dream started, following Guangzhou Leopards from the Chinese Championship to the Chinese B, and this year he succeeded in reaching the first division. In the past two years, he has never missed a training session except for a few days off due to a head injury. He strives to set an example and share his experience with his young players, hoping to inspire them and make them more confident in their soccer path.
Last year, he was injured in a match against Dalian Huayi and received more than ten stitches in his head, a scene that remains deep in the memory of Guangzhou Panthers fans. At this age, he still fights so hard, which will surely have a subtle influence on the growth of young players, right?
At the age of 14, Xiao Zhi experienced a serious injury and underwent surgery in Beijing. After nearly a year of recovery, he returned to the field and decided to start a professional soccer career. This experience honed his will and developed his tough character, enabling him to build a cheerful, confident, healthy and positive mindset to face challenges. He often tells his young players that no matter where they are, they should set long-term goals and keep working hard instead of going with the flow. This is what he learned from Xavi.
Speaking of Xavi, Xiao Zhi said that in his career, he played with hundreds of foreigners, among which he was most impressed by Xavi. He recalled every detail of his training with Xavi, who made a living with his footwork and won the Chinese Super League top scorer for two consecutive years during his time at R&F. He always arrived at the training ground an hour early and kept training even on vacation, focusing on shooting practice. Zahavi always aims to be the world's top player, which is not only an ambition, but also the pursuit of goals and dreams.
Xiao Zhi believes that at present our players are too comfortable with the status quo and lack clear goals and dreams. The reason for this phenomenon is the lack of role models to guide them. He wishes he had known Xavi earlier, his goal is to move to the Europa League and is eager to participate in a higher level of competition. Xavi can be considered his role model. If he could have played with a foreigner like him or a good Chinese player when he was in his twenties, he would have taken his abilities to the next level. With such a role model by his side, his goals are by no means limited to the domestic game, but will be towards the Europa League as well.
Over the years, Xiao Zhi has been using the power of such an example to inspire the younger generation. He believes that Chinese soccer currently lacks such power. Back then, he trained with Xavi, whose goal was to reach the highest level of the professional league. Even if it was an ordinary warm-up match, he would take it seriously and prepare well. His focused attitude reflects a respect for soccer, and this influence invariably infects his teammates around him, which is very important, and from which he has benefited a lot. He was training with Xavi at the time and would have felt uncomfortable himself if he hadn't put in extra practice. When teammates compete and surpass each other, the overall strength of the team naturally improves, and he sees this as positive competition.
