In China's soccer sector, the recent buzz about naturalized midfield targets focuses on two power players. One is Serginho, a powerful foreigner from Changchun Yatai of the Chinese Super League, and the other is Tian Le, a Chinese-born midfielder star from the Netherlands. Serginho has met FIFA's naturalization criteria with his outstanding performance in five seasons in the Chinese Super League. Tian Le, on the other hand, is of Dutch, Hong Kong and Cantonese descent, with three generations of Chinese descent providing him with the possibility of naturalization.
This season, at the age of 21, Tian Le has stabilized his position as a starter for Dutch Eredivisie giants Ajax. Especially in the UEFA Cup, he contributed two goals and one assist with his outstanding performance, which helped Ajax maintain an undefeated record and ranked fourth in the UEFA Cup table. Dutch star Sneijder even praised him as an indispensable core player of Ajax. However, due to injury, Tian Le unfortunately could not participate in the training of the Dutch U21 national team.
The rise of Tian Le has both excited and worried Chinese fans, who fear that Tian Le will be snatched away by the Dutch national team. As a result, fans frequently appeared on the internet to call on the CFA to speed up the naturalization process of Tianle to fill the shortcomings of the national football team's lineup. It is reported that Tian Le is waiting for a call-up from the Dutch national team and therefore politely declined the CFA's invitation.
Recently, Tian Le talked about naturalization in an exclusive interview with Dutch People's Newspaper reporter Willem Vissers. He said that China, Hong Kong, Holland and Suriname have all thrown their weight behind him, but he has yet to make a final decision. "I'm still thinking about it, I have a deep affection for Holland because I grew up there and have always played in the Dutch youth team."
Although 21-year-old Tien Le seems to prefer playing for the Netherlands, he has yet to make a final choice. Due to the fierce competition in the front field of the Dutch team, Tian Le's future direction is still unclear. Faced with this situation, the CFA should take active measures. If Tian Le can be naturalized successfully, the midfield strength of the national football team will be significantly improved.
