Jurgen Klinsmann, German football legend.
As a player, he helped the German team win the World Cup and the European Cup, and was known as the "Golden Bomber".
After retiring, he served as the head coach of the German and American national teams, and coached the Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Ma Mingyu, the captain of the Chinese national team in the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, once stayed in Serie A in foreign countries as a player, and currently serves as the executive committee of the Chinese Football Association.
How does Chinese football get out of the slump?
What should Chinese football learn from German football?
China News Agency's "East-West Question, China Dialogue" recently invited Klinsmann and Ma Mingyu to have a dialogue on this.
In Klinsmann's view, Chinese football is going through a "learning curve".
He believes that many countries will take detours when developing football, just as things always have ups and downs.
But he believes that with more children enjoying football and the improvement of related infrastructure, Chinese football will find the right development direction.
As a Chinese football practitioner, Ma Mingyu believes that we should learn German football's tenacity in the face of adversity.
At the same time, it is necessary to build a stable and good league ecosystem, cultivate football culture, make football popular on campus, and then deepen into elite training.
He believes that if so, the level of Chinese football will be greatly improved in the future.
China News Agency's "East-West Question·China Dialogue" column invited German football legend Klinsmann to have a dialogue with Ma Mingyu, captain of the Chinese national team in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.
Photo by China News Service reporter Li Peiyun
Below is an excerpt from the conversation:
China News Service reporter: The Chinese men's football team has been criticized a lot after its defeat in the World Preliminaries. How should players and coaches deal with it? How should Chinese football respond?
Ma Mingyu:
After losing the game, it is normal for players to be criticized or even abused by fans.
As a Chinese footballer, we must face doubts, accept criticism with an open mind and reflect on ourselves.
We need to sort out all the problems in the past, including the problems of football players themselves.
Chinese football needs to get rid of the dross, learn from the advanced experience of Europe, Japan and South Korea, and find a way of innovation after sorting out.
Klinsmann:
It's normal to be criticized in sports.
When things don't go well, coaches, players, investors, and managers will be blamed.
I think criticism should be turned into motivation.
When criticized, don't be disappointed by it, accept it positively.
You have to say: "Okay, I've learned from my mistakes and bad performances now and go to the next challenge".
Things keep moving forward, so you should think about how best you can be next week, next month, or next year.
I wish Chinese football good luck and hope that it will continue to grow and become stronger.
Data map: Klinsmann.
Image source: Visual China
China News Service: In addition to national team competitions, professional leagues are an indispensable part of today's football. What is the role of leagues in the development of football in a country?
Klinsmann: The
league is very important.
The Bundesliga is the dream stage of every German child.
Growing up in Germany, whether in Munich, Stuttgart or Berlin, your father will pass on football to you, you will naturally fall in love with a team, and your dream will begin.
Ma Mingyu:
The league is the touchstone for a country to develop football. To play a leading role, a stable and good ecosystem is crucial. It has a great impact on the development of football and young people.
Klinsmann mentioned football culture, which is also a very important point.
Many clubs in China have begun to focus on cultivating football culture, but I think it is not enough.
We're going to root it in leagues and football.
Data map: The 2001 AFC Best Awards Ceremony, FIFA Technical Director Gate presented the Best Asian National Team Award to Ma Mingyu.
China News Agency reporter: German football always has a steady stream of talents. What is Germany's experience in cultivating children to participate in football? Has the lack of Chinese football in this regard improved?
Klinsmann: The
environment matters.
You will be drawn to the league, your friends, your neighbors, to try the sport.
If the kids around you are playing football, you can easily get carried away.
Table tennis is very popular in China, so it is normal for you to play table tennis.
I grew up in a football environment, so I love football.
I have also lived in the United States for more than 20 years, where many children like basketball, and many people play basketball.
Therefore, it is necessary to have an environment suitable for the development of football, so that people can become a part of it, like it and enjoy it, and the development of the project will be promoted.
Ma Mingyu:
Since the Ministry of Education and other six departments began to accelerate the development of youth campus football in 2015, the popularity of football in the campus environment has reached.
But elite training is not enough, and the number of excellent coaches required for this link is far from enough.
A good change this year is that the National Campus Football League will be introduced.
Through the popularization of campus football and further deepening into elite training, the level of Chinese football will be greatly improved in a few years.
The picture shows the fifth Central Primary School in Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, on May 9, 2021. Players from the school compete with players (blue clothes) from Fujian Xishan School in the competition.
Photo by Zhang Bin
China News Service reporter: At present, many Chinese Super League clubs are facing a crisis of survival, and the league and national teams are in a trough. How to look at this phenomenon, and how to get out of the trough?
Klinsmann:
It's a learning curve that many countries have experienced when developing football: spending too much money on players, spending too much money when it comes to bringing in foreign players.
But later on, the overall effect was less than satisfactory.
The process of football development has its ups and downs.
For example, the Major League of America has gone through 26 years so far. They also made a lot of mistakes at the beginning, and some clubs went bankrupt because of this. Later, they gradually developed to what they are today.
The Premier League is not always the top league in the world, they have come a long way; Ma Mingyu played in Serie A, where in the early 1990s it was the top league in the world, Maradona, Gugli All the greats have played in Serie A.
The development of football is inseparable from multiple supports, including the national level, the league level, venue facilities and the training of juniors.
Among them, making the Chinese Super League stable and maintaining focus is the most important.
Three years ago, I was fortunate enough to go to China to watch a very exciting Chinese Super League game, and I believe they can find a balance to some extent.
Through learning every year, the Chinese Super League will develop in the right direction.
Ma Mingyu:
When talking about "golden dollar football" in China, many responsibilities and problems are attributed to capital investment and investors, which is not entirely correct.
We should hope that the market will improve and more football-loving investors will participate.
Chinese football is on a road of exploration, don't be afraid to encounter problems.
We must face the problem and seek changes to make the league better and better.
China News Service: Klinsmann visited China in 2019, what is your impression? In what areas can Chinese football and German football further cooperate?
Klinsmann:
Every cooperation between the Bundesliga and the Chinese Super League is a good opportunity, especially at the youth level.
The more you communicate with each other, the more ideas and solutions you have.
I am glad that the Bundesliga has an office in China, which will bring more opportunities for exchanges between the two countries.
My trip to China 3 years ago was very impressive, I had a good time and saw a lot of kids playing football.
Compared with that time, I believe that Chinese football has changed rapidly.
With the improvement of football infrastructure, the strength of the Chinese national team will become stronger.
Although the Chinese team was unlucky this time and failed to enter the Qatar World Cup, the World Cup in 4 years must be the goal of the Chinese team.
The premise of all this is to have more children playing football.
Ma Mingyu:
There are many Chinese players who played in Germany in the past. The most successful one was Yang Chen who played for Frankfurt.
The German football youth training is very solid. I sincerely hope that the two sides can increase exchanges on the aspect of youth at a deeper level, which will be of great help to Chinese football.
German football has a pragmatic and concise style, rigorous teamwork, and profound historical accumulation. Especially in competitions, it is good at playing "against the wind" when faced with adversity.
What Chinese football should learn most is the spiritual aspect of German football.
In the Bundesliga "National Derby" on April 23, local time, Bayern Munich defeated Dortmund 3-1 at home to defend the league title ahead of schedule.
The picture shows the Bayern players celebrating their victory.
China News Service: There are several Chinese players currently playing in Europe. What advice does Klinsmann have for Chinese players to study abroad?
Klinsmann:
Many people say that not scoring goals or not becoming the main force means failure to study abroad, I don't think so.
Studying abroad is a good thing, and there is no such thing as "failure".
For players, studying abroad is a long learning process, not only for football, but also for personal growth.
Living in a different culture and speaking a different language is a huge challenge and brings a different experience.
As long as you have the opportunity to study abroad, you should try it.