One day after Shenhua’s foreign aid Basogo was confirmed to be selected for the Cameroon team’s Qatar World Cup roster, the Korean Football Association announced at noon on November 12 that Sun Zhunhao, a midfielder who played for the Chinese Super League Shandong Taishan Club, was selected for the South Korean team’s 26-man World Cup roster.
So far, two current Chinese Super League players have qualified for the Qatar World Cup.
In a sense, the two will play the "image spokesperson" of the Chinese Super League on the stage of the Qatar World Cup.
However, compared with the 9 Chinese Super League club players participating in the 2018 World Cup, the Chinese Super League's personnel contribution to this World Cup has obviously "shrinked", which is also worth thinking about by domestic professional league practitioners.
In an international warm-up match in Seoul, South Korea on the evening of November 11, the South Korean team beat Iceland by a goal.
Sun Zhunhao came on as a substitute at the beginning of the second half. It is understood that this arrangement was the result of an agreement between South Korean team coach Paul Bento and Sun Zhunhao before the game.
In the warm-up match between South Korea and Costa Rica and Cameroon in late September this year, Sun Zhunhao played as a substitute and a starter respectively, and his performance was remarkable.
At that time, the Korean media generally believed that Sun Zhunhao was good at offense and defense, and his physical fitness, vision, and passing accuracy were all at a high level.
Since Son Heung-min is temporarily out of the squad and may miss the first or even the first two games of the South Korean team's group stage of this World Cup due to injury, Bento tried a new squad to respond.
In the game on the evening of the 11th, Sun Zhunhao still served as one of the double midfielders, but compared with the two warm-up games in September, his position was more prominent, which means that he was more involved in the team's offense. .
With Shenhua's foreign aid Basogo and Taishan's foreign aid Sun Zhunhao being selected for the Cameroon team and South Korea's World Cup squad respectively, two Chinese Super League players have confirmed their participation in this World Cup.
But in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the number was "9", when Belgium's Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Nigeria's Mikel (Tianjin TEDA), Ighalo (Changchun) Yatai), Portugal's Fonte (Dalian Yifang), Argentina's Mascherano (Hebei China Fortune Land Development), Serbia's Tosic (Guangzhou R&F), Brazil's Augusto (Beijing Zhonghe Guoan), South Korea's Kim Young-kwon (Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao) and others have appeared in Russia.
In addition, there were 9 old Chinese Super League players selected for the World Cup squad at that time, namely Cahill, Cruze (Liaoning Hongyun), Milligan of the Australian team, Sainsbury and Praliganji of the Iranian team. , South Korea's Zheng Yourong, Zhang Xianxiu and Sweden's Swensen and Brazil's Paulinho.
This also reflects the influence and appeal of the Chinese Super League in international football at that time, and it can be said that it is still in a relatively leading position at least in Asia.
However, with the changes in the domestic professional league environment in recent years, this stage has gradually drifted away from top international foreign aid and foreign teachers.
This is not difficult to prove from the fact that this year's transfer to the winter window "standard king" Stanqiu (Wuhan Three Towns Club) is worth only 4 million euros.
Of course, two Chinese Super League foreign aids Basogo and Sun Zhunhao entered the Qatar World Cup competition stage, which is also a proud honor for the players and the two Chinese Super League clubs.
Shenhua coach Wu Jingui and Taishan coach Hao Wei congratulated the players after hearing the good news.
Hao Wei said: "I am very happy. The club and myself have always supported him (Son Zhun-ho) in participating in the World Cup, including the club's training and competition arrangements. It's not normal." As Wu Jingui and Hao Wei expected, if the two Chinese Super League foreign players can represent their respective national teams in this World Cup, they will not only achieve their personal dreams, but also win more for the Chinese Super League in international football. many impression points.
Text/Reporter Xiao Xun