A big soccer upheaval! Son Heung-min's warm hug to cry-boy goalkeeper, who will be kicked out of the Chinese national team, will give players a chance in the 2000s

Jun 25, 2025

A big soccer upheaval! Son Heung-min's warm hug to cry-boy goalkeeper, who will be kicked out of the Chinese national team, will give players a chance in the 2000s
Yonhap News



A big soccer upheaval! Son Heung-min's warm hug to cry-boy goalkeeper, who will be kicked out of the Chinese national team, will give players a chance in the 2000s
AFP Yonhap News
The Chinese national team is preparing for a full-fledged generational change.

China's Sohu Dotcom said on the 24th (Korea time) 'The Chinese national team selection list will be announced. Wang Dalay will be left out,' he reported.

Sohu said 'China will soon announce its 23-man roster for the East Asian Cup. Goalkeeper positions can give 2000s players a chance. The Chinese national team's gatekeeper will now enter a generational change phase. Wang Dalay and Yan Junling will all be replaced,' he said.




A big soccer upheaval! Son Heung-min's warm hug to cry-boy goalkeeper, who will be kicked out of the Chinese national team, will give players a chance in the 2000s
AFP Yonhap News
The Chinese national team recently ended its journey to the World Cup finals by eliminating fifth place in Group C in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. All hope disappeared as he failed to advance to the fourth qualifying round. Due to this failure, he will not be able to participate in the World Cup for the sixth time in a row since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.

China, which has to promise four years later, is in a situation where it has to prepare for a new start again, even replacing head coach Branko Ivankovic. Chinese national team veterans, including Wang Dalay, are also expected to face the wind of change.

Wang Dalay is a goalkeeper who has only played in Chinese Super League including Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan since his professional debut with Shanghai Rencheng in 2006. Since 2012, he has played 41 A matches for the Chinese national team. After losing the second World Cup qualifying match against South Korea in June last year, he also shed tears. At that time, Son Heung-min approached Wang Dalay directly, hugged him, and comforted him, making headlines. However, it will be difficult for Wang Dalay to receive a chance from the Chinese national team after the A-match in June.




Sohu Dotcom can use Lihao, Ji Ja-bao and Wi Jin-yong as the new goalkeepers. Among them, Li Hao played well in the Super League and established himself as a key player in Qingtao West Coast.

A big soccer upheaval! Son Heung-min's warm hug to cry-boy goalkeeper, who will be kicked out of the Chinese national team, will give players a chance in the 2000s
AFP Yonhap News
Meanwhile, in addition to Wang Dalay, the Chinese national team's proud striker Wu Lei is likely to leave the national team. Wu Lei, who played for Spain's Espanyol and was once China's best talent and even appeared in comparison with Son Heung-min in China, was a player with great presence in the Chinese national team. This can also be confirmed in the record of 37 goals in 99 games of the national team.

Wu Lei has recently undergone surgery due to a knee injury, and it is known that he will need time to return. Chinese media said during the A-match in June that Wu Lei's absence from the national team's roster effectively means the end of his national team career. He was born in 1991 and is 34 years old this year. A full-fledged generational change is blowing in Chinese soccer.








This article was translated by Naver AI translator.