We're doomed. The straightforwardness of a senior Chinese commentator, the worst crisis in history. Wait until 2038 to reach 2002 levels

Jun 17, 2025

We're doomed. The straightforwardness of a senior Chinese commentator, the worst crisis in history. Wait until 2038 to reach 2002 levels



We're doomed. The straightforwardness of a senior Chinese commentator, the worst crisis in history. Wait until 2038 to reach 2002 levels
중계화면 캡쳐
Amid a flurry of self-criticism in China about the Chinese national soccer team, which failed to advance to the finals of the North Korea-China World Cup in 2026, this time a veteran commentator respected locally sprinkled salt on the painful wound.

Appearing on a radio program in Beijing, China on the 16th (local time), Zhang Lu said, "'Can the Scottish Premier League be a spark of hope for Chinese soccer?During the discussion on the subject of ', he said straightforwardly that China will not be able to develop until 2038.

Commissioner Zhang Lu said, `Chinese football is in the worst situation in history. We have to wait until at least 2038 to reach the level of the Chinese national team under Milu (Bora Milutinovic) in 2002.




China, led by head coach Branko Ivankovic, suffered an early elimination in the third Asian qualifying round for the North-China World Cup. The 0-1 shock loss against Indonesia in Game 9 of the third qualifying round was the decisive blow. The last and only time China reached the World Cup was the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

We're doomed. The straightforwardness of a senior Chinese commentator, the worst crisis in history. Wait until 2038 to reach 2002 levels
We're doomed. The straightforwardness of a senior Chinese commentator, the worst crisis in history. Wait until 2038 to reach 2002 levels
XinhuaYonhap News
Zhang Lu, who watched China play in the 2002 World Cup, seems to have judged that it is difficult for the current generation to challenge the 2030 World Cup and the 2034 World Cup again.

According to local media, Zhang Lu, who is also an expert at the Beijing Football Research Institute, has expressed the opinion that the number of registered youth players in China is extremely short through data analysis in the past. They saw that Chinese soccer could not develop without improving infrastructure.




By 2038, South Korea's national team captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) will be 46 years old, and China's next-generation ace Wang Yu-dong (Ji-dong) will be a 32-year-old veteran.

According to local media, although China won the final qualifying match against Bahrain 1-0, they replaced Ivankovic, who remained consistent due to his poor leadership during the World Cup qualifying period. The EAFF E-1 Championship, which will be held in Korea next month, will be held under a new head coach or interim head coach.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.