Soccer reform is not just for potential Messis

‍‍‍‍As a follow-up to the release of its “Chinese Soccer Reform Plan” in February, the Chinese Government Website published 50 specific measures of reform on March 16, 2015. A Korean media, Joongang Daily employed research published by Arsenal last July to show that there would be at least one person with potential like Soccer Star Messi in every 200,000 people, and reached the conclusion that there should be 7,000 Messis in China since its population is 1.4 billion.

The news that "There are 7,000 Messis in China" has gone viral in China. Most netizens think this is a joke, and are unwilling to accept the assumption. It is reasonable for the Chinese to be skeptical about the claim - China's soccer performances have been abysmal for the past dozen years, while Messi is a one-off.

Whether "7,000 Messis in China" represents a compliment or a faint hope, the idea behind it is quite obvious and direct — it promises that the reform of Chinese Soccer will bring unexpected hope. The public has a reason to stay positive about the future of Chinese soccer as this new phase of reform is unprecedented, and it is also reasonable for people to believe that Chinese soccer is becoming more professional and marketable.

It is true that there are huge numbers of soccer fans in China, while the number of professional soccer players is small. Statistics show that there are only 30,000 registered teenage soccer players in China, while in Japan there are more than 60,000. There is no shortcut to improving Chinese soccer, it has to first lay a solid foundation and then breakthrough each succeeding level. At least soccer is now going into schools in China, which is a very good start.

Messi said during an interview last October in Beijing that Chinese Soccer may not yet have met public expectations, but it is getting more influential. With more top coaches and players coming to Chinese soccer teams, Messi suggested that the long expected awakening might finally come. As for the Chinese people, we should also trust Chinese soccer to grow stronger in the future.