Baby or play football, is that a problem?
In 2017, at the age of 25, she retired at the golden age and gave birth to a baby.
In February 2019, my son was just 8 months old and was not yet weaned. She submitted an application to Shui Qingxia, the then head coach of the Shanghai team, to return to the team.
In February 2022, she lifted the Asian Cup trophy in Mumbai.
Her name is Zhang Xin, also known as "Mother International Footballer", she is the main player of the Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank women's football team, and she is also one of the few mother-level players in the 2022 China Taiping Chinese Football Association Women's Super League.
First, retired baby
In 2017, in the women's football final of the Tianjin National Games, Zhang Xin started the game, and Shanghai team defeated the host 5-1 to win the national championship for the third time.
In the game, Zhang Xin performed well, planning a goal and providing an assist. Immediately after, her name appeared on the national team's big roster for the first time.
However, Zhang Xin made a decision: "Retire the baby." Then head coach Shui Qingxia was sorry, but could only choose to respect. The Shanghai team added a new international and lost another international in an instant.
"It's not difficult, just take a long vacation." At that time, Zhang Xin, 25 years old, the golden age of professional players, had the best upward period in his career. She suddenly chose to have children, which was a great sacrifice. For professional players who eat youth meals, especially female footballers whose careers are generally shorter, this long holiday is the midpoint or the end point, and no one dares to pack tickets.
"At that time, my heart was completely bottomless, and I didn't expect to come back." But making this decision is very fast for me, longing for career and love at the same time, a lot of times it is unrealistic, the most important thing is to know what you want to do, do the current thing is enough. ”
The choice of life is not so tangled for this Nantong girl, just as she came to Shanghai alone when she was 10 years old, she never hesitated or regretted it, and this time is no exception.
Unloading her armor and staying away from the greenery, what awaits Zhang Xin is a new unknown, about her children, about her family, and more about her future.
In 2018, the son was born smoothly, and the player Zhang Xin became the mother Zhang Xin. Training, competitions, and interviews turned into feeding, changing diapers, and coaxing into sleep. Day after day, this makes the new mother, who is accustomed to living a group life and sweating on the court every day, feel slightly uncomfortable.
"It would be lonely."
So, she began to look at the previous collections and photos. "I really miss it!" The weChat dialog box, the message in the Shanghai team group, and gradually saw Zhang Xin's avatar.
This life lasted for several months. Noticing that her niece's enthusiasm had not faded, her uncle's suggestions allowed Zhang Xin to embark on a journey of rebirth.
"If you really don't kick, it's a pity for you."
Second, the comeback journey
"It's hard, it's hard." After more than 2 years, Zhang Xin once again recalled the journey from scratch.
The recovery of physical functions is the first way in front of Zhang Xin, and it is also the most difficult level. From weekly training races before retirement, running no less than 10 kilometers each time, to full recuperation during childbirth, to today's announcement of a comeback. This is like a car full of oil, placed in the garage for nearly 2 years and then started, whether all the performance is the same, the owner and the 4S shop can not guarantee.
In the first step of the return, Shui Qingxia gave Zhang Xin the greatest support. "The water guide gave me a lot of help at that time, one-on-one training, starting from scratch."
The encouragement of the coach and the support of her family made Zhang Xin feel greatly relieved psychologically. But the body, which has been on strike for 17 months, does not seem to be ready for this sudden amount of exercise.
Every day's running is a struggle with the body, and the accumulation of lactic acid the next day reminds Zhang Xin that he wants to continue to play? Not so easy!
Finally, the legs took the lead in warning.
"When stretching my physical strength in the middle and late stages, once after running, I found that my feet could not touch the ground, that is, the entire soles of my feet could not be attached to the ground." Zhang Xin experienced the difficulty of coming back from childbirth for the first time, and this was also a testing ground for becoming a mother-level player.
"See, that's the price you're going to pay." Shui Qingxia said.
After listening, Zhang Xin smiled, rested for a while, and paced back to the room by himself.
"Never wanted to give up, I was nostalgic from the first day I left the team, and I fantasized several times that I was still on the field." The love of football in his bones has inspired Zhang Xin's long-unburned fighting spirit. "At that time, I understood that the laziness I stole before will now be returned."
"In addition, the overall feedback given to me at that time was very good. Maybe I was born with a better physique, and my body can carry these grinds, and then it is much easier. "If you don't go through the bone cold, you have to smell the smell." Zhang Xin finally defeated Zhang Xin, and her body once again stood on the same side as her family and teammates, becoming her supporter of the return.
Third, unknown happiness
"Mama Zhang, get ready to play tomorrow." Shui Qingxia, then head coach of the Shanghai team, said. This is April 2019, just 2 months after Zhang Xin announced her comeback.
On April 7, the third round of the FA Cup, Shanghai women's football team against Changchun women's football team, Zhang Xin came off the bench, sent assists, and helped the team reverse the victory.
This is the meeting gift of return, and it is the best reward that Zhang Xin gave to herself and her son.
Two years later, in Goyang, South Korea, Zhang Xin opened the record and helped the Chinese women's football team take the lead away, and finally the team eliminated the opponent in the two-legged match and entered Tokyo. For the first time in her life, she stepped onto the Olympic stage, when she was 29 years old.
Half a year later, Zhang Xin stepped on the stage of the Asian Cup for the first time, gave a perfect assist against Japan in the semi-final, and did her best with her teammates in the final to realize the dream of the top of the championship.
After winning the Asian Cup, the Chinese women's football team got nearly a month's vacation, and during that time, in addition to the daily interviews and shooting, Zhang Xin did the most thing to accompany her family.
"I spent about ten days with my son, the longest in the past two years, and the usual vacation is only two or three days." After returning home, Zhang Xin found that her son had grown taller and had better language expression skills, "Many things he can say on his own, and he will tell me what he wants to eat and what he wants to do." ”
Now, the son slowly knows his mother's profession and can recognize Zhang Xin's appearance in front of the TV. What makes her even happier is that every time she takes her child downstairs to play football, she finds that he seems to have inherited his talent. Compared with other children, my son's ball sex is better.
"When you grow up, you may be able to join the national team." I joked.
"I hope so." Zhang Xin nodded and smiled.
Next month, As a Gemini, Zhang Xin will celebrate her 30th birthday. At such a point in time, I asked her if she was expecting her current self.
"When I was young, I really didn't think I would start a family, I would become a mother." She gave a negative answer.
"As a mother, the change I have brought to me is a sense of responsibility. Only when I have more responsibilities can I be more responsible for my children and family. ”
"As a mom-level player, it's a motivating force for me to be better every day and make myself stronger."
"As a wife, I think women in marriage can also be independent. Girls should have their own careers, have their own ideas, learn to love themselves, only learn to love themselves, there will be more people to love you, as for the final result will be handed over to heaven, because the future is unpredictable, the only thing we can do is the present, to think clearly about what they want to do, this is the most important. ”
The Women's Super League in 2022 is Zhang Xin's next goal. The increasingly valued women's professional football league, every game has a live women's super league, she hopes that she can perform better and braver, to set a good example for her son.