According to statistics, in the five-year period from 2019 to 2024, 14 players have been naturalized, including: Hou Yongyong, Xiao Taotao, Ackerson, Allan, Fernando, Li Ke, Jiang Guangtai, Luo Guofu, Gaolat, etc., and only 6 of them have been called up by the national football team, and most of the remaining players are either subject to strength factors, or have represented other national teams in international competitions and do not meet the requirements, in the face of 43% of the probability of selection, I have to say that the huge tide of naturalization is not a success!
With the passage of time, Ackerson, Alain, and Fernando have all entered the twilight of their careers, and this World Preliminary Tournament is likely to be their collective farewell game.
At this time, the official website of the Portuguese Benfica Football Club announced that the Chinese teenager Francisco Wang signed a new training contract with Benfica U15, which undoubtedly added a potential selection target for the national brand!
According to the information on Benfica's official website, the 14-year-old player who plays for Benfica U15B is Portugal and China in the nationality column!
As early as April this year, he was selected for Portugal's U15 national youth training list, and at the same time wore Ronaldo's No. 7 jersey in the national team, and scored in the warm-up game, however, when he reached the age of 18, he had the right to choose to play for China or Portugal.
In fact, in addition to the name Francisco Wang, he also has a Chinese name, but his parents do not want to announce it for the time being in order to protect the child's privacy, especially in relation to the child's identity and background.
Francisco Wang's football path began in the Benfica Academy. He joined Benfica at the age of eight and started with the Under-11s and gradually developed into an important part of the Under-15 team. In the academy, he won the unanimous recognition of coaches and teammates with his excellent skills and attacking midfielder role. Last season, he played 35 games and scored 10 goals, so it is natural that such performances and talent will not go unnoticed.
Jordi Cardero previously revealed that the Benfica echelon coaching staff praised him in his position (midfielder/winger) as the greatest talent in this age group in the world! Foreign media commented that he was a "young player with outstanding skills", and many praises were added to the results of the national football team, and the difficulty of naturalization of the Football Association is indeed not small!
In any case, everything is inconclusive until Francisco Wang has made a clear choice, and the new contract with Benfica U15 is a new starting point in his personal career, and it is also a recognition and affirmation of his personal ability. As a player who has grown up in the Portuguese football system, he can not only bring new tactical concepts and technical styles to the national football team, but also a powerful complement to the midfield, and besides, naturalization is more acceptable than non-naturalization!
In the final analysis, to expect the long-term and stable development of Chinese football, it is still necessary to take the road of popularization and youth training.