At a time when Chinese men's football is facing the daunting challenge of World Cup qualifying, public opinion is once again focusing on the issue of naturalizing foreign players, hoping to enhance the competitiveness of the national team. However, the current economic woes in Chinese football make the idea of bringing in new naturalized players on a large scale face a severe test.
In the past, Chinese football often attracted foreign players to join through high salaries to achieve rapid naturalization. But the bubble of "Golden Dollar Football" has gradually burst, and this strategy no longer works. In the case of a number of potential naturalisation targets, the naturalization process has been repeatedly frustrated by salary demands that are far beyond the capacity of existing clubs. For example, the naturalization talks between well-known players Oscar and Serginho were not reached due to salary differences.
Clearly, the money-driven model of naturalization is no longer sustainable. Chinese football needs to explore new paths, with emotional resonance and cultural identity as the cornerstone, to attract foreign players who truly love China and are willing to contribute to Chinese football. This transformation is not only in line with the essence of football, but also an inevitable requirement for building a healthy football ecology.
On the vast stage of global football, teams from all over the world are constantly exploring ways to improve their strength. Valuable lessons can be learned from the success stories of international football. In Japan, for example, they have managed to naturalize a number of Brazilian players by promoting the local integration of players and creating a unique football atmosphere. Not only did these players technically add new energy to the Japanese team, but more importantly, they were fully integrated into Japanese society and developed a deep emotional connection to Japan. France, with its open and inclusive football culture, has attracted many players from different backgrounds, who are proud of France and play for the French team despite their different skin colors.
For Chinese football, the future naturalization road should pay more attention to the player's sense of cultural belonging and national identity. We should attract foreign players who truly love China and are willing to integrate into the Chinese football system by strengthening youth football training, improving the level of the league, and creating a good football culture atmosphere. At the same time, we also need to optimize the naturalization policy to provide naturalized players with better career development planning and living security, so that they can find a sense of home in China.
In short, the naturalization of Chinese men's football needs to move away from excessive dependence on money and shift to a direction that pays more attention to emotional resonance and cultural identity. Only in this way can we attract more outstanding foreign players who are truly willing to work hard for Chinese football and jointly contribute to the rise of Chinese football.