Godfather of national football

Chapter 218 Farewell to Veterans
After the doorbell rang, the door opened, and there was a beautiful lady in front of him, probably Sun Jihai's wife.

"Hello,"

"You... yes, Director Li,"

"Hehe, I want to find Jihai,"

"Haha, I'm so sorry, Jihai has gone out."

"Aren't you at home on New Year's Day?" Li Guo asked wonderingly. Li Guo chose this day because even football players should be at home on New Year's Day.

"Aboard the boat?"

"What ship?"

"The yacht over Xinghai Bay, he ate and said to go out to get some fresh air."

Since he ran out of time, Li Guo had nothing to say. After asking for the detailed address, Li Guo left.

*****
With a bottle of beer, a barbecue, and a reclining chair, Sun Jihai lay leisurely. Today's Dalian is not too cold and the wind is not too strong. It will be the most pleasant place to watch the fireworks later.

Recently, Sun Jihai is not in a very good mood. He always has a premonition of what is going to happen. Even a fool can see that the Chinese team is changing rapidly. Geng Chong and Mu Fei are very vigorous. "Now is their time," Sun Jihai sighed in his heart.

Thinking of the afternoon when Maldini retired at San Siro, the uncontrollable tears flowed down. Football players eat their youth, and they are always reluctant to say goodbye.

"Why don't you call me when you drink."

Ji Hai turned his head and laughed, "Boss, why are you here?"

Li Guo boarded the yacht, "Give me a seat, and also, bring me a bottle of beer."

"Good."

After receiving the beer, the two touched the bottle, Li Guo looked around, "What a place, you really know how to choose a place."

"It's not expensive to be a member. You can do it too. It will make you feel better when you go out to sea once in a while."

"So you're in a bad mood?"

"No, it's New Year's Eve."

"Haha, yes, New Year's Day is now considered a big Chinese New Year."

"Yes, the Chinese New Year is on February 2, when the national football team should have returned from the Asian Cup."

卡塔尔亚洲杯是1月7日至1月29日，就算是中国队打进决赛，2月3日春节，国家队的球员也应该回国和家人团圆了。

Since Jihai took the initiative to stir up the topic, Li Guo went straight to the point, "Jihai, do you want to participate in the Asian Cup?"

"Of course, the regret in 2004 has not been made up."

Li Guo said lightly: "But in the football world, there are always so many regrets. Giggs can't participate in the European Cup and World Cup in his life. Beckham worked so hard, but his dream was broken in South Africa, and..."

Before Li Guo finished speaking, Ji Hai's eyes were already red. Any player will grow old one day, but when all this really happens, it still hurts so much.

"Head, old man, I'm not useless."

"Of course, you were the player I admired most before,"

Ji Hai thought he was talking nonsense, Li Guo was much older than him, Ji Hai chuckled, "It stands to reason that I should be happy that there are new players in the national team, but I really can't say congratulations."

"It's okay, if it were me, I would have scolded my mother."

Sun Jihai chuckled, a little helpless and bitter, he picked up the bottle, "Head, do one."

The two drank it all in one gulp, and shouted "happy."

"Head, promise me one thing, don't let the players leave the regrets of 2004 again this time."

Li Guo stretched his hand into the air, "Of course, I promise you."

"Actually, Ji Hai, I want to invite you to join the coaching staff,"

Sun Jihai smiled and shook his head, "There is a mountain between each other, maybe one day I will choose to be a coach, but not now."

"What about the national team leader?"

"Head, I'm not short of work for the time being. If one day I can't get rid of the pot, don't worry, I promise to come to you."

"That's for sure."

"Head, let's go to sea, it will be more beautiful to watch the fireworks over there."

"Listen to you, just don't sell me out."

Sun Jihai smiled badly, "Boss, my driving skills are not good, if I accidentally drive to Korea, don't blame me."

"That's good, I'm a public enemy in South Korea. If you go to South Korea, you can let Chen An lead the team in the Asian Cup."

After speaking, the two laughed.

After sailing for a certain distance, after the sea moored the boat, the two lay on the deck chairs and looked back at the city.

"It used to be a football city," Jihai said.

Yes, in the A-A era, Dalian was the undisputed king of Chinese football, but later in the Super League era, it gradually became so-so.

"In the Chinese football circle, being a Dalian native is very proud," Li Guo asked.

"Yes, count the former international players, how many Dalian people are there."

"Chinese football used to have many valuable qualities," Li Guo said.

"Yes, but public opinion doesn't care about these, they only look at the results."

Li Guo remembers that in the semi-final between the Asian Cup and Japan in 2000, Chinese players collided with each other and were directly sent to the hospital with a concussion. The spirit of not fearing death is really lost among young people nowadays.

"Sometimes people of your generation are really desperate to play football," Li Guo said.

"Hehe, silly."

"It's better to be stupid."

"Head, I know that the generation under Milu should bid farewell to the national team. Will you bring Datou and Dewey this time?"

"Dewey won't take him, but I will take Weifeng. As long as he stays healthy, I will take him to the World Cup in Brazil."

"Well, that's good. A ball bully like Datou is still useful at critical moments. Defense in the middle mainly depends on experience. It's true that a wide player like me can't run anymore."

"I still remember the way you ran all over the field when you were in Manchester City. I hope Geng Chong can take over your class well."

"Haha, he's better than me. At least I don't dare to tease the head coach. That kid and Mu Fei sang and sang together. It's like talking about cross talk."

"Well, this is also the advantage of the new generation. They have more tricks and are more flexible than the old generation of players."

"Head, I feel comfortable chatting with you, you seem to have a magical power."

"Really? Then don't fall in love with me," Li Guo laughed after finishing speaking.

While talking and laughing, the bright fireworks rising in the distance, the fire trees and silver flowers never night, gorgeous but short, just like a great player's life, Diego Maradona, people can really remember him for the dozens of seconds in the game against England with 5 players in a row?

A person's life is not about how long he lives, but about being brilliant once, maybe that's enough. Before leaving, Li Guo said seriously: "Jihai, start studying coaching courses now. Your role in Chinese football is by no means limited to being a great full-back. Believe me, you will still be inseparable from this stage in the future."

Sun Jihai nodded, "It seems that I have to be your soldier forever."

(End of this chapter)