Wanda's young footballers help Shenzhen youth team defeat China National Youth Football team
23.03.2015
To the surprise of many, Shenzhen Youth Football team beat China National Youth Football team 5-1 in a warm-up match on March 20.
Although it was a friendly match, competitive spirits were high. The Shenzhen team impressed spectators with their strong performance and the end result. Jan Olde Riekerink, coach of the China National Youth Football Team, admitted he was "astonished" to encounter so many outstanding players in the opposing team.
It turns out that seven of the young players from Shenzhen's team came from Wanda's "China's Future Football Stars" project in Spain, where they are attending a three year training program consisting of football training, as well as education in Spanish language and local culture.
The overwhelming success is not the first time for the young footballers to flex their muscle. Last year in the final of Guangdong Men's Provincial Football Championship, six "China's Future Football Stars" helped Shenzhen team defeat the Guangzhou team 5-1, allowing Shenzhen to capture the provincial championship for the first time in its history.
China's Future Football Stars", which was launched on July 3, 2011, was funded by the Wanda Group with an investment of at least 500 million yuan, the single biggest sponsorship fee in China's sports development since 1949. The project also marks Wanda Group's return to China's football industry.
From 2012 to 2014, Wanda already invested 200 million yuan to send 90 young footballers to study in Spain for three years. They will receive training in three Spanish first-division clubs, Club Atlético de Madrid, Villarreal and Valencia. From 2015 to 2018, the most exceptional players from that group of 90 will have the opportunity to extend their training programs for another 3 years while another batch of 60 youngsters will go to Spain.
Recently, a new round of selection has kicked off as requested by Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin.
More than 20 of the "China's Future Football Stars" have come back from Spain to represent their hometowns in the upcoming National Youth Games in October. They will undoubtedly become one of the highlights of the Games.